Independent 11,707 by Rodriguez

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If flashing hadn’t stood in for us in March, we would have blogged three Rodriguez puzzles in a row.

The last one we solved in February had a theme but we cannot see anything in the grid today. Thanks Rodriguez for today’s challenge.

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1. A record capturing French horn concert (6)
ACCORD

A CD (record) around or ‘capturing’ COR (French horn)

5. Bluster and just beat European launcher of darts (8)
BLOWPIPE

BLOW (bluster) PIP (just beat) E (European)

9. Man in red suit drops off US gunners in city there (5,5)
SANTA CLARA

SANTA CLAus (man in red suit) without or ‘dropping off’ US + RA (gunners)

10. Artist going over silhouette of Sneezy and Grumpy (4)
ARSY

RA (artist) reversed or ‘going over’ + SY (first and last letters or ‘silhouette’ of SneezY)

11. Music expert building material about Bach’s final restoration of harmony (13)
RAPPROCHEMENT

RAP (music) PRO (expert) CEMENT (building material) around or ‘about’ H (last or ‘final’ letter in Bach)

12. Posh partner mostly working, making gesture (6)
BECKON

BECKham (Posh partner as in David Beckham who is married to Posh Spice) missing last three letters or ‘almost’ + ON (working)

14. As I see it, British soldier drops minute object (2,2,4)
TO MY MIND

TOMmY (British soldier) without or ‘dropping’ m (minute) + MIND (object)

17. Inciter of revels sins terribly, with you on date (8)
DIONYSUS

An anagram (‘terribly’) of SINS and YOU after or ‘on’ D (date)

19. Impressive standing in court, having smuggled yen (6)
CACHET

CT (court) around or ‘smuggling’ ACHE (yen)

20. Rum comes out in parties, or a French red? (13)
EUROCOMMUNIST

An anagram (‘parties’) of RUM COMES OUT IN

24. Very flexible person American’s greeting with grunt (4)
YOGI

YO (American greeting) GI (‘grunt’ – American soldier)

25. People fixing equipment on back parts where horses are kept (10)
INSTALLERS

A reversal (back) of RE (on) inside or ‘parting’ IN STALLS (where horses are kept)

26. Biscuit and a doughnut separately eaten by French bigwig (8)
MACAROON

A and O (doughnut) inside or ‘eaten by’ MACRON (French bigwig). Rodriguez has included ‘separately’ as the A and O are not together.

27. Climate change effect admitted by Exxon in letter, after a U-turn (2,4)
EL NINO

Hidden (‘admitted by’) and reversed (‘after U-turn’) in ExxON IN LEtter

DOWN
2. President Cleveland’s face has moustache, perhaps (5)
CHAIR

C (first letter or ‘face’ of Cleveland) HAIR (moustache perhaps)

3. Punk’s too giddy about leading part for Emily Blunt (9)
OUTSPOKEN

An anagram (‘giddy’) of PUNK’S TOO around or ‘about’ E (first letter or ‘leading part’ to Emily)

4. Fake revolutionary hears about new beliefs (9)
DOCTRINES

COD (fake) reversed or ‘revolutionary’ + TRIES (hears) about N (new)

5. Agile climber to stand around base of Everest (7)
BEARCAT

BEAR (to stand) CA (around) T (last letter or ‘base’ of Everest)

6. Applaud tax-free drug? (5)
OVATE

If something has no tax it may be described as O (zero) VAT followed by E (drug)

7. After four failed schemes, devise this carpentry tool? (5)
PLANE

PLAN E (may follow 4 previous failed attempts, PLANS A, B, C, and D)

8. E.g. perfect way to stop secretary suffering anxiety (4,5)
PAST TENSE

ST (way) in or ‘stopping’ PA (secretary) and TENSE (suffering anxiety)

13. Naturalist‘s Tibetan animal in northerly green, rolling lea (5,4)
EMILE ZOLA

ZO (Tibetan animal) in a reversal (‘northerly’) of LIME (green) and an anagram (‘rolling’) of LEA. This was our last one in. We both wanted the Tibetan animal to be YAK for a start. Also, we are more familiar with EMILE ZOLA as a ‘FRENCH’ writer rather than someone who wrote in a ‘naturalistic style’.

15. Wee drop of malt and one tea loudly swallowed by clergyman (9)
MICTURATE

M (first letter or ‘drop’ of malt) I (one) and T (a homophone – ‘loudly’ – of  ‘tea’) inside CURATE (clergyman)

16. Computer factory with article for Etonian PM (9)
MACMILLAN

MAC (computer) MILL (factory) AN (article)

18. One in yellow family of monkeys trapped by kid (7)
SIMPSON

IMPS (monkeys) inside or ‘trapped by’ SON (kid), The ‘Yellow Family’ refers to the famous SIMPSON family in the US cartoon series. It took us a while to sort this one out – DOH!

21. Indian side, occasionally erratic, getting cheers (5)
RAITA

‘Occasional’ letters in eRrAtIc and TA (cheers)

22. Capital firm banking capital, right? (5)
CAIRO

CO (firm) around or ‘banking’ AI (capital – first rate) and R (right)

23. Concealing first name, retire somewhere in Italy (5)
TURIN

TURn IN (retire) missing or ‘concealing’ the first N (name)

 

20 comments on “Independent 11,707 by Rodriguez”

  1. BECKON
    I have seen this pair referred to as Posh & BECKs.
    So ‘BECKs mostly’ was my reading.

    BEARCAT
    around=CA (must be a typo)

    COTD: TO MY MIND
    Liked EMILE ZOLA and RAITA (An Indian side!)

    Thanks both.

  2. Silkily smooth as always. No complaints at all. I needed help for SIMPSON – I have never been a follower so the yellow family reference made no mental connection. I was pleased to get EMILE ZOLA but needed Google to explain the ‘naturalist’: not only did I initially think of YAK like our bloggers but I was also trying to fit ECO in there. Fortunately, ZO is familiar from puzzles – an alternative ‘cross’ to MULE – so I was not misled for too long.

    ACCORD, ARSY (silhouette – brilliant), RAPPROCHEMENT, DIONYSUS, EL NINO (what a surface!), CHAIR, BEARCAT and TURIN were my faves today.

    Thanks Rodriguez and B&J

  3. Ref Posh and Becks, I saw a headline on a newspaper recently advising that the lady is turning 50 – which made me feel VERY old indeed …

  4. I’ve read enough 19th century French lit to have had no trouble with Emile Zola but… I guess an INSTABLERE is not an Italian mechanic then? Doh! as 18d would say.

    Good fun puzzle, thanks Rodriguez and B&J.

  6. I normally find this setter’s puzzles very challenging but solvable with persistence. Today’s, however, was too tough for me and, very unusually, I gave up the unequal struggle.

    Just one question on the clues I did manage to solve, is “parties” really an anagram indicator?

    Hey, ho, onwards and upwards. Tomorrow is another day …

    Thanks to Rodriguez for a sound beating, and to B&J for the enlightment.

  7. Rabbit Dave @6 – if you think about ‘partying’ as ‘whooping it up’ it is probably the closest you could get to ‘shaking it up’ which is OK as an anagram indicator. We do however think that it is on the borderline of being acceptable.

  8. Thanks Rodriguez and BnJ

    I thought of ‘partying’ in the sense of ‘mingling’, ie like a drinks party.

  9. I found this very difficult but persevered to the end

    Thanks to Rodriguez for the brain mangling and B&J for the blog

  10. Parsed BECKON with BECKS as KVa@1
    Loi ÉMILE ZOLA – (coincidentally appearing elsewhere today) – not the usual kind of naturalist, and no Yaks involved (I tried, too)
    Thanks R & B&J

  12. I agree with others on BECKS. BECKHAM is their joint surname, so I don’t think that really works but POSH & BECKS as their nicknames is fine. As FrankieG mentions Emile Zola’s appearance elsewhere helped (this isn’t a spoiler, it is part of a clue not an answer).

  13. This took quite some time and I certainly resorted to reverse parsing where the naturalist was concerned. The one in yellow didn’t register until it couldn’t be anything else given the checkers and the computer factory made me smile.

    Thanks to Rodriguez and to B&J for the review.

  15. Not only that PostMark@3, the yellow family have been around for 37 years. Best not to think about it.
    Meanwhile, RAP = music. Pah!
    20a and 15d are two I hadn’t heard before. Always nice to get a new word.
    Thanks Rodriguez and B&J.

  16. Thanks Bertandjoyce and Rodriguez.
    I took refuge from there and was suitably rewarded.
    Could not parse BECKON.
    Was surprised to find EMILE ZOLA here as well.
    YOGI, TO MY MIND, EMILE ZOLA, RAPPROCHEMENT, and MACAROON make my list.

  17. Sheesh, and I thought I struggled with Eccles yesterday! Way beyond me today. I’m with Rabbit Dave @6
    I resorted to random;y guessing letters, checking, finding it wrong and revealing often from I guess around 40% solved. This one just wasn’t for me.

    Thanks for the puzzle and blog chaps.

  19. I thoroughly, if belatedly, enjoyed this and thought the clues for SIMPSON, EMILE ZOLA, OUTSPOKEN, BEAR CAT, and EUROCOMMUNIST were really terrific.

  20. @6 Rabbit Dave

    Seems like just about any word can be used to indicate anagram these days. It’s a bit like using any word to say you got drunk e.g. “I got absolutely tabled last night” or “I got absolutely forested at the party”. There is actually a funny skit on YouTube about this. Unfortunately I can’t find it. 🙁

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