Independent 10,921 by Eccles

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Eccles fills the mid-week slot again today.

How better to celebrate our 600th blog on fifteensquared!! Eccles is one of our favourite setters and this was another example of his excellent puzzles – great surfaces, only a few unusual words, some creative definitions and wordplay and a medium level of difficulty.

We hadn’t come across the river in 15ac, and, being of a certain age, we had to check the singer-songwriter in 8ac, although we had vaguely heard of her. We also had to check the synonym for ‘mine’ in 23ac.

We learn something every day in crossword land. Thanks to Eccles for today’s lesson.

We’re on a visit to London today, so may have difficulty responding to any comments.

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1. Accessory in shock admission, initially: Queen, possibly, has stolen large diamond (5,4)
ALICE BAND

A (first or ‘initial’ letter of admission) BAND (Queen, possibly) round or ‘stealing’ L (large) ICE (diamond)

8. In the morning, Rita drinks in pub, getting jug (7)
AMPHORA

AM (in the morning) ORA (Rita Ora, singer songwriter) round or ‘drinking in’ PH (public house)

10. Present promotional film Oscar forwarded (7)
PROVIDE

PR VIDEO (promotional film) with the O (Oscar) moved forward

11. Harry pleased it removes hair (9)
DEPILATES

An anagram (‘harry’) of PLEASED IT

12. Grass seen next to light brown climbing palm (6)
RATTAN

RAT (grass, as in informer) TAN (light brown)

15. Study Russian course, then wait (7)
OBSERVE

OB (Russian river or ‘course’) SERVE (wait) – we hadn’t come across the Russian river before

16. I’m an adult in a state, in a state (5,4)
TAMIL NADU

An anagram (‘in a state’) of I’M AN ADULT

19. “SEAT Ibiza extremely racy,” she snarled (4,5)
EASY CHAIR

An anagram (‘snarled’) of I A (first and last letters or ‘extremes’ of Ibiza) and RACY SHE

20. Payment to clergyman before surrender? (7)
PREBEND

PRE (before) BEND (surrender)

22. Bishop regarding discharge from the back as wonderful (6)
SUPERB

B (bishop) RE (regarding) PUS (discharge) all reversed or ‘from the back’

23. Supply stopping nearly at once, which is outstanding (9)
PROMINENT

MINE (supply) in or ‘stopping’ PRONTo (at once) without the last letter or ‘nearly’ – a new meaning of ‘mine’ for us

25. Forget naughty nun is entertaining king (7)
UNLEARN

An anagram (‘naughty’) of NUN round or ‘entertaining’ LEAR (king)

27. Is unable to even stand for food? (7)
CANTEEN

CAN’T (is unable to) E’EN (even)

28. Celebrity’s torment that’s explosive (4,5)
STAR SHELL

STAR’S (celebrity’s) HELL (torment)

DOWN
1. Breathe like this: “Harrr” (8)
ASPIRATE

Cryptic definition: AS (like) PIRATE – when playing a pirate on stage or in films, actors tend to take on the persona by uttering ‘Harrr’ to make themselves sound fierce

2. I would love to create artificial language (3)
IDO

I’D ( I would) O (love)

3. Musical and ballet, oddly, can be avoided (8)
EVITABLE

EVITA (musical) and odd letters of BaLlEt

4. Elderly paid with flies (4)
AGED

wAGED (paid), the ‘w’ (with) being omitted or ‘flying’

5. Mother means to hold firm, providing protection for the home (4,6)
DAMP COURSE

DAM (mother) PURSE (means) round or ‘holding’ CO (company – ‘firm’)

6. Means to exchange trousers quietly with son (6)
SPELLS

SELL (exchange) round or ‘trousering’ P (quietly) + S (son)

7. Assign structure to English for displaced Zoroastrian (6)
PARSEE

PARSE (assign structure to) E (English)

9. Prosecute a criminal in a place far away (5,5)
OUTER SPACE

An anagram (‘criminal’) of PROSECUTE A

13. In poor condition, part of rectum bled – Ow! Nasty! (10)
TUMBLEDOWN

Hidden in or ‘part of’ recTUM BLED OW Nasty

14. Naked babes ruined part of breakfast? (5,5)
BAKED BEANS

An anagram (‘ruined’) of NAKED BABES

17. Society collapses after millions lost moral doubts (8)
SCRUPLES

S (society) CRUmPLES (collapses) ‘losing’ the ‘m’ (millions)

18. Court until bra is undone (8)
TRIBUNAL

An anagram (‘undone’) of UNTIL BRA

20. Religious office lifting financial restriction is limited by income (6)
PAPACY

CAP (financial restriction) reversed or ‘lifted’ (in a down clue) in or ‘limited by’ PAY (income)

21. Waste pipe nearly crushes medicine dispenser (6)
EPIPEN

Hidden in or ‘crushed’ by wastE PIPE Nearly

24. Container with a musical instrument (4)
TUBA

TUB (container) A

26. Brilliant people run away (3)
ACE

rACE (people) with the ‘r’ (run) omitted or ‘away’

 

23 comments on “Independent 10,921 by Eccles”

  1. In a bit of a rush this morning but popped in here and could not let B&J’s 600th pass without offering my congratulations (and respect and admiration!)

    Which does give an opportunity to thanks Eccles for an enjoyable puzzle. AMPHORA possibly my favourite, along with EPIPEN. Have learned UNLEARN and EVITABLE, another dnk, was inevitable from the clever clueing! Not a fan of ASPIRATE, I’m afraid.

  3. Orphaned negatives like RUTHLESS, UNKEMPT & INEVITABLE never get in the way of setters 🙂 Let me add my congrats to B&J.

  4. Another super puzzle from Mr Every Other Wednesday. Unlike PostMark, I did like 1d

    Thanks to Eccles and congratulations and thank you to B&J

  5. Congrats to B&J on the 600th – a real achievement. Maybe time for yet another celebratory Nina.

    A very good one from Eccles. Managed to get my last in, the never heard of PARSEE, after a flash of inspiration gave me PARSE (wonder why) for ‘assign structure to’. An original ‘medicine dispenser’ in EPIPEN from a not so obvious hidden was my pick today.

    Thanks to Eccles and thanks and well done again to B&J

  6. I struggled with this, but persevered and was rewarded with several very satisfying pdm’s.

    Laughed out loud at ASPIRATE and TUMBLEDOWN.

    Many thanks Eccles and congratulations B&J, enjoy your day out!

  7. Surely pirates say ‘Aaarrrr’? I took the H to be an extra hint towards the definition.
    TRIBUNAL is a classic, but I tutted at EVITABLE for the ‘can be avoided’ definition. That sort of thing is evitable.
    Thanks Eccles, congrats to BertandJoyce for the milestone.

  9. Lovely fun as usual from this setter, although I didn’t much care for the image conjured up by the surface of 13d.

    I learnt a new word in IDO. My favourite today is ALICE BAND for its superbly disguised definition.

    Many thanks to Eccles and to B&J, and congratulations too to them on their milestone.

  10. Just as well that TAMIL NADU was an anagram – it hardly trips off the tongue! Shame that our setter used such unpleasant wordplay to clue the delightful word TUMBLEDOWN but I guess it is the Indy – nuff said!
    Favourite here was EPIPEN.

    Thanks to Eccles and to B&J – enjoy your day in the ‘big smoke’.

  11. Congratulations to Bertandjoyce, that is a lot of blogging. By coincidence this is my 100th Indy puzzle.

    Fair point re evitable from James, oops, sorry.

  12. Congratulations B and J and thanks to Eccles. Once a puzzle has been blogged, does the setter become a PARSEE? I had provide stopping to give PRO then imminent (nearly at once) to give MINENT in 23ac, but I can see I was wrong.

  13. PeterT @12 aren’t B&J the Parsers and we the grateful parsees?
    Congrats to B&J and many thanks to Eccles.
    I very much look forward to your fortnightly offerings

  15. Tricky in places, but very enjoyable. Favourite was AMPHORA, our FOI, with PARSEE, our LOI, a close second.
    1ac was one of our last ones in; we couldn’t make anything of the clue but with all the crossers one of us saw that ALICE BAND would fit, whereupon we twigged ‘Accessory in shock’ as the definition but even then couldn’t parse it.
    Congratulations on your 100th puzzle, Eccles, and on your 600th blog, B&J. And thanks to the three of you.

  16. Congratulations to Eccles on reaching 100 Indy puzzles. I think I’ve solved all of them – certainly as near as makes no difference – and I’ve enjoyed them all. Take a fresh guard old fruit, and bat on.
    Thanks too to B&J and best wishes on reaching another blogging milestone

  19. 1 shy of an unaided finish but who cares. Great entertainment. Many congratulations on your 100th Indy puzzle Eccles (having recently started doing the paper’s crosswords I’ll be seeking them out) & to B& J on your blogging milestone. 1a&d my joint favourites

  20. Congrats to Bertandjoyce and to Eccles on the milestones. I’m not sure I’ve done 600 cryptics, never mind blogging them, and B&J welcomed me to this site the first time I was brave enough to post, so thanks as well as respect.
    One question: how does means=spells? Thanks

  21. We are now back home – can highly recommend The Mirror and the Light.

    Thanks firstly to Eccles for dropping by and congratulations to you. We will have completed all 100!

    Thanks to everyone for their comments – especially Jayjay.

    As far as spells is concerned. Chambers Thesaurus has mean as a synonym for spell as in ‘his expression spelt trouble’.

  22. Congratz to The Review-some Twosome and The Cake on their respective milestones – long may they all continue to provide enlightenment and fun in crossworld. 🙂

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