Independent 11,782 by Filbert

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Another superb puzzle from Filbert, who continues to come up with great clues.

I liked the non-obvious word association in 3D and 26A was cleverly topical. The Trump jibe at 6D maybe has unfortunate timing, given what happened on the weekend, but is nevertheless a great clue.

ACROSS
1 PURITAN
Indian fried bread and brown, clean liver (7)

Puri(=Indian fried bread) + tan(=brown)
5 DIGEST
Pass on joke you hear in summarised version (6)

Hom of "die jest"
8 TWINKLING
Shiny spit, on cut from alien’s tongue (9)

Twin(=spit) + Kling[on]. Klingon is a language from Star Trek. Apparently, it is now a real language which some people can speak.
9 ORIEL
Yellow flowery necklace seen from the right window (5)

Or(=yellow, as in the heraldic term for gold) + lei< (seen from the right)
11 ATOM
Oxygen in atmosphere, a combination of particles (4)

O(=chemical symbol for oxygen) in atm{osphere}
12 ENTRECHAT
Jump on stage in a tutu then react ad-lib (9)

(Then react)*. An entrechat is a jump in ballet, hence the extra detail in the def.
14 HEADWAY
Spooner’s married a boxer called David – that’s progress (7)

Spoonerism of "Wed Hay", referring to the boxer David Haye.
15 REEKING
Engineers checked piece on back of engine emitting fumes (7)

RE(=Royal Engineers) + (king(=chess piece which can be checked) after [engin]e)

17 OAK TREE
Having pulled out very stupidly overtake heavy plant (3,4)

O[v]ertake*
19 BITTERN
Baltic and northern wader (7)

Bitter(=baltic when used as a slang term for cold) + N{orthern}
20 SEMIFINAL
Champion’s penultimate test in F1, early and important laps (9)

Seminal(=early and important, as an a seminal work of literature) around FI. Laps indicates containment.
22 RARE
King captured by painter initially exclaims ‘it’s bloody red‘ (4)

R(=king, abbrev for rex) in (RA(=Royal Academician) + e[xclaims]). Def refers to steak.
24 EATER
Cockney’s radiator, perhaps not a cooker? (5)

'Eater(=cockney version of heater). Def refers to fruit such as apples.
25 BRIGHTEST
Extremely smart just wearing cap (9)

Right(=just) in(=wearing) best(=cap as a verb)
26 FOOTIE
What’s nil nil after fine match? (6)

F{ine} + O-O tie(=a description of a nil nil draw)
27 HONEYED
Patch on eye deemed somewhat flattering (7)

Hidden in "patch on eye deemed"
DOWN
1 PUTZ
Idiot at Pinehurst lipped shots on the green (4)

Hom of puts(=shots on the green in golf). I think Pinehurst is there because it is the name of a golf course.
2 RAILTRACK
Complain and keep tabs on useless old line manager (9)

Rail(=complain, as in "rail about something") + track(=keep tabs on). Useless is deservedly part of the definition. I remember once during the days of Railtrack approaching the information desk to ask if there were any trains running. The guy on the desk just got up and walked away because he'd had enough.
3 TAKE MY WORD FOR IT
Eat man alive, expecting punishment, I assure you (4,2,4,3,2)

Take(=eat, as in "take lunch") + man alive(=my word, both exclamations of surprise or shock) + for it(=expecting punishment, as in "you're for it now")
4 NAIVETY
Vote against concealing one surgeon’s inexperience (7)

Nay(=vote against) around (i vet)
5 DOG STAR
Bother chap in heaven from below – what’s 8 25 there? (3,4)

Dog(=bother) + star, which I suppose must refer to the idea of a star being someone up in heaven when viewed from Earth. Sirius, the Dog Star, is the brightest star in the night sky.
6 GO ONE BETTER THAN
Trump, dimwit gambler covered with tan he sprayed (2,3,6,4)

Goon(=dimwit) + (better(=gambler) in (tan he)*)
7 SWISH
Area around Buckingham Palace quiet, elegant and fashionable (5)

SWI(=postcode of Buck Palace area) + sh(=quiet as an imperative)
10 LITIGANT
Drunk on dodgy gin at legal party (8)

Lit(=slang for drunk) + (gin at)*
13 WHOOPSIE
Wife has rings to widen skirt, that is for baby’s movement (8)

W{ife} + hoops(=rings for skirt) + i.e. The def refers to a baby's bowel movement.
16 INEBRIETY
One tiny beer improbably producing this (9)

&lit. (I tiny beer)*
18 ENNOBLE
Honour nurse, not able to express thanks (7)

EN(=enrolled nurse) + no[ta]ble. Express is used to indicated removal of a word for thanks.
19 BULLISH
Obstinate old president swallows brought up sick (7)

Bush(=two ex presidents) around ill<
21 METRO
Unlimited iron props assembled underground (5)

[I]ro[n] after(=props) met(=assembled)
23 STUD
Stable part of wooden frame (4)

DD. A stud can refer to a stud farm for horses, which can also be called a stable. A stud is also a prop in a wooden frame.

18 comments on “Independent 11,782 by Filbert”

  1. DOG STAR
    I read it differently:
    bother=RATS as an interjection/exclamation. chap in heaven=GOD. from below–> (all) Reversed.

    PUTZ
    Pinehurst is an Americanism indicator?

  2. DOG STAR is a reversal of RATS (bother) + GOD (chap in heaven).
    In 1d, I think Pinehurst is also used to denote an Americanism (also blog should say ‘putts’ not ‘puts’.
    Whatever you may think of the painting in question, I thought RARE was brilliantly funny.

  3. Fine stuff from Filbert as usual. I didn’t get beyond ‘bother’ for ‘dog’ in DOG STAR, but think KVa is right.

    ENTRECHAT was new to me, but a nice example of an anagram of a rare word that, with crossers, is not ambiguous at all, which is as it should be.

    INEBRIETY was very good indeed.

    Thanks both.

  4. Was held up in the NW for a while after entering SPARKLING at 8a (spar = spit = protruding bit). I didn’t catch the error myself; it was revealed when I did a check all after getting stuck. I’m not quite sure how spit=twin, so if someone could elaborate I would be much obliged.

    Thanks to both NealH and Filbert

  5. Agree with KVA@1 and Hovis@2: In 1d PUTZ, “Pinehurst” is an American golf course, so doubles as a US indicator. The word is Yiddish for penis, but oed.com says:
    ‘slang (originally and chiefly U.S.). 1. 1928– Originally in Jewish usage, now more generally: a stupid or worthless person; a fool.
    1928 Here are the 18 steps by which the harmless clod becomes the actively disagreeable outlaw..Schmuck, Pötz. S. J. Perelman, Letter 14 June in Don’t tread on Me (1987)’
    Also agree on 5d RATS! DOG

  7. I enjoyed this, especially FOOTIE and TMWFI. I too was held up by sparKLING though I’m not actually sure why I thought spar = spit (of land).

    I was less keen on BRIGHTEST; why does a superlative equate to a non-superlative adjective?

  8. 7d SWISH – SW1 has various special postcodes, including: ‘
    SW1A 0AA – House of Commons; …1AA – Buckingham Palace; …1BA – Clarence House; …2AA – 10 Downing Street; …2AB – 11 Downing Street’.

  9. I really like a good &lit – especially one with such a smooth surface. Lots of other good clues too – I found this a touch easier than some of Filbert’s puzzles.

    Only got SW1 from working back from answer – which is a bit of a disgrace having worked in SW1H (H for Horseguard’s according to Wiki) for 25 years

    thanks Neal and Filbert

  10. I missed the allusion to the Yeo portrait, so thanks Hovis. Great puzzle once the various pennies had dropped.

  11. Contd from me@1
    Thanks Filbert for the lovely puzzle and NealH for the excellent blog.
    Liked NAIVETY, SEMIFINAL, GO ONE BETTER THAN and METRO a lot.

    INEBRIETY
    Is it an &lit? The whole clue works as the def certainly but the ‘producing this’
    bit is not participating in the WP, I think.

    Petert@10
    RARE
    I didn’t get it when Hovis mentioned that the surface was brilliantly funny.
    I understood the context only after reading your comment and Googling ‘Yeo portrait of the king’. 🙂

  12. I guess the portrait may not be that well known for solvers outside the UK. I can certainly imagine King Charles saying “It’s bloody red!”. I admit that I quite like it. KVa, did you spot the butterfly?

  14. Thanks both. The Trump reference was unfortunate timing, and perhaps inevitable given the number of times he appears directly or otherwise, as was FOOTIE if you wasted more of your life last night witnessing something arguably more inevitable – I am a fan of the game (still) but never have liked the expression, not do I warm to SEMIFINAL without a hyphen, but in both cases, they are entirely fair. After about 4 clues, I wondered whether it was a Filbert, so kept the faith with good reason.

  15. Had no idea of the red portrait (maybe it hangs where Rollf’s of his mum used to be). But yes, I’m enjoying these Indies, bit different flavour from the G. Ta FnN.

  16. [As for the footie and tennis, I asked my sister in Crouch End, cnu hear the Viva L’Espagnas in N8? Probably]

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