Independent 10,298 / Filbert

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Today’s crossword has been supplied by Filbert, and it wouldn’t be Tuesday if we didn’t have a theme, would it?!

The first and top rows of the completed grid spell out ENGLISH CHANNEL, and it is alluded to or suggested by some of the grid entries, e.g. at 4 (=peninsula in Cornwall), 9/19 (of Dover), 16, 21A, 21D, 23 … Indeed, it is even mentioned directly in 29, although deceptively as part of that clue’s wordplay!

I have found this puzzle enjoyable insofar as I have managed to solve and parse it, but I need further input from solvers to fully parse 5 and 27; and to confirm or otherwise my attempts at parsing at 7 and 24.

My favourite clues today are 9/19 for the definition and overall surface reading, which made me laugh out loud when the penny dropped; 15, for its surface reading; 21, for the use of “parts” as a splitting device; and the & lit. at 23, for its clever construction.

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

Across    
     
08 THERAPIST Health worker first wraps up what Patsy takes

THE RAP (=what Patsy – i.e. fall guy – takes) + 1ST (=first)
     
09/19 WHITE CLIFFS Kentish beauties order fifth slice and put on weight

W (=weight) + *(FIFTH SLICE); “order” is anagram indicator; the reference is to the white cliffs of Dover, which look out over the English Channel
     
11 EATEN According to report, prestigious school’s gone down

Homophone (“according to report”) of “Eton (=prestigious school)”
     
12 ALMA MATER Old school American couple retired amidst change

MAMA (AM=American; “couple” means twice; “retired” indicates reversal) in ALTER (=change)
     
13 EJECTED Down but a daughter missing, left plane in a panic

<d>EJECTED (=down); “daughter (=D) missing” means letter “d” is dropped
     
14 CHEAPEN Maybe take tuppence off assortment of ha’pence

*(HA’PENCE); “assortment of” is anagram indicator
     
16 CONTAINER SHIP Huge exporter‘s blue shoes run out once in fashion

CON (=blue, i.e. Conservative) + T<r>AINERS (=blues; “run (=R, on cricket scorecard) out once” means one letter “r” is dropped) + HIP (=in fashion)
     
20 LEE TIDE Most of fleet, I’d expect, that’s going out with the wind

Hidden (“most of”) in “fLEET I’D Expect”
     
21 BLERIOT French pilot swapping sides would be British, by George

BR (=British) + ELIOT (=George, i.e. English author); “swapping sides” means that letters “r (=right)” and “l (=left)” change places; the reference is to French aviator Louis Blériot (1872-1932), who made the first flight across the English Channel in 1909
     
24 FACE VALUE What it says on the tin

Cryptic definition based on the expressions “to do what it says on the tin” and “to take something at face value”
     
27 TITAN Major satellite contract delivered

The moon Titan is Saturn’s largest satellite + ???
     
28 SAILS Canvas sacks emptied and refilled with trouble

AIL (=trouble) in S<ack>S (“emptied” means all but first and last letters are dropped)
     
29 RIO GRANDE Snarled up ring road – English Channel stopping free movement of people

*(RING ROAD) + E (=English); “snarled up” is anagram indicator; the Rio Grande forms part of the border between the US and Mexico, thus acting as a natural barrier to free movement
     
Down    
     
01 ETHENE Chemical contents of beer listed

“E then E” are the contents of the word <b>EE<r> when listed!!
     
02 NETTLESOME Trying new way of cooking omelettes

N (=new) + *(OMELETTES); “cooking” is anagram indicator
     
03 GANNET Lady in sports car is a flapper

ANNE (=lady, i.e. a female forename) in GT (=sports car)
     
04 LIZARD Little chap with scales has fat clothing size made thinner

<s>IZ<e> (“made thinner” means first and last letters are dropped) in LARD (=fat)
     
05 ITEM Couple upset one after the other

They are an item means They are a couple + ??
     
06 SWIMMERS E.g. fish with stuffing cooks gently

W (=with) in SIMMERS (=cooks gently)
     
07 HINT Tip head right down in water

(to) THIN (down) = (to) WATER (down); “head right down” means that the first letter – “t” – is moved to the end
     
10 ERRAND Trip with commission

ERR (=trip (up)) + AND (=with)
     
14 CUE Wait until this line has gone if giving a speech

Cryptic definition: actors wait for their cue before delivering their lines
     
15 PHILISTINE I don’t care for the beautiful junk in this pile

*(IN THIS PILE); “junk” is anagram indicator
     
17 THIEVISH Inclined to pinch hit, he somehow edges sixes

VIs (=sixes, in Roman numerals) in *(HIT HE); “somehow” is anagram indicator
     
18 I’VE One has to be generous, parting with a grand

<g>IVE (=to be generous); “parting with a grand (=G, i.e. £1000)” means letter “g” is dropped
     
21 BRETON Gun directed at parts of northwest France

TO (=directed at) in BREN (=gun, i.e. light machine-gun)
     
22 EXTERN Non-resident no longer wasted rent

EX- (=no longer) + *(RENT); “wasted” is anagram indicator; an extern is a non-resident, such as a day-scholar, an out-patient or a non-resident physician
     
23 TUNNEL Returning fast from Paris, one to go through

UN (=one from Paris, i.e. the French word for a) in TNEL (LENT=fast, i.e. period of fasting; “returning” indicates reversal); & lit., referring to the high-speed Eurostar service
     
25 CHIC Smart electronic device in which power doesn’t remain constant

CHI<p> (=electronic device; “in which power (=P) doesn’t remain” means letter “p” is dropped) + C (=constant, in mathematics)
     
26 LARA Brian left group trying to stay dry crossing river

L (=left) + [R (=river) in AA (=group trying to stay dry, i.e. Alcoholics Anonymous); the reference is to West Indian cricketer Brian Lara (1969-)
     
     

 

9 comments on “Independent 10,298 / Filbert”

  1. Enjoyed this puzzle which I found slightly on the tough side. Some of the answers were difficult to fathom (hoho) and 1 down ‘ethene’ was certainly too deep for me (teehee) to parse. Thanks to Turbot, sorry, Filbert.

  2. I parsed TITAN as as a homonym of “tighten” (contract) and parsed ITEM as IT (the other, I.e. sex) followed by ME (one) reversed (upset). One for me is a bit pretentious perhaps.

    I also parsed CUE as in blog but with a second reading as a sounds like “queue” (giving a speech). I parsed all others as you did.
    PS for 1ya you have written BLUES instead of SHOES.

  5. I found ten answers that could be related to, or found in or across, the English Channel (White Cliffs, container ship, lee tide, Bleriot, sails, gannet, Lizard, Breton, swimmers, tunnel), though perhaps not all were intentional on the part of the setter.  Much enjoyed, thanks Filbert and RatkojaRiku.

  6. I still don’t really get FACE VALUE, but I enjoyed the rest, including the theme and Nina. I enjoyed the reminder of Louis BLERIOT and the clever way the theme was associated with the RIO GRANDE.

    Thanks to Filbert and RR

  8. Definitely a tough challenge today – we needed electronic help for well over half of it, although we did manage to parse the answers once we got them, and if we hadn’t spoted the nina we’d probably still be struggling.  But some great clues; favourite was EJECTED.

    Thanks, Filbert and RatkojaRiku

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