Independent 11,752 by Filbert

by

So that’s Filbert twice running for me as he makes a Monday appearance again

Not as hard as he can be certainly, can’t see a theme or Nina other than a rather unfortunate SNOT across the centre line

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1. Preserve most of huge painting (6)
CANVAS

CAN to preserve & most of VAS(t)

5. Impregnability of Superman figure wearing thick cape (8)
FASTNESS

Superman has the figure S on his chest inserted into FAT – thick & CAPE – ness, river end

9. Gracious old people confirming who’s boss (10)
CORONATION

COR – wow, gracious! & O(ld) & NATION – people

10. Heading for retirement shortly, in the future (2-2)
TO-BE

Most of TO BE(d), going to retire for the night

11. Lousy band hire piano, butchering this piece? (8,2,4)
RHAPSODY IN BLUE

Butcher [LOUSY BAND HIRE P(iano)]*. V nice

12. City of steel also full of light (6)
TOLEDO

Spanish City famous for steel making. TOO – also – with LED – light inserted

14. Community‘s developing endless local ties (8)
SOCIETAL

[LOCA(l) TIES]* developed

16. Rower back from Henley cleaning room (8)
SCULLERY

SCULLER – a rower of boats rather than arguer – & end of (henle)Y

19. Veiled nun cycles around bishop’s office (6)
UNSEEN

NUN* cycling around SEE – the Bishop’s area

21. Prop supine, yet lock behind fine (6,8)
FLYING BUTTRESS

F(ine) & LYING – supine & BUT – yet & TRESS – lock of hair

24. Was nibbling sandwiches Adam’s first temptation? (4)
BAIT

A(dam) inside BIT – nibbled

25. Pail on Etna tickled Italian living near volcano (10)
NEAPOLITAN

[PAIL ON ETNA]* tickled

26. A month on, cavity’s decaying (8)
DECREPIT

DEC(ember) & RE – on & PIT – cavity

27. Don’t Leave Me This Way (2,4)
NO EXIT

Cryptic def

DOWN
2. Adultery in the morning, time husband leaves (5)
AMOUR

AM – morning & H(usband) removed from (h)OUR – time

3. One of the strings lasts for concert, some break (7)
VIOLATE

Instrument VIOLA and ends of concerT somE

4. Soft rock ultimately improves pensioner’s mood (9)
SOAPSTONE

End of improveS & the mood could be O.A.P.’S TONE

5. Be honest, a bit of grooming’s needed for exhibition dogs (4,3)
FAIR DOS

With a bit of G(rooming) removed it could FAIR (for) DO(g)S

6. A member of student body raised division among Muslims (5)
SUNNI

If you’re a member you’re IN (the) NUS reversed – raised

7. Unskilled celebrity (7)
NOTABLE

Could be split NOT ABLE

8. Get the better of reserve pitcher at end of game (9)
SUBJUGATE

SUB- reserve & JUG – pitcher & AT & (gat)E

13. Yo-yo coils tangled and others rewound (9)
OSCILLATE

COILS* tangled & ET AL – the rest – reversed – rewound

15. 3-2-1, perhaps TV show suiting cruciverbalists? (9)
COUNTDOWN

Double definition, 3-2-1 was also a show with ridiculous riddles and a bin – as daft as it sounds

17. Mademoiselle is terrifying holding a spear (7)
LEISTER

Hidden in madamoiselLE IS TERifying

18. Warning sheep had to listen to (3,4)
YOU WAIT

Sounds like EWE ATE

20. Out of fresh ideas, anagram of 17? (7)
STERILE

17 is LEISTER so LEISTER*

22. Research first book at university (3,2)
GEN UP

GEN(esis) – first book & UP – at Uni

23. Bad cops not completing condition of arrest (5)
STASI

Most of STASI(s)

 

17 comments on “Independent 11,752 by Filbert”

  1. Enjoyable as usual.
    Re 18d: I’ve only heard the warning as “Just you wait”.
    NO EXIT. Neat and simple. I’ve heard that exit signs are on the way out.
    My favourite was RHAPSODY IN BLUE. Wonder if I’m the only one here who has listened to the version by Liquid Tension Experiment.

  2. Thanks Filbert and Flashling

    I really struggled to get going and might have still been if not for two lovely long anagrams which kick started me.

  3. Filbert’s standard remains high: CANVAS, CORONATION (amusing def), TOLEDO, SOCIETAL (is the ‘s part of the def? Community can certainly be an adjective but I wonder if Filbert has ‘belonging to society’, hence ‘society’s’ in mind), SCULLERY, NO EXIT (delightful), SOAPSTONE, SUBJUGATE and OSCILLATE were my faves along with Hovis’s favourite, RHAPSODY IN BLUE.

    I’m sure the Nina’s not intentional.

    Thanks Filbert and flashling

  4. @PM I debated on whether the ‘S should be included and in hindsight I agree with you, it’S NOT a Nina ….

  6. Delighted to see Gershwin’s RHAPSODY IN BLUE, a musical favourite of mine – more similar please! Like Matthew Newell @2 I struggled to get going (happening more often these days!) but eventually everything slotted nicely into place. Thanks Filbert and Flashling

  7. Great puzzle as usual which I also struggled to start. TO BED is a favourite along with NO EXIT and SOAPSTONE. I loved ‘bad cops’ as the def for STASI and ‘confirming who’s boss’ is very amusing. Thanks for a comprehensive blog flashling and thanks to Filbert whose puzzles seem so effortlessly compiled.

  8. Lots of earworms today. Apart from the Gershwin (2021 by LTE – Thanks Hovis@1),
    at 27a there’s also Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes (1975) or Thelma Houston (1976) or The Communards (1986) or Maria from Blondie’s NO EXIT (1999)…

  9. …But who could forget Clifford T Ward’s SCULLERY? (A No. 37 hit in January 1974, celebrating a 50th anniversary)
    LOi and COTD: EWE ATE – 😀
    Thanks F&F – F

  10. Fun puzzle. I was held up in the SE for quite a while since I confidently entered DECADENT for 26 (DEC on A + DENT for cavity), and couldn’t see what was wrong. I only fixed it after seeing the hidden in 17d and thinking that that looked like a word, a hunch which was confirmed by a web search.

  12. I had FrankieG@9, until you went and mentioned it.
    Hoping for a Jaguar XJS theme when 21a went in. Too niche maybe.
    The dining ovis LOI here too. Lots to like. I’m off to see what a LEISTER looks like.
    Thanks Filbert and flashling.

  13. Thanks both. As usual with this setter, I did not make quick progress, but got there in the end. I didn’t know AMOUR as adultery per se, but more as something secretive , perhaps for more innocent reasons, and FAIR DO’S I thought simply meant ‘fair enough’.

  14. Lots to like – SCULLERY and CORONATION and a reminder of RHAPSODY IN BLUE. Thanks for the link Frankie G
    ‘Preserve huge painting’ made me think FREEZE or FRIEZE. But no.
    Thanks both

  15. In 5d I took ‘fair’ to refer to exhibition, as in trade fair. Good fun – appreciate the puzzle and blog.

Comments are closed.