Independent on Sunday 1,662 by Raich

by

The puzzle is available here.

 

Hello, and a very Happy New Year to all visitors and contributors.

For me the new year really starts when things return to normal after the festivities and, notwithstanding a residual Yule in 10a, this crossword does feel like that – a nice typical Sunday offering.  Having had my fill of food, drink and three overlapping waves of visitors (the third of which, the smallest but longest, is not over until tomorrow) I very much appreciated it.  (Once back at work on Tuesday I may immediately start to wonder what was so great about normality, but never mind!)

My favourite clue, unlike my favourite comedy, is probably 7d: UNFUNNY.  Many thanks Raich.

 

Definitions are underlined in the clues below.  In the explanations, quoted indicators are in italics, explicit [deletions] are in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER.  For clarity, I omit most link words and some juxtaposition indicators.

 

Across

1a    First referring to money originally invested in seaside feature (7)
PREMIER
RE (referring to) and the first letter of (… originally) Money inside (invested in) PIER (seaside feature)

5a    Fellow worker colonel ignored for three miles once (6)
LEAGUE
[col]LEAGUE (fellow worker) with COL (colonel) unused (ignored)

9a    In end worst grounds for betrayal (7)
TREASON
The last letter of (in end) worsT + REASON (grounds)

10a   Happy. ultimately cheering, feel about Yule essentially (7)
GLEEFUL
The final letter of (ultimately) cheerinG + FEEL reversed (about) + the central part of (… essentially) yULe.  I didn’t notice that there’s a full stop rather than a comma after happy until writing up the blog

11a   Building, haunt regularly visited (3)
HUT
HaUnT, taking alternate letters (regularly visited)

12a   Think one receiving hospitality has succeeded for time (5)
GUESS
GUES[t] (one receiving hospitality) has S in place of T (succeeded for time)

13a  & 14.   No good time girl, Irish, rubs oil off (5,10)
ANNUS HORRIBILIS
ANN (girl) + IRISH RUBS OIL anagrammed (off)

14a   See 13a 

16a   Shelter close to outskirts of Rome (4)
BYRE
BY (close) + the outer letters (outskirts) of RomE

18a   Part of process of bringing back favourites (4)
STEP
We arrive at our answer by reversing (bringing back) PETS (favourites)

20a   Mother with article, rigorous, about hotel in Treaty City (10)
MAASTRICHT
MA (mother) + A (article) + STRICT (rigorous) around (about) H (hotel)

23a   View fish (5)
ANGLE
A double definition

24a   It’s said you made progress in football tournament (5)
EUROS
A sound-alike of (it’s said) YOU ROSE (made progress)

26a   One often walked on coaster (3)
MAT
Two definitions

28a   Recalling, say, a cart’s measurement (7)
YARDAGE
EG (say), A and DRAY (cart), all in reverse (recalling …)

29a   Study and note country who famously won 24 (7)
DENMARK
DEN (study) + MARK (note).  24 = 24a, EUROS, which Denmark won in 1992.  (Not sure how famously; I was 10 at the time and not really interested, though the tournament four years later was memorable)

30a   Locals’ name for country satchel lassie carries (6)
HELLAS
SatcHEL LASsie holds (carries) the answer; the country is the one we call Greece

31a   Highly strung nurse at work taking care of very old (7)
NERVOUS
An anagram of (… at work) NURSE around (taking care of) V (very) and O (old)

 

Down

1d    Way to limit Conservative area of control (5)
PATCH
PATH (way) going around (to limit) C (Conservative)

2d    One’s on a roll? (7)
ELECTOR
A cryptic definition requiring us to think of the electoral roll

3d    In India, give autograph for daughter’s badge (8)
INSIGNIA
In IN[d]IA we substitute in SIGN (give autograph) for D (daughter)

4d    Somewhere to shoot in mountains (5)
RANGE
Two definitions

5d    Reasoning about first origin of society leads to skilled organisation (9)
LOGISTICS
LOGIC (reasoning) around (about) IST (first) + the first letter (origin) of Society

6d    He’s cutting guitarist (6)
AXEMAN
A double definition

7d    France, New York, in turn propping up global group – no reason to smile (7)
UNFUNNY
F (France) and NY (New York) each in turn precede UN (global group), so there are two UNs

8d    Potential deals, two, for veteran (3,5)
OLD SWEAT
In the answer there is an anagram of (potential) DEALS TWO

14d   Disastrously buy hash, ecstasy? Go off! (8)
HUSHABYE
An anagram of (disastrously) BUY HASH E (ecstasy)

15d   A sense inn somehow being foolish (9)
INANENESS
A SENSE INN anagrammed (somehow)

17d   Brought up title, one used in Public Relations for insider? (8)
PRISONER
The reversal of (brought up) SIR (title) and ONE are placed inside (used in) PR (Public Relations).  One inside

19d   Devour greens? Not quite, go for change (7)
ENGORGE
All but the last letter of (… not quite) GREENs and GO anagrammed (for change)

21d   Business graduate visiting church, look, to see musical instrument (7)
CEMBALO
MBA (business graduate) in between (visiting) CE (church) and LO (look)

22d   Happen to live three months in US (6)
BEFALL
BE (live) + FALL (three months in US, those which in England we would call autumn)

25d   Artist with academic element (5)
RADON
RA (artist) + DON (academic)

27d   Accepts interpretations (5)
TAKES
We wrap up with a final double definition

 

24 comments on “Independent on Sunday 1,662 by Raich”

  1. Kitty, I think you’ve said it all in your preamble. Nice to be back to normal, notwithstanding a couple of splendid holiday puzzles yesterday. I wondered if there was a football theme lurking with PREMIER LEAGUE across the top of the puzzle but it’s not my game and, apart from the linked EUROS and DENMARK which are, anyway, a different competition, I couldn’t say.

    I’d agree with nominating UNFUNNY as one of the best. I also liked PRISONER and BEFALL for the smooth surfaces and LOGISTICS for the construction and definition.

    Thanks Raich and (the remarkably youthful!) Kitty

  2. Normality for me meant a more normal degree of difficulty after some tough ones in the Fifteensquared eco-system and elsewhere before and during the festive season. Pride cometh before a fall though, as I put in an unparsed “unfancy” instead of UNFUNNY, which I now see was very good. Sorry, but I can’t help in identifying any more football related references.

    Favourite was the surface for ANNUS HORRIBILIS, even if the answer should have been in the plural. Let’s hope 2022 is a bit (= a lot) better.

    Happy New Year to all and thanks to Raich and Kitty

  3. This was possibly my fastest ever Indie cryptic solve, completed before my second cup of tea at breakfast, but no less enjoyable for that. However, I spent too much time looking for football themed answers after PREMIER LEAGUE appeared across the top, but like PostMark @1 could only see EUROS and DENMARK. I wondered whether it had been an ANNUS HORIBILIS for MVV Maastricht, who play in the Netherlands equivalent of our Championship, but not particularly. Thanks anyway to Raich and of course to Kitty for the entertaining blog.

  7. Happy speedy solve for team Labradoodle today. OLD SWEAT was the only term new to us. The top row PREMIER LEAGUE passed us by but if we’d thought there was a football theme it might have been more of a hindrance than a help!

    Thanks to Raich and Kitty.

  8. My heart sank a little when I realised what the first two across answers spelled out but in the event it wasn’t too bad once I’d figured out the answer to 24a and got my head round the idea of what Denmark had to do with it!
    Top clue for me was the one for ELECTOR followed by that for UNFUNNY.

    Thanks to Raich (sorry for the lack of sporting knowledge!) and to our favourite feline for the review. Loved your illustration for 18a.

  9. Herb @6: no one’s yet responded to your suggestion. I wonder if PREMIER LEAGUE was there to misdirect. I think you are right in that 1992 was described by the Queen as an ANNUS HORRIBILIS, the MAASTRICHT Treaty was signed and, yes, DENMARK won the EUROS. A mini theme.

  10. PostMark@9 I am an unlikely source of footballing knowledge, but the PREMIER LEAGUE, far from being there to misdirect, was set up in 1992 and is therefore part of the theme. Also just to note that Denmark’s victory in that year’s Euros was ‘memorable’ because they had not actually qualified for the tournament, but were called in to replace Yugoslavia when the latter effectively ceased to be a country before the tournament got under way.

  12. Thanks both. I clearly know even less about the national game than SC so I shall be looking to you for round ball insights as we move through the year! Between you and Roz (who, sadly, doesn’t do the Indy), I’m sure most bases will be covered! 😀

  13. Well spotted Herb. A positive side effect of the new app is that I am less likely to be misdirected by the surface as I reveal the clue word by word. A negative side effect was that I missed the football tournament element of EUROS

  14. [Petert: I don’t know whether you revisited the comment thread on the ‘Reveller’ Indy puzzle on 31/12, but you might find it interesting to do so.]

  15. Many thanks, Kitty, for the excellent blog and the illustrations. All thematic items, knowledge of which was not intended to be needed to solve the puzzle, have been noted. Marking a year 30 years back. Many thanks also to all who commented.

  16. Thanks Raich for an easier one and the kitty for a fine blog. Let’s hope for more great stuff this year.

  17. Re 14, and your comment @22 on the Reveller thread, Spooner’s Catflap, I did think your ‘importing’ rather odd. The last thing required, it seemed to me, was yet more discussion regarding the perceived complications around a completely straightforward crosswording trope. It did spoil the threads too, which I read avidly and usually with much enjoyment. At least you have acknowledged this, to your credit.

    In regard to all of that, I myself apologise for introducing it on this, a different thread. I did enjoy Raich’s puzzle however, and Kitty’s blog. Thanks both.

  18. Yeah. Every time I have come across spooners catlfap they have been at the heart of some blah blah blah. Sounds like a turning point for them in admitting their failings and understanding the Indy crosswords and their blog are not the place fore any nonsense other than of the fun kind so here’s to growth and learning.

    As for the crossword, perfect Sunday fare with a nice theme thrown In for good measure. As for the blog, well, I know the Kittehz has been festive busy but it was a bit lacking on one front. There must and shall be more pussy next time or I shall have to get my green pen out and move to tonbridge wells! 🙂

  19. Well, hello, Hoskins, fancy meeting you here. The lesson I have learned from this is that some setters apparently have difficulty realising that when they send their crosswords out into the world to seek their fortunes, they retain no prerogative to police the reception they meet with and the scrutiny to which they are subjected. Instead, they try to conduct a kind of helicopter parenting of their wayward offspring. A published crossword belongs to the solving community, no longer to its setter, so I will continue to exert my prerogative to ‘blah’ from time to time on Indy puzzles, and if I can think that in so doing I am irritating you, it will enhance my pleasure in doing so.

  21. Not ‘hear hear’ at all, but rather ‘just listen to that’, as it is an open admission that you see your function here, at least in part, to be as annoying as you can. I’m sure whoever owns this site should be keeping an eye on you.

  22. I should be clear that was for ‘Spooner’s Catflap’ and not ‘Filbert’ though the latter is quite wrong to support the former, if indeed he is being serious. Hard to tell in print sometimes.

  23. Serious. Spooner’s Catflap’s thoughts on this match my own precisely, except for the bit about annoying Hoskins.

  24. Yes, I think you are right, TLP. First and last sentences of the post say it all. DNFTT from ….. now! 🙂

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