Independent on Sunday 1,821/Filbert

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Filbert is becoming a regular in the IoS slot. I always find this setter a challenge, but invariably a fair and enjoyable one.

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 Start removing number of Romans from testudo in retreat
OUTSET
A reversal of TESTU[D]O. D is the Roman numeral for 500 and the testudo was the shell-like formation that Roman soldiers created for protection. It’s also a genus of Mediterranean tortoises: the testudo formation resembled a tortoise’s shell.

5 Computer confused the English hacker
MACHETE
A charade of MAC, (THE)* and E. The anagrind is ‘confused’.

9 What’s needed to repair small cut on revolving belt?
SPARE PARTS
A charade of S, PARE for ‘cut’ and STRAP reversed, and an extended definition, if you want it to be.

10 Dictator’s talented younger brother bumped off
ABEL
Aural wordplay (‘dictator’s’) for ABLE, referring to the creation story in the Christian holy book. It was Cain what done it.

11 Crook did try and go for treatment
DIRTY DOG
(DID TRY GO)* with ‘for treatment’ as the anagrind.

13 Help guitar player that’s forgotten intro
ASSIST
[B]ASSIST

14 Try going viral – it’s very upsetting
HEART-RENDING
A charade of HEAR and TRENDING.

17 Removing these, does fat lady appear smaller?
OPERA GLASSES
A cd. It’s not over till the fat lady sings.

20 Fender includes one narrow part
STRAIT
An insertion of I in STRAT. Referring to the Fender Stratocaster guitar, which is often referred to as a STRAT.

22 Mint factory is keeping going
MILLIONS
A charade of MILL and ON inserted into IS. The insertion indicator is ‘keeping’, but I’m not in love with ‘mint’ as a definition of ‘millions’. He made a mint/millions from his business is where Filbert is coming from.

23 Non-striker switched bats after changing ends in cricket
SCAB
Great surface; tricky parsing. You have to change the two ends in ‘cricket’, T to C, in ‘bats’ to give you ‘bacs’ and then reverse it.

24 Agency interested in aliens – one can blink strangely
MEN IN BLACK
A charade of ME for ‘one’ and (CAN BLINK)* with ‘strangely’ as the anagrind. MEN IN BLACK is used to refer to US government agents involved in suppressing UFO conspiracies.

26 In play, an act is very bad indeed
SATANIC
(AN ACT IS)* with ‘in play’ as the anagrind.

27 Neighbourhood what you’d expect, more or less
PARISH
If something was more or less par for the course, you could say it was PAR-ISH.

Down

2 Outstanding secretary one had, inferior to Pierre’s one
UNPAID
No birds, but a namecheck. Excellent. A charade of UN for one of the French words for ‘one’, PA for Personal Assistant or ‘secretary’ and I’D for ‘one had’. Pierre, being undoubtedly French, would use UN for ‘one’. I’m not, since you ask.

3 Litter in street and someone being sick
STRETCHER
A charade of ST and RETCHER.

4 Try and listen to rap
TAP
A dd. Think tapping someone’s telephone.

5 Marriageable fellow failed to attend a ceremony, you hear
MR RIGHT
Aural wordplay (‘you hear’) for MISSED A RITE.

6 Reliably hot region also coldest irregularly
COSTA DEL SOL
(ALSO COLDEST)* with ‘irregularly’ as the anagrind.

7 Papers no longer like showing maidens inside
EXAMS
A charade of EX and M inserted into AS. The insertion indicator is ‘showing … inside’.

8 Service still no good
EVENSONG
A charade of EVEN SO and NG.

12 Doctor’s mother storing anything new in drawer
DRAUGHTSMAN
An insertion of AUGHT in DR and MA, followed by N. The insertion indicator is ‘storing’.

15 Businessperson always with hot drink on the go?
DISTILLER
A cd. A distiller would always have the hot mash up to temperature.

16 Airborne swallows migrate
UP STICKS
A charade of UP and STICKS. ‘He can’t stick/swallow Pierre’s continual moaning.’

18 Statistical work, realm an actuary has covered
ALMANAC
Hidden in reALM AN ACtuary.

19 Bags full of any number of nuts, bananas, crackers, etc
SNACKS
An insertion of N in SACKS with ‘full of’ as the insertion indicator.

21 Heading north, graduate gripped compass
AMBIT
A charade of MA reversed (‘heading north’ since it’s a down clue) and BIT. ‘The recession bit/gripped hard in 2008.’

25 Tot your particular sequence of digits up
NIP
A reversal of PIN, the number you always forget when there’s a queue of five people behind you at the checkout. Personal Identification Number, which makes it moderately annoying when the assistant at the checkout says ‘Can you enter your PIN number, please?’

Many thanks to Filbert for this Sunday’s puzzle.

22 comments on “Independent on Sunday 1,821/Filbert”

  1. Marvellous. I wonder if the assistant asking for a PIN number annoyed more than the signs that used to say ‘8 items or less’ instead of ‘fewer’.
    So Cain killed Abel. You’ve given it away so I won’t read it now 🙂 Not many people know that (whoops, wrong Cain).

  2. Thanks Filbert and Pierre

    Abel making a double appearance this weekend! A few umms (often case with Filbert). Eg mint->millions. But some good laughs too. Really liked the spareness of Evensong

  3. My faves: SPARE PARTS, SCAB, MR RIGHT and SNACKS.
    Quite an enjoyable puzzle. Excellent blog.

    Thanks Filbert and Pierre.

  4. Great puzzle. Pierre’s secretary must have been extraordinary indeed!. Missed a rite definitely gets the GoD (groan of the day) prize. Thanks Filbert and Pierre.

  5. Another cracker from Filbert. (Talking of which, did anyone fleetingly wonder about GRINDS for SNACKS? It seemed a bit of a ‘crosswordy’ definitions but nuts, bananas and crackers are all anagram indicators …) I loved the misdirection in this puzzle: AMBIT, DRAUGHTSMAN, STRETCHER, UNPAID, SCAB and HACKER are all great examples. I’d agree MILLIONS is a bit of a stretch.

    Thanks Filbert and Pierre

  6. Mr. Reliable has produced the goods again. At least 5 or 6 clues which are top-drawer, such as OPERA GLASSES; SCAB; MR RIGHT, etc.
    I had a few brow-wrinklers: I love the surface reading of 7(d), and the allusion to page 3 girls, but it needs “maidens” plural to work, and the M used is singular.

    I’m not keen on SWALLOWS = STICKS in 16(dwn); and 15(dwn), DISTILLER , is a bit of a stinker. So much so, I was reluctant to accept it could be correct. “Businessperson” = “Distiller”? Ouch. And the wordplay doesn’t save the day, either.
    One bad apple doesn’t spoil this barrel, however, and I enjoyed this Filbert as much as usual.
    A ta sante, Fil + Pierre

  7. Gosh! I really struggled with this , especially in the SE corner, and was on the point of giving up when ‘MEN IN BLACK’ clicked, then the rest slotted in. Thanks Filbert and Pierre.

  8. On 15d, I went for distiller as someone brewing hooch with a still with ‘hot’ denoting ‘illegal’ but wasn’t convinced.

  9. I convinced myself the AND (DNA backwards) could mean tot in some kind of computing sense and couldn’t see past STILL as always in DISTILLER. The rest was great, though.

  11. [12d: ‘…in DR’S and..’] A tip for PINs: pick one that’s a word upside-down on a calculator: BEGHILOSZ = 250714938. 5808 your uncle.

  12. A fun puzzle which went in quickly, except for LOI 15d. Bunged in DISTILLER, a thoroughly unconvincing solution, but up popped the 100%. Matthew Newell @2, surely to ‘make a mint’ is to ‘make millions’? Thanks both.

  14. A super puzzle. Didn’t have any quibbles with M fr “maidens” or “mint” for millions.

    EVENSONG, SPARE PARTS, DIRTY DOG, SCAB, STRETCHER, COSTA DEL SOL and SNACKS all got nods of acknowledgement.

  15. Simon S@10 , and PJ, I stand corrected, thanks.

    So….. P, R, O, F, U, V, would be…….?

    All answers welcome.

  16. In many sports league tables P = (games) PLAYED, F = (points or goals) FOR

    In cricket bowling analysis (again) R = RUN(S), O = OVER(S)

    I don’t think all these are in dictionaries, but they are in common usage

    No suggestions for the others!

  17. Simon S@10 , and PJ, I stand corrected, thanks.

    So….. P, R, O, F, U, V, would be…….?

    All answers welcome.

  18. Sorry, Simon, I hit the wrong tab and posted twice.

    You are in the right arena…sport.
    And, analysis of performance.

  19. Filbert showing his musical feeds here with STRAT and bASSIST. There were definitely some goodies in here: SCAB and UNPAID; the conciseness of EVENSONG; the misdirection of DRAUGHTSMAN; and SNACKS for turning out to have nothing to do with madness.

    I was less keen on DISTILLER and MILLIONS as others have discussed. EXAMS held out for too long!

    Thanks both

  20. Simon, I’m afraid it’s horseracing.
    I’ve noticed ” colt = C” a few times recently, in some cryptics.
    If the setters go that way, we have so many abbreviations, they’ll have a field day.

    (P) pulled (up)
    (R) refused (to race)
    (O) (ran) out
    (F) fell
    (U) unseated
    (V) void (race)

    All are abbreviations on a racecard, for a horse’s recent form, over its last six races.

    IB

  22. Simon, yes, a 5f, is a five furlong sprint. So it defines the race.
    Can I convert you to horseracing?

    Let’s start with BF.

    Not “best friend” or even a “Black Foot” , but: ” [beaten favourite] on its last run”.
    Good job that setters don’t read my posts.

    chrs, IB

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