Independent No. 11,607 by Tyrus

by

“‘Twas the night before Xmas (almost: go with it), when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring…”

…except perhaps the moans of pain from Leedsclimber trying to solve this absolute beast of a crossword from Tyrus.

If I didn’t know better, I’d have sworn this was a Guardian Prize set by Paul, complete with risque humour, that gave me quite the mental workout. All this being said, I’ve rarely enjoyed the construction of a grid so much in quite a while. There’s plentiful helpings of beautiful surfaces, misdirection and lateral thinking in here. Even having to make Google sing heartily for it’s supper in order to finish a few didn’t spoil the overall enjoyment of it all.

Favourites: obviously 26a/13d, but also 6d and 8a were stand outs.

Chapeau to Tyrus for an outstanding grid.

“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night”

 

As usual, definitions are underlined

ACROSS

8. Sees Vietnam’s leader inside being charming (6)

LOVELY

Sees [LO and ELY] Vietnam’s leader [V] inside.
Tyrus has used “See” as a reference to a clerical administration area based around a cathedral or minster: in this case Ely.

 

9. 16 half naked at the Spanish college (9)

EMMANUEL

16 [across – EMMA] half naked [NUDE] at the Spanish [EL]
Emmanuel is a college at Cambridge University

 

10. Film stars maybe caught escaping – they will be charged (4)

IONS

Film stars maybe caught escaping [ICONS]

 

11. See 28d

 

12. In rebutting the police make big strides (4)

LOPE

Hidden word: In rebutting [backwards] the police

 

13. See 26

15. The necessary ins and outs? (4,4)

CASH FLOW

Cryptic reference. Cash flow in a business is the sum of the money earned [in] and the expenses paid [out]

 

16. Book brought back from team meeting (4)

EMMA

Hidden word: brought back from team meeting

 

17. Exhausted soldier’s first to get locked up (5)

SPENT

Soldier’s first [S] to get locked up [PENT]

 

19. Jazz playing here on radio, thanks to you (4)

UTAH

On radio [sounds like], thanks to you [“you ta”]
This took some googling: Utah Jazz are an NBA Basketball team based in Salt Lake City, UT

 

21. Most glowing reports initially – studied busily (4)

RUDDIEST

Reports initially [R] – studied busily [anag STUDIED]

 

24. Former revolutionary’s twin getting backside tweaked (6)

CASTRO

Twin [CASTOR] getting backside tweaked [last two letters changed]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castor_and_Pollux

 

25. Half of children in revolting party (6)

UKIP

Half of children [KIDS] in revolting [UP]

 

26a/13a. He ultimately avoided military service – ‘Tool’! Democrat maintained (5,6)

DRAFT DODGER

Where do I start with this?!
Ultimately avoided [D] military service [RAF] – ‘Tool’! [TODGER] Democrat maintained [D put inside]

 

28. Countenance as hero? Not that man stopping below in extremis (4)

BROW

Hero? Not that man [HERO] stopping [inside] below in extremis [OW]

 

29. Before Sabbath former head of state visits school grounds (8)

TERRAINS

Before Sabbath [S] former head of state [ER – Queen Elizabeth] visits [placed inside] school [TRAIN]

 

30. At first criticise series that is about old archbishop (6)

RUNCIE

At first criticise [C] series [RUN] that is [IE] about

 

DOWN

1. I do turns with Oscar from different compound (8)

IODOFORM

I do [I DO] turns with [alternating with] Oscar [O] from different [anag. FORM]

 

2. Important having special lockers (4)

KEYS

Important [KEY] having special [S]

 

3. “Carbuncles“! Prince finally agreed – “they’re monstrous, not good” (4)

EYESORES

Prince finally [E] agreed [YES] – “they’re monstrous, not good [OGRES]

 

4. A united country (4)

PERU

A [PER] united [U]

 

5. Doctor sees I’m being sick (6)

EMESIS

Anag [Doctor] of SEES IM

 

6. Plain looking back – old coats outside crawling (2,3,5)

ON ALL FOURS

Plain [LLANO = Spanish for Plain] looking back [backwards] – old [O] coats [FURS] outside

 

7. Decent swapping parts for someone else (3,3)

PER PRO

Anag. PROPER [decent]
Latin Per procurationem: “by procuration”. An act carried out by a third party on behalf of someone.

 

14. Sex pest touring with a musical show (5,5)

GRAND OPERA

Sex pest [GROPER] touring [around] with [AND] A

 

15. Conservative and Labour deeply divided (5)

CLEFT

Conservative [C] and Labour [LEFT]

 

18. One act upset another not saying much (8)

TACITURN

One act upset [anag I ACT] another [TURN]

 

20. Such missiles‘ appearance provoked a riot (3,2,3)

AIR TO AIR

Appearance [AIR] provoked a riot [ang A RIOT]

 

22. Running in front, sneak a look around (6)

UPKEEP

In front [UP], sneak a look around [PEEK backwards]

 

23. Caddie misled about a certain kind of literature (6)

EDDAIC

Anag [misled] of CADDIE
Eddaic poems are simple meter verses on the theme of ancient heroes.

 

27. American’s through at village near Bristol (4)

AUST

American’s [US] through [inside] AT

 

28d/11a. Sub-person suffering with “unwanted” growths (4,5)

BONE SPURS

anag. SUB PERSON

22 comments on “Independent No. 11,607 by Tyrus”

  1. There is a perimeter NINA.

    LOPE
    I think Def: make big strides

    CASH FLOW
    ‘The necessary’ means money. I can remember it for some more time, I feel.

    PER PRO
    Def: I think you have inadvertently underlined ‘parts’.

    GRAND OPERA
    Def: musical show.

    CLEFT
    Def needs to be underlined.

    EDDAIC
    Def: about a certain kind of literature.

  2. You didn’t mention the Nina or thematic answers. I wonder whether 3 and 5 were meant to be among the others that

  5. Thank you Leedsclimber. Unfortunately Tyrus’s message is not a cheery one. The nina is very sad.
    Agree with KVa about her comments@1.

  6. Thanks to KVa for pointing out the Nina, which, I assume, makes BONE SPURS and DRAFT DODGER thematic. There are probably more. I have the same favourites as KVa.

  7. I did not notice the nina but did smile at the clearly linked BONE SPURS and DRAFT DODGER. I needed a good workout this morning and Tyrus certainly provided it, though some tricky words were needed to complete his grid. EDDAIC is nho but guessable, IODOFORM is nho and trickier. AUST is nho and extremely tricky; I suspect this village of 500 souls will have relatively few chances to celebrate appearing in a nationally published crossword!

    EYESORES included a nice riff on Charles’ famous comment. Thanks Leedsclimber for explaining UTAH – I just assumed the musical style had an association with the state of which I was unaware.

    Thanks Tyrus and Leedsclimber

  9. So now even obscure villages are acceptable fodder! Whatever next: the local corner shop? I look forward to seeing Garboldisham in a future puzzle. Great stuff anyway, so thanks Tyrus and Leedsclimber.

  10. We enjoyed that although the Nina was no help as we didn’t remember it. A few obscurities. Is Aust somehow well known?

  13. What a superb puzzle! I enjoyed every minute of the solve, helped by getting most of the nina just over jalf way through, and the Trump references were the icing on the cake.

    I’d like to suggest that ‘revolting’ is doing double duty in 25!

    Thanks Tyrus and Leedsclimber

  14. The nina was a big help. I suspected there would be one and looked for emerging words. It made several solutions, including the Bristol village, much easier to get.
    Thanks to Leeds climber for the blog and to Tyrus for the great crossword. (But maybe less so for the troubling ghosts of Christmases past and possibly future!)

  17. I knew there would be a Nina, but managed to ignore it and finish the puzzle first, and then read it.
    nho AUST – thanks Flea@12 for the photo of Bob Dylan in the ferry queue. ‘The car number plate has been digitally altered to read 1235RD – a reference to Rainy Day Women # 12 and 35. In the background can be seen the Severn Bridge, whose opening shortly after this photograph had caused the closure of the ferry.’

  18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Latin_phrases_(full)#P
    ‘per procura (p.p. or PER PRO) – through the agency – Also rendered per procurationem. Used to indicate that a person is signing a document on behalf of another person. Correctly placed before the name of the person signing, but often placed before the name of the person on whose behalf the document is signed, sometimes through incorrect translation of the alternative abbreviation per pro. as “for and on behalf of”.’

  19. I’ve sometimes signed things pp of somebody else and never knew what it stood for. Learn something every day. Whether I forget even more things I’d rather not say (or indeed know).

  20. I was expecting something but wasn’t expecting this … when I saw 9a I started wondering if we were going to get a rather pointed Christmas message, and it’s probably jus as well that this goes in a different direction.
    I looked for a Nina from early on in the puzzle and when it started to emerge I could not fill the gaps as I had forgotten this obnoxious bit of verbiage. But it ties everything together neatly.
    For some reason I had it in my head that ‘pp. Whoever’ stood for something slightly different so that’s another thing I have learned today.
    Thank you Tyrus. Chuffed to have got this out woth just a couple of googlechecks. *Loved* the revolting party!

  21. Thanks to Leedsclimber for a nice blog and to others who commented.

    ‘Obnoxious bit of verbiage’ describes the nina exactly. The sooner this psycho’s in jail the better.

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