A solid and pleasing puzzle from Wire. Just right for a serious, no bells and whistles daily cryptic.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
cad clue as definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) removed
definitions are underlined
Across
1 Clear evidence of star pinching cat fed by Charles?
SMOKING GUN
A double insertion: of KING in MOG, and all that in SUN. The insertion indicators are ‘pinching’ and ‘fed’.
6 Occupier of stable 10 leaving room for artist
STUD
STUD[IO]. The definition is the horse sense of the word.
9 Cooking with salmon in tin, tartaned one?
CLANSWOMAN
An insertion of (W SALMON)* in CAN. The insertion indicator is ‘in’ and the anagrind is ‘cooking’. A slightly left-field definition.
10 Test last of aluminium cut in reverse
EXAM
A reversal of M for the last letter of ‘aluminium’ and AXE.
12 Novel vessel carries Nick and singer Ian back
BARNABY RUDGE
An insertion of NAB and DURY reversed in BARGE gives you the novel by Dickens. The insertion indicator is ‘carries’.
Had a love affair with Nina in the back of my Cortina
A seasoned-up hyena could not have been more obscener
She took me to the cleaners and other misdemeanours
But I got right up between her rum and her Ribena
15 Explain sandwich shop on east side of Bury
INTERPRET
A charade of INTER and PRET (à Manger).
17 Rob‘s dog ignoring parent
STIFF
[MA]STIFF. STIFF is a slang word for ‘rob’.
18 Very best stuff intercepted by European
CREAM
An insertion of E in CRAM. The insertion indicator is ‘intercepted by’.
19 Shirt Mel’s designed without Joy
MIRTHLESS
(SHIRT MELS)* with ‘designed’ as the anagrind.
20 Amazement of daft English group setter had left
STUPEFACTION
STUP[ID] E FACTION. I’d for I had is clued by ‘setter had’.
24 Letter written in patois sent westwards
IOTA
Hidden reversed in pATOIs.
25 Busy bee left wet mud for plant
TUMBLEWEED
(BEE L WET MUD)* with ‘busy’ as the anagrind.
26 Safe place to lay traps if time at the end
NEST
Wire is inviting you to move the T in NETS to the end of the word.
27 8 protests infiltrated by independent magazine
DEMOISELLE
A charade of I inserted into DEMOS and ELLE. The insertion indicator is ‘infiltrated by’. A DEMOISELLE is a type of DAMSELFISH, the solution at 8dn.
Down
1 Old Russian putting out island fire
SACK
[COS]SACK
2 Silica ring linked to mounted circuit
OPAL
A charade of O and LAP reversed.
3 Horny males wearing tight denim put on platform
INSTAGRAMMED
An insertion of two horned animals, the STAG and the RAM, in (DENIM)* The insertion indicator is ‘wearing’ and the anagrind is ‘tight’ in the sense of ‘drunk’.
4 Pained noise from horse briefly stopping Grand National
GROAN
An insertion of ROA[N] in GN. The insertion indicator is ‘stopping’.
5 University lab rat on loose in capital
ULAN BATOR
A charade of U and (LAB RAT ON)* with ‘loose’ as the anagrind.
7 Film small piece about 11 on flowing water…
TAXI DRIVER
An insertion of XI in TAD followed by RIVER. ‘You talkin’ to me?’
8 …below embankments: mischievous swimmers!
DAMSELFISH
A charade of DAMS and ELFISH.
11 Uneducated kids president holds at first in jails
PRESCHOOLERS
A charade of PRES and H inserted in COOLERS. The insertion indicator is ‘in’.
13 What a sewer may have that’s frequently stuck
PINCUSHION
A cd.
14 Waters down tea aunt brewed on upturned box
ATTENUATES
A charade of (TEA AUNT)* and SET reversed. The anagrind is ‘brewed’.
16 Assess again engineers by lake full of arsenic and uranium
REMEASURE
A charade of RE and AS and U inserted into MERE. The insertion indicator is ‘full of’.
21 Prohibited acid pill soon unwrapped
TABOO
A charade of TAB and [S]OO[N].
22 Screen Glen in auditorium
VEIL
Aural wordplay (‘in auditorium’) for VALE.
23 Inch from shelf lecturer lopped off
EDGE
[L]EDGE
Many thanks to Wire for the start to the Indy week.
A minor error in blog for 5d. ON is part of the anagram fodder with just “loose” as the indicator.
STIFF was my LOI and I needed the crossers: nho in the context of ‘rob’ and the dog was not the first to come to mind. I did find the rest of the NE tricky too – PRESCHOOLERS held out for a while and I thought I needed it for TAXI DRIVER – though, of course, I didn’t. I was delighted when DEMOISELLE somehow came to mind though I was unaware of the link with ANGELFISH. ATTENUATES was my favourite in a very solid and enjoyable puzzle.
Thanks Wire and Pierre
5d maybe ‘capital once’ because the spelling has changed. Very enjoyable puzzle nonetheless. NE tricky for me too and I had to reveal a letter to get the fish and it then fell into place. Likes for SMOKING GUN (originally tried to parse ‘setting sun’ as evidence of a star), STIFF, PRESCHOOLERS for ‘uneducated kids’ and BARNABY RUDGE which I read last year after seeing it alluded to here by a setter. Thanks Pierre and Wire.
SMOKING GUN was a great start and promised more fine clues throughout the puzzle.
‘Singer Ian’ immediately leapt out as DURY to provide another good one. Other favourites were INTERPRET, for the less frequent ‘shop’, STUPEFACTION, NETS, for the clever use of ‘lay, TAXI DRIVER, PRESCHOOLERS and ATTENUATES. I enjoyed the link between the amusing DAMSELFISH and DEMOISELLE.
Like Postmark, I didn’t know rob = STIFF but I have sufficient faith in the integrity of Wire’s clues not to bother to look it up.
Thanks to Wire and Pierre for a good start to the week (and the sun’s shining!).
12a BARNABY RUDGE – Ian Dury’s Billericay Dickie from his debut album New Boots and Panties!! (1977) on 17a STIFF Records. I’m a fan.
And could ‘But I got right up between her | rum and her Ribena’ be any more obscener?
LOi – 22d VEIL – it took far longer than it should’ve.
Thanks W&P
Enjoyable as expected from Wire – I liked SMOKING GUN and INTERPRET especially. Never heard of DEMOISELLE but the wordplay was faultless.
I know STIFF as to cheat/swindle, so it wasn’t a big stretch for it to have a further meaning of ‘rob’.
Thanks Wire & Pierre.
Slow, steady solve with 1ac and 3d baffling me for ages. STUPEFACTION my favourite today.
[Mr. Dury started life in the house next to my junior school. Not in Essex, as popularly believed. My tune for the day won’t be that one. Southbound – tumbling with the TUMBLEWEED.]
Thanks both. No-one can accuse crosswords of not keeping up with the times, so long as we have answers like INSTAGRAMMED. The wordplay for GROAN works really well, but I always think it’s bad luck when the letter removed reappears for other reasons to make the shortened inclusion appear complete. Words like PINCUSHION invariably delay me as compound-nouns, though at least I quickly decided to look for something in the needle and thread category rather than something smelly.
…like a fatberg? ‘Chiefly British. 2008–‘ – quite a young word – a mere teenager.
Thanks Pierre and to all who have commented. I never really got into ID and his Blockheads, although he certainly comes in handy for wordplay on occasion.