Independent 9,471 by Vigo

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Well ViGo returns for our Monday workout, just about right for a Monday morning I thought.

Can’t see any themes or Ninas, thought there might be a stellar theme with Mars, Neptune and Leo but maybe someone more awake can see more than I.

Thanks Vigo

 

completed grid

Across

1 Heartless gang assumed attitude (4)
POSE
PO(s)SE (gang) without its heart

3 Embarrass oddly deficient God (4)
MARS
Odd letters removed from eMbArRaSs

6 Faculty’s head lied about area of expertise (5)
FIELD
Head of F(aculty) & LIED* about

10 Popular old copper departed to provide protection (9)
INOCULATE
IN (popular) & O(ld) & CU(copper) & LATE (dead, departed)

11 Boxer with brio occasionally providing cover story (5)
ALIBI
(Mohammed) ALI & BrIo occasionally

12 Dilapidated motel next to California, place of legend (7)
CAMELOT
CA(lifornia) & a dilapidated MOTEL*

13 Teachers to write about Earth and other planet (7)
NEPTUNE
NUT (teacher’s union) & PEN (write) both reversed & E(arth). After MARS earlier I was looking for further planets or gods, saw a constellation in LEO. A theme or just coincidence?

14 Gander expressed anger (4)
PEEK
Sounds like PIQUE

16 You and I encountering really bad pest (6)
WEEVIL
WE (you & I) & EVIL (bad). When attacked by insects it’s a good idea to go after the lesser of two weevils

18 Bit of time after date … (3)
TAD
T(ime) & AD – Chambers gives AD as “After Date”

21 … in Isle of Man (3)
LEO
Hidden answer indicated by IN

22 Jog around following old squeeze (6)
EXTORT
EX (old) & TROT reversed

23 Quiet dentist regularly indulges (4)
PETS
P (quiet) & dEnTiSt regularly. Dunno about alternative facts, that’s the third alternate letter clue in the write up so far 🙂

25 Hires unusually loud fellow as peacekeeper (7)
SHERIFF
HIRES* unusually & F (loud) & F(ellow)

27 Bloke returning to Spanish Isle taking last bit of whizz in country (7)
NAMIBIA
MAN reversed & end of (whiz)Z removed from IBI(z)A

29 Put an end to sailor getting worried (5)
ABATE
AB (sailor) & ATE (worried)

30 Lacking restraint as this solution regularly is (9)
UNCHECKED
Well…. every other letter is unchecked by other clues. Hmm not too impressed by this, sorry Vigo.

31 Last of all Jack London wrote, “Farewell planet” and rested (5)
KNELT

Final letters of jacK londoN wrotE farewelL planeT

32 Central section of viking ship forms X (4)
KISS
Centre of viKIng & S.S.

33 Attempt to surround old city (4)
TROY
O(ld) in TRY

Down

1 Highest ranking royal dropping ecstasy with a friend (9)
PRINCIPAL
PRINC(e) without E(cstasy) & 1 for A & PAL (friend)

2 Almost put aside male rage (5)
STORM
Most of STOR(e) & M(ale)

4 Separate people beginning to tour set of rooms (9)
APARTMENT
APART (separate) & MEN (people) & beginning of T(our)

5 Radiance observed over Hungary (5)
SHEEN
H(ungary) in SEEN

6 Where standards could be raised? (8)
FLAGPOLE
Cryptic def

7 Unusually quiet time in summer for French customs (9)
ETIQUETTE
QUIET* unusually & T(ime) in the French for summer ETE

8 Force queen into seedy bar (5)
DRIVE
R(egina) inside DIVE (a rough bar)

9 Type of hair dog left on top of yoghurt (5)
CURLY
CUR (dog) & L(eft) & top of Y(oghurt)

15 Divorcee I admire is free from all blame (9)
EXONERATE
EX (divorcee) & ONE (I) & RATE (admire)

17 Plants Incas over cultivated (9)
VERONICAS
[INCAS OVER]* cultivated

19 Mean and melancholy, getting up late, crossing line (9)
DASTARDLY
SAD (meloncholy) reversed – getting up – & TARDY (late) around L(ine). Where’s Muttley then?

20 American leader losing power and dwelling (8)
RESIDENT
Old chesternut time – P(ower) removed from (p)RESIDENT

24 Chambermaid’s hiding something precious (5)
AMBER
Another hidden answer

25 Fish from quiet boat (5)
SHARK
SH… (quiet!) & ARK (boat)

26 Panic involving learner driver getting fail (5)
FLUNK
L(earner) inside FUNK (panic)

28 Argue but not about gang member? (5)
BIKER
C(irca) removed from BI(c)KER

10 comments on “Independent 9,471 by Vigo”

  1. Apparently this crossword is “vaguely themed around a television series I suspect you’ve never seen! Veronica Mars was an American show about a teenage girl detective – think Nancy Drew crossed with Beverley Hills 90210.”

    I would imagine I’m not the only person who’s never seen it!!

  3. Very pleasant solve. Though I’d heard of CS’s Nancy Drew and BH90210, I’d not come across Veronica Mars so unfortunately missed the theme. Lots of nice stuff here with my picks of the bunch being 1d & 7d so thanks to Vigo for an enjoyable puzzle and to The Flash for the blog.

  4. I would say that 1 across’s definition is ‘assumed attitude’. This is rather good, but I’m afraid I had no idea I was solving a THEMED PUZZLE.

  5. Quite an easy puzzle to finish, but far too much time spent fruitlessly trying to figure out Vigo’s trademark ghost. Not in a million years, this time. DASTARDLY left me hoping for Wacky races (proper telly).
    Thanks to Vigo and Flashling

  6. So what does it matter if no-one’s ever seen or heard of the theme subject? Not a whit. It was a nice straightforward Monday puzzle, solved over coffee in just two passes. Superb! CoD for sheer inventiveness and conciseness has to be LEO.

    Thanks, Vigo and Flashling

  7. Theme, shmeme … it was just an enjoyable crossword which fell out nicely on a busy Monday morning.

    Some excellent clueing – LEO was my favourite today.

    Thanks to S&B. Look forward to the next one from Vigo – perhaps she already has it tucked away in her back pocket.

  8. Damn, I was a great fan of Veronica Mars and I never spotted the theme. Obviously we have MARS and she lived in NEPTUNE, California. Her father was an ex-SHERIFF, and there was a character nick-named WEEVIL. There was even an incident with someone being tied to a FLAGPOLE.

    Incidentally, the writer of the show, Rob Thomas, went on to do iZombie, possibly the best zombie detective show on TV at the moment.

  9. Another nice (and ‘normal’ 🙂 ) crossword from almost-17d.
    For the umptieth time I missed her theme.
    Blame it on me, nowadays mainly focusing on BT Sport, music on BBC4 and Newsnight & Question Time.
    Agree with Kathryn’s Dad on the CoD: LEO – superb (even the ellipsis doesn’t really make sense).

    Thanks flash!

  10. Thanks flashing for the blog and to everyone who commented. i really wasn’t expecting anyone to notice the Veronica Mars related entries. I just enjoy putting in groups of words that are linked even if only I know the link. As none of the clues refer to a theme and nor is any knowledge of the TV show needed to solve I don’t think of this (or any of my other puzzles) as themed. I hope knowing my inspiration was a fantastic TV show, sadly axed and then resurrected by crowd funding as a film, didn’t detract from the fun!

    @Dormouse

    We clearly have the same, excellent, taste in television. I also think iZombie is one of the best Zombie detective shows around right now!

    Well done for spotting Sheriff, Neptune, Weevil and flagpole

    In addition: Leo was the Sheriff’s deputy, Camelot the local motel, Curly Moran’s body was washed up with Veronica’s name on his hand, Tad Wilson gets duct taped to the flagpole by Weevil, local baseball team is Neptune Sharks and Shark stadium was demolished with one of Weevil’s biker associates inside, Troy Vandergraff dated Veronica in high school until she found out he was criminally inclined, Amber is a pseudonym Veronica goes by when acting dumb. Other words that had a vague connection were principal, alibi, pets (the dog napping episode), extort, exonerate and kiss (the moment when Logan and Veronica first kiss at the Camelot motel…ahhh, a series killed off in its prime). Maybe Netflix will resuscitate it….

    Thank you for your indulgence. I will not mention V Mars again.

    V

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