Independent 11191 / Rodriguez

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A puzzle from Rodriguez today.  The grid looked ripe for a message around the perimeter

 

 

 

In the event, there was nothing readable round the perimeter, but there was plenty going on in all but one of the across entries as explained by the remaining across clue at 28 across.

Each accross entry except 28 across has athe name of city within the outer letter of the entry [INNER CITY]

In clue order these cities are:

ADEN (Yemen)

UR (ancient city in Mesopotamia)

ULM (Germany)

TURIN (Italy)

BERN (Switzerland)

ELY (England)

RIGA (Latvia)

LOME (Togo)

RENO (United States)

ESSEN (Germany)

AGRA (India)

OSLO (Norway) and

RIO (Brazil)

I’m impressed that Rodriguez managed to get all this thematic material into the acrosses without having to resort to loys of obscure words in the down entries.  perhaps the spelling of RUAIRI at 21 is the most unusual of all the downs.

I must admit I didn’t noticed the cities until I solved INNER CITY which was one of my last one in.

Good to see the scientists getting a look in with TURING, medicinal powders, ORION, iron in meat, SOURCE CODE and ENGINE ROOM all getting a mention.  The arts fans were well catered for as well.

The wordplay was very clear and I think I’ve got all the parsing right for a change. 

I though CAMEL cigarettes were a blast from the past, but the internet tells me that the brand is still available.

The completed puzzle looked like this:

 

No Detail
Across  
7

Need ground by minor thoroughfare extended (9)

BROADENED (widened; extended)

B ROAD (minor thoroughfare) + an anagram of (ground) NEED

B ROAD ENED*
8

Where one may serve royal assembly (5)

COURT (players serve on a tennis COURT)

COURT (body of persons who form the sovereign’s suite or council; an assembly of courtiers; royal assembly)  double definition

COURT
10

Sea creature, maybe otter, crossing lake with parent (6)

FULMAR (gull-like bird of the petrel family; sea creature)

FUR (an otter is an animal with short smooth FUR) containing (crossing) (L [lake] + MA [mother])

FU (L MA) R
11

Mathematician, following degree, is developing (8)

MATURING (developing)

MA (Master of Arts; degree) + TURING (reference Alan TURING [1912 – 1954], English mathematician closely involved with cracking the Enigma code at Bletchley Park during the Second World War)

MA TURING
12

Hotel by peninsula bordering Northern Ireland (8)

HIBERNIA (ancient and poetic name for Ireland)

H (Hotel is the International radio Communication codeword for the letter H) + (IBERIA [reference the IBERIAn peninsula comprising Spain and Portugal] containing [bordeing] N [northern])

H IBER (N) IA
14

Record producer John still entertains largely just using covers (6)

EVELYN (reference John EVELYN [1620 – 1706], English writer best known as a diarist [producer of records])

EVEN (calm; still) containing (entertaining) LARGELY excluding the central letters ARGEL (just using covers)

EVE (LY) N
15

Warship in fix, beset by doom (7)

FRIGATE (escort vessel; type of warship)

RIG (make ready; fix) contained in (beset by) FATE (doom)

F (RIG) ATE
17

Medicinal powder left over in kind of cigarette (7)

CALOMEL (mercurous chloride, presumably a powder, used in medicine as a purgative)

(L [left] + O [over]) contained in (in) CAMEL (brand of cigarettes containing a mix of Turkish and American tobacco)

CA (L O) MEL
20

Poet’s previously gained and regularly earned returns (6)

ERENOW (before this time, a word loved by poets)

(WON [gained] + ERE [letters 1, 3 and 5 [regularly] of EARNED) all reversed (returns)

(ERE NOW)<
22

Needless struggles abated (8)

LESSENED (decreased; abated)

Anagram of (struggles) NEEDLESS

LESSENED*
24

Relative aboard sizable vessels? They drift around (8)

VAGRANTS (people who have no settled home or work; tramps, wanderers; they drift around)

GRAN (older relative) contained in (aboard) VATS (large vessels)

VA (GRAN) TS
25

Protest and say, with outline of scowl, “I’m in pain!” (2-4)

GO SLOW (of workers, to deliberately to restrict output or effort in order to obtain concessions from employers; protest)

GO (say) + SL (outer letters of [outline of] SCOWL) + OW (expression indicating the speaker is in pain)

GO SL OW
27

Men, currently popular, hosting ball for stars (5)

ORION (constellation; stars)

OR (other ranks; men) + (IN [popular] containing [hosting] O [character representing the shape of a ball])

OR I (O) N
28

Urban area that each other across answer has here (5,4)

INNER CITY (urban area)

INNER CITY (every other across entry in the puzzle has an internal [inner] set of consecutive letters spelling the name of a city or former city)

INNER CITY
Down  
1

Attendant for better publisher stops person shouting (8) 

CROUPIER (person who officiates at a gaming-table, dealing the cards, collecting the stakes and paying the winners; attendant for a better)

OUP (Oxford University Press [oublisher]) contained in (stopping) CRIER (person shouting)

CR (OUP) IER
2

Composed lyrical melody? Not all of it (4) 

CALM (settled; quiet; compose)

CALM (hidden word in [not all of it] LYRICAL MELODY)

CALM
3

Felon ultimately with not a single regret turned up in cell (6) 

NEURON (a cell with the specialized function of transmitting nerve impulses)

N (last letter of [ultimately] FELON) + (NO [not a single] + RUE [regret]) reversed (turned up; down entry)

N (EUR ON)<
4

A supplier of iron, this person blocks trade supply (3,4) 

RED MEAT (dark coloured MEAT, such as lamb, beef or venison, which is an easily accessible source of heme iron)

ME (this person) contained in (blocks) an anagram of (supply [derivative of supple]) TRADE

RED (ME) AT*
5

Eccentric coerced us to install old form of program (6,4)

SOURCE CODE (computer CODE that requires translation by a compiler before it can be executed by the computer)

Anagram of (eccentric) COERCED US containing (to install) O (old)

S (O) URCE CODE* – either O could be the one contained
6

Drink drop of Bourbon, in the mood for it (6) 

BRANDY (drink)

B (first letter of [source of] BOURBON) + RANDY (sexually excited; in the mood for it)

B RANDY
9

Divine female thus entertained by Carmen? (6)

ATHENA (Greek goddess of wisdom, born from the head of Zeus; divine female)

THEN (thus) contained in (entertained by) AA (Automobile Association; car men)

A (THEN) A
13

Part of ship‘s mooring – need to cast off back at sea (6,4)

ENGINE ROOM (part of a ship)

Anagram of (at sea) MOORING and NEED excluding the final letter [to cast of back] D

ENGINE ROOM*
16

What’s seen twice in Tate: outstanding drawing (6)

TOWING (pulling; drawing)

T (the letter T occurs twice [seen twice] in TATE) + OWING (money outstanding)

T OWING
18

You once also bitten by the barking canine (3,5) 

EYE TOOTH (one of the canine teeth)

(YE [former {once} word for ‘the’] + TOO [also]) contained in (bitten by) an anagram of (barking) THE

E (YE TOO) TH*
19

Last capital of County Down (7) 

CLOSING (ending; last)

C (first letter of [capital of] COUNTY) + LOSING (behind in the competition; down)

C LOSING
21

Game show, one for Irishman (6)

RUAIRI (one spelling of the Irish boy’s name Rory)

RU (Rugby Union; sport; game) + AIR (broadcast; show) + I (Roman numeral for one)

RU AIR I
23

Team audibly expressed exasperation (6)  

SIGHED (expressed exasperation)

SIGHED (sounds like [audibly expressed] SIDE [team])

SIGHED
26

Garment in this fashion has designer label (4) 

SOCK (garment)

SO (in this fashion) + CK (label for Calvin Klein clothes [designer label])

SO CK

21 comments on “Independent 11191 / Rodriguez”

  1. This was an enjoyable challenge although a DNF for me courtesy of 21d which, having seen Duncan’s explanation, I think is a very unfair clue but I suppose it is a consequence of the city theme. I did actually spot the theme for once, and it helped me to solve 20a.

    For 25a, “say” = “go” puzzled me at first but it is listed as dialect in Chambers.

    Thanks to Rodriguez and to Duncan.

  2. Centres of population, as found in the rest of the across answers (5,6)
    INNER CITIES

    The Guardian-September 15, 2020. A similar theme was there.

    Just shared.
    Of course, I enjoyed today’s puzzle thoroughly.

  3. I found this quite an approachable Rodriguez and, as I solve in numerical order, INNER CITY was the last clue encountered in my first run through the puzzle, by which time I had most of the Across clues entered and it was fun to enjoy the pdm as I spotted all the cities. And, of course, it helped in populating those outstanding.

    Unlike RD, I’m very happy to give a pass to RUAIRI which I was able to assemble, Lego-like, helped by the crossers. A setter friend recently asked me what I do when a theme forces a truly tricky or unusual word – run with it or redesign the grid: I’d always run with it but attempt to clue the offending word in a very simple way which is what Rodriguez sympathetically did here. Game = RU, show = AIR and one = I are all chestnuts so, even though the solution is unusual and unknown, I think the setter’s been fair.

    Other favourites include: EYE TOOTH, TOWING, BRANDY, VAGRANTS, FRIGATE and MATURING.

    Thanks Rodriguez and Duncan

  4. Another great crossword – I spotted the theme quite early on, long before I got to 28a. My grandson has a friend called 21d so I knew the name and the clue was very helpful if you didn’t. My particular favourite bit of wordplay was ‘carmen’ in 9d

    Thanks very much to Rodriguez and Duncan

  5. I’m totally with PostMark @3. (Being an Archers fan helped with the spelling of RUAIRI, too.)

    My other favourites were HIBERNIA, ERENOW, RED MEAT and CLOSING.

    Many thanks to Rodriguez and Duncan.

    (I wrote this comment and didn’t get round to posting it before seeing Sue’s comment. Naturally, I agree with her, too,)

  6. Another great puzzle from Rodriguez. I thought RUAIRI was fair though I struggled to spell it. The only slight problem was that BROADENED and LESSENED were both clued with an anagram of NEED for the last four letters.

  7. I would have had no hope of spotting the theme had it not been for 28a. I then worked out all the cities (admittedly not hard) except for LOMÉ which was new to me and not helped by having to enter the unheard of CALOMEL not very confidently from wordplay.

    Favourite bits were the ‘Record producer John’ at 14a and the surface for 9d, especially the non-Bizet ‘Carmen?’

    Thanks to Rodriguez and Duncan

  8. I am another who missed the theme until getting INNER CITY. Very impressive stuff, but I must confess to thinking it was only every other across clue that had a city hidden so failed to see hem all even though they were staring me in the face! Prime eejit.

    Also, thoroughly banjaxed by RED MEAT as I was convinced the ‘supplier of iron’ was a misdirection and was looking for a golfing term until penny dropped.

    Great fun. Big thanks to Rodriguez and Duncanshiell.

  10. It’s funny and quite cheering that 2,469,275 crosswords later Carmen for AA is still crypticsue’s favourite bit of wordplay.
    I wrote SOURCE CIDE and didn’t spot my typo, so stared at *A*I*E* for a while, tried NICE in the middle then gave up. Also stupidly didn’t get SOCK, thinking SIC for in this fashion. I like this type of puzzle as long as I can avoid the clue with the hint, managed in this case. The city names seem particularly suited for hiding.
    Thanks Rodriguez, Duncan

  11. I came here for LOME although i got CALOMEL
    I also came here to praise Rodriguez for a spiffing puzzle.
    Yo Ho Ho

  12. Thanks both. Excellent challenge – RUAIRI is extremely obscure but can be forgiven as it is fairly clued and needed to support the theme of known rather than sundry cities. I had gone with COURSE CODE which naturally Google had some blather about, but that was clearly a brain-fade moment

  13. RUAIRI was my sticking point too but it hardly matters when I consider the multifaceted joys of this crossword.
    I liked MATURING, BRANDY, GO-SLOW and HIBERNIA but as ample illustrated here in the comments, there were plenty of gems. Above all, I loved the theme.
    Thanks to Rodruguez and Duncan for a great blog.

  15. Good, esp as the down entries didn’t suffer as a result of the presence of the inner cities.

    Except for RUAIRI 😀

  16. Don’t think I’d have got RUAIRI but for having just welcomed a work colleague this month who spells his name thus, and once you’ve twigged that might be the answer, the wordplay makes the spelling very straightforward.

    Thought this was a very enjoyable romp, and mistakenly thought it was only the across clues on the left hand of the grid that were involved in the theme as I didn’t have much else in the right hand side and had failed to spot UR. Realising that all those others were there too puts this in the top drawer for me.

  17. Thanks Rodriguez and duncanshiell.
    Getting 28 early didn’t help much with top half.
    CALOMEL loi, after messing with Rome, Vaping etc.
    CROUPIER, BROADENED, FULMAR, HIBERNIA are favs.
    Great puzzle!

  18. Having tackled Rodriguez (as Picaroon) in the Graun yesterday we thought we might find this relatively easy. Some hopes! We needed considerable help and even after revealing the R at 21 we failed to get RUAIRI, even though we had come across that spelling before. A great crossword, though, and the theme did help a bit.
    Thanks, Rodriguez and Duncan.

  19. Fantastic execution of the theme! Re. 21d (my LONI) I pencilled in RUA?RI and thought “that’s ridiculous”. Oh well, didn’t spoil the enjoyment in the least. And I quite liked Carmen!

  21. Brilliant. I needed to cheat a bit to solve the last few but I’m OK with that. EYETOOTH was a real gem. Thanks to both.

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