Independent 11,248 by Italicus

by

Italicus to get us going this week

One or two to make you think – thanks Italicus

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1. Fruit from Thailand stored in abandoned canneries (10)
NECTARINES

T(hailand) inserted in an abandoned CANNERIES*

6. Book initially ignored irrefutable data (4)
ACTS

initially ignored (f)ACTS

9. Creature caught in meadow hiding in grass (7)
POLECAT

C(aught) in LEA for meadow all in POT – grass

10. Tennyson was oddly detached about capture (7)
ENSNARE

Alternate letters of tEnNySoN wAs & RE – about

12. Very suggestive article rejected, being motivated by revenge (10)
VINDICTIVE

V(ery) & A removed form INDIC(a)TIVE

13. Measure of a parliamentarian (3)
AMP

A & M.P.

15. Knight, say, finally quitting day job (6)
ERRAND

The knight could be ERRANT with the last letter replaced by D(ay)

16. They question Americans in East End about Charlie (8)
SCEPTICS

Rhyming slang time, SEPTICS – septic tanks – yanks with C(harlie) inserted

18. Sensitive part of record buried by clergyman (8)
RECEPTOR

E.P. – record in RECTOR

20. Elvis struggling to hold note is pitiful sound (6)
SNIVEL

N(ote) inside a struggling ELVIS*

23. One might be discharged from German country club? (3)
GUN

Took a moment to see this. G(erman) & UN – the UN could be a club for countries

24. Poem seen as arcane incantation (4,6)
OPEN SESAME

An arcane [POEM SEEN AS]*

26. National bird perching on city light (7)
LANTERN

LA – city & N(ational) & TERN

27. John can essentially forgive criminal behaviour (7)
LOOTING

LOO – john, toilet & TIN- can & middle of forGive

28. Crush flipping miserable husband (4)
DASH

SAD reversed & H(usband)

29. Harlots exposed by English king’s heralds (10)
TRUMPETERS

Without the covers sTRUMPETs & E(nglish) & R(ex) & ‘S

DOWN
1. Some fasten a pendant here (4)
NAPE

All in one hidden answer in fasteN A PEndant

2. Underground worker runs after dog (7)
COLLIER

COLLIE dog & R(uns)

3. Blundering on, prince acted foolishly (8-5)
ACCIDENT-PRONE

[ON PRINCE ACTED]* foolishly

4. Complete reversal of Northern Ireland diplomacy (6)
INTACT

N.I. reversed then TACT – diplomacy

5. Microscopic part of outspoken newspaper article (8)
EYEPIECE

Sounds like the I newspaper & PIECE an article say

7. Secretary interrupts confab over source of imported food (7)
CHAPATI

P.A. inside CHAT & start of I(mported)

8. Ship heels precariously on axis in awkward fashion (10)
SHEEPISHLY

A precarious [SHIP HEELS]* & the Y axis

11. Two ways around forest, one way across stream (8-5)
STEPPING-STONE

EPPING forest inside 2 * ST(reet) & ONE

14. Dishevelled teacher teased outside entrance to library (10)
BEDRAGGLED

B’ED Bachelor of Education – teacher & L(ibrary) inside RAGGED – teased

17. Leader regularly concealed rancour, supporting reinstated minister (8)
GOVERNOR

I don’t know when this was written but GOVE is back in the cabinet (well he was last I heard, it might have changed again by the time you read this) & alternate letters of RaNcOuR

19. Sticks with popular filling for teeth (7)
CANINES

IN – popular inside CANES – sticks

21. Priam transformed into vile, heartless monster (7)
VAMPIRE

A transformed PRIAM* inside a heartless V(il)E

22. A run-down area welcoming closure of donkey sanctuary (6)
ASYLUM

A & SLUM with end of donkeY inserted

25. Gets old leaders to acknowledge ghastly economic situation (4)
AGES

Initial letters of Acknowledge Ghastly Economic Situation

 

10 comments on “Independent 11,248 by Italicus”

  2. More than one or two to make me thing, flashling! SCEPTICS beat me insofar as I had no hope of parsing – nho the Cockney slang phrase – and I struggled to get RECEPTOR, BEDRAGGLED and GOVERNOR with the last being a bung and hope. Nicely testing for a Monday and I have big ticks for POLECAT, VINDICTIVE, ERRAND, SNIVEL, LANTERN, TRUMPETERS, ACCIDENT-PRONE and STEPPING STONES.

    Thanks Italicus and flashling.

  3. In the case of GOVE shouldn’t that be ‘regularly reinstated minister’?

    Lovely surfaces. Lots to make me smile. Thanks both

  4. Really enjoyed this though held up initially by confidently writing in RUTH at 6A (which seems equally valid).

    Thanks to Italicus and Flashling

  5. Thanks both. I solved this very much in small instalments. At least today’s education in Cockney rhyming slang for a northerner was guessable in SCEPTICS whereas yesterday’s ‘titfer tat – hat’ was a London Bridge too far

  6. @reddevil I’m quite glad I had a down solution that stopped Ruth before I looked at it. A bit of a mistake to be honest there that really ought to have been caught.

  8. Hi all, first a big thanks to MH for a late edit to 17 down, changing ‘former’ to ‘reinstated’ minister, after last weeks reshuffle.
    Apologies for the RUTH/ACTS debacle, but as a setter you have the solution in front of you and are cluing that particular word, and when you find a clue that works you don’t really think about whether it might work for another word. I guess I could make a post hoc defense, by saying data is plural, so it would have to be TRUTHS rather than TRUTH, but I must admit that both answers fit equally well.
    Anyway, many thanks to flashling for the blog and to everyone else for the kind comments. Always nice to read that I have raised a few smiles.

  9. We enjoyed this immensely thank you, Italicus. Especially the microscopic part, so misleading….. As many others! Didn’t parse sceptics, so many thanks for the blog, flashling

  10. I’ve heard of the SEPTICS, but in more common use is SHERMANS, for obvious reasons. I had no problem with yesterday’s TITFER either, though I suppose as an obsessive solver I do take an exceptional interest in the various slang forms.

    Interesting on the RUTH/ ACTS dilemma. I suppose ACTS is slightly better, but they do both parse.

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