A typical Serpent puzzle: a bit tricky, but worth the effort.
There are a few rather contorted definitions in some of the wordplays here: particularly “consumer pack” in 27a and “support for smoker” in 7d. The construction in 4a, with the definition in the middle, is rather odd but makes some kind of sense. Most of my favourite clues here were those where Serpent has simply split the word or phrase in unusual places, without any insertion or anagram; A DAM SALE, PRO-LIFER ATE, AC QUAINT, and PI RATE.
As I completed the puzzle I started to see what appeared to be a message in the unchecked letters just inside the perimeter, starting at the top left; but the last word was unfamiliar so I had to look it up. CHRIST STOPPED AT EBOLI is the title of a memoir by Carlo Levi, about his exile in an impoverished region of southern Italy in the 1930s following a disagreement with the Fascist government of the time. The title comes from an expression used by the locals at the time; they felt that civilization had stopped short of their region and hadn’t reached them. (Eboli is a town where the road and rail links to this region branch off the main north-south routes.) I can’t see any obvious anniversary, or any related references elsewhere in the puzzle. Thanks Serpent as always.
Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | TRAITS |
Distinguishing features of Byzantine artist (6)
|
| Anagram (Byzantine = complex) of ARTIST. | ||
| 4 | ADAMS ALE |
Where large quantities of this drink might be bought cheaply? (5,3)
|
| Cryptic definition. Adam’s ale = old-fashioned slang for water, which can be stored in large quantities behind a DAM, so might be bought cheaply at A DAM SALE. | ||
| 9 | PIQUED |
Reporter’s briefly looked annoyed (6)
|
| Homophone (reporter’s = spoken) of PEEKED (briefly looked). | ||
| 10 | CASSETTE |
Tape programme for performance in class (8)
|
| SET (a programme of pieces to be played in a musical performance) in CASTE (social class).
Portable recording medium, now more or less obsolete. |
||
| 11 | FLAGEOLET |
Tell age of baroque wind instrument (9)
|
| Anagram (baroque = complicated, a bit like Byzantine in 1a) of TELL AGE OF.
Woodwind instrument, related to the recorder and the tin whistle. |
||
| 13 | LEASE |
What complicated completion of house sale? (5)
|
| Anagram (complicated) of the last letter (completion) of [hous]E with SALE.
Extended definition: a fixed-term arrangement to pay “ground rent” for the land on which a house is built, which is separate from the ownership of the house itself but becomes the responsibility of the purchaser. |
||
| 14 | CONTAINMENT |
Means of limiting fraud and corruption involving staff (11)
|
| CON (fraud) + TAINT (corruption), containing (involving) MEN (staff = employees). | ||
| 18 | PROLIFERATE |
Anti-abortion campaigner had to reproduce (11)
|
| PRO-LIFER (anti-abortion campaigner) + ATE (had, as in “I had toast for breakfast”). | ||
| 21 | IBIZA |
Isolated spot of business between India and America (5)
|
| BIZ (slang shortening of “business”) between I (India) + A (America).
Spanish island, hence “isolated spot”; perhaps in the sense of “nightspot” (nightclub), which Ibiza is known for. |
||
| 22 | PRECURSOR |
One who led soldiers, following pressure, comes back (9)
|
| OR (abbreviation for “other ranks” = ordinary soldiers as opposed to officers), following P (scientific symbol for pressure) + RECURS (comes back). | ||
| 24 | BEARSKIN |
Part of soldier’s uniform displays flesh and blood (8)
|
| BEARS (displays, as in “it bears the marks of . . .”) + KIN (flesh and blood = relatives).
Tall fur hat worn as part of ceremonial military uniform. |
||
| 25 | STRIPE |
Band beginning to sing rubbish (6)
|
| First letter (beginning) of S[ing] + TRIPE (slang for nonsense = rubbish). | ||
| 26 | SEEMLIER |
More suitable mass fiction accepted by Observer (8)
|
| M (scientific symbol for mass) + LIE (fiction), contained in (accepted by) SEER (one who sees = observer). | ||
| 27 | CRISIS |
Emergency consumer pack using current for power (6)
|
| CRIS[p]S (something to be consumed, supplied in a packet = consumer pack?), with I (scientific symbol for electrical current) instead of the P (power). | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | TYPEFACE |
Kind and brave group of characters with similar features (8)
|
| TYPE (kind, as in “what type of . . .?”) + FACE (as a verb = brave, as in “to brave the storm”).
A style of lettering (characters). |
||
| 2 | ACQUAINT |
Brief account exhibiting whimsical character (8)
|
| AC (short for account, as in a bank account) + QUAINT (exhibiting whimsical character).
Brief, as a verb = acquaint = to make someone aware of relevant information. |
||
| 3 | THEME |
Subject of article going over the heads of most editors (5)
|
| THE (definite article, in grammar) before (over, in a down clue) the first letters (heads) of M[ost] E[ditors]. | ||
| 5 | DRAW THE LINE |
Refuse to continue with learned broadcast (4,3,4)
|
| Anagram (broadcast = scattered) of WITH LEARNED. | ||
| 6 | MISTLETOE |
Plant biochemist let oenophile’s houses (9)
|
| Hidden answer (. . . houses = contains) in [bioche]MIST LET OE[nophile].
Parasitic plant associated with fertility rituals and Christmas decorations. |
||
| 7 | ASTRAY |
Hospital abandoning support for smoker is wrong (6)
|
| AS[h]TRAY (a container for cigarette ash, usually incorporating a support on which to rest a cigarette, from the days when smoking indoors was socially acceptable), without the H (abbreviation for hospital). | ||
| 8 | EYELET |
Sound of key opening (6)
|
| Homophone (sound) of ISLET = key = small island.
An opening in fabric, usually to take a rope or cord. |
||
| 12 | LONDON PRIDE |
Bloomer by centre for British Lions? (6,5)
|
| LONDON (British capital city = centre for British) + PRIDE (collective noun for a group of lions).
Common name of a flowering plant, a hybrid of saxifrage (though the name has sometimes been given to other flowers). There’s a story that it frequently grew on bomb sites after the London Blitz, signifying the resilience of Londoners, but the name is much older than that. |
||
| 15 | APPRAISAL |
Artist is inspired by shock review (9)
|
| RA (Royal Academician = artist) + IS, contained in (inspired by) APPAL (as a verb = shock = horrify). | ||
| 16 | PARSNIPS |
Roots music of black origin recalled cutting-edge sounds? (8)
|
| RAP (music of black origin) reversed (recalled), then SNIPS (the sounds of something being cut with scissors).
Root vegetables. |
||
| 17 | PEERLESS |
Incomparable looks embodying the French (8)
|
| PEERS (as a verb = looks intently) containing (embodying) LES (plural form of “the” in French). | ||
| 19 | AIRBUS |
Jet packs impair business (6)
|
| Hidden answer (. . . packs = is contained in) [imp]AIR BUS[iness].
Brand name for a jet aircraft. |
||
| 20 | PIRATE |
Cost of employing detective operating without licence (6)
|
| P I = colloquial abbreviation for “private eye” = detective; so the cost of employing one might be the PI RATE.
As in “pirate radio station”. |
||
| 23 | UTTER |
Speak indistinctly, lacking something original to say (5)
|
| [m]UTTER (speak indistictly), lacking the first (original) letter. |
Toppies (among many) – ‘a dam sale’, ‘parsnip’, ‘crisis’ for ‘crisps’ and ‘mistletoe’ which was well hidden. A clever and elegant puzzle. Quite difficult which is the way it should be. I googled an eight-letter wind instrument and found ‘chalumeau’ (a single-reed woodwind of the late baroque) and it suited the ‘a’ in ‘acquaint’ until I put in the ‘c’. I was misdirected. ‘Baroque’ and ‘byzantine’ were anagrinds. Elegant. Thanks Serpent.
Missed the theme. I’ll follow that up. Thanks Quirister.
Not many easy ones here. I had trouble with ASHTRAY (seems obvious now), PRECURSOR and PARSNIPS (both still seem hard!) in particular. As noted, the def being in the middle of the clue happens rarely, but the surface for 4a helped make this seem natural. I parsed LEASE as a sort of extended def. Favourite was the surface for PROLIFERATE.
Seeing the Nina didn’t help get any answers this time, as it often does, but the book (which I’d never heard of) sounds fascinating.
Thanks to Serpent and Quirister
My top picks: ADAMS ALE, PROLIFERATE and LONDON PRIDE.
My pick of the day. Found the nina
But needed check button for AIRBUS when the containment was staring me in the face.
Another up tick for PRO LIFER ATE
Thanks Serpent and Quirister
I, too, loved PROLIFERATE and ADAM’s ALE. Christ Stopped at Eboli is a wonderful book, but I missed the Nina. Thanks to Serpent for the challenge and Quirister for the elucidation.
Serpent never disappoints – although I did have to check on the Nina and will have to have a look for the book
Thanks to Serpent and Quirister
Thanks Serpent, Quirister
London pride was a surprising answer; how is beer a bloomer, I wondered. I had L-N-O-/P—-E which was shouting London plane.
I like LEASE as well as those mentioned above, generally it all hit the spot
As our blogger highlights, two of the slightly less commonly used anagrinds within the first few Across clues with both Byzantine and baroque. I will have to confess that I misinterpreted FLAGEOLET at first, knowing it as a pulse rather than an instrument. Given the well know digestive impact of beans, I took ‘wind instrument’ in an entirely different way!!!
Isolated spot seems a strange definition for IBIZA. I guess it defines almost any island; Ibiza isn’t significantly more geographically isolated than many others and, given its party reputation, I would have thought a lot less isolated in terms of human presence.
Favourites – the lovely ADAMS ALE, the aforementioned FLAGEOLET, the beautifully hidden MISTLETOE, BEARSKIN for the simple charade and use of ‘flesh and blood’, TYPEFACE and the gloriously misdirecting PARSNIP.
Thanks Serpent and Quirister
I was beaten by 25A/16D crossers, though can’t see why now I know the answers. No chance of my spotting that nina. Otherwise much enjoyed so thanks Serpent and Quirister.
Is anyone else having problems loading the Indie crossword page? On my Android phone, the pictures and play button aren’t showing. It worked yesterday afternoon.
A fine puzzle – thanks Serpent and an enlightening blog so thanks Quirister.
BEARSKIN perplexed me until I came here: I thought ‘shows flesh’ must surely be ‘bares’. In any event the clue reminded me of the Ile du Levant (in the Mediterranean) which a friend in the region informed me was one half naturist resort and the other half military establishment. My quip that this was an example of people carrying the ‘right to bear/bare arms’ to different extremes was met with blank (blanc?) incomprehension. Still one of my favourites though.
(Spookily there is a ‘Vallon du Serpent’ on the island.)
Thx Quirister & Serpent. Favourite FLAGEOLET.
beery hiker@10: Methuselah tweeted the same thing yesterday, so you’re not alone. Seems to be an Android issue.
Many thanks to Quirister for the excellent blog and to everyone who has been kind enough to comment.
(Christ Stopped at Eboli is worth reading. The puzzle doesn’t celebrate any anniversary connected with the book; it’s just that I read it recently and I’m always pleased to discover nina-able phrases with 20, 24 or 28 letters.)
Thanks Serpent for one of the best crosswords of the week. This is the level of challenge I find most satisfying even if I have to reveal a letter or two to finish. My top choices included LEASE, ASTRAY, APPRAISAL, AIRBUS, and UTTER but there was little I didn’t like. Due to my southern Italian origins I’m familiar with Christ Stopped at Eboli so the nina was obvious. Thanks Quirister for the blog.
We’re having trouble with the independent crossword on Android phone too, beery hiker@10, couldn’t get it yesterday afternoon nor today.
Yes I noticed the same yesterday. Windows computer fine on the site but Android definitely broken on different browsers.
Generally we enjoyed this. But disagree with those who liked Adams ale, we found it a corny clue for an unknown ( to us) phrase.
Well, Serpent has form for ninas just inside the perimeter and we soon saw that one seemed to be building up and we did know of the book so that was a bonus – and the nina helped us to spot our LOI which was PARSNIPS. We did wonder, when we got Q in 9 and Z in 21 if it was going to be a pangram as well, but that was obviously just coincidence.
In 11 we wasted some time trying to find a variation on ‘fagotto’ for bassoon before we got FLAGEOLET.
Lots to like including PRECURSOR (we thought the ‘soldiers’ were going to be RE at first) and TYPEFACE. But one of us at least would prefer (Fuller’s) LONDON PRIDE to ADAM’S ALE.
Thanks, Serpent and Quirister
@beery hiker thank goodness I thought it was just me having problems and have been fidgeting with all my settings. Chrome a definite no!
I have discovered I can get it to load in samsung Internet browser though.
The crosswords seem to be working again on Android today.
… at least in the Samsung browser, which wasn’t working yesterday