Independent 10,385 by Serpent

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My run of a trio of Hobs comes to an end with a tussle with the Serpent. Knowing Serpent’s reputation there will be a theme, won’t there?

And was there?

Indeed there was though it took me till the final entry to see it, when thread accompanied needle on the bottom row. Arguably the top row was just as obvious but I never spotted it then. The little twist was then alternating the remaining pairs in the across clues

Thematic Pairs:
Hammer and Sickle
Aches and Pains
Cheap and Nasty
Trial and Error
Needle and Thread

Certainly nothing cheap and nasty about this one.

12ac deserves a personal mention as a clue to RURITANIA was one of the first cryptic clues I ever saw in a Sunday times book of cryptic crosswords back in the 70’s, attempting to explain the art of the setter .

Many thanks Serpent. Always a pleasure.

Key: * anagram; DD double definition; Underline definition; Rev. reverse

Across
1 Criticise one guilty of overacting? (6)
DD HAMMER
5 This cuts absence from work, reducing it by a third (6)
sick leave (absence from work) – 1/3 = SICKLE
10 As nursing hospital reveals symptoms of illness? (5)
aces (As – think cards) around h (hospital) = ACHES
11 Site of no architectural merit from around 21 BC (9)
(nuclear + bc)* = CARBUNCLE
12 Fantastic country bishop leaving devastated heart of rural Britain (9)
(ura + Britain – b )* = RURITANIA
13 Troublesome elements of society drifting to far right in European country (5)
Spain (European country) moving S to far right = PAINS
14/9 Lack of quality spoiled 10 pens (9)
(aches pens)* = CHEAP/NESS
16 Increase waste when former partner is home (9)
excrement (waste) swappinhg ex (former partner) for in (home) = INCREMENT
19 Copper sheathes this rod used in battery? (9)
DD (rod used in batter’ing’ – i.e. cudgel) TRUNCHEON
21 Awful leading couple axed from soap opera (5)
Dynasty (soap opera) – dy (leading couple) = NASTY
22 See 22 Down
23 Professor’s most important fundamental truth (9)
Homonym of principal (most important) = PRINCIPLE
25 Treat in a way that could damage staff name (9)
man (staff) + handle (name) = MANHANDLE
26 First time terrorist’s abandoned wrong opinion (5)
terrorist – t (time) – ist (First) = ERROR
27 Article in French press on poverty perhaps creates anger (6)
need (poverty) + le (article in French) = NEEDLE
28 Element of story that connects with readership (6)
Hidden wiTH READership = THREAD

Down
2 Have an aversion to violent crime by men (5)
abh (violent crime) + or (men) = ABHOR
3 Schoolgirl tantrum about lapse of judgment (7)
miss (schoolgirl) + Rev. pet (tantrum) = MISSTEP
4 Renew licence or resolve differences (9)
(licence or)* = RECONCILE
5 Two-thirds of Israel is upset about country’s eastern border with this nation (5)
(isra + y (country’s eastern border))* = SYRIA
6 Vintage politician pretty much presided over collapse (7)
cru (vintage) + mp (politician) + led (presided) – d = = CRUMPLE
7 Fortune made by bottle requiring no cap (9)
pluckiness (bottle) – p (cap) = LUCKINESS
8 What provides incentive to bear young children initially? (8)
carrot (provides incentive) around yc (young children initially) = CARRYCOT
9 See 14 Across
15 Outright greed of sinecure disturbed English dons (9)
(sinecure + e )* = ESURIENCE
17 Temperate part of the world (9)
DD CONTINENT
18 Wait around turning close to centre of Brent Cross (8)
tarry (wait) around Rev. by (close to + e (centre of Brent) = TAYBERRY
20 Arrest leader of demonstration and member of Greens (7)
collar (arrest) + d (leader of demonstration) = COLLARD
21 Source of power is ambiguous, following Nationalist uprising (7)
unclear (ambiguous) moving n up = NUCLEAR
22/22A Pilot raised issue before event (4,5)
Rev. emit (issue) + trial (pilot) = TIME TRIAL
23 Serviceman’s serviceman? (5)
Cryptic definition PADRE
24 Protective coat is standard on car (5)
par (standard) on ka (car) = PARKA

5 comments on “Independent 10,385 by Serpent”

  2. Another nice theme. Didn’t bother looking for one until I had completed the puzzle but was pleased to spot the pairings.
    I have TRUNCHEON as a cryptic definition rather than a DD.

    Second definition in 1a needs the “?” I guess. The actor is normally referred to as a “ham”. But somebody who hams could cryptically be called a hammer.

    COLLARD was new to me (or, more likely, I have forgotten knowing it).

    The use of As to be the plural of A = Ace was neat though a trick I have seen before.

    Thanks, as always, to Serpent and also to twencelas.

  3. Quite a toughie – worthy of being a prize crossword if the Indy still did them.  Surprisingly, we spotted the theme early on – but it took us a while to tease out some of the pairs, and NEEDLE and THREAD were almost last in – apart from TAYBERRY which we’d almost given up on.

    Thanks, Serpent and twencelas.

  4. I think 5d deserves some mention – what a great combination of cryptic and surface meanings.

    Thanks to twenceslas and Serpent.

  5. Many thanks to twenceslas for the excellent blog, and to everyone who has taken the time to solve and comment.

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