A tricky puzzle from Dutch today.
We have an eclectic mix of entries today. It’s not often I write the words UMBILICAL HERNIA and PLACENTA in the same place. CAP ROCK is not the most common geological feature that I have encountered, but the wordplay was fairly clear.
There is one entry that I can’t parse – ISLE OF MAN – at 23 across. The only and very tenuous thought I have is that ISLE OF might be a homophone of I LOVE, but I really have little faith in that suggestion. Feel free to show me what I have missed.
I liked the clue for BEARDS with the clever use of dormant in the clue.
CORDIAL makes its second appearance in an Independent grid this week.
The anagram for ANTEPENULTIMATE at 22 across was an interesting combination of words.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 9 |
I, with no end of human brilliance, managed to develop a stomach bulge (9,6) UMBILICAL HERNIA (a painless lump in or near the belly button; stomach bulge) Anagram of (managed, to develop) I and HUMAN excluding the final letter (no end of) N and BRILLIANCE UMBILICAL HERNIA* |
| 10 |
Orange-coloured American advertising one retirement option? (7) APRICOT (orange-coloured) A (American) + PR (public relations; advertising) + I (Roman numeral for one) + COT (an option for sleeping [retirement in the evening]) A PR I COT |
| 12 |
It’s my call to be affectionate (7) CORDIAL (affectionate) – second appearance in an Independent crossword this week COR (gosh!; my!) + DIAL (make a phone call [although there are not many phones around these days where you actually DIAL]) COR DIAL |
| 13 |
What kind of beast would abuse and rob men? (9) DOBERMANN (example of a dog; kind of beast) Anagram of (abuse) AND ROB MEN DOBERMANN* |
| 14 |
Drunks’ language is filled with vernacular (5) SLANG (words and usages not forming part of standard language; vernacular can be defined in a similar way) SLANG (hidden word in [is filled with] DRUNKS’ LANGUAGE) SLANG |
| 15 |
Feigns hesitation when surrounded by fools (7) ASSUMES (pretends; feigns) UM (expression of hesitation) contained in (surrounded by) ASSES (fools) ASS (UM) ES |
| 18 |
She treats good person after obsessive year (7) ANALYST (one who treats patients by psychotherapy) ANAL (obsessive) + Y (year) + ST (saint; good person) ANAL Y ST |
| 21 |
‘Taste of Heaven’ used as embodiment of love (5) VENUS (Goddess of Love; embodiment of love) VENUS (hidden word in [taste of] HEAVEN USED) VENUS |
| 23 |
I love millions expanding in offshore financial centre (4,2,3) ISLE OF MAN (offshore financial centre located in the Irish Sea. It is not part of the United Kingdom, nor is it a member of the European Union) I can’t see how the wordplay works here. The only thing I can come up with that ISLE OF may be a homophone for I LOVE, but I can’t see a homophone indicator and apart from M (millions), MAN is still unaccounted for. Suggestions welcomed ISLE OF MAN |
| 25 |
Rubbish bags for geological feature (3,4) CAP ROCK (a stratum of usually impervious rock overlying oil- or gas-bearing strata; geological feature) CACK (rubbish) containing (bags) PRO (in favour of; pro) CA (P RO) CK |
| 26 |
Vicious to stuff workers as well (7) BESIDES (in addition; as well) SID (reference SID Vicious [1957-1979], English musician, bassist for the Sex Pistols) contained in (to stuff) BEES (workers) BE (SID) ES |
| 29 |
At end of bar two merry men put ale in teat (15) ANTEPENULTIMATE (the last but two; at end of, bar two) Anagram of (merry) MEN PUT ALE IN TEAT ANTEPENULTIMATE* |
| Down | |
| 1 |
It sounds horny having a bath first (4) TUBA (low pitched musical instrument of the HORN family) TUB (bath) + A TUB A |
| 2 |
Take up unfinished puzzle – one way to get a lift (4) UBER (online app-based taxi company; one way to get a lift) REBUS (type of puzzle) excluding the final letter (unfinished) and reversed (take up; down entry) UBER< |
| 3 |
Wanting a sort of clue Tramp gets to pick (8) PLECTRUM (a pointed device held in the fingers or on the thumb, with which the strings of eg a guitar are struck or picked) Anagram of (a sort of) CLUE TRAMP excluding (wanting) A PLECTRUM* |
| 4 |
Chill with old American dope and a drink (3,3) ICE TEA (chilled sweetened tea flavoured for example with lemon; a drink) ICE (chill) + TEA (old American slang for marijuana; old American dope) ICE TEA |
| 5 |
Gig endlessly securing some money to get a bloody organ (8) PLACENTA (an organ that develops in the uterus during pregnancy) PLAY (PLAY a gig) excluding the final letter (endlessly) Y containing (securing) A CENT (some money) PL (A CENT) A |
| 6 |
Manifestations of masculinity are mostly, apparently, dormant (6) BEARDS (hair that grows on the chin and cheeks of a man’s face; manifestations of masculinity) ARE excluding the final letter (mostly) E contained in BEDS (apparently dormant [sleeping, descriptive of people in BEDS]) BE (AR) DS |
| 7 |
Rumpy-pumpy seen in main City gathering (8) INTIMACY (sexual intercourse; rumpy-pumpy) Anagram of (gathering) MAIN CITY INTIMACY* |
| 8 |
State so petty to convince of lie? (8) GASLIGHT (to attempt to manipulate a person by continually presenting them with false information until they doubt their sanity; convince of lie) GA (abbreviation for the American State of Georgia) + SLIGHT (petty) GA SLIGHT |
| 11 |
Pushers might supply these in piano bars (5) PRODS (people pushing you might do so by means of PRODS) P (piano) + RODS (bars) P RODS |
| 15 |
Drink promotion briefly uttered raising cheers (8) ADVOCAAT (liqueur containing raw eggs and flavourings) AD (advertisement; promotion) + VOCAL (uttered by the voice) excluding the final letter (briefly) L + TA (thankyou; cheers) reversed (raising; down entry) AD VOCA AT< |
| 16 |
Vessels following stars reach idyllic destinations (8) SUNSPOTS (places with a very warm sunny climate; idyllic destinations) SUNS (stars) + POTS (vessels) SUNS POTS |
| 17 |
Unpleasant relations hurt, according to Spooner (8) STINKING (foul smelling; unpleasant) STINKING (Reverend Spooner might pronounce this as KIN [family; relations] + STING [hurt]) STINKING |
| 19 |
A conservative old American jerk with no power (8) ACOUSTIC (of musical instruments, not electric [without power], eg an ACOUSTIC guitar or piano) A + C (Conservative) + O (old) + US (United States; American) + TIC (involuntary jerk) A C O US TIC |
| 20 |
Jerk regularly serves up weak hashish (5) SHAKE (move with short and sometimes violent up-and-down movements; jerk) SHAKE (letters 2, 4, 6. 8 and 10 [regularly] of WEAK HASHISH) reversed (serves up; down entry) SHAKE< |
| 22 |
Curious dog (6) SNOOPY (prying; curious) SNOOPY (dog in the Peanuts cartoons of Charles Schulz) double definition SNOOPY |
| 24 |
After party, the Spanish soprano is slurring (6) LIBELS (disparages; slurs; is slurring) LIB (LIBeral political party) + EL (Spanish form of ‘the’) + S (soprano) LIB EL S |
| 27 |
Double Dutch: A tip for lookers! (4) DUAL (twofold; double) DU (Dutch) + A + L (first letter of [tip for] LOOKERS) DU A L |
| 28 |
Worry about stitch in time? On the contrary (4) STEW (worry) T (time) contained in (in) SEW (stitch) forming the opposite construction (on the contrary) to the words in clue ‘stitch in time’) S (T) EW |
For 23 take ‘I love millions’ as IOM, then expand.
Brilliant Hovis! Couldn’t see that at all.
And setter’s name across the middle.
Hovis@1 and Salad@2
Thanks to both
IOM expanded to I love millions indeed. It’s usually something quite obvious once it is explained.
Now I see DUTCH, in the grid, I think it’s actually DOUBLE DUTCH
That makes more sense of 27d then. I clearly wasn’t looking hard enough!
First one from Dutch after more than 18 months away. Hard going with ISLE OF MAN (v. good), ICE TEA (didn’t know the TEA bit) and ACOUSTIC unparsed.
I liked the UMBILICAL HERNIA and ANTEPENULTIMATE anagrams and the device in BEARDS. The double DUTCH Nina, with the reference in the surface for DUAL, was a nice touch.
Thanks to the double Du’s
Crikey, parts of this were very hard. I think regularly blogging Elgar’s puzzles elsewhere must have rubbed off on Dutch, but it’s good to see him back in the setter’s chair.
There were two things I didn’t know – the TEA in ICE TEA and the geological feature in 25a. Nice Nina but I missed the double Dutch cross-reference.
ISLE OF MAN was my favourite.
Thanks to the 2Ds.
Nice to see Dutch again after his long absence although he gave me a few pauses for thought with this one in that I didn’t know the old American dope nor the required definition of 8d. I would always spell 4d as ICED TEA but it seems that either is accepted.
27d had me a little puzzled until others pointed out the Nina but I did at least cotton on to IOM!
Thanks to Dutch and to Duncan for the review.
Thanks both. IOM far too clever for my Thursday brain to parse. As a very minor point the superfluous ‘it’s’ in the clue for CORDIAL delayed me further in an already difficult challenge. Also interested that we have a female ANALYST for a change, but would add in many disciplines, analysis and treatment are quite separate
That was tough in places but fairly clued and enjoyable. I too didn’t parse IOM or BEARDS but like the explanations. DUAL had me going around in circles for a while.
Thanks Dutch for a fine puzzle and Duncan for the colourful and clear explanations.
Advocaat, Double Dutch and Antepenultimate in the grid was too tempting not to follow up … but googling showed Dick Advocaat is a three -time football coach of the Netherlands, the last time in 2017, and there have been four others after him, not two! So much for that.
Thanks, Dutch and Dunan
oops Duncan