Independent 10,017 by Crosophile

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Crosophile occupies the Tuesday slot this week.

We started off rather slowly, held up by entering the wrong word at 1ac, but once we had realised the error of our ways, the rest went in smoothly. We hadn’t come across the entry at 1ac, and we’re still not sure about the definition, but the wordplay is clear and maybe there is another definition that’s not in Chambers?

9d was also a new word for us, but the meaning is clear and the wordplay is straightforward.

We tend to expect a theme in Tuesday puzzles, but we can’t see one here. Any thoughts out there?

Thanks to NeilW, Gaufrid and James for spotting the nina and the theme – brilliant!! Thematic entries now highlighted in green below: six places ending with the last word of the nina.

 

completed grid

Across

1 At Uni gain degree, one new first in Geog – the way to pass is like this (9)
UPWINDING
UP (at University) WIN (gain) D (degree) I (one) N (new) G (first letter in ‘Geog’)

6 Killed in NY owing to FBI agent (5)
OFFED
OF (owing to) FED (FBI agent)

10 E.g. prepare for panto in this place switching halves with rear end (8)
REHEARSE
HERE (in this place) with the second half (re) moved to the front or ‘switched’ + ARSE (rear end)

11 Island with grand conveniences and cool places to live (6)
IGLOOS
I (island) G (grand) LOOS (conveniences)

12 Veteran plane arrived and left (5)
CAMEL
CAME (arrived) L (left)

13 Went round rice in paddy with Victor and saw … (9)
PERCEIVED
PEED (‘went’, as in ‘urinated’) round an anagram of RICE (anagrind is ‘in a paddy’) V (Victor, in the phonetic alphabet)

15 … indefinite number in enormous river that’s long (6)
HUNGER
N (indefinite number in algebra) in HUGE (enormous) R (river)

16 Horse‘s last burst with courageous individual (8)
STALLION
An anagram of LAST (anagrind is ‘burst’) + LION (courageous individual)

18 A great place for French bikes when speed is needed? (8)
VELOCITY
Fancifully, a VELO CITY would be a great place for bikes (‘velo’ being French for ‘bike’)

20 A man with role in play facing the French (6)
CASTLE
CAST (‘with role in play’) LE (‘the’ in French)

22 More mundane retailer somehow captures hearts (9)
EARTHLIER
An anagram of RETAILER (anagrind is ‘somehow’) round or ‘capturing’ H (hearts)

25 Remorse after time wasted by director in trading association (5)
GUILD
GUILt (remorse) with the ‘t’ (time) replaced by D (director)

27 Rome is weaving delicate silks (6)
MOIRES
An anagram of ROME IS – anagrind is ‘weaving’

28 Like the last man going out in model event hopefully (8)
ELEVENTH
Hidden in modEL EVENT Hopefully

29 Gone on the wing, fellow’s down before Newcastle’s header (5)
FLOWN
F (fellow) LOW (down) N (first letter or ‘header’ of ‘Newcastle’)

30 It’s put back inside counter – we need to do a promotion (9)
ADVERTISE
IT reversed or ‘put back’ in ADVERSE (counter)

Down

2 Like a tiny baby, more docile when taken up by innocent (9)
PREMATURE
TAMER (more docile) reversed in (or ‘taken up by’) PURE (innocent)

3 I see a diver going over an obstacle in the sea (7)
ICEBERG
I C (see) + GREBE (diver) reversed or ‘going over’

4 A sample of drawing and painting in short-lived movement (4)
DART
D (first letter or ‘a sample’ of ‘drawing’) ART (painting)

5 Relative‘s pleasant and full of energy (5)
NIECE
NICE (pleasant) round or ‘full of’ E (energy)

7 America’s complete mad bluff, after leader goes bad (7)
FULFILL
An anagram of bLUFF without the first letter or ‘leader’ (anagrind is ‘mad’) + ILL (bad)

8 What did ‘orseman do to eat away? (5)
ERODE
‘E RODE (‘what ‘orseman did’)

9 Failed mechanics? Bad luck (9)
MISCHANCE
An anagram of MECHANICS – anagrind is ‘failed’

14 Surf’s up, swamping islet that’s rocky and barren (9)
FRUITLESS
SURF reversed or ‘up’ round or ‘swamping’ an anagram of ISLET – anagrind is ‘rocky’

16 This sauce is very good, yes? (3)
SOY
SO (very good) Y (yes)

17 Unwilling to be trapped by writhing coils in fishermen’s garb? (9)
OILCLOTHS
LOTH (unwilling) ‘trapped’ in an anagram of COILS – anagrind is ‘writihng’

19 Get too big for playing golf with our two (7)
OUTGROW
An anagram of G (‘golf’ in the phonetic alphabet) and OUR TWO  – anagrind is ‘playing’

21 Learner in ecstasy about third in Botany with university department (7)
STUDENT
SENT (‘in ecstasy’) round T (third letter in ‘botany’) U (University) D (department)

23 The Coral Island wrapped up in sellotape (5)
ATOLL
Hidden and reversed (‘wrapped up’) in seLLOTApe

24 First parts of every Michaelmas term? Correct (5)
EMEND
E M (first letters or ‘parts’ of Every Michaelmas) END (term)

26 The boy read only half the present (4)
HERE
HE (the boy) REad (‘only half’)

*anagram

11 comments on “Independent 10,017 by Crosophile”

  1. Thanks, Bertandjoyce. There is, seemingly, a Nina running from the SW corner: FLIGHT TO THE FORD; apparently this is the twelfth and last chapter in the first book of The Fellowship of the Ring. I’m no expert so have no idea if there are other Tolkein references…

  3. Thanks NeilW. We have had a quick look at the synopsis of Chapter 12 (unfortunately not the ELEVENTH) and cannot find any thematic material. Hopefully someone can help out.

  4. Thanks B&J

    Crosophile appears to have been watching Only Connect and has taken inspiration from the wall … 😉

  6. Many thanks Gaufrid and James. When we have better internet access we will try and list them all.
    Well done Crosophile!

  7. Thanks for the blog

    I originally thought that “upwinding” was referring to a road to a mountain pass being necessarily bendy, but perhaps it is to do with bodily wind.

  8. Clever Nina and theme which was way beyond me to spot, but I enjoyed the search anyway.

    Apart from getting the theme, not too difficult but there were a few unfamiliar words and clues such as UPWINDING took a bit of working out. Maybe not the most exciting answer, but I still liked STUDENT at 21d. I’d be surprised if I was the only one initially looking for an ‘L’ as part of the wordplay, rather than spotting ‘Learner’ as the def. straight away.

    Thanks to Crosophile and B&J.

  9. Initially had HEALTHIER for 22A, but ATOLL broke that. The Tolkien reference  went over my head so even if I’d spotted the Nina the theme would have remained a mystery to me, so thanks for the explanation! STUDENT my favourite.

  10. Thanks for the blog, Bertandjoyce. And well done, NeilW and James, for cracking the nina between you. The _fords were at 12, 15, 20, 25, 4 and 26. (I think that’s the lot).

    And , Dansar, yes that was what I intended – that a road  or way going up to a mountain pass would be upwinding.

  11. Enjoyed the puzzle just fine without spotting the added cleverness.  If I had seen the nina, I’d no doubt still have been out of depth without the _fords.

    Thanks to Crosophile, to Bertandjoyce, and to the themefinders.

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