Independent 11503 / Rodriguez

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A puzzle from Rodriguez today, a setter who has appeared on the Independent roster regularly recently.

 

 

 

I enjoyed this and had to think quite a bit on quite a few of the clues.

I liked the clues for CARPI, RASTA, ALEXANDER, TAX CUT and ALPHA in particular.  The clue for TAX CUT probably won’t make it into an anthology unless the date of original publication of the crossword is shown. Due to crosswords, RALEIGH has become one of the American State capitals that I know quite well now.

Rodriguez managed to get a plug for both Apple (SIRI) and Amazon (KINDLE).

It took me a while to work out the wordplay for DICE.

I couldn’t find a reference to G (used in AMUSING) as a stand alone abbreviation for Germany in any dictionary, although it is part of FRG (Federal Republic of Germany)

No Detail
Across
9 This possibly leads to extra virgin oil? (5)

OLIVE (a fruit that is pressed to yield extra virgin OLIVE oil)

Anagram of (possibly) EV (first letters of each of [leads to] EXTRA and VIRGIN) and OIL

OLIVE*
10 London’s easternmost area? (9)

CHINATOWN (an area of London)

CHINATOWN – cryptic definition of an area focusing on the supply of eastern products

CHINATOWN
11 Not messing about, I approach and then retreat (2,7)

IN EARNEST (in a determined or unequivocal way; not messing about)

I + NEAR (to approach) + NEST (place of retreat)

I N EAR NEST
12 Parts of a joint of beef and last of pastrami (5)

CARPI (parts of the wrist [joint])

CARP (moan; beef) + I (final letter of [last of] PASTRAMI)

CARP I
13 Funny couple of Americans visiting Germany (7)

AMUSING (mildly funny)

AM (American) + US (of the United States; also American – hence Americans) + IN + G (Germany)

AM US IN G
16 Did gag in opening of routine and made an impression (7)

RETCHED (vomited; gagged; did gag)

R (first letter of [opening of] ROUTINE) + ETCHED (made a deep or irremovable impression)

R ETCHED
17 Plead with sentenced criminal to take heart in tough part of sentence (9,6)

DEPENDENT CLAUSE (part of a sentence which cannot stand in isolation as a sentence in itself)

Anagram of (criminal) PLEAD and [with] SENTENCED and U (central letter of [heart of] TOUGH)

DEPENDENT CLAUSE*
19 Head girl wanting day off in US capital (7)

RALEIGH (capital city of the US State of North Carolina)

Anagram of (off) HEAD GIRL excluding (wanting) D (day)

RALEIGH*
21 On the move, I depart and fly in this group (7)

DIPTERA (the genus of two-winged insects or flies)

Anagram of (on the move) I DEPART

DIPTERA*
23 Dreaded figure, someone like Boris making comeback (5)

RASTA (RASTAfarian, someone who styles their hair in dreadlocks; dreaded figure)

(A + TSAR [perhaps a reference TSAR Boris of Bulgaria, {reference TSAR Boris I, II and III.  Boris III was fairly recent (1894 to 1943)}] Alternatively, may be a reference to BORIS Gudonov [1551-1605],a regent or ruler of Russia) all reversed (making comeback)

(RAST A)<
24 Looking rough, you reportedly head for Soho during every evening (9)

UNSIGHTLY (unpleasing to the eye; looking rough)

U (sounds like [reportedly] YOU) + (S [first letter of [head for] SOHO contained in [during] NIGHTLY [every evening])

U N (S) IGHTLY
27 Pope has a lover, admitting evidence of wrongdoing? (9)

ALEXANDER (reference ALEXANDER Pope [1688-1744], English poet of the Enlightenment era)

A + (LEANDER [lover of Hera in Greek mythology] containing [[admitting] X [mark written against a wrong answer])

A LE (X) ANDER
28 The first Letter to the Corinthians? (5)

ALPHA (first letter of the Greek alphabet)

ALPHA (the old city of Corinth was located in what is now modern day Greece where there is a successor city of the same name.  Corinthians would use the Greek alphabet)

ALPHA
Down
1 Protestor seeking 6‘s encouraging shout for Beyoncé? (6)

GODIVA (reference Lady GODIVA, 11th century noblewoman remembered for a legend dating back to at least the 13th century, in which she rode naked – covered only in her long hair – through the streets of Coventry to gain a remission of the oppressive taxation that her husband, Leofric, imposed on his tenants; protestor seeking TAX CUT, the entry at 6 down)

GO (an encouraging shout) + DIVA (Beyonce Knowles [born 1981] can be described as a DIVA)

GO DIVA
2 Cut diamonds in two different ways (4)

DICE (cut into small pieces)

D (diamonds) + ICE (a word for diamonds), so we have diamonds represented in two different ways

D ICE
3 Like Stalin‘s reign – go for reform with Nikita finally (8)

GEORGIAN (Josef Stalin [1878-1953] was born in GEORGIA)

Anagram of (for reform) REIGN GO and A (last letter of [finally] NIKITA)

GEORGIAN*
4 Top spy infiltrates great corporation making outlandish products (4)

ACME (top or highest point)

M (in the James Bond novels by Ian Fleming, the head of MI5 [Security Service [spies] is referred to as M) contained in (infiltrates)  ACE (reference the ACE Corporation featured in Marvel Comics.  ACE appears to be an organisation that makes products for use in outer space or outlandish locations)

AC (M) E
5 Weed the setter’s knocked over, cut badly and rebuked (10)

MICTURATED (urianted; weed)

I’M (I’M going to do something or the setter’s going to do something) reversed (knocked over) + an anagram of (badly) CUT + RATED (reproved; rebuked)

MI< CTU* RATED
6 A gift from Jeremy Hunt? Ta! (3,3)

TAX CUT (At the time of publication, Jeremy Hunt is Chancellor of the Exchequer, who has the gift of TAX CUTs in his portfolio)

TA can be clued as TAX excluding the final letter (CUT) X,

TAX CUT
7 E.g. sweet clothing old-fashioned solver’s trying here (10)

COURTHOUSE (a place where cases are tried)

COURSE (e.g.the sweet COURSE of a meal) containing (clothing) THOU (an old fashioned word for you [the solver])

COUR (THOU) SE
8 Light reader following case of eyestrain (8)

ENKINDLE (ser on fire; light)

EN (outer letters of [case of] EYESTRAIN) + KINDLE (the brand name of Amazon’s electronic reading devices)

EN KINDLE
14 Gauche article in El País by European journalist (10)

UNPOLISHED (clumsy; awkward; gauche)

UN (one of the forms of the indefinite article in Spanish) + POLISH (descriptive of a European) + ED (editor; journalist)

UN POLISH ED
15 They hunt old badgers (10)

GREYHOUNDS (dogs that are sometimes used for hunting)

GREY (old) + HOUNDS (pesters; badgers)

GREY HOUNDS
17 Torrid dancing with publicity for country track (4,4)

DIRT ROAD (rough unsurfaced road such as a country track)

Anagram of (dancing) TORRID + AD (advertisement; publicity)

DIRT RO* AD
18 Primo Levi’s beginning extremely amazing novel in which a character’s missing (8)

LIPOGRAM (a written text deliberately composed only of words not having a certain letter)

Anagram of (novel) PRIMO and L (first letter of [beginning] LEVI and AG (outer letters of [extremely] AMAZING

LIPOGRAM*
20 Italy’s capital I see, and possibly Berlin (6)

ISAIAH (reference ISAIAH Berlin [1909-1997] who was a Russian-British social and political theorist, philosopher and historian of ideas)

I’S (Italy’s – I is the international vehicle registration for Italy) + AI (A one; excellent; capital) + AH (I see)

IS AI AH
22 A place like Park Avenue or Wall Street still (6)

ANYWAY (in ANY case; still)

A + NY (New York) + WAY (road; street) – in this instance Park Avenue and Wall Street refer to the streets in New York

A NY WAY
25 Maybe Murdoch’s revolutionary virtual assistant (4)

SIRI (name of Apple’s virtual assistant, serving a similar purpose to Amazon’s Alexa)

IRIS (reference the author IRIS Murdoch [1919-1999]) reversed (revolutionary)

SIRI<
26 Perhaps these emitted liquid when turned? (4)

TAPS (when turned on these emit liquid)

SPAT (drop of rain; splash; liquid) reversed (when turned)

TAPS<

 

15 comments on “Independent 11503 / Rodriguez”

  2. I mainly think of roadrunner and coyote cartoon for ACME.

    Loved just about all of this. I’ll give a special mention of IN EARNEST.

  3. Good puzzle, done after yesterday’s Picaroon in the G. I agree with Hovis @2 about ACME; happy memories, beep-beep. This was the one that gave me most trouble along with AMUSING; I put in G for ‘Germany’ without much thought but it was the ‘couple of Americans’ that stumped me for a while. “Irving” looked very tempting for ‘possibly Berlin’ but it wasn’t to be.

    I wondered if LIPOGRAM might be of significance but I can’t spot anything.

    Thanks to Rodriguez and Duncan

  6. Lots of fun – thanks both. Duncan, I think you need Hero in 27a (the lady’s name often causes a double-take) and not the goddess Hera.

  7. Good to be reminded of the ACME Corporation, which made products like explosive tennis balls, invisible paint, instant earthquake pills and do-it-yourself tornado kits.

  8. Thanks both. I took a long time over this, finally getting RASTA which is clever, and does well to use Boris is a less obvious context than one in particular, and ISAIAH which I guessed at without being able to see AI as capital, and not knowing the referenced individual, consequently I’d spent a long while trying to make Irving work

  9. Re G for Germany the Chambers app lists it under capital G with a reference to German developed poison gases.

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