Independent 11,206 by Filbert

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Another very enjoyable puzzle from Filbert with a nice mixture of clues.

There were some clever misdirections in some of the clues e.g. 14D and 18D.

ACROSS
1 WILLIAM AND MARY
Royal couple are going to Myanmar, aid working (7,3,4)

Will(=are going to) + (Myanmar aid)*. The royal couple here are not part of the current family – they came to power in 1689 after the so-called Glorious Revolution which deposed James II.
10 FLATCAP
Relatively low spending limit a Yorkshire stereotype? (4,3)

Flat(=relatively low) + cap(=spending limit). I think flat here refers to a musical flat which is low relative to the semitone above.
11 ACCOSTS
A carnation primarily is fetching for buttonholes (7)

A c[arnation] + costs. Fetching is used in the sense of "gold is fetching x pounds per ounce".
12 CORK
Plug the gap in s_eptic? (4)

C or K. Possible spellings of sceptic, the one with the K being a bit more American.
13 FALSE ALARM
Cod scare marine predator in Cornish river inlet (5,5)

Seal in "Fal arm"(a possible inlet of the Cornish river, the Fal). Cod here is used in the sense of "cod psychology".
15 TEA LADIES
Traditional brewers duck new ideas (3,6)

Teal(=duck) + ideas*
17 TRICK
Three clubs, then king? (5)

&lit. Tri(=three) + c{lubs} + k{ing}. It wouldn't be much of a trick – just a King High in most versions of poker.
19 BASEL
City next to Germany, bottom left (5)

Base + l{eft}. I did check where Basel was for the blog and it's right on the German border.
20 GREENGAGE
Good to become interested again in fruit (9)

G{ood} + re-engage.
22 CARPET MOTH
Creature that eats pile of fish revolting to them (6,4)

Carp + (to them)*. Pile here refers to pile carpet (although technically it's the caterpillar rather than the moth which eats it).
25 DIGS
Heads of department imply geography seminar is boring (4)

Initial letters of "department imply geography seminar".
27 LIGHTER
More entertaining alternative to match (7)

DD.

28 RAMPAGE
Leaf stuck to sheep in storm (7)

Page(=leaf) on ram(=sheep)
29 CAREERS ADVISER
Coach getting people into work shifted as I reversed car (7,7)

(As I reversed car)*. Coach here is used in the sense of a trainer rather than vehicle.
DOWN
2 IN ARREARS
Wobbly rain butts not settled properly (2,7)

Rain* + rears(=butts). This is settled in a financial sense.
3 LACE
Maybe add alcohol to large one (4)

L{arge} + ace
4 APPEALING
Parking in a parking place in London, trying to escape fine? (9)

P{arking} in a p{arking} + Ealing(=place in London). Trying to escape the fine would be appealing against it.
5 AMASS
Pile up flotsam as shipwreck submerges (5)

Hidden in flotsam as shipwreck
6 DOC MARTENS
Camden store runs out of English shoes (3,7)

(Camden stor[e])*. Not completely sure of the mechanics of this but I think runs is the anagram indicator and the whole thing is "out of" E{nglish} i.e. E removed.
7 AT SEA
Lost a saddle when cycling (2,3)

A + (seat with the T moved to the front)
8 YASHMAK
Around hospital, doctor may ask for a face-covering (7)

(May ask)* around h{ospital}. Doctor is the anagram indicator.
9 OFFCUT
Cricket side pretty lacking in energy, a bit left (6)

Off(=off-side in cricket) + cut[e] (minus e{nergy})
14 CALL CENTRE
Office with jobs on the line, decision related to penny-pinching? (4,6)

CD for the first part(line = telephone line) but I'm slightly lost on the second bit. It might refer to some sort of game where you have to make a decision (call) on whether to hold a penny by the centre or edges.
16 SHELTERED
That woman changed, removing top in a safe place (9)

She + [a]ltered
18 INANIMATE
Popular article on parrot forgetting it’s dead (9)

In(=popular) + an on im[it]ate(=parrot as a verb)
19 BUCOLIC
British colonel in uniform in charge of the country (7)

B{ritish} + (col{onel} in (u{niform} + i{n} c{harge}))
21 EASTER
Shop’s opening during consumer festival (6)

S[hop] in eater
23 ROGER
I heard that your ego rarely bears being upset (5)

Hidden, rev in your ego rarely. Roger here refers to the term "roger that" originating in radio communications.
24 MARKS
An Evangelist’s stigmata, perhaps (5)

DD. The first would be the possessive of St Mark.
26 IMPI
One thousand and three and a bit, a Zulu unit (4)

I M(one and thousand in Roman numerals) + pi. Pi being 3.14… would be slightly more than 3.

9 comments on “Independent 11,206 by Filbert”

  4. I’d echo Copmus’s views here.

    For 14D I suspect you are right Hovis – it has a proper “worked out” feel to it. I’m afraid I sped to the view that it reflected the setting up of such centres in areas of high unemployment, or indeed offshoring (delightful phrase!), and paying peanuts for workers. All in the name of holding down costs. Rant over.

    Thanks to Filbert and NealH.

  5. I thought this was excellent. I read the trick as in whist or bridge, assuming the king followed suit and none of the club’s was an ace.

  7. One of those days where I got about half of it done and then got stuck. But I put it to one side and when I came back to it, it went in quickly.

    CORK was my LOI and that was a d’oh moment.

  8. We made steady progress on this – in two sessions as we had to take a break for other matters. A few clues proved a bit chewy but it was all gettable although we couldn’t see the parsing of 14dn. Favourite was INANIMATE, closely followed by CORK.
    Thanks, Filbert and NealH.

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