Independent 10,015 by Dutch

19 comments on “Independent 10,015 by Dutch”

1. Liked the clue for ACRONYM and the different uses of ‘one gathers’ at the end of 2d and 16d.

   Thanks to Dutch and Bertandjoyce.

2. Quite the opposite reaction to that of the bloggers. One across was laugh out loud stuff. The other clues were straightforward and well clued. And around one in five doesn’t seem an unduly high proportion of anagrams.

3. I liked this and learnt a few new words / concepts / facts such as Stevie Nicks’ musical instrument, the idea of a LOGIC DIAGRAM and the drink LASSI, which I probably did know but had forgotten.

   A few slightly naughty bits of which my favourite was the Spoonerism at 1a.

   Thank you to Dutch and to B&J.

4. It’s true that Dutch has set the bar very high with his previous puzzles.  I found this one very enjoyable with a nicely high enjoyment/time ratio (though now I’m wondering what units enjoyment should be measured in).

   Mister Blue-Rinse and BITCH amused me, and I thought CUSTOMS UNION was neat.  GETS AHEAD earned a “yes” with a smile/grimace, and HARVESTER just a plain smile.

   Many thanks Dutch and Bertandjoyce.

5. I’m a bit surprised by the comment in the blog about the number of anagrams; six shouldn’t really be seen as excessive, I think (but I would say that, wouldn’t I?) although perhaps they weren’t especially well spread. The inclusion of BUGGER ALL and “shags” as Spoonerism fodder is another matter – not everyone’s cup of tea obviously.

   I thought the clue for NEBULISER was outstanding

   Thanks to Dutch, B&J

6. Thanks for all the comments so far. In our preamble we mentioned that it ‘felt’ as if there were a lot of anagrams. We didn’t bother to count what proportion there were!
   Glad that we seem to be in the minority.

7. Not a fun of the smutty stuff but CUSTOMS UNION did make me smile.   I also liked Mr Blue-Rinse, the 23a inclination and ACRONYM – has to be something a first for me to applaud a ‘cycling’ clue.

   May thanks, Dutch, and thanks to B&J for the blog.

8. Thanks Dutch; good puzzle. Now you can try mine here.

   Luckily I like Fleetwood Mac, so no problem with Stevie Nicks.

   Thanks BJ; I really liked the ‘Mister.’

9. Thank you B&J

   9a anagrind is “for twisting”, the def in 5d is “to winge”, the cd in 7d should not have only part of the clue underlined.

   I’m quite worried about the “not as smooth as we expected”, making me wonder which surfaces didn’t make the grade, so I shall try even harder in future.

   I’m not a fan of gk, and actiually I was quite worried about the French artist. But it had precedence, just not with my surface. Stevie nicks is in the clue rather than the answer: if I had a cd “a striking performer” with stevie nicks as the answer, I would agree with B&J. This, incidentally, is my favourite clue. I used to lqueue all night long to get front row seats for fleetwood Mac concerts, and then, in row 4, I’d just melt when she sang – presumably like millions of other impressionable males. So yes, I was certainly “struck” by her performances. I think I’m still in love.

   Many thanks for comments so far, they mean a lot

10. oh, little things – (1) the only person who i thought might spot this was baerchen. The two “one gathers” are of course symmetry-related. I would have avoided that otherwise.

11. Thanks Dutch and BnJ

    I really enjoyed this, especially 1A, 11, 10 & 16, the latter for the well-obscured (to me) definition.

    Power to your setting elbow, Dutch!

12. Very good crossword but, yes, less taxing than Dutch on previous occasions.

    I found 1ac a really good clue. While I do not like the crudeness used as such (same for 11ac), it is so good because (1) ‘dancing couples’ is such a natural combination, and (2) ‘couples’ is a noun in the surface and a verb for the construction. Clever in my book of crosswords.

    Many thanks to B&J for blogging and to Dutch for the fun.

13. Well, I really enjoyed this puzzle. In fact, nothing not to like! So for me, a very pleasurable solve last evening.

    Many thanks to Dutch and to Bertandjoyce.

14. A bit late to this having saved it until today, but it was worth the wait. I too found this very enjoyable and not too hard. Unlike some, I didn’t mind the mildly smutty bits – all part of the fun. I liked ANGLE IRON, but, like others, I thought NEBULISER the best.

    Thanks to Dutch and to Bertandjoyce.

15. P.S. Was the hidden GUN DOG deliberate or just serendipity?

16. I really enjoyed this, too. So many great surfaces: the Stevie Nicks clue made me gasp with delight when I read it. It didn’t take long to work out what it meant, but although I knew Stevie Nicks, I didn’t know she played any instrument (would have got it straight away if it had been Liam Gallagher), so had to wait for the crossers to fall into place, when it became obvious.

    FOI was 13a, which was a gimme, because the order of adjectives was wrong for English, so “wobbly” had to be the grinder and “tiny” part of the fodder.

    I love a bit of smut too, so no problem with that.

    21a made me wonder why there isn’t a single, simple word for “pelvic thrust” (is there?). Not finding one made me attack the clue differently and solve it.

    I loved the idea of an apprentice “bottom drawer” (more smut, I know!).

    Learnt a new word in “goliard” and relieved it was only anagram fodder. (Already forgotten what it means.)

    Mister Blue Rinse was definitely a favourite. Completely taken in by “Mister”.

    I see Dutch has continued his ‘tradition’ of having a clue (24d) which uses “Dutch” but not to indicate our estimable setter.

    Great stuff, Dutch. Thanks

17. We are very pleased that we were in the minority – not that we didn’t enjoy the puzzle – it just didn’t quite live up to what we expected! Sounds like WE were having an ‘off’ day.

18. Very late to the party having been away for the weekend without internet access (from choice), but we tend to agree with B&J in our general opinion of the puzzle.  However, we liked SCHERZO and TROUSSEAU, both write-ins for us, but thought ‘iron’ for ‘decrease’ a bit of an old chestnut, and couldn’t parse ON THE SIDE.

    Thanks, though, to setter and bloggers.

19. Sorry this is so late, but I came to this crossword late (on a tip-off) and have only just finished it.
    This crossword was very enjoyable throughout, and not too challenging. The clues I liked best were NEBULISER, BUGGER ALL and SHOPPING BAGS. (I’m not sure why, but I feel compelled to say that I liked the latter two of these for all the right reasons!) As for ‘Mister’, I was amazed that Blue Rinse would be an anagram of anything.
    7d stood out on its own. I had no idea how to solve this clue and had to assume that the only word that would fit was the right one – aided somewhat by the percussive overtones of ‘striking’.
    Thanks to Dutch and Bertandjoyce.

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