Independent on Sunday 1,786 by Tack

by

The puzzle is available to solve online or download here.

 

Hello everyone.  We have a new setter today!  A warm welcome to Tack.

I thought this puzzle was of a typical Sunday level of difficulty and found it very enjoyable.  13a’s “something like gazpacho” made me chuckle in particular.  Thanks Tack!

P.S. There’s something extra in the grid, but as I missed it, I think it’s only fair to let you find it for yourself if you haven’t already.  I will update the blog with an image later.  EDIT: It’s later now, so here is the grid, referring the footballer featured in 21d:

 

Definitions are underlined in the clues below.  In the explanations, quoted indicators are usually italicised, specified [deletions] are in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER.  For clarity, I omit most link words and some juxtaposition indicators.

 

Across
1a Mean spirited type might need organ replaced (3,2,3,6)
DOG IN THE MANGER — An anagram of (… replaced) MIGHT NEED ORGAN
10a Banish not entirely fair English Liberal (5)
EXPEL — Without the last letter (not entirely) EXPo (fair) +E (English) +L (Liberal)
11a Rowers go under multiple times (9)
EIGHTFOLD — EIGHT (rowers) + FOLD (go under)
12a Recurrent cold – I intend acting sickly (7)
ANAEMIC — In reverse (recurrent) C (cold), I, MEAN (intend) and A
13a Say, I don’t believe you brought round something like gazpacho? (7)
REVENGE — EG (say) and NEVER (I don’t believe you) reversed (brought round). The definition references the saying “revenge is a dish best served cold” – as gazpacho is!
14a Elegant young socialite leaves broadcasting (2-3)
ON-AIR — [deb]ONAIR (elegant); DEB (young socialite) leaves
16a They’ll swear if Republican frames rogue (9)
AFFIRMERS — An anagram of (… rogue) IF R (Republican) FRAMES
19a Yeoman of the Guard live performance amid unbridled jeers (9)
BEEFEATER — BE (live) + FEAT (performance) inside (amid) jEERs without outer letters (unbridled …)
20a For superficial reasons they belittle senior boss regularly (5)
SNOBS — SeNiOr BoSs regularly
22a Theologian got high with a doctor (7)
AMBROSE — ROSE (got high) with A MB (a doctor).  The theologian is St Ambrose
25a We finish entertaining street in fashionable area (4,3)
WEST END — WE END (finish) entertaining ST (street)
27a She denies retired degenerate period heading sports body (9)
ABNEGATOR — Backwards (retired) ROT (degenerate), AGE (period) and NBA (National Basketball Association / National Boxing Association: sports body)
28a Sober singer steals heart of merry groom (5)
PRINK — PINK (Sober singer) takes (steals) the middle letter (heart) of meRry
29a He’s still not able in the main (8,6)
ORDINARY SEAMAN — A cryptic definition: the rank below an Able Seaman
Down
2d One’s responsible for housing issue after the folks have departed (9)
ORPHANAGE — Another cryptic definition
3d Chris Lambert keeps faith (5)
ISLAM — ChrIS LAMbert keeps the answer
4d Keen teenager’s outside entrance (9)
TRENCHANT — TeenageR’s outside + ENCHANT (entrance)
5d Great golfer periodically upset scorer (5)
ELGAR — Regular letters of (… periodically) gReAt GoLfEr reversed (upset)
6d Type of software creating Sun trivia (9)
ANTIVIRUS — An anagram creating SUN TRIVIA
7d Complaint initially gives Richard Osman anxious nights (5)
GROAN — First letters of (initially) Gives Richard Osman Anxious Nights
8d Revolutionary head shows sign of embarrassment (7)
REDNESS — RED (revolutionary) + NESS (head)
9d At heart of row carrying on without a break (6)
LEGATO — AT and the centre (heart) of rOw underneath (carrying) LEG (on)
15d Roger Dean playing harmonium perhaps (4,5)
REED ORGAN — ROGER DEAN anagrammed (playing)
17d Display of passion does the trick (9)
FIREWORKS — FIRE (passion) + WORKS (does the trick)
18d Heather comes over drunk with ecstasy – few people know about this (9)
ESOTERICA — ERICA (heather) goes around (comes over) SOT (drunk) with E (ecstasy)
19d Swaggering Virginia bolsters underwear before party (7)
BRAVADO — VA (Virginia) supports (bolsters) BRA (underwear) before DO (party)
21d Originally dropped, Mo Kudus performs! It requires thinking outside the box (6)
SUDOKU — Removing first letter (originally dropped), mO KUDUS is anagrammed (performs)
23d Just after going inside teacher had sex with American (5)
BONED — ON (just after) going inside BED (teacher)
24d Insert key (5)
ENTER — Double definition
26d Southern fliers ignoring female circling up above (5)
SUPRA — S (southern) and RA[f] (fliers) ignoring F (female) around (circling) UP

25 comments on “Independent on Sunday 1,786 by Tack”

  1. One feature is that GENIUS is a nina in the middle row pleased to see SUDOKO as an answer as I am a fan of that type of puzzle

    Thank you Tack and Kitty

  2. A very enjoyable debut and, as Kitty says, perfect for a Sunday morning. And, yes, gazpacho is a lovely cd for REVENGE. Took a moment for that penny to drop. A nice range of devices, some fun anagrams and some amusing surfaces. Faves for me include DOG IN THE MANGER, the aforementioned REVENGE, PRINK, ORPHANAGE, ELGAR, GROAN, FIREWORKS and BRAVADO. Nice Nina in the middle.

    Thanks Tack and Kitty for the very colourful blog

  3. GHANAIAN GENIUS: I ‘wonder’ who it is!
    Loved REVENGE, ORDINARY SEAMAN and ORPHANAGE.

    Thanks Tack and Kitty!

  4. Thanks Kitty, and congratulations to Tack.
    The definition in 13a made me laugh as well.
    There’s more than just genius here. Look further up the grid. But I don’t think I’ve got the whole thing.
    Edit – Crossed with KVa. That’s what I can’t work out.

  5. I thought it was referring to Stevie Wonder’s becoming a Ghanaian citizen on his 74th b’day (May 13).
    Or is it something else?

  7. Hi Ian SW3. I think the term can be applied to either (Chambers certainly thinks so, which lets the setter off the hook). My original image (of a Yeoman Warder) was certainly wrong though so I have changed that to a Yeoman of the Guard as per the clue.

  8. I am not surprised that Chambers endorses the common mistake, as most dictionaries these days seem to be mere catalogues of common errors. I accept, though, that it is indeed the convention that Chambers and Collins are deemed canonical for crossword purposes if nothing else.

  9. Thanks both. I agree there was a good blend of devices, some of which defeated me. Whilst I was relieved to know the song and the artist to solve PRINK, ABNEGATOR was forgotten in the moment, and I couldn’t think beyond FA for the sports body, SUPRA was unknown, and LEGATO just another musical term I was at least aware of, but not its meaning. As for the Ghanaian genius, I read it could be photographer James Barnor….

  10. Although no doubt coincidental, I couldn’t help but notice ROSE WEST making an appearance in row 11 (and PELÉ in row 3). Neither is a Ghanaian genius mind you.

  11. One day I will stop to look for hidden words in the completed grid. No, I lie, I’ll never remember. So, bah humbug, I think genius is stretching it a bit. You’d have to remove the tedious duet with Sir Beatle for one thing.
    Like the tomato soup gag, but the reasoning passed me by until reading the blog.
    I think I’m finally remembering how to spell sodoko, or suduku or sokudu. Bit of a blind spot for me.
    Thanks Tack and thanks Kitty for the nativity scene. Particularly like the domestic wolves in sheep’s clothing.

  16. Haven’t really formed an impression of our new setter as yet but I did particularly enjoy the cold soup and the display of passion in this one.

    Thanks and welcome to Tack and thanks to Miss Kitty for the much appreciated review.

  17. This was a splendid puzzle. The bottom half involved a lot of head scratching, while I tried in vain to remember if Kate Bush had recorded a song called “Sober”, and SUPRA, AMBROSE, ABNEGATOR, ENTER and BONED took me ages, in part because I assumed the Ghanaian genius would be named in row 12 and “V” didn’t seem a promising initial letter. Well, there was a good reason for that.

    Got there in the end, though, and was very pleased to have managed it.
    Thanks, Tack and Kitty.

  18. Tack@12 I see what you mean – genius indeed! Thanks for a fine debut puzzle, and to
    Kitty for a great blog.

  20. Tack@12 Coming back to you on the Kudus reference now my blood pressure is a little lower….as a Man City fan for over five decades, my view is there was only one Hammer who today tried to (and might have succeeded) spoil the party – I was worried for so long you had delivered a prophecy. There is so much more to life, we all know, but thanks again for the memorable debut.

  21. 13A has received plaudits, but despite the nice, if whimsical, idea, the clue has no definition: ‘revenge’ is not a soup. I’m sure, with some working, it could be fashioned into something clearer.

  22. lady gewgaw@21 I believe the intention is that since revenge is a dish best served cold it is fair to say that it is “something like gazpacho”, i.e. like gazpacho in a particular respect. Tricky but it works, I think.

  23. Thanks for your response Coot. I queried this myself, but checked with better brains and they were fine with it. Certainly I enjoyed the penny-drop (and it dropped pretty readily, so not unfair from a solvability perspective – for me at least). I do think your opinion is valid, lady gewgaw, it’s a question of how indirect/whimsical a definition you think is acceptable.

  24. Firstly, welcome to the Indy Tack.

    We only started looking at the puzzle late last night, hence the tardiness of our comment.

    One of us liked the REVENGE clue, the other one didn’t. We couldn’t parse it so thanks for the blog Kitty.

    Thanks Tack, more in the pipeline we hope.

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