Independent 10,663 by Crosophile

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It’s been about a year since we last blogged a Crosophile, so we looked forward to this.

We always like the challenge of identifying the theme on a Tuesday as well.

This theme was fairly obvious early on in the solve, although we initially thought it was rather general, revolving around 31ac and 21acs. However, as we were writing up the blog we realised that it is specifically based around 15ac 13ac 31ac – with several of the types of 31ac published by 15ac 13ac included in the grid: 1ac/17ac, 3ac, 8d/20ac, 21ac and 27d.
Thanks to Crosophile for the fun – we particularly liked 2d!

image of grid

ACROSS
1. Pub on map is keeping to route (4)
PATH

PH (pub, as identified on OS maps) round or ‘keeping’ AT (to)

3. Old hard form of silica surrounds geographical feature (10)
HISTORICAL

H (hard) + an anagram of SILICA (anagrind is ‘form of’) round TOR (geographical feature)

10. Mouth is where some say river begins (5)
SAUCE

A homophone (‘some say’) of SOURCE (where river begins)

11. What’s this?; a house, almost a settlement (9)
SEMICOLON

SEMI (house) + COLONy (settlement) without the last letter or ‘almost’

12. He rules fifth-rate politician’s a gutless mistake (7)
EMPEROR

E (fifth-rate, in alphabetical order) MP (politician) ERrOR (mistake) without the middle letter or ‘gutless’

13. Nechayev, Russian revolutionary, conceals this plot for 31 (6)
SURVEY

Hidden (concealed) and reversed (revolutionary) in NechaYEV RUSsian

15. We see no dancer waving arms (8)
ORDNANCE

An anagram of NO DANCER – anagrind is ‘waving’

17. 30 of more high quality diamonds within (6)
FINDER

D (diamonds) ‘within’ FINER (more high quality) – definition is ‘discoverer’ (30ac)

20. Senior Guide’s bit of road rage (6)
RANGER

R (first letter or ‘bit’ of road) ANGER (rage)

21. He searches place with gold in meet of rivers (8)
EXPLORER

PL (place) OR (gold) in EXE (river) and R (river)

23. Chap with current account? He’s lost it (6)
MANIAC

MAN (chap) I (current) AC (account)

25. Dissident in this place has mark of approval curtailed (7)
HERETIC

HERE (in this place) TICk (mark of approval) without the last letter or ‘curtailed’

28. Running exercises featured in speech (9)
OPERATION

PE (exercises) in ORATION (speech)

29. Casual walker taking left gets to a traffic light (5)
AMBER

AMBlER (casual walker) without or ‘taking’ the ‘l’ (left)

30. The first to spot a saucer perhaps above outskirts of Exeter? (10)
DISCOVERER

DISC (a saucer perhaps) OVER (above) ExeteR (first and last letters or ‘outskirts’)

31. Plans on having junk mail sent back (4)
MAPS

SPAM (junk mail) reversed or ‘sent back’

DOWN
1. Papers, sticking together, adopt sabre rattling (10)
PASTEBOARD

An anagram of ADOPT SABRE – anagrind is ‘rattling’

2. A little less than honest politician (5)
TRUMP

Clue-as-definition: TRUe (honest) without the last letter or ‘less than’ + MP (politician)

4. This month old NI police need time to train (8)
INSTRUCT

INST (this month, as in traditional letter-writing) RUC (Royal Ulster Constabulary – ‘old NI police’) T (time)

5. Least scary exam takes a minute (6)
TAMEST

TEST (exam) round or ‘taking’ A M (minute)

6. Regularly come round about a dog (5)
RECUR

RE (about) CUR (dog)

7. Kill off ‘Terminator’? – it’s full of holes (9)
CULLENDER

CULL (kill off) ENDER (terminator)

8. Light area (4)
LAND

Double definition

9. Imagine another time when ruined terrace’s laid over earth (8)
RECREATE

An anagram of TERRACE (anagrind is ‘ruined’) + E (earth)

14. Burns before composing ode errs, caught with proctor’s jacket (10)
PRERECORDS

An anagram of ODE ERRS, C (caught) and ProctoR (first and last letters or ‘jacket’) – anagrind is ‘composing’

16. Use garden rocks and overalls (9)
DUNGAREES

An anagram of USE GARDEN – anagrind is ‘rocks’

18. One will cut down oak, say, upset thanks to abuse (3-5)
ILL-TREAT

I’LL (one will) TREe (oak, say) without the last letter or ‘cut down’ + TA (thanks) reversed or ‘upset’

19. Heading off for gender reassignment and a short conversation (8)
EXCHANGE

sEX CHANGE (gender reassignment) without the first letter or ‘heading off’

22. Busy disc jockey on ecstasy leaves part of speech (6)
ACTIVE

AdjeCTIVE (part of speech) without ‘dj’ (disc jockey) and ‘e’ (ecstasy)

24. I am adult fly perhaps (5)
IMAGO

A clue-as-definition: I’M (I am) A (adult) GO (fly perhaps)

26. When climbing cracking section in a bone (5)
TIBIA

A1 (cracking) BIT (section) all reversed or ‘climbing’

27. Soldiers put up notice in thoroughfare (4)
ROAD

OR (other ranks – ‘soldiers’) reversed or ‘put up’ + AD (notice)

13 comments on “Independent 10,663 by Crosophile”

  2. That was good fun – thanks to Crosophile and to B&J for fully explaining the extent of the theme. We weren’t aware of the 1ac/17ac books, and hadn’t registered that 27d was also referring to the type of map.

    We particularly liked the clues for 11ac and 22dn, and were held up slightly by not knowing the word (or at least that spelling) at 7dn.

    This comment box is typing everything in a different font today, so looking forward to seeing how this appears, and whether the paragraphing is working today.

  4. It was an enjoyable solve. Like DavidO I didn’t know all the details of the theme or the spelling at 7d.

    I struggled a bit with the SE corner until I got 21a.

    Thanks to Crosophile and B&J.

  5. As a user of OS maps for over 50 years I particularly enjoyed this. Just for interest, for those are unfamiliar with them, Landranger maps are the 1:50,000 scale ones with the magenta cover; Explorers are 1:25,000 with orange cover. As well as being a current series of guides to walking routes, Pathfinders were the predecessors to ‘Explorers’, also at 1:25,000 with green cover. There’s also an Outdoor Leisure series with orange and yellow cover for national parks and similar areas, but it would have been a tall order to fit that in too.

    I don’t like ‘at’ = ‘to’ and am struggling to find a circumstance where it works. I couldn’t parse ‘active’ so thanks to B&J for the explanation and the blog, and of course to Crosophile.

  7. I couldn’t specifically nail the theme either, so thanks for explaining everything.

    In my ignorance I thought ORDNANCE and ‘ordinance’ were different, but apparently not. I didn’t know CULLENDER as a variant spelling either. I liked the punctuation mark as definition SEMICOLON and, once I’d worked out the parsing, ACTIVE.

    Thanks to Crosophile and B&J

  8. Nice crossword by Crosophile who we don’t see very often nowadays.
    All very enjoyable but I share Tatrasman’s dislike of ‘to’=’at’.
    Simon S @ 6is surely right but I probably never get used to defining one preposition by another.
    Ordnance Survey has also, for Northern Ireland, a DISCOVERER series (30ac).
    Many thanks to Bertandjoyce for the blog & Crosophile for the fun.

  9. Wordplodder @ 7: they are different, though there is an obsolete overlap

    ordnance /örd?n?ns/
    noun
    Orig, any arrangement, disposition, or equipment
    Munitions
    Great guns, artillery
    A department concerned with the supply and maintenance of artillery

    ordinance /ör?di-n?ns/
    noun
    That which is ordained by authority, fate, etc
    Regulation
    A bye-law (US)
    Artistic arrangement
    Planning
    A decree
    A religious practice enjoined by authority, esp a sacrament
    A social class or order (Shakespeare)
    Preparation (obsolete)
    Equipment (obsolete)
    Ordnance (obsolete)

  10. Thanks Simon S @9. I plead guilty to being doubly ignorant then and lazy to boot! At least I’ll remember the difference now.

  11. Thanks Sil @8 for the mention of the DISCOVERER series. Further research suggests that the Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland, which produces these maps, is a separate organisation from the OS that maps Great Britain.

  13. Thanks, BertandJoyce, for the lovely blog and thanks for all the comments. I must look into getting sponsorship from OS maps…

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