Independent 10,742 / Serpent

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The Thursday crossword this week has been compiled for us by Serpent.

I found this to be a thoroughly entertaining crossword, which revealed itself very gradually and offered lots of enjoyment along the way. In the end, I had a completed grid in front of me and a set of answers that I could parse to my satisfaction.

My favourite clues today were 3 and 21, both for making me smile; and 15, for smoothness of surface and unexpected parsing – who would have imagined at first glance that “states” would be the definition?!

Incidentally, I wonder if Serpent deliberately crossed IMPALA with IMPALEMENT in the SW quadrant of the grid.

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

Across    
     
01 INTRIGUE Unite about taking on doctor’s scheme

RIG (=doctor, fix, e.g. match or election) in *(UNITE); “about” is anagram indicator
     
06 NESTLE Some dishonest leaders lie comfortably

Hidden (“some”) in “dishoNEST LEaders”
     
09 TUNNEL Passage in melody containing new line

[N (=new) in TUNE (=melody)] + L (=line)
     
10 HANDICAP Give one better way to level playing field

HAND (=give (to), pass (to)) + I (=one) + CAP (=better, outdo)
     
11 EERY Unsettling observer briefly admits “I’m not sure”

ER (=I’m not sure, i.e. expression of hesitation) in EY<e> (=observer); eery is alternative spelling of “eerie”
     
12 BRIGANTINE Vessel containing giant bats in saline solution

*(GIANT) in BRINE (=saline solution); “bats (=crazy)” is anagram indicator
     
13 ETYMOLOGICAL Eastern climatology wrongly linked to origins of elements in books?

E (=Eastern) + *(CLIMATOLOGY); “wrongly” is anagram indicator; the “elements in books” here are words, of course
     
17 GESTICULATED Did demonstrative act let guide cast off?

*(LET GUIDE CAST); “off” is anagram indicator
     
20 IMPALEMENT Running through article stored in device

A (=article, in grammar) in IMPLEMENT (=device)
     
22 NERO Emperor’s refusal to admit head of state

E.R. (=head of state, i.e. Elizabeth Regina) in NO (=refusal)
     
23 NAVIGATE Find way of announcing scandal involving labourer?

Homophone (“announcing”) of “Navvy (=labourer) –gate (=scandal, cf. Watergate)!
     
24 INVOKE Refer to popular verse and contents of funny stories

IN (=popular) + V (=verse) + <j>OKE<s> (=funny stories; “contents” means first and last letters are dropped)
     
25 NAUGHT Nothing is not all bad

NAUGHT<y> (=bad); “not all” means last letter is dropped
     
26 GASOLINE Fuel talk on-line after first name comes out

GAS (=talk, chatter) + O<n>-LINE (“after first name (=N) comes out” means first letter “n” is dropped)
     
Down    
     
02 NAUSEATE Narcotics Anonymous practise overcoming worry and disgust

EAT (=worry) in [NA (=Narcotics Anonymous) + USE (=practice)]
     
03 RUNNY City-backed career related to liquidity?

RUN (=career, race) + NY (=city, i.e. New York); cryptically, the adjective “runny” could be described as being “related to liquidity”
     
04 GOLF BALLS Strike over daring targets for clubs

GOLF (FLOG=strike, beat; “over” indicates reversal) + BALLS (=daring, nerve)
     
05 ECHOING Resounding sound of vocal group briefly dividing group briefly dividing England

CHOI<r> (=vocal group; “briefly” means last letter is dropped) in ENG (=England)
     
06 NINJA Person involved in assassination in Japan?

Hidden (“involved”) in “assassinatioN IN JApan”; & lit.
     
07 SCINTILLA Can I still supply a hint?

*(CAN I STILL); “supply (=flexibly)” is anagram indicator; a scintilla is a hint, a trace of something
     
08 LEARNT Memorised books by poet

LEAR (=poet, i.e. Edward Lear) + NT (=poet, i.e. New Testament)
     
14 MIGRATING Fighter meets sailor going elsewhere

MIG (=fighter, i.e. jet) + RATING (=sailor)
     
15 COUNTRIES Prisoner hears about United States

U (=united) in [CON (=prisoner, i.e. convict) + TRIES (=hears, i.e. a case in court)]
     
16 BEARSKIN Broadcast reveals relatives cover for some soldiers

Homophone (“broadcast”) of “bares (=reveals) + relatives (=kin)”; bearskins are the tall fur hats worn by some soldiers
     
18 ICEBERG Perhaps Mass composed in Antarctica almost killed composer

ICE<d> (=killed; “almost” means last letter dropped) + BERG (=composer, i.e. the Austrian Alban Berg); the “mass” of the definition is a large volume of ice, not a piece of religious music!
     
19 IMPALA Friend in France upset about mate being in Africa

PAL (=mate) in IMA (AMI=friend in France, i.e. the French word for friend; “upset” indicates vertical reversal); “being” in the definition is a noun meaning “creature”
     
21 EXACT Force leader of Senate out of Congress?

<s>EX ACT (=congress, intercourse); “leader (=first letter) of Senate out” means letter “s” is dropped
     
22 NAVEL Central point of service supplied by phone

Homophone (“supplied by phone”) of “naval (=of service, i.e. the Navy)”

15 comments on “Independent 10,742 / Serpent”

  1. It’s a safe bet that there will be a theme or Nina in a Serpent puzzle. Here the initial letters of the across answers are interesting..

  3. Splendid spot, Andrew. Further reason to be impressed with this puzzle. I find Serpent to be one of the tougher Indy setters and RR’s overall experience, described in the opening paragraph of the blog, sums up my own quite perfectly.

    The anagram for ETYMOLOGICAL is breathtaking with GESTICULATE not far behind. I loved the definitions for both BEARSKIN and ICEBERG. BRIGANTINE is nicely constructed, NINJA such a simple yet lovely &lit and EXACT stimulated a snort of laughter. GOLF BALLS was a lovely bit of misdirection and reminded me of the alternative definition of the game (everyone’s heard the “good walk ruined”): trying to hit the small ball without hitting the big one.

    Thanks Serpent and RR

  4. So much to enjoy in this crossword and now Andrew has pointed out the Nina, I’m even more impressed

    Thanks very much to Serpent and RR

  5. I usually struggle with Serpent but not today, though needed a little help from a wordlist. Well spotted Andrew: so the first letters of answers are another thing we have to bear in mind when looking for a theme or nina. Thanks Serpent and RatkojaRiku.

  7. I never feel like Ive finished a Serpent if I havent seen his signature-which I failed to see
    Thanks Andrew-thats why i came here-is it too late to order a pint?
    (For Serpent that is)

  8. Got to my very last one without needing any external help, then failed miserably. Too ashamed to say which one.
    Missed the nina as well.

  10. I was expecting the usual anaconda wrestle but this time around it seemed like a different species of Serpent showed up. Not that I’m complaining. I failed to notice the brilliant Nina. Thanks to setter and blogger.

  11. We worked steadily through this and solved it all, expecting to see a nina emerge in the unches. When one didn’t we tried looking for diagonals and then for words hidden between adjacent acrosses – but never thought of looking at first letters – d’oh!
    Very enjoyable nevertheless. Favourites were BRIGANTINE and NAVIGATE.
    Thanks, Serpent and RatkojaRiku

  12. Took a couple of sessions and a tiny teeny bit of help (well, it was the Serpent) but I’m glad I persevered. Loved navvy-gate and iceberg. Ashamed of how long I was thinking of composers beginning with I. Thanks to Serpent, RatkojaRiku and Andrew!

  13. Very very slow start.. but gathered pace and a final rapid fill-in in top L which had defeated all previous inroads.. failed on Nina but not surprised after the reveal.. chapeau Andrew@1… 13ac took a millisecond whilst didn’t even spot that 17ac WAS an anagram till every single possible crosser was in place.. favourite as penny dropper was 25ac
    Thanks Serpent n RatkojaRiku

  14. I really enjoyed this.
    I’ve been hacking away at cryptics for years and only recently find myself ‘completing’ them.
    I still feel I’m out of my depth when so many answers come about largely from the other letters and then I struggle to justify. For example on Runny I put in RU feeling certain that it was UR (city) “backed” and from there saw runny as a definition of “to do with liquidity” but couldn’t justify it. (Although NYC crossed my mind but not NY without the c – duh)
    Also, golf balls fell in place once you had balls for daring but I couldn’t work out the golf was flog backwards.
    Also I got ex from Sex (Congress) losing first of senate but dumbly could only justify act as perhaps something that senates, like parliaments, “put out”. Central point of service pointed me at the ‘v’ which along with other letters already supplied made naval the only possible option- but again struggled to work it back.
    Iceberg just jumped out as an arctic ‘mass’ thinking laterally on mass beyond the religious- but again I couldn’t for the life of me find a cryptic answer for either syllable.
    However I thought I did well to spot ER for the monarch and NT for books and mon ami (although briefly thought ‘in’ French could be dans or en) and also the watergate reference for a scandal.
    I toyed briefly with Blairite on the navvy-gate clue because the letters fitted what I already had – was stuck thinking a labourer could be a labour supporter (still associate Blair with the scandal of Iraq)

    New learning today: Doctor is also rig- don’t obsess that it is GP or MD.
    Also, (now is obvious) but ‘by phone’ is a new homophone indicator that I wasn’t previously familiar with.
    I like bats as an anagram indicator.
    Thank you everyone- your comments here also form a part of my ongoing education.

  15. Daren J @14: Welcome to the site (I think this is your first comment) and to the world of cryptic crosswords. Your comment about ICEBERG hits the nail on the head that a good deal of lateral thinking goes into solving (and setting) cryptics. And, incidentally, ‘doctor’ can also be an anagram indicator – read it as an instruction to doctor something.
    Anyway, you seem to be doing very well – hope we’ll see more of you.

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