Independent 10,216 / Serpent

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Serpent has set this Thursday’s cruciverbal challenge.

I found this to be a medium-difficulty puzzle, which it has taken quite some time to parse and blog. I am still not sure whether “argument” in 25 is part of the definition or the wordplay – please advise! I haven’t spotted any particular theme today.

As for my favourite clues, I rather liked 3, for the clever use of “sole” as a fish; 10, for the various changes in part of speech between the surface reading of the clue and the word’s role in the wordplay/definition, e.g. uniform, which is a noun in the surface reading and an adjective in the wordplay; the quirky definition at 11; and 16, for its surface reading.

*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues

Down    
     
01 SETS Stages opening of Salome on revolving set

S<alome> (“opening of” means first letter only) + *(ETS); “revolving” is anagram indicator; sets are stages, settings in theatres
     
04 CANARY Singer is able to modulate after losing voice initially

CAN (=is able to) + <v>ARY (=modulate; “losing voice initially” means last letter is dropped)
     
10 REGULATOR Official uniform worn by leaders of the opposition

T<he> O<pposition> (“leaders of” means first letters only) in REGULAR (=uniform, as adjective)
     
11 SNAIL Mobile home owner‘s local area network is configured incorrectly

*(LAN (=Local Area Network) + IS); “configured incorrectly’ is anagram indicator
     
12 HEEDING Marking title ends in article being exchanged

HEADING (=title); “ends in article being exchanged” means the letter “a” is replaced by “e”
     
13 LURKING Lying hidden by Spooner’s sport

“lurking” is a Spoonerism for “curling (=sport)”
     
14 NYMPH Start to perform hymn about divine spirit

*(P<erform> + HYMN); “start to” means first letter only; “about” is anagram indicator
     
16 AUTUMNAL Seasonal manual working stopped by trade union

TU (=trade union) in *(MANUAL); “working” is anagram indicator
     
18 CLOISTER College beginning to see dons hang around here

C (=college) + [S<ee> (“beginning to” means first letter only) in LOITER (=hang around)]; & lit.
     
20 GREEN Suspect clergyman is inexperienced

The reference is to Reverend Green, one of the suspects in the game of Cluedo
     
22 BADNESS Evil British group losing money

B (=British) + <m>ADNESS (=band, i.e. the British pop group; “losing money (=M)” means letter “m” is dropped)
     
24 BENEFIT Good suit clothing Englishman’s frame

E<nglishma>N (“frame” means first and last letters only are used) in BEFIT (=suit, as verb)
     
26 SNAKE Serpent recalled somewhat tongue-in-cheek answer

Reversed (“recalled”) and hidden (“somewhat”) in “tongue-in-cheEK ANSwer”
     
27 ON THE BOIL One lit hob somehow in the process of cooking

*(ONE LIT HOB); “somehow” is anagram indicator
     
28 PARROT Repeat the standard nonsense

PAR (=standard) + ROT (=nonsense)
     
29 LORD I’m surprised by rumour once wife’s left

WORD (=rumour, as in Word has it that …); “once wife (=W)’s left (=L)” means that the letter “w” becomes “l”
     
Down    
     
02 EAGLE Learner keen for the most part to acquire good score on course

L (=learner) in EAGE<r> (=keen; “for the most part” means last letter is dropped); an eagle is a score of two below par in golf
     
03 SELFISH Looking after number one is perhaps sole basis for the French Revolution

SEL (LES=the French, i.e. a French word for the; “revolution” indicates reversal) + FISH (=perhaps sole, i.e. species of fish)
     
04 CORAL Marine creatures caught by the mouth

C (=caught, on cricket scorecard) + ORAL (=by the mouth)
     
05 NOSTRUM Cure backward child having tantrum after social worker’s gone

NOS (SON=child; “backward” indicates reversal) + T<ant>RUM (“after social worker (=ant)’s gone” means letters “ant” are dropped)
     
06 REANIMATE Once again make vital case for regime worried about dictator returning

R<eanimat>E (“case for” means first and last letters only)  + [MINA (ANIM=dictator, i.e. Idi Amin in Uganda) in ATE (=worried)]
     
07 URCHIN Child‘s original feature

UR- (=original, primitive, as a prefix) + CHIN (=feature, of face)
     
08 STAGNANT Standing ovation ultimately lifts male social worker

STAG (=male) + <ovatio>N (“ultimately” means last letter only) + ANT (=social worker)
     
09 SLUG Bullet // hit // lazy person’s // drink

Quadruple definition!
     
15 MELODRAMA Role Mad Max almost played in theatrical production

*(ROLE MAD MA<x>); “almost” means last letter is dropped from anagram, indicated by “played”
     
17 TERABYTE Sort of battery with energy storage unit

*(BATTERY + E (=energy)); “sort of” is anagram indicator
     
19 ICE BEER Insect found in decorator’s drink

BEE (=insect) in ICER (=decorator, i.e. of cakes); ice beer is beer that is frozen to increase its alcoholic content
     
20 GENTEEL Well-mannered upper-class girl recruits new assistant for driver

[N (=new) + TEE (=assistant for driver, i.e. in golf)] in GEL (=upper-class girl, i.e. an upper-class pronunciation of girl)
     
21 NETTLE Anger caused by national pay having shilling deducted

N (=national) + <s>ETTLE  (=pay, e.g. a bill; “having shilling (=S)” means letter “s” is dropped)
     
22 BASS Marine creature is the voice of the deep

A bass voice is a deep voice
     
23 SCOUT Guide that is on sale to the public

SC. (=that is, scilicet) + OUT (=on sale to the public, of book)
     
25 FLOOR Defeat argument in favour of accepting reduced fortune

LO<t> (=fortune, i.e. “reduced” means last letter dropped) in FOR (=argument in favour of)
     
     

 

12 comments on “Independent 10,216 / Serpent”

  2. Finished without too much trouble. Lots of lovely clues.

    I notice I have a different answer for 1a. LEGS parsed as GEL< (revolving set) on S(alome). I can’t believe SETS is correct given SET in the clue.

    I would add 15d to the list goodies. Thanks to Serpent and RatkojaRiku.

  3. Oh and thanks to Andrew for the heads up on the theme. Missed it completely. For a while I was toying with parts of the body (LEGS, sNAIL, auTUMnal, urCHIN, bASS) but your hint is clearly correct.

  7. I enjoyed this very much – I even spotted the theme!   My particular favourite was 11a.

    Can I assume that our setters have been playing a certain board game together – that’s the second or possibly third Cluedo-related clue lately

    Thanks to Serpent and RR

  8. I thought the same as crypticsue…when Serpent was a young slitherer I reckon Cluedo came out on rainy days. Lovely puzzle as per; thanks to S & RR

  9. I liked the theme, including the various thematic creatures. Yes, we’ve had a bit of Cluedo lately – adds to my knowledge of the game which is zero apart from what I’ve learnt doing cryptics.

    SLUG was my favourite, closely followed by STAGNANT .

    Thanks to Serpent and RR

  10. Good setting to get in all the marine creatures. I hadn’t realised the sea CANARY is a beluga.

    I particularly liked REGULATOR, AUTUMNAL, CLOISTER and SELFISH.

    Thanks Serpent and RR.

  11. The recent Cluedo references seem to be another instance of morphic resonance among setters whose puzzles are no doubt created at some remove in both space and time. In the last year or so we have had several appearances of ‘stevedore’ within about a month, and variations on ‘KO’ ‘KAYO’ and the like in a similar timeframe.

    Wouldn’t surprise me if we get more Cluedo in the near future

  12. I did expect a Serpentine theme, there’s often something hidden in the grid but no, and as usual I missed it. Thought it might be ‘social worker’ (5dn, 8dn)……
    Favourites were Selfish for the sole, and the quadruple Slug. Thanks Serpent and RR

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