Independent on Sunday 1,721/Hoskins

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Hoskins is becoming a regular in the Indy Sunday slot.

Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
cad clue as definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) removed

definitions are underlined

Across

1 Tins opened by retired islanders
CRETANS
An insertion of RET in CANS. The insertion indicator is ‘opened by’.

5 Good daughter returning salsa?
DIP
A reversal of PI and D.

7 Cold run? I’ll put on overcoat!
CLADDER
A charade of C and LADDER. Think tights.

8 Some top-end or second-class support?
ENDORSE
Hidden in top-END OR SEcond-class.

10 Beer by that Bow woman drinking with king
ALEXANDER
A charade of ALE and AND for ‘with’ inserted into X and ER. The ER is hinted at by ‘ER as an East End way of saying ‘her’ or ‘that woman’ and the X is ‘by’, as in 2×4 being ‘two by four’. The insertion indicator is ‘drinking’.

11 Day in Kent to see Foreigner
SWEDE
An insertion of WED in SE, which is setterspeak for ‘Kent’, being in the SE of England. The insertion indicator is ‘in’.

12 Pal with a Garand rifle shot …
AMIGO
A charade of A, MI and GO. The Garand rifle is also known as the M1 rifle.

14 … a released wild animal
EARED SEAL
(A RELEASED)*

17 Got in the ride shaking
INHERITED
(IN THE RIDE)*

20 Spot duke with yen to get off
SEEDY
A charade of SEE, D and Y.

21 Rabbit available at eatery in the country
GABON
A charade of GAB and ON. ‘Is the lasagne on today?’

23 Put out cigar and bonk Serpent
KING COBRA
(CIGAR BONK)*

25 Literature in post
LETTERS
A dd.

26 One dead on small Ohio island
ISOLATE
A charade of I, S, O and LATE.

27 Go fast if short of time
DIE
DIE[T]

28 Long to get leg over and begin apace
PITCH IN
An insertion of ITCH in PIN. The insertion indicator is ‘to get … over’.

Down

1 Stop luggage item with E inside
CEASE
An insertion of E in CASE. The insertion indicator is ‘with … inside’.

2 Try being naughty over a nude
ENDEAVOUR
(OVER A NUDE)*

3 Cut down a middle eight
ABRIDGE
A charade of A and BRIDGE. In a pop song, for example, the middle eight is a section typically played between verses. It is usually eight bars long and is also called a BRIDGE.

4 One fleecing old England striker
SHEARER
A dd.

5 Earl wears clothes for men
DUDES
An insertion of E in DUDS. The insertion indicator is ‘wears’.

6 Soldier on exercises right to get serious
PERSEVERE
A charade of PE, R and SEVERE.

7 Bread, tea and milk around India
CHAPATI
A charade of CHA, TAP reversed and I.

9 A looker Hoskins picked up
EYE
A homophone of ‘I’ for ‘Hoskins’.

13 Shy criminal hit in bed, I admitted
INHIBITED
An insertion of I in (HIT IN BED)* The insertion indicator is ‘admitted’.

15 Wally hugged by hotty on hot dryer?
DISHCLOTH
An insertion of CLOT in DISH and H. The insertion indicator is ‘hugged by’.

16 Reveal song by Rod first to exec
LAY BARE
A charade of LAY, BAR and E for the initial letter of ‘exec’.

18 Fills drink after win
TAKES UP
A charade of TAKE and SUP.

19 One attending to canine in a bad way?
DENTIST
A cd.

21 Young lady convict knocked up
GAL
A reversal of LAG.

22 Resort detaining English kinswoman
NIECE
An insertion of E in NICE. The insertion indicator is ‘detaining’.

24 B___ shower head!
BRAIN
A charade of B and RAIN.

Many thanks to Hoskins for this Sunday’s puzzle.

16 comments on “Independent on Sunday 1,721/Hoskins”

  1. ‘And’ for ‘with’ and ‘island’ for ‘isolate’ grist to the mill. Liked ‘soldier on’ as definition. Liked some of the shorter clues. SWEDE. SEEDY. LAY BARE. Not too taxing for a Sunday. Thanks Hoskins and Pierre.

  3. Most of this went in without too much trouble but there were a few that pulled me up at the end. I’d never heard of a ‘Garand rifle’, or of BRIDGE in a musical sense and I was staring dumbly at CLADDER, my last in, until I finally saw LADDER for ‘run?’. I liked the misleading ‘Soldiers on’ def and the surface for DISHCLOTH.

    Thanks to Pierre and Hoskins

  4. I’ve seen this meaning for ‘dishcloth’ before (and it’s in Chambers). To me, a dishcloth has always been for washing and a dishtowel for drying. Didn’t know ‘isolate’ could be a noun.

  5. Hovis@4
    Adding to what you said about ‘isolate’ being a noun, I have seen ‘island’ being used as a verb as well. Looks like the clue works in either case.

  6. Great fun, love this setter’s style and wit, but by no means a walkover for me. Smiles throughout the grid but I’ll limit my mentions to DIE, SEEDY, ALEXANDER and my favourite the lol DISHCLOTH, in which Chambers confirms the setter’s interpretation.
    Many thanks to Harry and Pierre.

  7. All the usual Hoskins fun, although I found the SE corner tougher than normal.

    Many thanks to Harry and to Pierre.

  8. I was talking to a friend this morning and he mentioned that his wife also calls a tea towel a dishcloth, often causing some confusion. They are both Scottish so to what extent this is regional I wouldn’t know. I’m originally from Yorkshire. KVa – I did wonder whether ‘island’ could be a verb but didn’t check so thanks for the info.

  11. For 26 ISOLATE:
    Collins gives island as a verb = “isolate”
    but isolate as a noun = “a person or group that is set apart” – so not a literal island.
    But metaphorically it works, in poetry: “No Man Is An Island” by John Donne
    variously contradicted in music by Simon & Garfunkel – ” I Am a Rock I am an island”
    Bob Geldof – “I am an island entire of myself”
    & The Bee Gees (via Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton) – “Islands in the stream. That is what we are”
    Choose your earworm.
    Thanks H&P

  12. Yep. Typical Hoskins fare. Good fun. Though I am definitely of the dishcloth – washing/tea towel – drying school. And ‘island’ as a verb is horrible. It’s in Chambers for sure but I simply cannot imagine it being used in a verbal sense. Which is, of course, entirely my bad.

    Thanks Hoskins and Pierre

  13. Not a lot of ‘cheeky’ Harry on display here and I found this one quite hard work. Top three for me were SHEARER, PERSEVERE & CHAPATI.

    Thanks to Hoskins and to Pierre for the review – no birds again today…………

  14. Fabulous puzzle by Hoskins as always. Particularly loved DISHCLOTH, and my experience here in the US is that it is synonymous with DISHTOWEL. I’ve delved into Collins and can’t see why WED = DAY in SWEDE; if someone could edify me I’d be most appreciative. Thanks to Hoskins and Pierre for the blog

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