Punk gives us plenty to think about today.
I found this one of the tougher examples of an Independent crossword, but I got there in the end.
There were some good clues and some were difficult to parse on first glance.
It took me a while to get the parsing for BURGER KING as the reverse of GRUB was present in the first four letters. The penny didn’t drop immediately that I needed the G in KING.
I must admit I didn’t realise that ANDY CAPP was still going as a cartoon until I did some research for the blog.
I’ve come across NICHOLAS clued in a similar fashion some time in the past, but it still fooled me initially on this occasion.
I thought the clue for PROVERBS was excellent; simple but very effective.
I also liked the cryptic reference to FINDUS, the frozen food company.
However, my clue of the day was the one for EXPAT with it’s ‘steamer coming out of Cowes reportedly’.
Finally, I was little surprised to find that the definitions for thirteen of the fourteen down clues were at the beginning of the clue. It’s something I’ve noticed over the years as a blogger that definitions are becoming more skewed to the beginning of clues.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
| 1 | Flower queen of India with posh diamond rings, say? (8) |
GEM (a diamond is an example of a gem) containing (rings) (RANI [Indian queen] + U [upper-class; posh]) GE (RANI U) M |
GERANIUM (flower) |
| 6 / 20 | Hard to escape cucumber fed to maggot, say, back in food chain (6,4) |
G BUR (GER KIN) G< |
BURGER [KING] (fast food restaurant chain) |
| 9 | Struck having taken a swing, second used sponge (6) |
S (second) + WIPED (cleaned by rubbing with a sponge) S WIPED |
SWIPED (struck) |
| 10 | Two-dimensional misogynist with power quick to back track (4,4) |
AND (with) + (P [power] + PACY [quick) reversed (to back track) AND (Y CAP P)< |
ANDY CAPP (fictional cartoon character [two-dimensional, as drawn on paper] portrayed as a stereotypical Northener. Misogyny is one of his many traits. Created by Reg Smythe [1917-1998], the cartoon strip continues today with different authors and artists)) |
| 11 | See 13 | See word play at 13 / 11 across below | [NICHOLAS] BREAKSPEAR |
|
12
|
Sex had for breakfast? (4) |
OATS (the phrase ‘get ones oats’ means have sexual intercourse) OATS |
OATS (breakfast cereal seeds) double definition |
| 13 / 11 | Pope reportedly going commando on holiday, long weapon thrown about (8,10) |
NICHOLAS (sounds like [reportedly] KNICKERLESS [going without knickers; going commando]) + BREAK (holiday) + SPEAR (long weapon that it thrown) NICHOLAS BREAK SPEAR |
NICHOLAS [BREAKSPEAR] (reference Pope Adrian IV [born NICHOLAS BREAKSPEAR], 1100-1159. He was Pope from 1146 until his death) |
| 16 | A western figure briefly clear of the seabed (6) |
A + W (Western) + EIGH A W EIGH |
AWEIGH (in the process of being raised, as an anchor just raised from the bottom; clear of the seabed) |
| 18 | One looking for a catch first gone missing from earring, perhaps? (6) |
DANGLER (a term that could be used as a synonym for an earring) excluding the opening letter (first gone) D ANGLER |
ANGLER (fisherman; one looking for a catch) |
| 19 | Go through on one’s last carriage? (8) |
RE (with reference to; on) + HEARSE (vehicle for carrying the dead; one’s last carriage) RE HEARSE |
REHEARSE (practice beforehand; go through) |
| 20 | See 6 | See wordplay at 6 / 20 across above | [BURGER] KING |
| 22 | Footballer‘s forbidden fruit, might you say? (4,6) |
EDEN (reference the Garden of EDEN) where the apple [fruit] was a forbidden item or HAZARD EDEN HAZARD |
EDEN HAZARD (reference EDEN HAZARD [born 1991], Belgian international footballer currently playing for Real Madrid) |
| 25 | Sweet male is in formal attire, heading off for retirement (8) |
(RAM [male {sheep}] + IS) contained in (in) ( TI (RAM IS) U< |
TIRAMISU (dessert made with pieces of sponge soaked in coffee and marsala, layered with mascarpone and chocolate) |
| 26 | Procurers snatching right tarts up! (6) |
PIMPS (procures gratifications for the lust of others) containing (snatching) R (right) P (R) IMPS |
PRIMPS (dresses in a fussy or affected manner; titivates; tarts up) |
| 27 | A shoe perfect in the end – that’s lucky (6) |
A + MULE (backless slipper or shoe) + T (last letter of [in the end] PERFECT) A MULE T |
AMULET (lucky charm worn to ward off evil, disease) |
| 28 | Find bank book (8) |
PROVE (ascertain; find) + RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland) PROVER RBS |
PROVERBS (Book of the Old Testament) |
| Down | |||
| 2 | Type of architecture spread far and wide, though not originally (9) |
Anagram of (spread) EDWARDIAN* |
EDWARDIAN (style of architecture) |
| 3 | First album penned by ’80s band (5) |
LP (long playing record; album) contained in (penned by) AHA (Norwegian band formed in 1982 A (LP) HA |
ALPHA (the first letter of the Greek alphabet; the first or brightest star of a constellation; the beginning; in classification, the first or one of the first grade) |
| 4 | Asian river where freezing people found topless? (5) |
INDUS |
INDUS (one of the longest rivers in Asia) |
| 5 | Crabby types taking one’s arm off (7) |
Anagram of (off) ONE’S ARM MOANERS* |
MOANERS (complainers; crabby people) |
| 6 | Why kissing’s not recommended in the bar? (3,6) |
THE BAR is an anagram of BREATH and the phrase THE BAR could be clued in a cryptic crossword as BAD (anagram indicator) BREATH (anagram fodder) BAD BREATH |
BAD BREATH (if one or more of the potential kissers has BAD BREATH then kissing might not be much fun) |
| 7 | Tommy and others are climbing after huge bird on African peak (4,5) |
ROC (an enormous bird described in Arabian legend, strong enough to carry off an elephant) + KOP (South African hill; African peak) + ARE reversed (climbing; down clue) ROC K OP ERA< |
ROCK OPERA (Tommy was a ROCK OPERA originally composed by Pete Townshend of The Who in 1969. It later appeared as a film)) |
| 8 | Resident who’s gone abroad in old steamer coming put of Cowes, reportedly? (5) |
EX (former; old) + PAT (reference excrement [cowPAT {steamer coming out of]}cows [sounds like {reportedly} COWES]) EX PAT |
EXPAT (EXPATriate [native of one country living and / or working in another]) |
| 14 | Python’s quarry, leathery skirt in pig and bird (4,5) |
LY (outer letters of [skirt] LEATHERY) contained in (in) (HOG [pig] + RAIL [bird]) HO (LY) G RAIL |
HOLY GRAIL (reference the 1975 film Monty Python and the HOLY GRAIL) |
| 15 | Criminal taking fat cut is in the money (9) |
LAR LAR CEN (IS) T |
LARCENIST (thief; criminal) |
| 17 | Great local talk, but not entirely left uplifted (9) |
GAS (chatter; talk) + (BU GAS (TROP UB)< |
GASTROPUB (pub that specialises in providing food and wine of a standard more typical of a fine restaurant than a traditional pub; great local [one’s nearest inn]) |
| 19 | Again provide side-splitting Greek witticism (2-5) |
REE ( RE E QUIP |
RE-EQUIP (provide again) |
| 21 | Bone marrow, usually in leg, is initially used up (5) |
ILIUM (first letters [initially] of each of MARROW, USUALLY, IN, LEG and IS) reversed (used up; down clue) ILIUM< |
ILIUM (a wide bone that is fused with the ischium and pubis to form the hip bone) |
| 23 | Animal in cool river (5) |
HIP (trendy; cool) + PO (Italian river) HIP PO |
HIPPO (animal) |
| 24 | Unknown river in old country (5) |
Z (letter frequently used to denote an unknown value in an equation) + AIRE (river in Yorkshire) Z AIRE |
ZAIRE (former [old] name of the country currently known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo) |
Definitely a tricky crossword but some very good clues to enjoy in the battle
Thanks to Punk and Duncan
Pretty tough, just tractable enough to finish though I thought I wouldn’t, but very enjoyable with some outstanding clues. A – 6/20, 10, 13/11, D 6, 7, 8, 14.
Breakspear the only English Pope.
Much admiration to Punk and thanks to duncanshiell.
I really liked this-he doesnt wear his Punk hat often but usually good when he does.
Very educational-took a bit of winkling to get the only(?) English Pope (apart from the Poet)
Excellent puzzle from Punk. Loved expat and primps.
13/11 reminded me of the classic “ Nicholas Parsons shouldn’t climb trees” 🙂
Lots of excellent clues here, but a couple of questions/quibbles: in 9ac I had the definition as ‘Struck having taken a swing’ because otherwise how does one account for those four words? And why is a gastropub (17dn) a great pub? Maybe it’s an enhanced pub, but does that make it great?
Yes, definitely touch but I did manage to finish it eventually, without aids (apart from confirming EDEN HAZARD – a name I’d heard somewhere – was indeed a footballer.
I didn’t have trouble parsing 6/20 as I came to it the other way. Knowing it ended with a ‘g’, I guessed maggot might be grub and pictured it backwards in my mind and immediately saw the answer.
I assume @3 is a rather feeble joke.