Independent 12,001 by Eccles

12 comments on “Independent 12,001 by Eccles”

1. Perhaps, one day, Eccles will set a duff clue…..perhaps.
   The nearest here is the surface of 6(d) with “lady’s ending”, for the required Y, which jars just a little bit, maybe? The definition more than compensates (ROLL JOINT).
   I enjoyed it all, the best being the letter-switch in 1(ac) [ Thanks for nothing]; and the superb reversal of “Vogue cover” to get DAFFODIL, in 22(ac).
   The customary two for my whylist, AHI and KEFIR, but I like the fact that Eccles balances words like this with nicely accessible wordplays.
   I didn’t click with the “mallow fruit”, 15(ac), but it’s a novel Spoonerism.

   Great stuff as ever, from setter and blogger, big thumbs up, Eccles and Ms. Q

2. Really liked 22a's DAF+FO+DIL< = Cover of Vogue. It appears to be original, too. — And 6d BAKERY, with a ‘Divide & Conquer’ as a definition.

3. My faves were STADIUM, UP TO THE MARK, PICK-CHEESE, DAFFODIL, BAKERY (‘as the exotic break with (the) Lady is ending, roll (a) joint’….reads all right to me), FACTS OF LIFE and NUDISTS.

   MOSS
   If it’s an extended def (as the blog says) then the ‘who finished’ part of the clue gets justified. Otherwise, these words don’t play any role in the WP.

   Thanks Eccles and Quirister.

4. KVa @3: yes, I wondered about “who finished” but I think an extended definition makes sense of it. Or could it be “Racing driver who finished” = a retired driver rather than a current one?

5. Quirister@4
   MOSS
   Your alternative parsing is also plausible. It makes a nice def, I think.

6. Very enjoyable and perfectly contrived as already said. Favourites were DAFFODIL and MOSS (the extended definition gave me the answer before I twigged the parsing).
   Thanks E and Q
   One detail – it’s not ‘was widely boycotted’ – the Sun still is widely boycotted. Plenty of shop just don’t sell it in Liverpool.

7. Probably learnt of Moss not from brrm brrm knowledge — well down the sports hierarchy chez the young ginf — but from vernacular, eg crusty oldie commenting on young hoon with flash car: Thinks he’s Stirling Moss.

8. Another example of the excellent clue-writing we have come to expect from this setter. He gave a talk on that subject at Magdalen College last week, I’m only sorry that I couldn’t have been in the audience.
   A couple of definitions that I needed to check on today as is invariably the case with an Eccles puzzle, but it’s good to pick up new bits of info even if the chances of remembering them diminish as my age increases!
   Top clues for me were those for UP TO THE MARK, DAFFODIL, FACTS OF LIFE & POPPET – the latter just because it made me smile.

   Thanks to Eccles for the pleasure and to Quirister for the review.

9. What Jane @8 said. Simply magnificent. A joy to solve from start to finish.

10. nho PICK-CHEESE but, as our blogger says, what else could it be? Other obscurities were also very fairly clued. STADIUM, DAFFODIL, BAKERY, FACTS OF LIFE and NUDISTS were my faves today. Plenty of smiles.

    Thanks Eccles and Quirister

11. Late today, so this probably won’t be seen. But it’s time once again to complain that TET is a holiday, and the Tet Offensive was an offensive that began on Tet. TET is not an offensive! As I said last time, it’s exactly the same as if the setter used Easter to clue RISING (the 1916 one in Ireland), or (even better example) Yom Kippur to clue WAR (with the Yom Kippur War in mind) It’s just…no.

12. Mr.P, Indeed, I recall your previous objection. Seems that, in the crypto-cosmos, if a dubious device or synonym gains a foothold, then it’s going to keep turning up. ( was going to say, “like a bad penny”, but better not ). cheers, ib

Comments are closed.