Independent 11,101 / Knut

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Knut has provided our cruciverbal challenge for today, using a grid that I am not that familiar with.

I found this to be towards the hard end of the Indy range of difficulty, and I was afraid that I was going to draw a complete blank in the NW quadrant. Thankfully, I solved 2 and 3 and could then make an educated guess at the Jennifer Lopez song.

My favourite clues today were the cryptic definition part of 23; and 1D, 16 and 17, all for surface reading. I would appreciate confirmation of my parsing at 20 and at 4, which I spotted only as I prepared to post the blog and was examining the completed grid.

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

Across  
   
01 SPINNING Going round knocking back shots, initially neat gin, getting sozzled

SPIN (NIPS=shots, of liquor; “knocking back” indicates reversal) + N<eat> (“initially” means first letter only) + *(GIN); “getting sozzled” is anagram indicator
   
05/09/11 JENNY FROM THE BLOCK 2002 record catch supplied by Scotsman, according to Spooner

Spoonerism of “blenny (=catch, i.e. fish) supplied by Scotsman (=from the Jock); Jenny from the Block is a 2002 song by Jennifer Lopez, performed together with various rappers
   
10 LATER ON Subsequently, Tinseltown star Charlize dumps husband

LA (=Tinseltown, i.e. Los Angeles, Hollywood) + T<h>ERON (=star Charlize, i.e. South African/US actress; “dumps husband (=H)” means letter “h” is dropped)
   
12 LOWER CASE empty luggage rack like this?

(to) LOWER CASE (=(to) empty luggage rack; the whole sentences is in lower-case letters
   
13 DRIER Victor left golf club as the rain eased off

DRI<v>ER (=golf club, i.e. for hitting the ball from the tee; “Victor (=V, in radio telecommunications) left” means letter “v” is dropped
   
14 SLOB Layabout seen in Salcombe every now and again

S<a>L<c>O<m>B<e>; “every now and again” means alternate letters only are used
   
15 LAOS First signs of law and order stabilised the country

L<aw> A<nd> O<rder> S<tabilised>; “first signs of” means first letters only
   
18 AHEM A revolting expression of indifference used to attract attention

A + HEM (MEH=expression of indifference or boredom; “revolting” indicates reversal)
   
19 INCA Old Peruvian picking edges off tiny scab

<t>IN<y> <s>CA<b>; “picking edges off” means first and last letters are dropped
   
20 UNARM 1A mum ran upstairs, about to confiscate a weapon

Hidden (“about”) and reversed (“spinning”, entry at 1A) in “muM RAN Upstairs”
   
23 LAUNCH PAD Excited handclap welcomes United – ground expecting explosive start

U (=United, as in Man U) in *(HANDCLAP); “excited” is anagram indicator; cryptic definition
   
25 KRAFT Wrapping prow of Kon-Tiki (Heyerdahl’s vessel)

K<on-tiki> (“prow of” means first letter only) + RAFT (=Heyerdahl’s vessel); kraft is a type of strong brown paper, hence “wrapping”
   
26 AUCTION Where to sell gold coin crooked tenor smuggled

AU (=gold, i.e. chemical formula) + [T (=tenor) in *(COIN)]; “crooked” is anagram indicator
   
27 OBJECTS Protests over British planes storing up carbon

O (=over, on cricket scorecard) + B (=British) + [C (=carbon, i.e. chemical formula) in JETS (=planes)]
   
28 STEEP Demanding pace needs an injection of energy

E (=energy) in STEP (=pace); steep is demanding, difficult
   
29 ADAM BEDE American lady acquiring book, edited novel by Eliot

A (=American) + {[B (=book) + ED. (=edited)] in DAME (=lady)}; the reference is to the 1859 novel by George Eliot
   
Down  
   
01 SOFA BED Very brilliant boss of newspaper, although it’s folding

SO (=very) + FAB (=brilliant, i.e. fabulous) + ED. (=boss of newspaper, i.e. editor)
   
02 IRON OXIDE Lee Dixon originally turned up bearing sign of rustiness

Hidden (“bearing”) and reversed (“turned up”) in “leE DIXON ORIginally”
   
03 NO TAKERS Last of Buster Keaton’s reels – zero interest

*(<buste>R KEATON’S); “last of” means last letter is used in anagram, indicated by “reels”
   
04 NEEDLES AND PINS User of products from top line machine might have these uncomfortable feelings when cycling

The top line of the grid spells out SPINNING JENNY, the revolutionary machine for spinning cotton; “when cycling”, i.e. when switched round, gives “pins and needles (=uncomfortable feelings)
   
05 JETHRO Texan oilman embracing the poor old priest

[*(THE) in JR (=Texan oilman, i.e. JR Ewing in the TV soap Dallas)] + O (=old); “poor” is anagram indicator; Jethro was a priest in the Old Testament, the father-in-law of Moses
   
06 NORMA Piece of Bellini, Mendelssohn or Massenet screened

Hidden (“screened) in “mendelssohN OR MAssenet”; the reference is to the 1831 opera by Bellini
   
07 YANKEES Men with baseball bats force Kanye West to get undressed

*(KANYE + <w>ES<t>); “to get undressed” means first and last letters are dropped from anagram, indicated by “force”
   
08 BLOW HOT AND COLD Have mixed feelings about black/blue markings on taps

B (=black, as in HB pencil) + LOW (=blue, down) + HOT AND COLD (=markings of (water) taps)
   
16 AVALANCHE A commercial vehicle transporting a large red slide

{[A + L (=large, of sizes)] in [A + VAN (=commercial vehicle)]} + CHE (=red, i.e. communist)
   
17 LUCKY JIM Book July to go off with Mick

*(JULY + MICK); “to go off” is anagram indicator; the reference is to the 1954 novel by Kingsley Amis
   
18 ALL EARS Dying to hear part of National Lear soliloquy

Hidden (“part of”) in “nationAL LEAR Solilioquy”
   
21 MATISSE Lazy siesta beneath the cover of Monsieur Henri?

M<onsieur> (“cover of” means first letter only) + *(SIESTA); “lazy” is anagram indicator; the reference is to French artist Henri Matisse
   
22 SCRIMP Save money on second hairstyle

S (=second) + CRIMP (=hairstyle)
   
24 UNCLE Occasionally funny caller (relatively speaking!)

<f>U<n>N<y>C<a>L<l>E<r>; “occasionally” means alternate letters only are used; an uncle is a relative, hence “relatively speaking”
   

 

19 comments on “Independent 11,101 / Knut”

  2. Ian @1

    A spinning jenny makes threads of cotton or wool etc and you could use needles and pins to make garments from the ‘products’

  3. At the trickier end of the Knut spectrum, but no less enjoyable for that

    Thanks to him and RR

  4. I think “products from top line machine” indicates SPINNING JENNY and the user of said machine has NEEDLES AND PINS.

    Thanks to Knit and RR

  5. Thanks, Crypicsue, but in that example the user is a tailor. The needles and pins are used, not users. Perhaps a typo in the clue?

  6. At a stretch, a needle might be said to “use” a thread, but the same cannot be said of a pin.

  8. Thanks Knut and RR

    IanSW3 @ 5: A user of products from a spinning Jenny (ie a tailor, yes) might have needles and pins. Seems OK to me.

  10. I stopped listening to new music pretty much after the 90s(classical excepted)so I am well familiar with the Jackie de Shannon song but I had to look Jenny up-I was thinking Jenny from the Bronx
    but a google showed me what I was missing although I didnt have the guts to listen to it
    I was reminded of a shaggy dog\(or fish) story which ended with a headline
    ONE TOOTH FREE FOR FYFE’S SYKES.SVEN ATE NINE TENCH
    I’ll get me coat!

  11. I found this at the easy end of the Knut spectrum and started off like a train, much helped by guessing the 14-letter down clues very quickly. But did struggle in the NW corner though, and had to search online for “Jenny from the Block”. Good to know what that brown paper wrapping is called.
    Thanks Knut and RatkojaRiku.

  12. Good one to go with the Julius in the FT. I did a lot of “that looks right” semi-parsing so missed a few things, including seeing SPINNING JENNY across the top. I reverse engineered the never heard of ‘2002 record’ at 5/9/11 from the Spoonerism. KRAFT for anything other than a food manufacturer was also new.

    I liked both reverse hiddens, especially IRON OXIDE.

    Thanks to Knut and RR

  13. Thanks both. Particularly grateful for all the insights into NEEDLES AND PINS though it feels outrageously contrived for its primary definition. I know the song of the same name far better than JENNY FROM THE BLOCK however I surprised myself by dredging it from the polluted memory bank

  14. I was alerted to this grid by those commenting on today’s FT puzzle by Julius and thought I’d investigate.
    I’m very glad I did. This is my first Indy puzzle so I’ve nothing to compare it to regarding the degree of difficulty but my relative youth meant JENNY FROM THE BLOCK was a write-in. This, in turn, helped enormously with the related 1a and 4d.
    I found this a lot of fun and particularly liked LUCKY JIM.
    Did need help here to parse LATER ON properly.
    Thanks Knut and RR.

  15. Found this reasonably easy for some reason, helped by knowing the J Lo song. KRAFT was however a speculation from the crossers. Charlize Theron is South African btw not American.
    All good clean fun.
    Thanks to Knut and RR.

  16. Quite a difference from yesterday for me. Didn’t exactly sail through it but I didn’t really get stuck. I had to guess the record. I stopped listening to popular music in the sixties.

  17. Most of this went in without much difficulty but we struggled in the top half – it took us ages to work out SPINNING althoug we worked out early on (although for the wrong reason) that it ended in NG. And we’d never heard of the song at 5/9/11. We’d agree too with TFO@13 about NEEDLES AND PINS being outrageously contrived for its primary definition.
    But there was plenty that we liked; favourites included LOWER CASE, LAUNCH PAD and IRON OXIDE.
    Thanks, Knut and RatkojaRiku.

  18. Thanks Knut for the fun. Most of this went in pretty easily although I mistakenly put “flow” instead of “blow” in 8d. I didn’t fully understand NEEDLES AND PINS or JENNY FROM THE BLOCK so thanks RR for explaining. Favourites included SPINNING (great surface), AHEM, and the nicely hidden IRON OXIDE.

  19. To GeordyGordy @15: I think she’s actually a dual national, but I’ve added the other nationality to the blog for the sake of completeness.

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