Independent 11,205 by Crosophile

The puzzle is available here.

 

Hello everyone, it’s been a while.  Many thanks to the lovely Flashling for standing in for me expertly while I was away.

For today’s entertainment it’s thanks to Crosophile.  Themophiles are sure to love this, and as I like a theme myself when done well I enjoyed detecting this one.  I found the puzzle pretty tricky but a pleasure to solve.

At first I was focussing on 12a as the centrepiece of the theme, taken in by the red herrings GUMSHOE AND STITCH, but then I did some more READING of the grid.  We have many literary elements, from a single LETTER right through to a whole LIBRARY:

LETTER, WORD, PHRASE, SENTENCE, PAGE, CHAPTER, RHYME, ESSAY, GOSPEL, BOOK, LIBRARY

Did I miss any?

 

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

8a    Dick sticks with garden implement (7)
GUMSHOE
GUMS (sticks) + HOE (garden implement).  The definition and answer are both informal terms for a detective

9a    Take millions from the wealthiest? It’ll never fly (7)
OSTRICH
Take M (millions) from [m]OST RICH (the wealthiest).  It’ll never fly unless you put it on a plane …

10a   Mangled closed-circuit capturing leak in outhouse (9)
SCRUNCHED
CC (closed-circuit) around (capturing) RUN (leak), all in SHED (outhouse)

11a   Flower bud seen around middle of July (5)
TULIP
TIP (bud) seen around the inner two letters of (middle of) jULy

12a   They try crime writer’s sequel to Nine Tailors finally (8)
ESSAYERS
SAYERS (crime writer) goes after (is sequel to) the last letters of (… finally) NinE and TailorS.  Dorothy L Sayers did indeed write The Nine Tailors

13a   Expression one sees right through adolescence say (6)
PHRASE
Here we see R (right) inside (through) PHASE (adolescence say)

16a   Taken to task at the 18? (7,2,4)
BROUGHT TO BOOK
A cryptic definition, with 18d = LIBRARY

20a   When cycling back no ride can be made smooth (6)
IRONED
When reversed and the letters cycled round (when cycling back), NO RIDE can be permuted to give the answer

22a   What criminal gets transported to ends of the known public sphere? (8)
SENTENCE
SENT (transported) + the final letters (ends) of thE knowN publiC spherE

23a   Poem by Frost for audience (5)
RHYME
RIME (frost), homophone (for audience)

25a   Earlier instance of damage to car by delinquent creep? (9)
PRECEDENT
DENT (damage to car) + an anagram of (delinquent) CREEP

26a   In fear of dropping dead in town (7)
READING
[d]READING (in fear of) without (dropping) D (dead)

27a   Who will vote for a change of role etc? (7)
ELECTOR
An anagram of (a change of) ROLE ETC

 

Down

1d    I am ‘Sir’ with opera in production (10)
IMPRESARIO
I’M (I am) + an anagram of (… in production) SIR with OPERA

2d    Dished out pocketed snotrag – cheers! (5,3)
THANK YOU
An anagram of (dished) OUT, with HANKY (snotrag) inside (pocketed)

3d    Choice of two awkward cheers (not three in the end) (9)
RECHERCHE
An anagram of (awkward) CHEER CHE[e]R (two … cheers) without (not) the last letter of (… in the end) threE

4d    Promise to take edge off blade (4)
WORD
We remove the first letter from (take the edge off) sWORD (blade)

5d    If dropped it may start a run, or it may stop one (6)
STITCH
Two definitions, the first hosiery related and the second to do with exercise

6d    Crowd round a factory (4)
MILL
Another double definition

7d    Beloved’s likely to be seen within group of angels (7)
CHAPTER
CHER (beloved) has APT (likely) found inside (to be seen within).  I think this is a reference to the Hell’s Angels having chapters, but had to dig round a bit after completing.  At the time I just assumed a group of supernatural-type angels must be a chapter

8d    Turn short bit of magic into story with miracles (6)
GOSPEL
GO (turn) + all but the last letter of (short) SPELl (bit of magic)

14d   Send matron fresh dressings (10)
ADORNMENTS
SEND MATRON anagrammed (fresh)

15d   Around pole, tent pitched in sand on vacation became less level (9)
STEEPENED
Around N (pole) is TEEPEE (tent), all of which is put into (pitched in) SandD on removal of its inner letters (on vacation)

17d   Worn out tetra swimming in bottom of lake (8)
BATTERED
An anagram of (… swimming) TETRA in BED (bottom of lake)

18d   A place for 26 and two bits of lingerie underwear on the lines (7)
LIBRARY
26a being READING; the first two bits of LIngerie + BRA (underwear) + RY (the lines)

19d   Landlord’s notice to quit perhaps? (6)
LETTER
Two meanings

21d   Take Crosophile to court after upset? It makes you sick (6)
EMETIC
CITE ME (take Crosophile to court) on reversal (after upset)

24d   Yankee facing hearing in 2023 say (4)
YEAR
Y (Yankee) + EAR (hearing)

25d   Call for grand parades, but no soldiers (4)
PAGE
PAGE[ants] (grand parades) but no ANTS (soldiers)