Independent 9682 / Hoskins

15 comments on “Independent 9682 / Hoskins”

1. Smut and chess. What’s not to like? Ingenious, I thought: no less than 13 thematics, with no apparent strain and some fiendish clueing, ‘bangers & mash’ my favourite bit of misdirection. Highly enjoyable. Thanks to Hoskins and to B&J.

2. Btw, and a bit off-topic, soz, but if any of you fancies some on-line chess, I’m game.

3. Very enjoyable! Thanks to Hoskins for the puzzle (my favourites were 1a, 22d and, of course, 26d) and to Bertandjoyce for the blogging.
   Re 5d, to rook is to cheat at cards specifically (it’s in both Chambers and Collins now I look!), but I only know that from solving crosswords 🙂

4. Fortunately, I picked up on the theme quite early in the solve which certainly helped with a couple of the more tricky clues. Courtesy of Mr Google I now know far more about castling kingside than I ever wanted/needed to! Don’t think ‘notation’ played much of a part in the matches played with my Dad.

   I wonder whether anyone else actually had to check the period of time covered by 168 hours – not something I’d ever really thought about.

   26d? – slapped wrist, Hoskins, you only put it in to further your bad boy reputation! I shall instruct Mrs J to withhold your Babycham allowance for 168 hours.

   Favourite was the 25a superstore.

   Thanks, Harry – I shall warn my BD friends not to agree to become your ‘buddies’! Thanks also to B&J for the blog.

5. Yes well, 26 probably is a little bit near the knuckle for some people, perhaps not for NHS workers who have seen it all, such as myself, but in all a very good puzzle. I’m a fan of neat clues, and Hoskins always provides them.

   Thank you to setter and bloggers.

6. Tuesday is theme day, so I was on the lookout. Spotted the chess references which helped get KNIGHT and BLACK. Lots of wonderful, humorous clues and the ubiquitous references to HM. Loved the surface for RESIGN. I’m not keen on clues that reference other clues and also intersect, 23a/24d, but these were sufficiently easy as to not be any great concern.
   Withhold Harry’s Babycham for a week – they could go out of business.

7. Good fun, even if it took me much longer to spot the theme than it should have. I’m with Hovis@6 re the surface for 19d and also liked the def for 14d – ‘wobble’ is one of those words which, for no good reason, I find appealing.

   I’m sure ‘Castle kingside’ will come in useful one day, so a worthwhile educational experience too.

   A big thanks to Hoskins and to B&J.

8. Thanks, both.

   I liked this offering from Hoskins and knew enough about chess to suggest solutions in a few places. NIL NIL was beyond my ken to explain, so thanks for that.

   I don’t mind 26ac, since we’re all adults, but if we’re going there, then let’s not have the asterisks. The Independent, when it was a hold-in-your-hands paper, always used the full version and probably still does in the online edition (the i, interestingly, does use asterisks).

   Thanks to Hoskins too.

9. Didn’t spot the chess theme of course, despite half-remembering the castling sign. Just thought there were a lot of ‘K’s in it. Very entertaining as we’ve come to expect from the lad. Favourite Bishop for the definition. I’m with Jane@4 about 26d. Maybe Harry’s got his eyes on the Cyclops job at the Eye.
   Thanks to B&J and H

10. Great puzzle, nice theme.

    Especially liked TIME-KILLER and STOCK CARS.

11. Tough for a Hosk I thought, but plenty entertaining as always. Some lovely misleading definitions, in particular in the clue for 27D, which my default Hoskins-is-the-setter brain assumed was going to be about erectile dysfunction. 26D also very good. Many thanks to Harry for the fun and B&J for the write-up

12. Paul @9: “Maybe Harry’s got his eyes on the Cyclops job at the Eye.” – well, a Church Times crossword this ain’t, and we sighed rather than chuckled over 26a etc. Time, perhaps to revisit this Flanders & Swann number.

13. Allan@12, I sighed as well – maybe in anticipation of the response. Unfounded, I’m glad to see. Thanks for the link. Aaah, the fifties/sixties, when I was in the 3rd form as well……

14. Many thanks to the J of B&J for the excellent blog and to all who solved and especially those who commented.

    26d, eh? What can I say apart from its not the sort of thing I’ll be putting in every puzzle, and not even in every tenth puzzle, but once in a while its worth a little tickle, I reckons. Apologies to anyone for whom it was too much, too little or too meh.

    And now some direct replies, if I may:

    GB @2 – it just so happens this puzzle was written after I took up chess again a couple of months ago after a break of my kidhood to now. I’m currently a pretty average player having only just learnt a few openings, but I have plans to improve (though I shan’t say to what level for fear of embarrassing meself).

    If your goodself or anyone else would like a match, then I have set up a club on chess.com for folk to join if they fancy it. It is, I believe, free with ads or has subscriptions options from somutlike £1 to £6 a month. Not really sure how the club works as only just made it, but I think you can use it to chat, set up games and tournaments and leagues or just play for fun etc. The link to the club and my profile on there be:

    https://www.chess.com/club/cruciverbalist-chess
    https://www.chess.com/member/harryhoskins

    PM @3 – great to see you on the Indy threads and very glad you liked the puzzle.

    Jane @4 – Well heaven forefend a denial of the Babycham! I’ll settle for a smacked wrist, though I should inform you that I failed my Biology GSCE on the grounds I thought the knee was where the elbow was …

    KD @8 – you know, when I wrote the nil-nil clue, I almost didn’t put it in because I knew it required a bit of thematic GK and that is not normally my style as I know you won’t likes it. I’m glad you and others haven’t taken me to task too much there – my hope was the def and the crossers would give it away so the crossie could be completed.

    Mr C @12 – nice vid and at least you didn’t give me the roll of the eyes – I much prefer the sigh to the eye roll!

    And now, with all business taken care of I think we can move on to the much more important and continuing tales in the precarious life of Mrs Jalopy, the keeper of the Fabled FifteenSquared drinks trolley …

    … or can we? The fact is that I am off to York tomorrow with fifteen sevenths of the Hoskins clan for a little break and to attend the York Sloggers and Betters over the coming weekend. Because of this, I have to get up at some ungodly hour on the morrow (for ungodly hour read anything before 11 in the AM) and have to do loads of preparatory packing and the like and also must get my booze-bedraggled self to Bedfordshire at an earlier time than usual this particular night.

    This, I regret to say – and no cheering at the back! – means the tales of Mrs J will have to wait for another day when I have more time. I do, however, have a little bit of Jalopy in the form of a poem she recently wrote and so would like to share that with you now.

    Ode to an Urn of Inestimable Goodness – by Mrs M.X Jalopy

    O’ the light upon the brassen urn
    shines godlike in its silken smoothery
    and those libated by its contents
    will be fair and happy and quite boozery

    In The Indy offices I ply my trade
    to clue finaglers wanting a dram
    of goodness in its watered form
    the golden goods, the Babycham

    And so ’tis my life’s happy lot
    to chunter, shunter and push about
    the fabled trolley, its hallowed load,
    offering the way less travelled, the liquid road

    They all do sup the ferment I proffer
    from Tyrus on to Dutch and Maize
    and smiles and beams and laughs occur
    in my weave’ed web of drunken haze

    And if I must to quit this work
    and go unbidden to darker reaches
    I’ll dance on there with eyes aweep
    and a supply of Babycham in my breeches

    Yes without those who need my service
    I would be a sorry sight
    no more a keeper of the trolley
    but useless, hollow, without delight

    But let us not dwell on the bad
    or the obvious inexorably ending
    for its time for drinks all round it true
    so you get your knees or elbows bending

    With one last verse I offer thee
    the best in booze from the trolley
    it’s good it’s drink and forsoothe it’s free
    so why not come and sup with me?

    Phew! As ever, I think I gots away with any kind of long, rambling post and, what’s more, I didn’t even embarrass meself …

    .. it only remains for me to offer the usual apologies to Gaufrid for chat beyond the call of crosswords and to say many thanks to everyone who visited today. I’ll see you all next time around on October 30th with an easy, jalfrezi in spice, puzzle – though more likely it’ll be on the morrow where there is Indy favourite Dac with his usual quality work to continue our Indy week in style.

    Cheers and chin chin to all. Look forward to saying hullo to all who are going to York and playing some chess with anyone who fancies a game. 🙂

15. Oops, forgot to say to Gila @11 that my Indy puzzle difficulties will vary through the week. They will – almost always – be: Sunday very easy to easyish; Monday easyish; Tuesday thematic and at any difficulty from very easy to hard; Wednesday easy to easyish; Thursday medium to hard. Not sure about a Saturday as not had that spot yet, but likely medium to hard.

    And with that, to Bedfordshire and then to York upon the morrow which is now today. 🙂

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