Serpent is the Independent setter today.
Serpent often incorporates a message or theme into his puzzles. Today we have a phrase in the unchecked letters in the perimeter of the grid. Starting with the initial M of 4 down, MOSS, and moving clockwise we can see that MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO AROUND
Almost always the definition part of a clue is at the beginning or the end, but we have one slightly quirky one today where the definition of NEGLIGEE as ‘flimsy kit’ at 6 down is found in the middle of the clue.
There were quite a few double definition clues today, but that only stood out for me when I was writing the blog.
I liked the clues for SCOT FREE, GOODNESS and DUGOUT in the acrosses where the definitions made me think a bit. In the downs, my favourites were OFFEND and THAW
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 7 |
Object to half-naked model (6) OPPOSE (take a stand against; object to) OPEN (naked) excluding the final 2 [of 4; half] letters EN + POSE (model) OP POSE |
| 8 |
Missing every penalty, just like the England team? (4-4) SCOT-FREE (not having to pay any taxes; entirely free of every penalty) SCOT-FREE (An English team would not have any Scottish players, so it would be SCOT-FREE) double definition, one cryptic SCOT-FREE |
| 9 |
Once again inspire some more kind leaders (8) REKINDLE (inflame the passions again; inspire once again) REKINDLE (hidden word [some] in MORE KIND LEADERS) REKINDLE |
| 10 |
See team play regularly to get fit (6) SEEMLY (suitable; fit) SEEMLY (letters 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 [regularly] of SEE TEAM PLAY) SEEMLY |
| 11 |
Sensitive director initially stops programme targeting consumers? (6) ADWARE (computer software in which advertising [material targeting consumers] is displayed while the program is running) D (director) contained in (stops) AWARE (conscious; sensitive) A (D) WARE |
| 12 |
Example showing name-dropping male (8) PARADIGM (example) PARADING (showing) excluding (dropping) N (name) + M (male) PARADIG M |
| 14 |
Cruel person, because of what has gone before, returns (4) OGRE (cruel person) ERGO (therefore [because of what has gone before]) reversed (returns) OGRE< |
| 16 |
What may manipulate Barnet’s Chinese communities? (5) TONGS (curling TONGS may be used to style hair [barnet]) TONGS (Chinese guilds or secret societies or communities, particularly ones associated with organized crime) double definition TONGS |
| 17 |
A part of the Far East (4) AREA (region or part – in Collins’ dictionary A is given as an abbreviation for AREA)) AREA (hidden word in [part of] FAR EAST) AREA |
| 18 |
Virtue that is unexpected (8) GOODNESS (virtue) GOODNESS (mild exclamation in response to encountering something unexpected) double definition GOODNESS |
| 20 |
Note what teachers involved in dispute might do (6) REMARK (notice; note) RE MARK (what a teacher might do if there is a dispute about the quality of a piece of work) double definition REMARK |
| 22 |
Boat in which you’re unlikely to see skipper? (6) DUGOUT (a primitive type of boat) DUGOUT (reserves or substitutes sit in the DUGOUT. It is fairly unlikely that the team skipper would be substituted, but it does happen) DUGOUT |
| 24 |
Old king occupying Italian city is too picky (8) OVERNICE (too fastidious; too picky) O (old) + (R [Rex; king] contained in [occupying] VENICE [Italian city]) O VE (R) NICE |
| 25 |
Four-letter words in English? (8) LANGUAGE (someone might tell you to ‘mind your LANGUAGE‘ if you resorted to the use of offensive four letter words) LANGUAGE (English is a LANGUAGE) double definition LANGUAGE |
| 26 |
Company’s delivered classes for religious people (6) CASTES (social classes amongst Hindus in India; classes for religious people) CASTES (sounds like CASTS [companies of actors]) CASTES |
| Down | |
| 1 |
Student boarding at university that man had sustained (6) UPHELD (sustained) UP (attending university) + (L [learner; student] contained in [boarding] HE’D [that man had]) UP HE (L) D |
| 2 |
Change name into name (8) NOMINATE (to name) Anagram of (change) NAME INTO NOMINATE* |
| 3 |
Designed and erected right at the heart of things (4-6) DEAD-CENTRE (right at the heart of things – dictionaries define this word in terms of the positioning of a piston in an engine, but I think it also has the colloquial meaning as given in the clue) Anagram of (designed) AND ERECTED DEAD-CENTRE* |
| 4 |
Supermodel that wouldn’t be attracted to Mick Jagger? (4) MOSS (reference the supermodel Kate MOSS [born 1974]) MOSS (Mick Jagger is the lead singer of the Rolling Stones and ‘a rolling stone gathers no MOSS‘ is a well known phrase which could be interpreted as saying Kate MOSS would not be attracted to any Rolling Stone) MOSS |
| 5 |
Do something resulting in penalty and away goal (6) OFFEND (violate a law; do something resulting in a penalty) OFF (away) + END (target; goal) OFF END |
| 6 |
National clubs wearing such flimsy kit would show carelessness (8) NEGLIGEE (a flimsy item of clothing) NEGLIGENCE (carelessness) is a word formed by (N [national] + C [clubs in a pack of cards]) contained in (wearing) NEGLIGEE NEGLIGEE |
| 8 |
Way accent limits Essex town’s means of progressing (8-5) STEPPING-STONE (a means to gradual progress) (ST [street, way] + TONE [accent]) containing (limits) EPPING’S (an Essex town’s) ST (EPPING’S) TONE |
| 13 |
Revival related to certain implicating information on conservative (10) RESURGENCE (revival) RE (related to) + (SURE [certain] containing [implicating] [GEN {information} + C {Conservative}]) RE SR (GEN C) E |
| 15 |
Spherical ball most of group kicked around (8) GLOBULAR (spherical) Anagram of (kicked around) BALL and GROUP excluding the last letter (mostly) P GLOBULAR* |
| 17 |
Rebuke handsome man embracing married husband (8) ADMONISH (rebuke) (ADONIS [handsome young man] containing [embracing] M [married]) + H (husband) AD (M) ONIS H |
| 19 |
Stupid Australian bird with a taste for cricket? (6) DRONGO (Australian term for a no-hoper or stupid person) DRONGO (any member of the family Dicruridae, glossy-black fork-tailed insect-catching birds of the Old World tropics) double definition DRONGO |
| 21 |
Noise made by bat (6) RACKET (noise) RACKET (bat) double definition RACKET |
| 23 |
What lead tense husband and wife to relax? (4) THAW (relax) THAW (first letters of [lead] each of TENSE, HUSBAND, AND and WIFE) THAW |
Either Serpent is in a generous mood today or I have woken with my solving hat firmly on! I needed the blog for a couple of parsing queries – thank GOODNESS you are there, Duncan – but (aided by the nina which I completed about half way through and which had delivered, quite early on, the tempting AROUND in the NW) this went in very smoothly. I had not picked up on the DRONGO being an insectivore so only really had the one def and I missed the cunning def for AREA, taking it as an &littish clue (a bit cheeky to include ‘the’ for the surface in that one but I would have been sorely tempted myself!!!)
WRT LANGUAGE, it’s defined in Chambers as ‘swearing’ and I’ve heard it used many times as an admonition without even the qualifying ‘mind your …’
As always, lots to admire with this cunning setter: a selection of those that most tickled me today: SEEMLY for the smooth misdirection of the def; PARADIGM for the brilliant spot of ‘parading’; TONGS for the witty Barnet allusion; GOODNESS for the neat DD; NOMINATE and DEAD-CENTRE – two anagrams beautifully merged with the rest of the clue, the first being an absolute delight of a surface; GLOBULAR for the smoothness and, finally, ADMONISH for the amusing image conjured up.
Thanks Serpent and duncan
GOODNESS and LANGUAGE are overly-nice. My favourites from the DD’s are ‘ what teachers involved in dispute might do’ and ‘just like the England team’. Thanks duncan, for your assistance and thanks Serpent for a suitably snakish puzzle.
“LANGUAGE Timothy”
For some time I thought, “I’m never going to finish this”. Then, all of a sudden, I spotted M-A-K-E-S-T-H in the south-east perimeter. This suggested what turned out to be the whole nina and the rest slipped in fairly easily. So thanks Serpent and Duncan.
I agree with every word of PostMark’s final paragraph and would just add three more that made me smile, SCOT-FREE, LANGUAGE and MOSS.
A red-letter day for me – I saw a Serpent NIna!
Many thanks to Serpent for lots of fun and to Duncan for the blog.
FrankieG @3. That’s exactly what came to my mind solving 25a.
Serpent in a somewhat cryptic mood this morning I thought. A couple of parsing difficulties apart though, this went in relatively smoothly for me.
As enjoyable as ever, I particularly liked SCOT-FREE, TONGS, GOODNESS, STEPPING STONE and MOSS.
Thanks Serpent and DS for the review and clarifications.
Well that filled up the rest of my morning. I struggled but persevered, not realising there would be a nina. Eileen mentioned that there always is one with Jack/Serpent but it went in one ear and out the other.
I chuckled a bit and marvelled occassionally, so it must have been good. My main complaint iswith the Independent on-line version. I keep forgetting to skip the letters I have and you cant go back after you’ve finishedto have another look.
Thanks both
He’s in a class of his own-one of my favourite setters.
I LOVED supermodel that wouldnt be attracted to Mick Jagger
Basilisk (aka Serpent) yesterday and now Serpent as himself – it’s obviously a good week. And we were on the lookout for a nina, which we spotted in time for it to help.
Lots to enjoy, particularly PARADIGM, TONGS, OVERNICE and STEPPING STONE.
Thanks, Serpent and Duncan.
I agree with copmus. Smashing puzzle, thanks, Serpent and Duncan. Would have solved the SW corner much quicker if I’d spotted the Nina sooner.
FrankieG @3/Hovis @6 – same here!
Thanks both. Almost got there unaided after a slow start, eventually needing a letter prompt in ADWARE where I was deceived by the apparently superfluous ‘initially’. DUGOUT came late and I needed to check the maritime definition, whereas the ‘skipper’ element makes sense as certainly in football if the captain is substituted the armband passes to another player
allan_c@10 Don’t forget the recent Jack in the Guardian as well!
nicbach@8 Can’t you choose the review answers option at the end? Maybe I’m misunderstanding.
Eileen I too am very pleased to hae spotted the nina whilst actually doing the crossword. I believe I have never managed this before Serpent or not! Usually I only discover there even was one after coming here. And it was seriously useful too. I feel I’m therefore in very good company if I may say so.
Fav clue SCOTFREE.
Thanks Serpent and Duncan for a great puzzle and blog.
Jack, Basilisk and Serpent in a row, each with a nina! How often does that happen!
About half way through, I sussed the nina and that helped with faster completion of the puzzle.
MOSS is top fav.
I have shared the MOSS clue today with other crossword friends who don’t do the Indy and will keep it as one to encourage those just venturing a toe in the water. Like copmus, I just loved it!
Thanks Serpent for your customary excellence and for three super crosswords this week. The nina was easy to spot and that certainly helped with my solving. I missed DRONGO, not knowing either definition. I loved MOSS and I had ticks for PARADIGM, NEGLIGEE (great interplay of definition and wordplay), and ADMONISH as well. I had many gaps in parsing and I’m grateful to duncanshiell for explaining.
[Eileen: It’s nice to see that you’ve joined the “Serpent fan club”. He’s in my top 5 for sure.]
[Nick@13: Thanks for the heads up; we don’t do the Graun on a regular basis but we’ll check that one out.]
Didn’t know about TONGS in Chinese culture – I just assumed it was a dynasty lol. Nearly screwed up with the Nina; got all the right side filled in, spotted “MONEY MAKES THE…”. immediately got Liza and Joel from Cabaret ear-worming through my brain and put “WORLD GO ROUND“. Sat staring at the empty first square of 3d a full minute in dismay. Had to check-letter online to spot my mistake. Good job I did though. Thanks for parsing UPHELD, got the answer not the working.
Many thanks to Duncan for the excellent blog and to everyone who has taken the time to comment. I’m very pleased the clues for MOSS and SCOT-FREE went down well.
CLIVE HOWARD NAYLOR@19 – Yes, if you Google “MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO AROUND”, Google says:
“Did you mean: MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND” — No, I didn’t — very annoying.
It gives lots of links to “Liza and Joel from Cabaret”, even though the song is just called MONEY, MONEY
and the lyrics contain 14 AROUNDs, 4 ‘ROUNDs and no ROUNDs at all. Stupid Google. Here’s the EarWorm with subtitles:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVZw3MK50Rk
Thanks S&d