Indy aficionados will be more used to seeing Poins producing the Independent on Sunday puzzle, but he’s brought us the Monday one this week. It took a bit of teasing out, I can tell you.
One of the reasons I struggled might be that there are no full anagrams (although there are shedloads of insertion clues). I think many solvers will look, if they are struggling to get going, to the anagrams as an easier route into the puzzle, so I am interested if others had the same experience. There is one I can’t parse, so help with that appreciated too.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
cad clue as definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) removed
definitions are underlined
Across
1 Diamonds hidden by one not wanting to leave what’s left
REMAINDER
An insertion (‘hidden by’) of D in REMAINER. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, Poins references the B word.
6 Occurs in spades after autumn
FALLS
A charade of FALL and S. Christmas Day falls on a Wednesday this year.
9 One left on board not having been ignited
UNLIT
An insertion (‘on board’) of L in UNIT.
10 Exceptionally fine wine drunk in a second
SUPPORTER
An insertion (‘drunk’) of PORT in SUPER. The reference is to boxing.
11 Affected by trichinosis – almost collapsing
HISTRIONIC
(TRICHINOSI[S])*
12 Opening of medical facility near the centre of Malvern
VENT
A charade of V for the central letter of ‘Malvern’ and ENT for the setters’ favourite hospital department (Ear, Nose and Throat).
14 Object expert needs to examine
PROTEST
A charade of PRO and TEST.
15 A refusal by university hospital to admit the Italian dramatist
ANOUILH
A charade of A, NO, and IL for one of the Italian words for ‘the’ inserted into U and H. The insertion indicator is ‘to admit’. The ‘dramatist’ is in fact French: Jean Anouilh (1910-1987).
17 Idea Tory dismissed sharing thus becoming a doubter
SCEPTIC
An insertion of [CON]CEPT in SIC for ‘thus’. The somewhat questionable insertion indicator is ‘sharing’.
19 Poins, for instance, taking in the opening of Lancaster’s decisive argument
SETTLER
An insertion of L in SETTER. The uncontroversial insertion indicator is ‘taking in’.
20 Composer essentially disregarded by a great many people
HOST
HO[L]ST
22 Places without parking designed to accommodate sheltered walks of limited size
SMALL-SCALE
An insertion of MALLS in ([P]LACES)* The anagrind is ‘designed’ and the insertion indicator is ‘to accommodate’.
25 Guarantee from uranium mines in recession recently
STIPULATE
A charade of U and PITS reversed, and LATE. I’m not convinced LATE and ‘recently’ are interchangeable. OF LATE and recently are.
26 Abandoned oil cans made mostly into circular designs
OCULI
Apologies, but I can’t see this at all, so need some kind soul to parse it for me.
Edit: Andrew has explained this at comment no 1. It’s yet another insertion: of CU[T] in (OIL)* with ‘cans’ as the insertion indicator.
27 Dog bowl initially ignored by bird
EAGLE
[B]EAGLE. This one’s been round the block a bit, but I’m not complaining since it gives me a chance for the obligatory Pierre bird link. I’ve gone for the Golden Eagle, best appreciated when it is soaring above the Scottish Highlands. There are only 440 breeding pairs in the UK.
28 Criticise position on books in opposition to official policy
DISSIDENT
A charade of DIS, SIDE and NT for the ‘books’ of the New Testament.
Down
1 Makeshift neckwear by the sound of it
ROUGH
A homophone of RUFF.
2 Philosopher’s temper becomes a cross to bear
MILLSTONE
A charade of [John Stuart] MILL with an apostrophe S and TONE.
3 It’s including inaccurate centres as crosses
INTERSECTS
An insertion of (CENTRES)* in ITS. The anagrind is ‘inaccurate’ and the insertion indicator is ‘including’.
4 Play about dalliance with girl
DISPORT
A charade of DI and SPORT.
5 Copy both sides of reverse fold
REPLICA
A charade of RE for the outside letters of ‘reverse’ and PLICA for ‘fold’.
6 Set up animal run
FLOW
A reversal of WOLF.
7 Turner‘s state of excitement cut short
LATHE
LATHE[R]
8 Lie about returning after spell in prison
STRETCHER
A charade of STRETCH and RE reversed. I am assuming that Poins is suggesting ‘lie’ as a noun meaning a medical STRETCHER, but I can’t find it in any of my dictionaries.
13 About to review stories by Malawi’s principal educator
MONTESSORI
A charade of M for the first letter of ‘Malawi’, ON and (STORIES)* Referencing Maria Montessori, the Italian physician and educational pioneer.
14 Job to detest? Describing the bottom of Mistress Quickly
POST-HASTE
A charade of POST and S inserted into HATE. The insertion indicator is ‘describing’.
16 Lines feeding one kind of malevolence
ILL NATURE
An insertion of LL in I and NATURE. The insertion indicator is ‘feeding’.
18 Require company employee to live in Maryland
COMMAND
A charade of CO and MAN inserted into MD, the two-letter abbreviation for the US state. The insertion indicator is ‘to live in’.
19 Learned about pipe lengths originally required on Snetzler’s earliest organs
SPLEENS
An insertion of P and L for the first letters of ‘pipe’ and ‘lengths’ in SEEN, followed by S for the first letter of ‘Snetzler’. The insertion indicator is ‘about’.
21 Sons standing by Heather for support
SLING
A charade of S and LING. ‘Heather’ in crossies is almost always LING. Except when its ERICA.
23 Be without at first
EXIST
A charade of EX and IST for ‘first’.
24 Reflect in silence as first of birds goes south
MUSE
Poins is inviting you to move the first letter of EMUS to become the last (‘going south’, because it’s a down clue).
Many thanks to Poins for the start to the Indy week.
Thanks Pierre. Chambers gives “an exaggeration or lie (informal)” as a definition of STRETCHER – perhaps related to “a bit of a stretch”.
I think 26 is a truncated CUt (“to carve, hew, trim or make or fashion by cuttng” says Chambers – reminds me of “cutting sandwiches”) in OIL*
Just beat me to it, Andrew. That’s how I parsed STRETCHER & OCULI.
I don’t think 10a is necessarily anything to do with boxing. If you second a motion, say, then you support it.
Didn’t like “sharing” for the inclusion in 17a either. A bit of a mixed bag for me.
Thanks, Andrew. CUT for ‘make’ is a bit of a stretch, but you’re undoubtedly right.
I thought that about 10ac, Hovis, but if you don’t have the boxing definition, then you’d be looking at SECONDER, wouldn’t you?
Pierre @3. No. Second is a noun for somebody who seconds a motion (or whatever). It’s the sixth nounal definition in Chambers.
I couldn’t parse Oculi either, and after seeing a possible explanation still don’t really think it works, likewise Exist. Otherwise very enjoyable so thanks Poins and Pierre.
We found this quite a challenge, but got there in the end with a little help from Chambers; it took us two sessions though. We parsed OCULI as Andrew and Hovis, having found a meaning of ‘cut’ in Chambers as to make, e.g. a recording (as in cutting a disc).
Favourite was POST-HASTE for the Shakespearean misdirection.
Thanks, Poins and Pierre.
Thanks Poins and Pierre
Tatrasman @ 5: I wondered about EX = ‘without’ too, but then remembered that shares can be traded EX (ie without) DIVIDEND, so I think it’s OK.