Independent 9,580 / Hob – Fifteensquared

Hob has provided a puzzle to challenge and delight this Tuesday.

I am late posting owing to work commitments, but that has not stopped me from thoroughly enjoying this multi-layered puzzle, with all its cross-references and punning. This is the kind of solving experience that I most like to have when tackling a daily puzzle: taxing but not unreasonably so, quirky in its treatment of its theme(s) and above all thoroughly entertaining.

I have to say that Hob has the last laugh today, since I cannot parse the definition at 11 (now amended) and suspect that I have missed something very obvious at 15/23 (now amended). I look forward to being enlightened by other solvers – thanks for the help!

It is hard to single out any particular clues here, as this is a puzzle whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts, in my humble opinion. I like the near the knuckle references to contraception and the way that this sub-theme has been tied in with the bigger theme of ATMs and banking. The mind boggles at what Hob might have come up with if he’d squeezed hole-in-the-wall into the grid too 😉 On a more serious note, I appreciated the “stripping” devices used in 24 and 27; and the & lit. at 27.

*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues

Across

01	ETHIOPIAN	African playing the piano around lunchtime? I (=lunchtime?, i.e. one o’clock) in *(THE PIANO); “playing” is anagram indicator

10	MATES	Johnny’s so-called // friends? Double definition: Mates is a brand of condoms (“johnny”) in the UK

11	FIRST	Trees planted at edge of forest by Geoff or Damien? FIRS (=trees) + <fores>T (“edge of” means – here – last letter only); a (Geoff) Hurst or a (Damien) Hirst is Cockney rhyming slang for a first class honours degree!!

13	ENFIELD	Gun takes aim, without life being lost *(LIFE) in END (=aim); an e.g. Lee-Enfield is a bolt-action, repeating rifle

14	ROWDIES	Noisy lot dispute “offside” ROW (=dispute) + *(SIDE); “off” is anagram indicator

17	TUBED	Returning from French bar, used the Underground DE (=of French, i.e. the French word for of) + BUT (=bar, except); “returning” indicates reversal

19	ATM	15 23 used by 24D 10 In full, with words substituted for the clue references, this clue reads: Withdrawal method used by flatmates Hidden (“used by”) in “flATMates”; an ATM (=automated teller machine) is a way of withdrawing cash (“withdrawal method”)

20	TIGHT	Mean // to get drunk Double definition; “mean” is to be read as an adjective

21	PARADED	Made a show of old man, er … dad dancing PA (=old man, i.e. father) + *(ER DAD); “dancing” is anagram indicator

22	MADE MAN	Appearing in film, a demanding person sure of success Hidden (“appearing in”) in “filM A DEMANding”

24	FULL-CREAM	Sort of milk drunk by European after credit, 19A having been emptied FULL (=drunk) + CR (=credit) + E (=European) + A<t>M (=19A; “having been emptied” means middle letter is dropped)

26/22D	AT THE MOMENT	19A usage having been expanded now In e.g. texting, ATM (=19A) stands for “at the moment” when expanded

28	ABYSS	Bottomless depths of 9, once no longer popular with Scotsman ABYSS<inian> (=Ethiopian (=entry at 9) once); “no longer popular (=in) with Scotsman (=Ian)” means letters “in + Ian” are dropped

29	CANTALOUP	Silly plan to cut the end off a melon *(PLAN TO CU<t> + A); “end off” means the last letter is dropped from the anagram, indicated by “silly”

Down

01	DEAF	Somewhat senseless idea fool holds Hidden (“holds”) in “iDEA Fool”; a deaf person lacks the sense of hearing so could be cryptically described as being “somewhat senseless”

02	SHARIF	Former actor cooking a fish, with a little rice *(A FISH + R<ice>); “a little” means first letter only; “cooking” is anagram indicator; the reference is to Egyptian actor Omar Sharif (1932-2015)

03	SOFT-HEADED	Stupid, like Patsy The word “Patsy” begins with a p = piano, i.e. soft in music and could thus cryptically be described as being soft-headed

04	MINDED	Was bothered if 30 seconds late, we hear MIN<ute> (=30 seconds, i.e. half a minute!) + homophone (“we hear”) of “dead” (=late, deceased)

05	ANGSTROM	Strong man cut out to be a physicist *(STRONG MA<n>); “cut” means last letter dropped from anagram, indicated by “out”; the reference is to Swedish physicist Anders Jonas Ångström (1814-74)

06	SMEE	Duck out of kinky sex and drugs SM (=kinky sex, i.e. sadomasochism) + E E (=drugs, i.e. two ecstasy tablets!)

07	STASHING	Hiding away, as night’s unravelling *(AS NIGHT’S); “unravelling” is anagram indicator

08	USER	Drug addict’s trick cycling RUSE (=trick); “cycling” here means first letter moves to the end of the word, etc

13	EAT UP	Use large amounts of RAM following each brief EA (=each; “brief” indicates abbreviation) + TUP (=ram, i.e. male sheep)

15/23	WITHDRAWAL METHOD	Finding another 19A worthwhile? Dad is Johnny’s alternative *(ATM (=19A) + WORTHWHILE DAD); “another” is anagram indicator; the withdrawal method is an alternative (but unreliable) form of contraception to the condom (=Johnny)!

16	SIT-IN	Protest is about money SI (IS; “about” indicates reversal) + TIN (=money, colloquially)

18	BARCLAYS	Bank of material found in watering holes CLAY (=material) in BARS (=watering holes)

19	AUDIENCE	House dance moves in use, regularly added to the mix *(DANCE + I<n>U<s>E); “regularly” means alternate letters only are used in anagram, indicated by “moves” and “the mix”

24	FLAT	Residence recently out of bounds <o>F LAT<e> (=recently); “out of bounds” means first and last letters are dropped

25/12	CASH DISPENSER	19A ready for use next to Boot’s? CASH (=ready) + DISPENSER (=Boot’s, i.e. the Chemist); & lit.

27	EXPO	Show what hot young thing shows, after removing the covers <s>EXPO<t> (=hot young thing); “after removing the covers” means that first and last letters are dropped