Independent 9743 / Tees

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A really good challenge from Tees today.

 

All very sound clues – we particularly liked 17ac and 29ac for their neat surfaces.

Across
9   21’s 23 for 14 animal’s resting-place? (3,6)
CAT BASKET A Spoonerism (21ac) of BAT (vampire – 14ac) CASKET (coffin – 23d)
10/2   Model boats moved across river in vital passage (11)
BLOODSTREAM An anagram of MODEL BOATS (anagrind is ‘moved’) round or ‘across’ R (river)
11   Alumnus, having feasted regularly, appears thus? (5)
OBESE OB (old boy – alumnus) + alternative or ‘regular’ letters of fEaStEd
12   “Water Music” choreographed for this entertainer? (3-6)
TAP-DANCER A cryptic definition – a TAP being a source of water, and a DANCER’s steps determined by a choreographer
13   Huge insect pursuing Geordie parent (7)
MAMMOTH MOTH (insect) after or ‘pursuing’ MAM (Geordie word for ‘mother’ – parent)
14   Viper sliding around before noon is deadly biter (7)
VAMPIRE An anagram of VIPER (anagrind is ‘sliding’) round AM (before noon)
17   Defence starts to argue legal issue, blocking injunction (5)
ALIBI First letters or ‘starts’ of Argue Legal Issue Blocking Injunction
19   Point endlessly made in pub (3)
BAR BARb (point) without the last letter or ‘endless’
20   Relative close to collapse in French city (5)
NIECE E (last letter or ‘close’ of ‘collapse’) in NICE (French city)
21   Second pro hurt taking one in kisser? (7)
SPOONER S (second) + an anagram of PRO (anagrind is ‘hurt’) round or ‘taking in’ ONE
22   Somewhere to sleep on spring day in shade (7)
APRICOT COT (somewhere to sleep) after APR I (April 1st – ‘spring day’)
24   Bond, having turned Irishman, rings for protection (5,4)
CHAIN-MAIL CHAIN (bond) + LIAM (Irishman) reversed or ‘turned’
26   Present in box, unopened (5)
OFFER cOFFER (box) without the first letter or ‘unopened’
28   Complete clip broadcast (5)
SHEER A homophone (‘broadcast’) of SHEAR (clip)
29   Right to enter guilty plea? (9)
ADMISSION Double definition
Down
1   Italian author incorporating Homer’s principal nymph (4)
ECHO ECO (Umberto Eco – ‘Italian author’) round or ‘incorporating’ H (first or ‘principal’ letter of ‘Homer’)
2   See 10 Across
3   European staff welcoming brilliant teacher and upstanding character (10)
MACEDONIAN MAN (staff) round or ‘welcoming’ ACE (brilliant) DON (teacher) I (‘upright character’)
4   Small boat in loosely-drawn image (6)
SKETCH S (small) KETCH (boat)
5   Break in journey as work under way getting finished (8)
STOPOVER OP (work) after or ‘under’ ST (street – ‘way’) + OVER (finished)
6   Group using rhymes in Petrarchan sonnet (4)
ABBA A Petrarchan sonnet has an ABBA rhyming pattern – the 1st and 4th lines rhyme as do the 2nd and 3rd lines
7   Trimming margins, act as soon as I have plan (8)
CONCEIVE aCt (middle letter only, or ‘trimming margins’) ONCE (as soon as) I’VE (I have)
8   Banker in Europe‘s old, looking embarrassed when sent up (4)
ODER O (old) + RED (looking embarrassed) reversed or ‘sent up’
13   Tight-fisted son wants cash (5)
MEANS MEAN (tight-fisted) S (son)
15   Rodent casing area with horn-playing in lordly residence (5,5)
MANOR HOUSE MOUSE (rodent) round or ‘casing’ A (area) and an anagram of HORN – anagrind is ‘playing’
16   Maestro having no piano to bring into use (5)
EXERT EXpERT (maestro) without the ‘p’ (piano)
18   Procrastinator’s credo for devotee? (8)
IDOLATER A procrastinator’s ‘credo’ might be ‘I (will) DO (it) LATER’
19   Arabs ban frenzied missionary (8)
BARNABAS An anagram of ARABS BAN – anagrind is ‘frenzied’
22   Cool dad twirling maiden in loft (6)
APLOMB PA (dad) reversed or ‘twirling’ + M (maiden) in LOB (loft)
23   Essex sailor sleeping at home after cold (6)
COFFIN OFF (sleeping) IN (at home) after C (cold) – a new meaning of ‘coffin’ for us!
24   When in church for instance (4)
CASE AS (when) in CE (church)
25   Get anorak from Designer Delights (4)
NERD Hidden or ‘got from’ ‘DesigNER Delights’
27   Mysterious character concerned with snaring northern one (4)
RUNE RE (concerned with) round or ‘snaring’ UN (Northern dialect for ‘one’)

 

17 comments on “Independent 9743 / Tees”

  1. I really enjoyed this; thanks to Tees, B&J.

    I suspect that the “Essex sailor” refers to the unfortunate Owen Coffin, who was eaten by his shipmates after the whaler Essex from Nantucket ran into a spot of weather (casually learned about from the bizarre lyrics to “Nantucket Sleighride” by Mountain)

  3. Like others, I had to look up Owen Coffin to get the reference having googled ‘Essex sailor coffin’. I often fail to finish Tees puzzles, so this was a nice change. Lots to like. BLOODSTREAM was nicely constructed and, having guessed CAT BASKET early on, it was quite some time before I got SPOONER and the penny dropped. Nice! (Wonder if Kitty will like this one.) Thanks to Tees for the very entertaining challenge and to B&J for the blog.

  4. Glad someone else has heard of Nantucket Sleighride Fine track by a fine band.Listen to this and forget Moby Dick.

    This was rather good but I was snagged by UN for Northern one(French one, yes!)

    Thanks Tees and B&J

  5. A nice challenge from Tees, with several easy clues to get started, e.g. ALIBI, OBESE, MANOR HOUSE.   We liked the way SPOONER was hidden away, as actually seeing it in a clue gives the game away too soon.

    We vaguely thought there might have been a notable sailor from Essex (the county) named Coffin, then thought ‘coffin’ mighr be a dialect word for a boat or ship in the aforesaid county, so we wrote it in as it made sense of 9ac.  We did find ‘coffin ship’ in Chambers for a dangerous or overloaded vessel but weren’t too convinced so our first thought was obviously on the right lines even if a wee bit wide of the mark.

    Thanks, Tees and B&J – and to Baerchen and Crimper for the Coffin information.

  6. BAT CASKET very amusing and liked the punning use of resting-place in that definition. All clues very tight, and there were lots of other rather funny and good… UNs!

    Poor Owen Coffin though. I used to have that very LP, but I can’t remember just how much of Coffin’s story was contained in it.

    Thanks Tees and B&J.

  9. An entertaining puzzle which I liked a lot. I don’t usually enjoy linked clues, but the combination of bats and caskets, gave me SPOONER and a chuckle. I hadn’t heard of the unfortunate sailor, but managed to work out COFFIN. FOI was OBESE and LOI APLOMB. Thanks to Tees and B&J.

  11. Now there’s a coincidence!  I think this is the third clue which has had connections with Moby Dick to appear in the Indie since I started to re-read it last week.  Only last night I was reading the chapter where Melville recounts the story of the Essex.  And (baerchen@1) the Essex didn’t run into a spot of weather, a whale ran into it, causing it to sink.  (SPOILER The same fate befalls the Pequod at the end of Moby Dick.)  Coffin is apparently a common name on Nantucket and people with that name appear in Moby Dick.  And also, many years ago I read a book called Inside Nantucket by Frank Gilbreth Jr. (author of Cheaper by the Dozen, among others) which recounted his experiences of running an hotel and working as a school teacher on the island.  He read a poem to the class which had the word “coffin” in it.  There were several Coffins in his class and they asked what it meant.  Seems he’d broken a local taboo by using the word.  Oh, and a Nantucket Sleigh Ride is where a whale is harpooned and the whale tries to escape, dragging the boat at high speed.

  12. Hmm, I seem to have told the same anecdote from Inside Nantucket in my comments to Indy 9344, but I don’t remember that puzzle at all.

  15. It’s a rather loose synonym perhaps but Chambers has ‘to spoon’ as ‘to indulge in courtship’ which may or may not involve kissing! Hope that helps.

  17. ‘To kiss and cuddle’ in Collins, so to be fair not that loose, and the qm does signify leeway.

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