Serpent has set today’s puzzle. It’s Tuesday, so I wonder if there’ll be a Nina or theme …
I found this to be towards the tougher end of the Indy spectrum and it took me a good long while to solve it and to parse the solutions to my satisfaction. I think that I got there in the end, however. 19 was my last one in, but I don’t think that I would have arrived at the answer had it not been for realising what was happening around the perimeter.
As there are no entries on the perimeter of the grid, this puzzle is crying out for some sort of Nina. I spotted the name SPIETH across the top of the puzzle and wondered if we might have a golfing theme on our hands. Indeed, the completed grid has a 6-letter golfer on each side of the perimeter: (Jordan) SPIETH (of the US); (Justin) THOMAS (of the US); Brooks KOEPKA (of the US) and (Sergio) GARCIA (of Spain). Other than the fact that their surnames all contain 6 letters and that they have all recently won majors, I am not sure if they have anything else in common.
My favourite clues today were 2 and 14, both for surface; and 21, for cleverly incorporating both Mrs Thatcher and the miners into the wordplay of a single clue.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 07 | GENIUS | Type endowed with intelligence primarily?
I<ntelligence> (“primarily” means first letter only) in GENUS (=type, e.g. of flower); & lit. |
| 08 | RUN FOR IT | Ladder to keep impeding one’s escape
RUN (=ladder, in e.g. stocking) + [I (=one) in FORT (=keep, i.e. stronghold)] |
| 09 | ADULTERY | Cheating‘s “like, more grown-up” apparently
ADULT-ER (=more grown-up) + -Y (=like, as in e.g. buttery, creamy) |
| 10 | HEALTH | Conservative prime minister adopting Labour leader’s constitution
L<abour> (“leader” means first letter only) in HEATH (=Conservative prime minister, i.e. Edward Heath); to be someone of poor constitution means that one is in poor health |
| 11 | REPROACHES | Carers hope to change carpets
*(CARERS HOPE); “to change” is anagram indicator |
| 13 | OR SO | Spectacled bears reduced to the last pair roughly
<bea>RS (“reduced to last pair” means last two letters only) in OO (=spectacled, i.e. pictorially) |
| 14 | TOSS-UP | This may be decisive in turning drinker against drink
TOS (SOT=drinker; “turning” indicates reversal) + SUP (=drink) |
| 16 | NAUSEA | Sickness caused by new service for addicts tackling habit
N (=new) + [USE (=habit, custom) in AA (=service for addicts, i.e. Alcoholics Anonymous)] |
| 19 | CURE | Fashion’s not out to make human condition better?
C<out>URE (=fashion); “not out” means letters “out” are dropped |
| 21 | MONETARISM | Economic policy of Margaret Thatcher initially exposed coal miners’ suffering
*(M<argaret> T<hatcher> + <c>OA<l> + MINERS); “initially” means first letters only; “exposed” means first and last letters are dropped; “suffering” is anagram indicator |
| 23 | IMPAIR | Reduce quality of broadcast following 1pm broadcast
*(1PM) + AIR (=broadcast); “broadcast” is anagram indicator |
| 24 | INSOMNIA | What might make one restless?
Cryptic definition: insomnia might make someone rest, i.e. sleep, less |
| 26 | ASSIGNED | Set question almost provided written endorsement
AS<k> (=question, as verb; “almost” means last letter dropped) + SIGNED (=provided written endorsement) |
| 27 | OGRESS | This unpleasant person pursues public relations to make headway
PR (=public relations) + OGRESS (=unpleasant person) = PROGRESS (=headway) |
| Down | ||
| 01 | SEEDIEST | Witness implicating Socialist leader in parliament is extremely sleazy
SEE (=witness) + [S<ocialist> (“leader” means first letter only) in DIET (=parliament)] |
| 02 | PILLAR | Column in Standard with hurtful contents
ILL (=hurtful) in PAR (=standard, norm) |
| 03 | ISLE | Man perhaps taken for a ride after losing case
<m>ISLE<d> (=taken for a ride, deceived); “after losing case” means first and last letters are dropped |
| 04 | ENTHUSIAST | Beaten thus, I astounded boxing aficionado
Hidden (“boxing”) in “beatEN THUS I ASTounded” |
| 05 | TOMATOES | You peeled and ate most exotic fruit
*(<y>O<u> + ATE MOST); “peeled” means first and letter letters are dropped; “exotic” is anagram indicator |
| 06 | HIATUS | Break wind, repelling leaders of Foreign Legion with greeting
HI (=greeting) + <fl>ATUS (=wind, flatulence; “repelling leaders of F<oreign> L<eader>” means letters “fl” are dropped) |
| 08 | RHYTHM | Heard correspondence briefly describing short article in Time
TH<e> (=article; “short” means last letter is dropped) in homophone (“heard”) of “rhyme” (=correspondence, i.e. in sound); rhythm is tempo, beat, time, in music |
| 12 | AQUAMARINE | Pouring rain stopping me following water colour
AQUA (=water) + [*(RAIN) in ME]; “pouring” is anagram indicator |
| 15 | SCENARIO | Race is on to develop plan of action
*(RACE IS ON); “to develop” is anagram indicator |
| 17 | ABSCISSA | Coordinate SAS basic training
*(SAS BASIC); “training” is anagram indicator; the abscissa is the x-coordinate in analytical geometry |
| 18 | UNTIED | No longer bound after one has a change of heart
UNITED (=one, together); “has a change of heart” means the middle two letters are switched around |
| 20 | UNMASK | Reveal surname periodically deleted on request
<s>U<r>N<a>M<e> (“periodically deleted” means alternate letters are dropped) + ASK (=request) |
| 22 | REMARK | Note band leader’s dropped in pitch
R.E.M. (=band, i.e. American rock band) + <p>ARK (=pitch; “leader’s dropped” means first letter is not used) |
| 25 | STOP | Bar raising large sum of money
POTS (=large sum of money); “raising” indicates vertical reversal |
Always know you’re in for a battle with Serpent. Loved it, as usual. Managed to complete and get the Nina, but failed to parse REMARK. Parsed 8d differently as RHYMe (heard correspondence briefly) around THe. That is, a rhyme is a ‘heard correspondence’, otherwise why include ‘briefly’?
Thanks to Serpent and RatkojaRiku.
Serpent’s swing is immaculate!
Another one when the almost obligatory Tuesday Nina – which shows the names of the winners of the 4 majors in 2017 – helped me with the last few in.
I liked the surface for HIATUS and the clues with the political references, especially SEEDIEST. Favourite though was INSOMNIA which was one of those “What on earth…?” clues until the penny dropped.
Only 94 sleeps till the Ryder Cup, in which the members of today’s Nina will all hopefully be making an appearance.
Thanks to Serpent and RR
Well, we got there in the end because CURE and REMARK couldn’t be anything else, though we couldn’t parse them. We guessed there might be a nina and saw GARCIA and THOMAS but having no interest whatever in golf (we share Mark Twain’s opinion of it) the rest of the nina meant nothing to us – we thought it was just random letters and wasted too much time trying to find anyone notable with the name Thomas Garcia.
Took ages to get ENTHUSIAST (although we guessed ‘boxing’ had nothing to do with the so-called ‘sport’) and MONETARISM (couldn’t work out the anagram fodder).
But the spectacled bears in 13ac raised a smile, as did the surface of 6dn.
Thanks, Serpent and RatkojaRiku.
Very enjoyable as ever from Serpent.
I used to dislike the spectacles device (mainly because of how cheated I felt when I first came across it, having pondered long and hard a clue I couldn’t solve) but am mellowing in my old age. Cryptics are full of things that make no sense to the uninitiated, after all. Loved TOSS-UP.
Saw some of the nina but it didn’t mean anything to me.
Thanks Serpent and RatkojaRiku.
While ‘everyone’ is gushing about Nutmeg’s ‘gem’ today – and I agree that crossword in The Guardian a nice & neat – I do prefer the ‘one level up’ puzzles from Serpent.
This was terrific stuff again.
Pity of the nina. Golf? What’s that?
‘was nice & neat’
We agree with Sil@6.
Thanks to Serpent and RR.
Lovely puzzle, which I did rather late, hence my delayed post. No doubt Serpent is aware that these four winners of the Majors last year also each have six letters in their first names, so expect something similar soon! If it’s like this I won’t be disappointed.