Independent 10,304 by Knut

by

It’s Knut’s turn this week for the Tuesday slot. We also blogged his last very entertaining puzzle in the Indy.

Needless to say, we were looking for a theme but it wasn’t until we had the completed grid that Bert spotted KING CRIMSON. Joyce remembered the band and the second one he found – CHICKEN SHACK. It was a good thing that Bert was around though as Joyce did not remember the others which are highlighted in the grid (ATOMIC ROOSTER, CURVED AIR and SPOOKY TOOTH). During the late 60s and early 70s, we were more interested in Cream, Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac, John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, Pink Floyd …….. the list goes on. Bert wanted to add JIMI HENDRIX to that list but that only applies to him and Joyce is writing up the blog this week.

I have included a link to THIS track that Bert remembers Chicken Shack playing when they played at Sheffield University.

completed grid

Across

1 Angry Bohemians announced security measures (11)
CROSSCHECKS
CROSS (angry) + a homophone (‘announced’) of CZECHS (Bohemians)

7 Gaseous mixture emanating from caviare occasionally? (3)
AIR
Alternate or ‘occasional’ letters of cAvIaRe

9 Extremist starts to unleash lethal terror, rage, aggression (5)
ULTRA
First letters or ‘starts’ to Unleash Lethal Terror Rage Aggression

10 One’s average, boring, uniform intelligence, producing only one child (9)
UNIPAROUS
I (one) PAR (average) inside or ‘boring’ U (uniform) NOUS (intelligence)

11 Quick holiday kiss? (9)
BREAKNECK
BREAK (holiday) NECK (kiss)

12 Country hotel, first class, Tripoli, empty (5)
HAITI
H (hotel) AI (first class) TripolI (first and last letters only or ’empty’)

13 Golfer Oosterhuis puts away pecker (7)
ROOSTER
Hidden or ‘put away’ in golfeR OOSTERhuis

15 Record where Boris was rejected (4)
NOTE
ETON (where Boris Johnson was at school) reversed or ‘rejected’

18 Man at home putting on weight (4)
KING
IN (at home) inside or ‘putting on’ KG (weight)

20 Red Tory touring French city, no end of champagne! (7)
CRIMSON
CON (Tory) outside or ‘touring’ ReIMS (French city) without ‘e’ (last letter or ‘end’ of ‘champagne’)

23 Upper-class Johnny returns, having been given a lift (5)
UPPED
U (upper-class) DEPP (Johnny as in Johnny Depp the actor) reversed or ‘returning’

24 One gets a belt from Spooner’s spiked alcoholic drink (9)
WAISTLINE
A spoonerism of LACED (spiked) WINE (alcoholic drink)

26 Pansy spreading into breach (9)
VIOLATION
VIOLA (pansy) and an anagram of INTO – anagrind is ‘spreading’

27 Knock back gin after beginning to observe optical illusions (2,3)
OP ART
A reversal or ‘knocking back’ of TRAP (gin) after O (first letter or ‘beginning’ of ‘observe’)

28 Doris is always after diamonds (3)
DAY
AY (always) after D (diamonds) – the Doris refers obviously to Doris Day, the American singer, actress and animal welfare activist who died this year.

29 Playing long, Rhenish instrument (7,4)
ENGLISH HORN
An anagram of LONG RHENISH – anagrind is ‘playing’

Down

1 Night owls present at Seal’s final appearance? (8)
CLUBBERS
A cryptic definition relating to the fact that many seals are clubbed to death during the annual cull. It is still going on each year and as THIS article explains, some hunters wanted to increase the numbers this year.

2 Punctually end 25, awkwardly (2,3,3)
ON THE DOT
An anagram of END TOOTH (25d) – anagrind is ‘awkwardly’

3 House fire consuming husband (5)
SHACK
SACK (fire) around or ‘consuming’ H (husband)

4 Gold, over a ton, in hard currency creating superciliousness (7)
HAUTEUR
AU (gold) T (ton) inside H (hard) EUR (currency)

5 Caught hayseed eviscerating eastern bird (7)
CHICKEN
C (caught) HICK (hayseed) EasterN (first and last letters only or ‘eviscerated’)

6 8 spat out food (9)
SPAGHETTI
An anagram of EIGHT (8) and SPAT – anagrind is ‘out’

7 CIA backed hijacking Cruise Missile warhead? Could be! (6)
ATOMIC
CIA reversed or ‘backed’ outside or ‘hijacking’ TOM (as in Tom Cruise)

8 Peasant recycling one crust (6)
RUSTIC
An anagram of I (one) and CRUST – anagrind is ‘recycling’

14 Poor trader hit skids (5-4)
THIRD-RATE
An anagram of TRADER HIT – anagrind is ‘skids’

16 Somewhat lost in a toneless, repetitive refrain (8)
OSTINATO
Hidden (‘somewhat’) in lOST IN A TOneless

17 Like thin cream that hasn’t been licked? (8)
UNBEATEN
Double defintion where ‘licked’ is a synonym of BEATEN

19 Looking pretty stupid, mob kidnaps western private eye (7)
GAWPING
GANG (mob) around or ‘kidnapping’ W (western) PI (private investigator)

20 Switzerland against importing international wine (7)
CHIANTI
CH (Switzerland) ANTI (against) around or ‘importing’ I (international)

21 Bent copper trafficking derv (6)
CURVED
CU (copper) and an anagram of DERV – anagrind is ‘trafficking’

22 Creepy muck screened by TV broadcaster (6)
SPOOKY
POO (muck) inside or ‘screened by’ SKY (TV broadcaster)

25 Excessively tense hour – it’s a nail-biter (5)
TOOTH
TOO (excessively) T (tense) H (hour)

12 comments on “Independent 10,304 by Knut”

  1. Another treat from Knut – I did spot King Crimson but that’s as far as my theme spotting went.

    Thanks to Knut for the fun and B&J for the reminiscences

  2. I saw KING CRIMSON but didn’t know the other bands so missed the theme. CHICKEN SHACK sound pretty good – thanks for the link. The image brought to mind by 1d wasn’t very pleasant and I’m glad the rest of the puzzle didn’t continue that rather grim tone.

    With the exception of the unknown OSTINATO, which couldn’t have been anything else thanks to wordplay and crossers, nothing was too obscure. I thought the ‘Upper’ and UPPED at 23a jarred a bit, but I liked the ROOSTER hidden, ‘laced wine’ spoonerism and the reminder of Doris DAY.

    Thanks to Knut and to B&J

  3. A trip down memory lane. I well remember “Tomorrow Night” and “Devil’s Answer” by Atomic Rooster. If anyone fancies seeing some great violin playing look up “Vivaldi” by Curved Air on YouTube. (Can’t be bothered with inserting a link.) Ah, those 70’s hairstyles. I also didn’t know OSTINATO. Didn’t know UNIPAROUS (but knew viviparous) either but was solving with a friend who got both of these. Thanks all.

  5. thanks to B&J for the blog and to those who commented. I wasn’t really into these bands either, although I quite liked Sonja Kristina doing Back Street Luv, but the words in their names seemed like an opportunity for a ghost theme.

    I didn’t know that Christine Perfect sang in Spooky Tooth until I clicked on the link above – I just dimly remember Stan Webb bashing out 12 bar stuff.

    warmest regards to all and I hope to see some of you in York at the weekend,

    Rob/Knut

     

  7. We spotted KING CRIMSON and said “Aha, there’s a theme” (well, it is Tuesday).  Our first guess was KC’s numbers but we drew a blank there, so then we googled a few likely band names and Google directed us here!

    All very straightforward, though, and no need to know the theme.  Some nice touches, such as the golfing clue that wasn’t (13ac), although as WordPlodder says, the upper/upped combination in 23ac was a bit awkward – “Posh Johnny returns …” would have worked quite well.  UNIPAROUS went in from the definition once one of us dragged it up from the darker recesses of memory but then took a little while to parse.

    Thanks, Knut and B&J

  8. I was too shocked by the Blades beating the Gunners (thoroughly deserved)to  miss the bleedin obvious.I remember Spooky at the Hampstead Country Club.Good stuff.Thanks all,

  9. Great puzzle, great theme!  I saw KC on their 50th anniversary tour this summer.  For those that recall Rock Family Trees, i.e. following the movement of personnel between rock bands over the years, you may be interested that Gavin Harrison, now drumming for King Crimson, used to be a member of the band that generated my crossword-setting pseudonym (via their track and album Octane Twisted).  But then again, you may not 🙂

    Thanks Knut. Thanks Bertandjoyce!

  10. Lovely puzzle and clever ghost theme. Musically I am with B & J . Saw all of them several times including Jimi at the Marquee Wardour Street. To think that Pink Floyd were there every Thursday….good times 😀

  11. Great to see King Crimson in a puzzle. I saw the latest incarnation last year and they are still pushing boundaries. Recognised all of the other names.

    Thanks to Knut, B&J

Comments are closed.