Independent 10507 / Serpent

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[If you’re attending York S&B please see comments 32&33] - here

It’s a Tuesday so there is going to be some sort of theme.  As it’s a Serpent puzzle it is likely to be a challenging solve as well.

 

 

 

Serpent certainly presented a challenge today. I took a while to solve this, but I was very satisfied once I had completed it.

There was a theme, but I didn’t spot it until late on.  The theme was a help though as it made completion of the south west corner a bit easier.

We have fish as all the entries in the outside rows and columns – PIKE, CHAR, GHOUL, LING, DRUM, SMELT, SCAT, CARP, SKATE, SOLE and PERCH.  Not all of them were known to me as fish – in particular I had to check on GHOUL, DRUM and SCAT.  The bearded GHOUL or demon stinger is one of a genus of venomous fishes, closely related to the true stonefishes.  The DRUMFISH is a member of the Sciaenidae, a genus of marine percoid tropical and subtropical fishes, a SCAT is  small brightly-coloured marine fish of the family Scatophagidae, often living around sewage.

The definitions in many clues were well disguised and there was often a Doh! moment when I realised what the definition actually was.  Good examples were ‘staff reaching a point’ for PIKE, ‘determining strength’ for DECISIVENESS and ‘wrong’ for KIDNAPPING.  I also liked the linked clues at the end of the downs leading to BASS and DIVA

There was an excellent anagrams for GRANDILOQUENCE

It took me a while to understand how VI related to sex in 8 down, before realising sex was being described as a prefix denoting six (VI in Roman numerals)

No Clue Wordplay Entry
Across
1 Staff reaching a point with 50% of children going back into some form of education (4)

KIDS (children) excluding DS (2 of the 4 [50%] the letters) so leaving just the other 50%, reversed (going back) and contained in (into) PE (physical education)

P (IK<) E

PIKE (weapon with a long shaft and a sharp head like a spear; pole [staff] reaching a point)
3 Cleaner scrubbing back of entrance (4)

CHARM (entrance) excluding the final letter (scrubbing back) M

CHAR

 CHAR (cleaner)
6 Roughly stripped and beaten for being into gruesome stuff (5)

Anagram of (beaten) ROUGHLY excluding the outer letters (stripped) R and Y

GHOUL*

GHOUL (person [being] of gruesome or revolting habits or tastes)
10 New screw turned and extracted again (7)

(N [new] + WARDER [screw is a slang term for a prison WARDER]) all reversed (turned)

(REDRAW N)<

 REDRAWN (DRAWN again; extracted again)
11 Drafts guards as well as soldiers (7)

PLAN (draft) containing (guards) TOO (as well)

PLA (TOO) N

 PLATOON (small body of soldiers)
12 Star with a gorgeous figure? (8,4)

HEAVENLY (beautiful; gorgeous) + BODY (figure)

HEAVENLY BODY

 HEAVENLY BODY (a star is an example)
15 Sucker is about to call shortly (6)

IS reversed (about) + PHONE (call) excluding the last letter (shortly) E

SI< PHON

SIPHON (a bent tube or channel by which a liquid may be
drawn off over a higher point to a lower level; a sucker)
16 High-flier‘s appearance embodying right pedigree (8)

AIR (appearance) containing (embodying) (R [right] + LINE [pedigree])

AI (R LINE) R

 AIRLINER (plane that flies high)
18 Housing engineer left immediately to build extension? (8)

(L [left] + THEN {immediately]) containing (housing) ENG (engineer)

L (ENG) THEN

 LENGTHEN (build an extension)
19 Get fidgety when jet gains minutes but loses time (6)

SQUIRT (throw out in a jet) excluding (loses) T (time) + M (minutes)

SQUIR M

SQUIRM (display or feel deep discomfort or distress; get fidgety)
21 Determining strength of evidence is confused by conclusion of judges and jurors (12)

Anagram of (confused) EVIDENCE IS + SS (last letters [conclusion of] each of JUDGES and JURORS)

DECISIVENE* SS

 DECISIVENESS (strength of making decisions; strength of determining )
25 Leading suspect got involved in a row? (7)

Anagram of (suspect) LEADING

ALIGNED*

 ALIGNED (arranged in a row)
26 Made out viewer heard "suitable" piece of material (7)

NECKT (sounds like [heard] NECKED [made a NECK on {kissed amorously; made out}]) + IE (sounds like [heard] EYE [viewer])

NECKT IE

NECKTIE (band of fabric tied round the neck under the collar and usually hanging down in front; frequently worn with a suit, so a "suitable" piece of material)
27 Fish use appendages to move with less effort (5)

SKATE (glide [move with less effort] on ice by wearing appendages designed to help you do so)

SKATE

 SKATE (type of fish)  double definition
28 Find fault with motoring organisation about parking (4)

RAC (Royal Automobile Club; motoring organisation) reversed (about) + P (parking)

CAR< P

 CARP (find fault with)
29 Singing primarily associated with someone into jazz (4)

S (first letter of [primarily] SINGING) + CAT (slang term for a jazz fan)

S CAT

SCAT (a jazz term describing the use of nonsense syllables and other wordless effects in singing)
Down
1 Place to sit on high in a church (5)

PER (each; a) + CH (church)

PER CH

 PERCH (high seat)
2 Pretend lying unconsciously is wrong (10)

KID (pretend) + NAPPING (sleeping; lying unconsciously)

KID NAPPING

 KIDNAPPING (a crime; a wrong)
4 Name that could open doors for you (6)

HANDLE (a part by which a door is opened)

HANDLE

 HANDLE (one’s name)  double definition
5 The Queen’s backed out here (8)

ER (Elizabeth Regina; Queen) reversed (backed) + PUBLIC (out in the open)

RE< PUBLIC

REPUBLIC (form of government without a monarch, in which the supreme power is vested in the people and their elected representatives)
6 Fine words conquer 25 unexpectedly (14)

Anagram of (unexpectedly) CONQUER ALIGNED (entry at 25 across)

GRANDILOQUENCE*

GRANDILOQUENCE (use of pompous or extravagant language, especially in a way that is intended to impress; fine words)
7 What could be played by homeless guy for Hackney Empire’s audience (4)

OBOE (sounds like [audience] ‘OBO [how a Cockney [native of the area around Hackney Empire] would pronounce HOBO [homeless person])

OBOE

 OBOE (musical instrument; something that can be played)
8 Heather‘s surviving without sex (4)

LIVING (surviving) excluding (without) VI (Bradford’s Crossword Solver’s Dictionary gives VI as a synonym for sex.  I think it is based on the prefix form of sex- [sixfold])

LING

 LING (heather)
9 Increase in liquidity creating bubble that adversely affects members (5,2,3,4)

WATER ON THE KNEE (accumulation of serous fluid in the knee joint, presumably creating a bubble that pushes out the skin to cause a swelling)

WATER ON THE KNEE

 WATER ON THE KNEE (the effect of WATER ON THE KNEE will adversely affect a person’s legs [members])
13 Emotionless soldier is close to defeat in heroic story (10)

ANT (reference a soldier ANT) + IS + T (last letter of [close to] DEFEAT) contained in [in] EPIC [heroic story])

ANT IS EP (T) IC

 ANTISEPTIC (emotionless)
14 Assassin showing no signs of hesitation set up snare? (4)

MURDERER (assassin) excluding (showing no) (ER [expression showing sign of hesitation] + ER [expression showing sign of hesitation] – i.e. no signs of hesitation) reversed (set up; down clue)

DRUM<

 DRUM (reference a snare DRUM)
15 Unique sound of Motown on the radio (4)

SOLE (sounds like [on the radio] SOUL [type of music favoured by the Motown record label])

SOLE

 SOLE (only; unique)
17 Malicious sprite associated with verses having repetitious spells?(8)

PERI (in Persian mythology, a beautiful but malevolent being with supernatural powers) + ODIC (relating to poetry; associated with verses)

PERI ODIC

PERIODIC (recurring regularly in the same order; having repetitious spells)
20 Meal and wine served up outside hostelry (6)

RED (wine) reversed (served up; down clue) containing (outside) INN (hostelry)

D (INN) ER<

 DINNER (meal)
22 Process to extract metal gave off noxious fumes (5)

SMELT (gave off noxious fumes)

SMELT

 SMELT (melting process to separate metal from ore)  double definition
23 Singer who sounds low … (4)

BASS (sounds like [sounds] BASE [low in place or value])

BASS

 BASS (a singer who delivers the lowest part in music)
24 … is very keen to make a comeback (4)

AVID (very keen) reversed (make a comeback)

DIVA<

DIVA (great female singer, esp an operatic prima donna)  This clue is linked to the previous one (…) and the definition [singer] is found in 23 across

 

19 comments on “Independent 10507 / Serpent”

  1. In 8d, I don’t think you need to think in terms of a prefix. “Sex” is Latin for 6, as is VI.

    Another beautifully constructed crossword. Particularly liked the currently relevant surface for 1a.

    Thanks to Serpent and Duncan.

  2. Thank you once again to Serpent for a great crossword – I’m delighted to report that I did spot the theme.  I agree with Hovis about the VI in 8d

    Thanks also to Duncan for the blog

  3. Thanks Duncan and Serpent. My experience was the exact opposite of yours – I couldn’t get anywhere until I saw a little light in the SW corner, noticed BASS, SKATE and CARP and then the puzzle opened up, greatly aided by the likelihood that I was looking for fish around the outside.

  4. The fish, er, jumped out at me after getting 1 & 3 across.  I thought that was going to make it easy but the whole of the middle was very tricky to compensate.

    I wondered if this is an old puzzle – clues don’t seem quite as elaborate as they are usually, but maybe that’s just all the short words.

    The elision at 23/24 is a bit odd, isn’t it? Don’t we have to take ‘singer who sounds low’ as the definition for diva?

    Thanks Serpent, Duncan

  5. Very enjoyable. Helped by the peripheral piscine theme, otherwise I would have been struggling, especially in the NW. Never heard of it before, but that bearded GHOUL looks a pretty mean critter.

    Some tough ones in the NW and elsewhere, especially WATER ON THE KNEE, my LOI. REPUBLIC was my favourite for today.

    Thanks to Duncan and Serpent

  6. Never heard of DRUM fish as BRIM fit (didnt parse though) So got bitten by Serpent

    But SEX = six=VI seems to becoming acceptable in Crosswordland without any Roman or  latin mention

    Great puzzle for dry white wine.

    Thanks Serpent and dunc

  7. A really good testing puzzle.

    Splendid anagram for GRANDILOQUENCE and clues for REDRAWN and REPUBLIC were particularly good.

    Did not pick up on the theme until I finished.

    Thanks to Serpent and Duncan

  8. I only noticed the fishing boundaries after completion. very nice. favourites REPUBLIC & ALIGNED

    Many thanks Serpent & Duncan

  9. Didn’t know GHOUL and DRUM were fish, but they had to be, since all the others around the perimeter are themesters. A couple I would have struggled with if there hadn’t been a theme.

  10. Thanks, both.

    I was another fan of the anagram for GRANDILOQUENCE.  Good spot.

    I didn’t see the theme, but then I never go looking for one unless I’m really stuck; and I had enough of foothold to complete the solve without help from it.  But I do know that Tuesday is normally a ‘themed’ day in the Indy.  We are creatures of habit in crosswordland a lot of the time.

  11. We thought there was something fishy (sorry!) about this when we were half way through and it certainly helped us finish.  The only fish we couldn’t track down was the GHOUL but googling turned up a ghol and we assumed it was an alternative spelling (it’s not).

    We liked 7dn for its implied reference to a busker, but we weren’t convinced by ANTISEPTIC being equivalent to emotionless.

    Re copmus’s comment @6 (aptly numbered?) VI for ‘sex’ crops up in Moo’s FT puzzle today, too.

    A good challenge but a few (almost) write-ins to help along the way.

    Thanks, Serpent and Duncan

  14. We wondered about antiseptic as well but checked it in Chambers. It has it as “Emotionless and bland, clinical (informal)”.

    We spotted the theme which didn’t really help us as we still had GHOUL and DRUM to solve.

    Thanks to Serpent and Duncan.

  15. For a Serpent I found this most forgiving, spotted the theme early and plenty of CDs and DDs that I often do better with. Apart from the PER in 1a I parsed every single down clue, and missed P-E in 1a and ENTRANCE being CHARM is new to me, but the Chambers app averted a question down here, and as it did for PERI. The theme was key to nabbing those. SEX = VI also noted. I was unconvinced by 2a before coming here, but WRONG as a noun didn’t occur to me, and I now see that it works fine.

    LENGTHEN and DRUM my favourites.

    Thanks to Serpent and Duncan.

  17. El_Gwero @16 if you think of entrance as en-trance (i.e. to put into a trance) then it’s more obviously equivalent to charm.

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