Independent 11,235 by Monk

The puzzle is available here.

 

Hi everyone.  This was a bottom up solve for me which felt difficult but actually took less time than usual for a Monk.  I did have some help from the nina though.  There are some related thematic entries which I didn’t notice at the time.  I have highlighted the obvious ones below, but there is a little more associated content to be found, such as in the clue for 8d.

When blogging I noticed a few instances of one or 1 being represented by the letter I, notably in the first three across clues.  Nevertheless, an ace puzzle – thanks Monk!

 

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

9a    Old coastal area is excellent, best seen from the east (5)
IONIA
AI (A1: excellent) and NO I (No 1: best) all reversed (seen from the east, in an across entry)

10a   American leave, one taken in an Eastern French region (9)
AQUITAINE
A (American) + QUIT (leave) + I (one) inside (taken in) AN and E (Eastern)

11a   One left outside quietly stopping search, turning back dogs (7)
KELPIES
The reversal of (… turning back) I (one) and L (left) surrounding (outside) P (quietly), all inside (stopping) SEEK (search)

12a   Retreat from ledge and end, pulling back from both (7)
SHELTER
SHELf (ledge) and TERm (end), removing the final letter from each (pulling back from both)

13a   Famous brand set in stone (9)
EXCALIBUR
A cryptic definition, the brand being a sword

15a   Wherein some early Latin recalled? (5)
ITALY
The answer to the question posed by the clue is found in some earlY LATIn reversed (recalled)

17a   This will get you free dinners — optimism worked (15)
DISIMPRISONMENT
An anagram of (… worked) DINNERS OPTIMISM

20a   Tree in estate, say, outside England’s borders (5)
CEDAR
CAR (estate say) around (outside) EnglanD’s outer letters (borders)

21a   Gloomy yet funny linguistic study (9)
ETYMOLOGY
GLOOMY YET anagrammed (funny)

23a   Judges expelling just who fixed skating event (3,4)
ICE SHOW
[just]ICES (judges) removing (expelling) JUST + an anagram of (… fixed) WHO

25a   Long, drawn vote securing Independent win (7)
ACHIEVE
ACHE (long) and VotE without its inner letters (drawn …, as in eviscerated) around (securing) I (Independent)

26a   On which Spartans perhaps grow replete, possibly after adult pressure (5-4)
APPLE-TREE
An anagram of (… possibly) REPLETE after A (adult) and P (pressure).  Spartans are a variety of apple

27a   Agreement about hosting overseas ruler (5)
EMEER
AgREEMEnt in reverse (about) is holding (hosting) the answer

 

Down

1d    Extract marijuana plant (8)
MILKWEED
MILK (extract) + WEED (marijuana)

2d    Made English chemical company second, having fished around (10)
ANGLICISED
ICI (chemical company) and S (second) surrounded by (having … around) ANGLED (fished)

3d    Artist set out, climbing out of the centre (6)
RADIAL
RA (artist) + the reversal of (… climbing, in a down entry) LAID (set out)

4d    Disease of solvers picked up (4)
YAWS
YOURS (solvers), homophone (picked up)

5d    Composer‘s rising rank, er, undermined by British media conglomerate (10)
MUSSORGSKY
In reverse, (rising) GROSS (rank) and UM (er), all followed by (undermined by) SKY (British media conglomerate)

6d    Immediately overwhelmed by alpha male, one in particular from a European capital (8)
ATHENIAN
THEN (immediately) surrounded by (overwhelmed by) A (alpha) and IAN (male, one in particular)

7d    Top of rock having twelve-inch fissure (4)
RIFT
The first letter (top) of Rock + I FT (1 ft: twelve-inch)

8d    Variable, premature annual (6)
YEARLY
Y (variable) + EARLY (premature)

14d   Plant holder raised on mortar, centrally below block (10)
BARRENWORT
OWNER (holder) reversed (raised) preceding (on) the middle letters of (… centrally) moRTar, all below BAR (block)

16d   New name given to shooting star moving over weather instrument (10)
ANEMOMETER
An anagram of (new) NAME + METEOR (shooting star), moving O (over)

18d   Tramp and Monk joining new border dwellers (8)
MARCHMEN
MARCH (tramp) and ME (Monk) + N (new)

19d   Plant transplants by artery (8)
TAYBERRY
The answer is an anagram of (transplants) BY ARTERY

20d   French president‘s right answer given in style (6)
CHIRAC
R (right) and A (answer) are inside (given in) CHIC (style)

22d   Plant sheath having yellowish-brown area (6)
OCHREA
OCHRE (yellowish-brown) + A (area)

24d   Show bombshell with casing removed (4)
EXPO
sEXPOt (bombshell) without outer letters (with casing removed)

25d   Maple syrup essentially put beneath one (4)
ACER
The middle letter of (essentially) syRup put beneath ACE (one)