Independent 12,033 by Liari

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My first blog of a puzzle my Liari as we go into the May day bank holiday weekend.

A very pleasant solve it was – 9 across reminded me of seeing Dave Gorman at the Tyne theatre – what would “Jane” make of that! Great clue in my opinion if a little risque. 12 across was quite sublime, 26ac was a great surface too, numerous other clues have great surfaces too. Maybe not the most difficult puzzles but certainly one with a high density of clues that really could be stand alone sentences – great art Liari

Many thanks Liari – I hope to cross paths again soon

Key: rev. reversed; * anagram; DD double defintion; underline definition

Across
1 Parking on drive with incline (4)
p(parking) after ram(drive) = RAMP

4 Media reports of bizarre caws inside nests (9)
(caws)* in nests = NEWSCASTS

9 Come inside for gas mask (6)
Hidden fOR GAS Mask = ORGASM

10 Something to clean up after geese made a mess around Quebec (8)
(geese)* around que (Quebec) = SQUEEGEE

11 Romantic musical composition is hit performance for the audience (8)
Homophone of knock (hit) + turn (performance) = NOCTURNE

12 Kudos! You finally cracked puzzle (6)
(kudos + u)* = SUDOKU

13 Like some verses using this writer’s pen (6)
I am (this writer’s) + bic (pen) = IAMBIC

15 Revolutionary led classified related events (8)
Rev ran (led) + rated(classified) = NARRATED

17 I am roaming around a twisted pine tree (8)
(iam)* around a + Rev. long(pine) = MAGNOLIA

19 Oily gross piece of cake (6)
gr(gross) + easy(piece of cake) = GREASY

21 More spacious but less safe hotel abandoned (6)
hairier(less safe) – h(hotel) = AIRIER

23 Game manoeuvre where one bowls overs with power (5-3)
alley(where one bowls) + oo(overs) + p (power) = ALLEY OOP

25 Large stir about second French publisher (8)
l(large) + arouse(stir) around s(second) = LAROUSSE

26 Did coach sound tense? (6)
Hompohone of taut(tense) = TAUGHT

27 Took off from disaster at work around one (9)
(disaster + I)* = SATIRISED

28 Teacher in toupee retired at university (4)
Rev. rug(toupee) + u(university) = GURU

Down
2 Beau finally pierces nipple area, getting golden ring (7)
u(Beau finally) in areola(nipple area) = AUREOLA

3 Factory worker under power line (5)
ant(worker) after pl (power line) = PLANT

4 I’m unclear, rambling about figures (9)
(im unclear)* = NUMERICAL

5 New state rangers disturbed songbirds (7,8)
(new state rangers)* = WESTERN TANAGERS

6 Tips of potter’s tools left inside (5)
cues(potter’s tools) around l(left) = CLUES

7 Duck as Bob wielded pointy garden tool (9)
s(bob) + held(wielded) + rake(pointy garden tool) = SHELDRAKE

8 Spot deer near mushrooms heading north (7)
Rev elk(deer) + ceps(mushrooms) = SPECKLE

14 Marsupial group on island with aquatic bird (9)
band(group) + I(island) + coot (bird) = BANDICOOT

16 Controlled weapon brought back had damage initially (9)
Rev. luger(weapon) + ate(had)b + d(damage initially) = REGULATED

18 Critters upset plate with last of oats (7)
Rev. lamina (plate) + s (last of oats) = ANIMALS

20 Mum under small blanket (7)
mother(mum) after s(small) = SMOTHER

22 Romeo is ascending on part of flight (5)
r(Romeo) + is + Rev, re(on) = RISER

24 Juvenile year-old antelope lying about (5)
yo(year-old) + Rev. gnu(antelope) = YOUNG

 

12 comments on “Independent 12,033 by Liari”

  2. There’s a Nina down right edge and up left edge Eudyptula Minor – little penguin – World Penguin Day was 8 days ago .

    Thank you Liari and Twencelas

  3. Alley oop was a nho (saw the Harlem Globetrotters as a kid, but …). Held up briefly when nest was just, er, nest, and twist meant reverse not anag. Think my Concise Larousse is still on a shelf (the ease of the www is so seductive). Lots of neat clues, thanks Liari and twencelas.

  4. Thanks both. I decided the grid was fit to accommodate a Nina, but the little penguin was never likely to reveal itself to me in that disguise, however I was pleased to successfully guess at WESTERN TANAGERS from the 1000’s of bird species out there, and ALLEY-OOP and LAROUSSE were nho’s from distant lands but clearly clued. I didn’t think the definition for ORGASM was usually spelt that way, but I have opted not to research it further…

  5. … the spelling depends on where you’re looking, TFO. But about those birds, i was a dnf; Western was clear but I had no idea which way the remaiming non-crosser consonants went, so had to guess-and-check to fit them.

  6. You weren’t ‘turned off’ by this puzzle then, twencelas?

    Good fun. I was surprised not to see the trademark Liari penguin in the grid but I guess I wasn’t looking hard enough. Well spotted, Flea.

  9. Thanks Liari for a great set of clues. I’m always on the lookout for Nina’s (I miss Serpent) but my penquin knowledge is close to nil so I didn’t recognise what was happening today. (WESTERN TANAGERS, however, was a write-in for me.) My top picks were ORGASM (my LOI), GREASY, ALLEY-OOP, GURU, AUREOLA, and BANDICOOT. Thanks twencelas for the blog.

  10. Not surprised that several had not heard of an ALLEY-OOP. They do play basketball worldwide, but in most of the cryptic crossword countries it’s fairly low on the popularity list. [Of the American sports, that’s the one that’s made the most inroads in Europe…but mostly well to the east or south of Britain. And Australia has produced some notable players…but then the Aussies have never met a sport they don’t like, so that doesn’t mean a thing.]

    My deluxe edition LAROUSSE Spanish-English dictionary is on the bookshelf just to my left as I type this. I think the fact that they do a brisk trade in translation dictionaries is the main reason they’re fair game here. The scarlet TANAGER is the one seen in these parts, not his WESTERN cousin, but that one was fairly easy once a couple crossers were in; still, rare to see a New World bird in a British puzzle.

  11. Thank you all for the lovely comments. I was not expecting anyone to spot the Nina. Well done, @Flea. Happy (belated) International Penguin Day!

  12. Thanks twencelas and Liari.

    Enjoyed this.

    Saw the ’emu’ in 4d; not the nina – very impressive.

    Will be looking fwd to future Liari puzzles.

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