Independent 10,393 / Wire

by

Wire has provided today’s crossword for our delectation.

This week’s Tuesday theme needs no introduction, as many of the solutions entered in the grid refer to the mafia, its tradition, films about it, etc.

I found that I had to chip away at this puzzle and it gradually slotted into place. Once I had identified the mafia theme, I found myself looking at where the word omertà might appear in the grid. I think that I am pretty happy with my attempts at parsing, perhaps with the exception of 26, where I would be interested to hear if anyone disagrees with my interpretation.

As for my favourite clues today, I particularly like 2, 7, 9, 11, 24 and 27, all for surface.

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

Across    
     
01 TIMEPIECE Magazine piece that could be a wind-up

TIME (=magazine, in US) + PIECE (=article); there are wind-up clocks and watches just as there are battery-operated ones
     
10 SHARP Soprano plucked instrument precisely

S (=soprano) + HARP (=plucked instrument); e.g. The meeting will begin at ten o’clock sharp
     
11 ATRIA Chambers gridlocked by mafia trials

Hidden (“gridlocked”) in “mafiA TRIAls”
     
12 GODFATHER Congregate around old, extremely deaf family bigwig

[O (=old, as in OT) + D<ea>F (“extremely” means first and last letters only)] in GATHER (=congregate)
     
13 CHALICE Chaplin runs away with Catholic aboard vessel

C (=Catholic) in CHA<r>LIE (=Chaplin, the comic actor; “runs (=R, in cricket) away” means letter “r” is dropped)
     
14 TACITUS Implicitly understood American historian

TACIT (=implicitly understood) + US (=American); the reference is to Roman historian (56-120)
     
17 OKAPI Herbivore happy enough with tapir missing outside

OK (=happy enough) + <t>API<r> (“missing outside” means first and last letters are dropped)
     
19 PEA Primate cycling round to deliver vegetable …

APE (=primate); “cycling round” means first letter moves to end of word
     
20 SUSHI … a healthy option of squash he is taking regularly

S<q>U<a>S<h>H<e>I<s>; “taking regularly” means alternate letters only are used
     
21 HAVE-NOT Poor person needs safe place empty overnight

HAVEN (=safe place) + O<vernigh>T (“empty” means all but first and last letters are dropped)
     
22 BENTLEY Corrupt civil judge may ultimately travel in this

BENT (=corrupt) + <civi>L <judg>E <ma>Y (“ultimately” means last letters only)
     
24 BOSSA NOVA Don single flower back-to-front, Brazilian style

BOSS (=don, in mafia) + A + NOVA (AVON=”flower”, i.e. river in England; “back-to-front” indicates reversal)
     
26 SUMAC Ingredient of tonic, a must-have from the East

Hidden (“ingredient of”) of “toniC A MUSt-have”; semi- & lit.
     
28 VERDI Italian scorer‘s decision to skip court

VERDI<ct> (=decision, of court); “to skip court (=Ct, in addresses)” means letters “ct” are dropped; the reference is to Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901)
     
29 EIDERDOWN Night-time coverage of De Niro we’d edited

*(DE NIRO WE’D); “edited” is anagram indicator; cryptically, an eiderdown can be described as providing “night-time coverage”!
     
Down    
     
01 ETNA Poet has day off to take up something Sicilian

<d>ANTE (=poet, from Italy); “has day (=D) off” means letter “d”; “to take up” indicates vertical reversal
     
02 OMERTA Leaders of outlawed mob eternally respect this agreement

O<utlawed> M<ob> E<ternally> R<espect> T<his> A<greement>; “leaders of” means first letters only; semi- & lit.
     
03 APPARITION Odd pair into capturing father’s ghostly visitation

PA (=father) in *(PAIR INTO); “odd” is anagram indicator
     
04 LEAGUE The Parisian Complaint Unit

LE (=the Parisian, i.e. a French word for the) + AGUE (=complaint, i.e. a fever); a league is a unit of length, especially at sea
     
05 VENDETTA Feud almost over, tense time in London museum?

[ENDE<d> (=over; “almost” means last letter is dropped) + T (=time)] in V(&)A (=London museum, i.e. Victoria and Albert)
     
06 ASIA North-south route across southern Australian land mass

[S (southern) in A1 (=North-south route, i.e. from Edinburgh to London)] + A (=Australian)
     
07 MACHETES They chop each stem roughly

*(EACH STEM); “roughly” is anagram indicator
     
08 SPAR Dispute overturned criminal charges

RAPS (=criminal charges, as in to take the rap); “overturned” indicates reversal
     
13 CLOTH Material left in bed covering horse’s head

[L (=left) in COT (=bed)] + H<orse) (“head” means first letter only)
     
15 COSA NOSTRA Rock star soon protected by California syndicate

*(STAR SOON) in CA (=California); “rock” is anagram indicator
     
16 SLIMY Disgusting diet ending in February

SLIM (=diet, as verb) + <februar>Y (“ending in” is last letter only)
     
18 ADVISORS Aide alternately shields consiglieri?

A<i>D<e> (“alternately” means alternate letters) + VISORS (=shields); consiglieri are advisors, especially to Mafia godfathers
     
19 PATHOGEN Dangerous agent‘s course of action gone awry

PATH (=course of action) + *(GONE); “awry” is anagram indicator
     
22 BRANDO Organised event to support British actor

B (=British) + RAN (=organised) + DO (=event, function); the reference is to US actor Marlon Brando (1924-2004), star of the 1972 film The Godfather (=entry at 12)
     
23 LUMMOX Imbecile master carries stack onto beast

LUM (=stack, of chimney) + M (=master) + OX (=beast)
     
24 BEVY Charge bishop for lecturer’s drink

LEVY (=charge, fee); “bishop (=B) for lecturer (=L)” means letter “l” is replaced by “b”
     
25 ARID Dry deserted country briefly in the ascendant

D (=deserted) + IRA<n> or <q> (=country; “briefly” means last letter is dropped); “in the ascendant” indicates vertical reversal
     
27 CONK Gull lands on bit of krill it smells

CON (=gull, deceive) + K<rill> (“bit of” means first letter only)
     

 

5 comments on “Independent 10,393 / Wire”

  1. A themed crossword as we’ve come to expect on a Tuesday, but not too difficult.  We spotted the theme quite early, which helped a bit.  28ac could be a vaguely thematic reference in that Verdi composed The Sicilian Vespers about a 13th century rebellion in Sicily known by that name; according to wikipedia the name has since been applied to other events including some mafia killings in New York in 1931.

    Plenty to like; favourite was PATHOGEN, and we parsed 26ac as you did.

    Thanks, Wire and RatkojaRiku.

  2. So the first few in and my thoughts were ‘hmmm, a little pedestrian’. However as it progressed I rather liked this one, with its mini theme and some pleasing surfaces.

    I could see no more in 26 than as described above.

    Thanks to Wire and RR

  4. Think this puzzle has been a bit underrated.  Enjoyed it.  Theme soon apparent, but still well clued.

    In 5D the “t” for tense has been omitted from the parsing.

    Thanks to Wire and RatkojaRiku.

  5. I was not sure how to parse the LEY bit in 22a BENT/LEY.
    New for me were CONK = nose, and LUMMOX.
    My favourite was VERDI.

    Thanks, Wire and RatkojaRiku.

    NOTE: I agree with the parsing of 26

     

Comments are closed.