Independent 9585/Hoskins

by

Ever had the feeling that you’ve been set up?

 

 

 

 

A very pleasing puzzle from Hoskins, typically straightforward in the traditional Indy Monday style. As well as the usual sex, flatulence and drugs, there appear to be a lot of birds. I can’t imagine why.  But the word ‘bird’ doesn’t appear anywhere in the clues, which you may consider quite clever. I know I do.

 

Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) removed

definitions are underlined

 

Across

1 Key book incorporated by degrees in film
THE BIRDS
An insertion of E for the musical ‘key’ and B in THIRDS for ‘degrees’ gives you the Hitchcock film. Guess which clue was my last one in and took me forever to see?  The adjective ‘bird-brained’ comes to mind.

5 Good period of time inhaling good grass?
PIGEON
I was looking for drugs to begin with, but in fact PIGEON GRASS is where you need to be. An insertion of G for ‘good’ in PI for ‘good’ and EON for ‘time’. PI for ‘pious’ if you weren’t aware; only found in crosswords these days. The feral pigeon is as ugly as sin and a chuffing nuisance, so the obligatory Pierre bird link will show you the wood pigeon. I’ve got two nesting opposite my house and their cooing is a delight.

10 Uplifting feeling provided by boundless sex
ELATION
Those of us who have had boundless sex will no doubt agree. [R]ELATION[S]

11 Some partying Indians linking up?
TYING IN
Hidden in parTYING INdians.

12 Colour film from Spielberg about a Liberal
TEAL
A reversal of ET followed by A and L and the next obligatory Pierre bird link. Handsome fellow, although this one’s skating on thin ice.

13 Entire term ruined when one stops working?
RETIREMENT
(ENTIRE TERM)*

15 Roman province train ban I affected
BRITANNIA
(TRAIN BAN I)*

16 One that will lift uncased grand into church
CRANE
An insertion of [G]RAN[D] into CE. Here’s the obligatory Pierre bird link.  Today’s random fact: in French, la grue is also both the machine and the bird.  In both languages, it’s clearly to do with their shape; but I’ve never explored the exact etymology.

18 Topless outing with bit of sexual relations
AUNTS
Wouldn’t be Harry without a good dose of smut, would it? [J]AUNT plus S.

19 Court date city politician originally handed Sprite?
WOOD NYMPH
A charade of WOO, D, NY, MP and H.

21 Singer back in tour after rehabilitation
KURT COBAIN
(BACK IN TOUR)* Good spot for the anagram. Singer from Nirvana who committed suicide in 1994.

23 Amphibious motor that’s got for nothing?
DUCK
The informal name for the DUKW, the six-wheel-drive amphibious vehicle used by the US in WWII. And a DUCK in cricket is not troubling the scorers.  So a cd cum dd.  A wide choice for the obligatory Pierre bird link. This one is the colourful Mandarin Duck, originally from the Far East.  The UK population is descended from imported birds who escaped or were released.

26 Popular police unit full of Old Bill
INVOICE
A charade of IN and O in VICE.

27 Most imprecise toilet schedule hampering son
LOOSEST
An insertion of S in LOO SET.

28 Disowned popular back, having broken contract?
DENIED
An insertion of IN reversed in DEED. IN for ‘popular’ twice in quick succession, but I’m not going to make a fuss. Best known usage of DENIED in this sense is probably Peter’s three-time denial of Christ, before the cock crew. But we’ve got enough bird links for today, I think.

29 Judges and half-cut bosses on donkeys
ASSESSES
A charade of ASSES and [BOS]SES.

 

Down

1 Sort of model to follow very quaint online post?
TWEET
A charade of TWEE and T for the model T Ford. A nod to our bird theme as well, perhaps.

2 English people occupied by old lady gas?
EMANATION
An insertion of MA in E NATION.

3 One’s seen around swinging hotel chain
IBIS
An insertion of BI for ‘swinging (both ways)’ in I’S. IBIS is indeed a hotel chain, but the obligatory Pierre bird link gives you the avian version.  This is the American White Ibis.  The Ibis was considered to be sacred by the ancient Egyptians.

4 Greyish-brown dope circulating Ohio prison
DUNGEON
A charade of DUN and O in GEN for ‘dope’, with both words meaning ‘information’.

6 Shimmeringly coloured indiscreet shot
IRIDESCENT
(INDISCREET)* with ‘shot’ as the anagrind.

7 Top dog to get a good score, of course
EAGLE
If you ‘top’ BEAGLE, you get the under par score in golf, and of course, the bird. Again, a wide choice for the obligatory Pierre bird link.  I wouldn’t argue with this one.

8 Idiot taking in Tyneside match on husband’s birthday?
NINETIETH
An insertion of NE TIE in NIT, followed by H.

9 Old king and a ploughman in conversation?
ATTILA
A homophone of A TILLER.

14 Singer client pays to change appearance
PATSY CLINE
(CLIENT PAYS)* for our second singer, this time the 1950s’ American chanteuse.

15 US Air Force reconnaissance plane 22?
BLACKBIRD
A dd. There’s no denying that a RAVEN is a BLACK BIRD, nor that the clue deserves a further obligatory Pierre bird link.  Common as muck, which is why this one is called the Common Blackbird.  Its genus is Turdus, which should provide Hoskins with ammunition for a clue sometime in the future.

17 Error with a sum annoyed suitmakers
ARMOURERS
(ERROR A SUM)*

19 Netted skunk, perhaps, outside B&B
WEBBED
Now we are into drugs. An insertion of BB in WEED, and another nod to the bird theme, perhaps.

20 Baseball team lose badly, having drunk port
ORIOLES
An insertion of RIO for the ‘port’ in (LOSE)* As well as being a baseball team from Baltimore, they were an R&B band from the 1940s, and of course they merit the obligatory Pierre bird link.  Striking, no?

22 Darkly glossy river above unopened harbour
RAVEN
Mostly applied to hair, I fancy. Since it’s a down clue, it’s R followed by [H]AVEN. And here’s the ninth obligatory Pierre bird link.  Thought of in a sinister way in many mythologies, and the first animal to be released from Noah’s Ark.

24 Ken Loach film about sex toys
KITES
An insertion of IT in KES. The film was based on the book A Kestrel for a Knave, but we’ve already got the obligatory Pierre bird link for the KITE.  This one is the Red Kite, once hunted to near extinction, but now re-established across England and Wales.  I usually see them driving along the M40 through Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.

25 Pacifist moving crowd to oust Republican leader
DOVE
D[R]OVE. I wish they’d oust Trump. And our final obligatory Pierre bird link. This is the White Dove, the bird of peace also associated with Noah.  We sorely need them at the moment in this crazy world.

 

Many thanks to Hoskins for the fun. I’m going for a lie-down now, I think.  Hope you enjoyed the birds as much as I did.

 

 

 

35 comments on “Independent 9585/Hoskins”

  1. Nice blog Pierre. Would you believe I also had 1a as LOI. Groan! Misspelt Attila as ‘atilla’ which was even more stupid. Your mention of Turdus in 15d reminds me of a well known two Ronnies sketch where Richard the Third was used for an obvious rhyming slang, but turned out to be ‘bird’.
    In reference to 19a, I remember in the past that some American solvers have objected to NY for city, saying this is the abbreviation for the state – NYC being used for the city. Is this true?
    Thanks also to Hoskins for the workout – struggled with NW quadrant. Thankfully no obscure birds – unless oriole is considered as such?

  2. Yet another who lazily bunged in The Bible at 1ac, thereby messing up 4d. And then, oh look, lots of birds.
    Given Harry’s inside knowledge of the blog schedule I think you may well have been set up, but the bird links were nice.
    Incidentally, what do these cranes on the M40 drive?

  4. Very enjoyable; I think I’d have struggled to er, twig the answer to PIGEON without the bird theme. But which bird theme? The inclusion of Patsy and Kurt had me wondering about a musical sub-theme… The Eagles, Lieutenant Pigeon, When Doves Cry, The Byrds, Disco Duck and the unforgettable Blackbird Song by The Wurzels.
    many thanks to H&P

  5. I had the same trouble spotting the theme with 1a being about my last in.Lovely stuff as usual.

  6. Paul A, my use of the dangling participle when referring to the KITES was deliberate and just to provoke a discussion on the subject. Honest. But if they were driving along the M40, it would be in something fast and red.

    And baerchen, I think you perhaps need to take your medication now.

  7. Baerchen@4, I like it. Trouble is I’ll probably find myself singing ‘mouldy old dough’ all day. Yuk! I did say I was glad there were no obscure birds (I remember from a long ago crossword that an anagram of ‘rs+aviatrix’ gives ‘strix varia’ – obscure or what) but I would find it interesting to see how Harry would clue ‘goatsucker’.

  8. Thanks Pierre. I hope your obligatory bird link finger is not too sore.

    Harry tweeted (what else) that a little bird had told him it was his 25h Indy puzzle. So well done that man. Especially for making it so good.

    (Patsy Cline? Crazy but I get heartaches from thinking about her. ‘Crazy’ is the closing music in a joyous French film ‘Pourquoi Pas Moi’.)

  9. No real problems – just verification of a couple with my American correspondent – but lots of laughs as predicted. Had fun trying to think of possible plots of the film of the 24d surface!

    I’ve been recently enjoying some avian life in Hyde park, so particularly enjoyed the relevant answers such as 5a (of which I’m not generally a fan, but one managed to tame me – maybe I’ll bring the video along to Macclesfield) and 23a.

    Jane, who Harry will know is another birdy person, has now gone offline for a couple of weeks. Fortunately I managed to wing this one across to her in the nick of time. She sends thanks for the feathered friends and for only including half a dozen clues of your, er, signature type!

    Thanks from me too, to both Harry and Pierre. Congratulations on the quarter century in the Indy.

  10. congrats Harry on your 25th Indy puzzle. As a Yorkshire cricket fan, I am pleased to see that this knock has been, er compiled at a strike rate more Bairstow than Boycott

  13. Thanks Harry and Pierre

    Congrats on reaching 25 Harry – will you be attacking the legendary 15^2 drinks trolley later on?

  14. Me too! I spotted the theme but was struggling to think of a film name that fitted.

    I was not only staying in an Ibis hotel just over a week ago, I’ve even seen the Baltimore Orioles play at Camden Yards.

  15. Super blog of a super puzzle.

    Many thanks to both setter and blogger – and congratulations to Harry on the first quarter-century.

  16. A bit slow in the NW corner because my first thought for ‘boundless sex’ in 10ac was simply s[E]x and I couldn’t see what to add to it to get an answer. Then I realised the theme, bunged in THE BIRDS and IBIS simply because they fitted the theme and then the last few dropped into place.

    Not sure which I enjoyed more – the puzzle or the blog and comments; the latter certainly prompted a few laughs.

    Thanks, Hoskins and Pierre.

  19. Yesterday, after a long (and because of unexpectedly nice weather conditions, exhausting) walk in Northampshire, I ‘fell’ down in a deckchair, half-dead [me, not the chair].
    While my long-time walking partner was preparing a lovely meal, I grabbed The Sunday Times to tackle David MacLean (aka Hoskins)’ puzzle there.
    In about twenty minutes three quarters of the grid was filled.
    Now, I can call myself an experienced solver nowadays but certainly not a fast one.
    And so, why am I saying this?
    Because, easy as it was, I had so much fun.

    Hoskins is one of not that many setters who can write a crossword that is really inspiring at any level of difficulty.
    Today’s birdy one wasn’t hard at all (unlike his previous Indy puzzle) but so very well clued.
    Within not even five years time Harry has established himself as one of the best in the ‘profession’.
    A pity that The Guardian has already its own Paul.

    Very good.

    ps, baerchen @4, if you really wish to look for song titles, don’t forget the wonderful ‘Kites’ by Simon Dupree and The Big Sound.
    ps2, thanks Pierre.

  20. BTW, for what it’s worth, a lovely walk with at some point a couple of red KITES circling quite low above us!

  21. Many thanks to Pierre (very definitely set up you were, so many thanks to the boss for matching puzzle to pub day) for the usual entertaining blog and to all who solved and especially those who commented.

    Always happy when a puzzle goes down well and brings some smiles. Was really happy to see 1a was LOI for some and that was as intended. Should also add that 19a and 9d are also birds (though the former doesn’t have a space and the latter more is likely known as the clue-worthy bright-rumped attila). I hadn’t noticed the potential musical theme – just got excited when I saw I could put two singers in and have two bird-misdirection defs in a bird-based puzzle – but I likes it!

    Thanks to all for nice comments and wishings of well for chalking up my Indy quarter century (though baerchen @4 if you want to see a real Bairstow then check out Serpent who should make his 25 in little over a year in a month or two).

    Bit of a double celebration for me today as its also (including me five first published puzzles for a crossword app) my 100th paid for and published puzzle in total. If you’ll forgive me a little Oscars moment, I’d like to say how amazing it is for me to think that in 2015 I was still on the dole and now I am just about making a living and have all sorts of friends through crossies. None of that would’ve been possible without all you lovely solvers, test-solvers, bloggers, blog-runners – especially blog-runners for putting up with my nonsense, setters and Eds. Seriously, it is much appreciated and has changed my life (for the better, I hasten to add).

    Hovis @7 – Goatsucker, eh? Hmmmmm … glove received and challenge accepted for next years bird puzzle.

    Kitty @9 – Looking forward to the video and cheers for passing the puzz onto Jane. Hope she has a nice time off-line.

    Mr C @16 – When the blog and comments are on par with/better than the puzzle I think it’s a win win. For me, the puzzle is the starter and main course and the blog and comments the dessert and coffee – the two go together and the latter is an essential part of the fun of sharing what can be a solitary pastime and both help to get more folks into crossies in general, I reckons.

    Sil @19 – Well you make me blush, mate. The fiver is in the post. 🙂

    SS @ 13 – the fabled Fifteen Squared drinks trolley, eh? Well, I wasn’t going to mention it (yeah right!), but seeing as you have I can reliably inform everyone that its fully stocked with Babycham and all are welcome to dig in at will. Of course, Mrs Jalopy does have one caveat, which I quote word for word below.

    “All welcome and the drinks tonight are free. But please would people (you know who you are, Cryptic Sue) refrain from using The Times Crossword Championship Trophy as a drinking vessel/item of headwear. It is not a fashion item and the Babycham plays merry havoc with the silver plating.”

    Look forward to seeing you all next time around and at the upcoming Macclesfield do (more info in the FifteenSquared announcements should anyone have missed it), though more likely it’ll be tomorrow where there is a corker of a Knut puzzle with lots of neat stuff, laughs galore, and possibly the best answer word ever to grace an Indy crossword, to continue our week.

    Cheers and chin-chin to all. 🙂

  22. Sil @19, not forgetting Kites Are Fun by The Free Design, my band of choice when it comes to pure and sweet ’60s Sunshine Pop.

    Pierre, thanks for the blog, and congratters to Hozzers. ( No Famous Grouse on the trolley? 😉 )
    Loads of lovely clues, and 24d is one of those that makes you laugh and you just know will stick in your cryptic memory bank forever.

    Trust Hoskins not to wing it for such an auspicious occasion, eh readers?

  23. Michael @22 – good to see you back and as for the Famous Grouse? I think Mrs Jalopy keeps that in the secret compartment of the trolley next to secret Advocaat stash that Tees is known to tipple on so shouldn’t be a problem. Oh, and nice work on the ‘wing it’ front – very dovely, ducks. 🙂

  26. This is way past my solving time! Nearest I’ve come is GENTOOS, a type of penguin, but it’s probably not that, it’s plural for a start. (Anag GET SON around O (Have you heard about!). Yes, quite.

    Also rejected TONGUES – anag. GET SON + U (to have you), but can’t get the rest to fit.

    I’ll get back to you, but others will beat me to it at this rate.

  27. Ach – I wouldn’t put too much time into it as its just some late-night unedited fun so here’s be the parse: GET + S.*, U. + RE. with the def being a DBE of an American gesture popularised by the film Top Gun. And with that, I think I should thank the boss even more from saving me from myself editing-wise! 🙂

  28. You bustard!* I was working on GET + S and had considered “the bird” as a naughty sign. Should have paid more attention to the positioning of the question mark. Nice clue – how do you come up with something as clever as that within a matter of minutes? Was there ever a time when it took you an hour or two to come up with a decent clue? Asking for a friend.

    * Lovable and cuddly speckled bird similar to a crane. 😀

  29. You can tell yer friend that that clue is an old one and prolly took a few hours when it was written two years or so ago. Nowadays things come quicker through practice, development of style, being more familiar with words/abbreviations/inds etc, and putting in easier stuff to help the solver get a toehold in the grid.

    Of course, the clues have to come quick now given the low pay-rate for crosswords pretty much across the board (not that I’m complaining about that as I think I’ve mentioned before if they paid minimum wage or more all the clever birdstards would start setting them and I’d be out of a job).

    Either or anyways, I love setting and its about the only thing I can do so as long as the users are happy with the product I don’t mind growing it, bagging it up and being paid at whatever rate the cartel offers me.

  30. Thanks for the reply. As someone who writes only occasional clues for competitions and his own amusement (I’m easily amused), I can well understand the thrill of being a professional setter. It’s nice to be reminded that professional setters also found it hard when they started, but there’s no doubt that you and your colleagues have a naturally ingenious talent that lies beyond practice.

    I feel like I should insult you to cancel out that last bit, but I’ve got nothing!

    Cheers for now.

  31. Cheers to you too, Michael. I lieu of your insult I shall provide my own in the form of how much all the other proper setters and editors will be laughing at the thought of me as a professional. Anyhoo – catch you next time and, as is always sensible at this juncture, many apologies to Gaufrid for chat beyond the call of crosswords. And with that – to Bedfordshire! 🙂

  32. Is this a record in more ways than one for an Indy blog? 32 comments in all!

    We finished the puzzle last night but were too tired to comment but wanted to congratulate Hoskins on his 25th. All very good fun as expected.

    Well done Pierre – so many links to birds – great fun!

  33. Cheers B&J – glad you liked it. As for a record, it just so happens I can help you out with that …

    … now, I’m no Beery Hiker or Mitz on the full databse front and can’t vouch for the following being 100% accurate as I’m the one who inputs the data, but I do have stats on comment numbers and appearances going back to 01.01.15 and so now list some figures to answer your question and more.

    15 highest comments (01.01.15-now)

    22.05.2017 – Beet – 46 – Pierre (d)
    06.07.2015 – Vigo – 38 – NealH (d)
    06.07.2016 – Knut – 36 – John
    07.09.2015 – Hoskins – 35 – NeaH (d)
    07.07.2015 – Knut – 34 – BertandJoyce
    03.07.2017 – Hoskins – 33 – Pierre (iodtc)
    18.01.2016 – Knut – 31 – Flashing
    15.01.2015 – Nimrod – 28 – John
    26.08.2015 – Quixote – 28 – Gaufrid
    19.10.2015 – Kairos – 28 – NealH
    13.02.2017 – Dutch – 28 – NealH (d)
    15.06.2017 – Nimrod – 28 – RatjojaRiku
    12.11.2015 – Knut – 27 – BertandJoyce
    25.06.2015 – Nimrod – 26 – BertandJoyce
    12.03.2015 – Donk – 25 – John

    (d) = debut puzzle
    (iodtc) = inclusive of drinks trolley chat

    Comment spread (01.01.15-now out of 912 puzzles):

    Comms: 50+ – 0
    Comms: 40-49 – 1
    Comms: 30-39 – 6
    Comms: 20-29 – 46
    Comms: 10-19 – 372
    Comms: 0-9 – 487

    Average comments per day (01.01.15-now):

    Monday – 12
    Tuesday – 11.6
    wednesday – 8.6
    Thursday – 12.1
    friday – 9.9
    Saturday – 9.5
    Sunday – 6.1

    Average comments total (01.01.15-now):

    10

    Hope that provides some interest. It certainly pleased me as there’s nothing a man with a database likes to do more than get his stats out for the lads! 🙂

  34. My position at the top of the table has been drawn to my attention, so I’m just popping in to remind everyone that this was the day that nobody could access the puzzle online so my score was boosted by lots of people coming on to complain about that.

  35. Beet @34 – I think you do yerself a disservice there – but debut puzzles do usually get more comments which is why I labelled ours as such.

    I like the idea of it being a score, but I should add that I didn’t start me database for reasons of seeing who got the most or least in this or that (though that is interesting). The reason was to measure FifteenSquared activity regarding the Indy before and after the paper going online only so I could see what, if any, affect it had or was having.

    Incidentally, I should really have stopped the database on the 22nd of June this year as that would’ve provided equal stats pre and post changeover – but I don’t have much in my life and its become a bit of a daily routine so I carried on regardless and, if I ever accidently have a kid, I will, on my death bed, be able to say: “All this database is now yours, kid – don’t say yer dad never gave you nothing”.

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