Independent 12,049 by Knut

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Our Thursday challenge this week is from Knut.

I enjoyed this one: a few clues that made me think for a while, but all fair and “obvious once you see it”. It’s a pangram, for those who like such things. My favourite was the neat anagram in 16a, with honourable mentions to 28a (my last one in; as Knut no doubt intended, I was misled by “parcels biz” and spent far too long thinking of the names of delivery companies like DHL and UPS) and 5d (for reminding us that a Russian dog doesn’t always have to be Laika). Thanks Knut for the fun.

Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.

ACROSS
8 TAX HAVEN
Where the rich hope to avoid the call of duty? (3,5)
Cryptic definition, using the alternative meaning of “duty” as in “duty free” = a tax or levy.
9 OCHRE
Task shifting to the front ordinary mineral earth (5)
CHORE (a boring task), with the O (abbreviation for ordinary, as in O-level exams) shifted to the front.

A pigment (ranging from yellow through orange to brown), derived from clay containing iron oxide.
10 GOUT
Oscar punches belly – it’s extremely painful (4)
O (Oscar in the radio alphabet) inserted into (punching) GUT (belly).

Inflammatory disease in which uric acid crystals accumulate in the joints, especially in the big toe. “Extremely” could refer to pain in the extremities, or simply the degree of pain.
11 RHINOCEROS
9-iron’s used in big game (10)
Anagram (used, perhaps in the old sense of “mistreated”) of OCHRE IRON’S, where OCHRE comes from 9a.

As in big-game hunting: a large wild animal.
12 TSK TSK
It is OK – it is OK – periodically to express disapproval thus (3,3)
Alternate letters (periodically) of [i]T [i]S [o]K [i]T [i]S [o]K.

An old-fashioned sound expressing disapproval, similar to “tut, tut”.
14 CYBERSEX
“Internet relations beginning to corrupt Yankee bishop” – Gaelic Times (8)
Beginning letter of C[orrupt] + Y (Yankee in the radio alphabet) + B (abbreviation for bishop) + ERSE (Irish Gaelic) + X (times = symbol indicating multiplication).

Sexual activity using Internet communications.
16 FLEMISH
Like a chap from Brussels getting himself confused? (7)
Anagram (confused) of HIMSELF.

Flemish = belonging to one of the two main ethnic or linguistic groups in Belgium, the other being Walloon. The question-mark is needed to indicate a definition by example, because people from Brussels aren’t necessarily Flemish.
18 ASQUITH
An insignificant person Henry, the former Prime Minister (7)
A SQUIT (an insignificant person) + H (abbreviation for henry, the unit of electrical inductance).

Herbert Asquith, UK Prime Minister in the early 20th century.
21 BELOW PAR
Paragraph writer Saul half-heartedly starts, being a bit ill (5,3)
BEL[l]OW (US writer Saul Bellow) with one of the two middle letters removed (half-heartedly), before (. . . starts) PAR (abbreviation for paragraph).

In golf, of course, “below par” is a good thing = needing fewer strokes than others generally would. But in most other contexts it means “not good enough” or (as here) “not feeling quite right”.
23 BYE-LAW
Local rule using benchmark interest rate as specified by Spooner (3-3)
Spoonerism of LIBOR = London Inter-Bank Offered Rate, formerly a measure of average interest rates.

A law made by a local authority and enforceable only within its area.
24 APPRECIATE
Treasure to rise in value (10)
Double definition. To recognise the worth of something; or (of an investment) to increase in value over time.
26 BEAU
Boyfriend, upper-class Republican kicked out of office (4)
BU[ur]EAU (office = organisation or government department), without U (abbreviation for upper-class) + R (abbreviation for Republican).
27 RONDO
Crone unveiled party piece (5)
[c]RON[e] with the outer letters removed (unveiled) + DO (as in “a posh do” = slang for a party).

A piece of music in which the same musical material recurs at intervals.
28 NANOTECH
Pen a note chiding parcels biz delivering small items (8)
Hidden answer (. . . parcels = wraps up) in [pe]N A NOTE CH[iding].

Short for nanotechnology = technology on a very, very small scale (millionths of a millimetre).
DOWN
1 CAROUSEL
Make merry, ultimately wonderful musical (8)
CAROUSE (make merry = to enjoy oneself, generally with drink and a lot of noise) + last letter (ultimately) of [wonderfu]L.

1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical.
2 WHIT
A bit pale, lacking energy (4)
WHIT[e] (pale), without the E (abbreviation for energy).

As in “not a whit” = not a bit = not at all.
3 DVORAK
God willing, old king shall receive artist and composer (6)
DV (abbreviation for Latin Deo volente = God willing = an acknowledgement that one’s plans may not always succeed) + O (abbreviation for old) + K (abbreviation for king), containing (. . . shall receive) RA (abbreviation for Royal Academician = artist).

Czech composer Antonín Dvořák.
4 ANTIOCH
Oh, can’t I be put to work in the old city? (7)
Anagram (put to work) of OH CAN’T I.

Ancient city, featured in the Biblical book of Acts; located in what is now Turkey.
5 BOZO
Idiot Russian dog endlessly runs away (4)
BO[r]ZO[i] (Russian breed of hunting dog), without the last letter (endlessly) and without the R (abbreviation for runs, in cricket scoring).
6 KHMER ROUGE
Greek humour failure following loss of a uniform guerrilla army (5,5)
Anagram (failure) of GREEK HUMO[u]R without one U (Uniform in the radio alphabet).

Guerrilla army that took power in Cambodia during the 1970s.
7 JEROME
An early Christian from France, I sat above the Catholic church (6)
JE (French for “I”) before (sat above, in a down clue) ROME (metonymic term for the Roman Catholic Church).

Early Christian priest and theologian, 4th – 5th century.
13 TAMBOURINE
Instrument Mike installed in boat adrift on water (10)
M (Mike in the radio alphabet) in an anagram (adrift) of BOAT, then URINE (bodily waste water).

A percussion instrument.
15 BUS
British/American coach (3)
B (abbreviation for British) + US (abbreviation for United States = American).

Coach = bus = large passenger vehicle.
17 SAP
Step over 25? (3)
PAS (French-derived word for a step, especially in ballet) reversed (over).

Reference to 25d CLOT = a foolish person.
19 TEA DANCE
Initially take steps to cover each social gathering (3,5)
Initial letter of T[ake] + DANCE (steps), covering EA (abbreviation for each).

A dance party held in the late afternoon with tea and cake, as distinct from one held in the evening with wine and a main meal. A slightly weak clue because “dance” has the same meaning in both wordplay and definition.
20 ARIADNE
Very dry area within North-Eastern Crete was her home (7)
ARID (very dry), with A (abbreviation for area) within it, then NE (abbreviation for north-eastern).

In Greek mythology, the daughter of King Minos of Crete.
22 EXPERT
Former partner, a tango specialist (6)
EX (short for ex-husband or ex-wife = former partner) + PER (a, as in “once a day” = “once per day”) + T (Tango in the radio alphabet).
23 BLENNY
Large bloke from ABBA’s catching fish (6)
L (abbreviation for large) contained in (caught by) BENNY (Benny Andersson from ABBA).

Various species of ray-finned fish.
25 CLOT
Wally, bed-ridden student (4)
L (abbreviation for learner, as in L-plate = student) in COT (a small bed); bed-ridden = confined to bed.

Wally = clot = slang for a foolish person.
26 BATH
Spa putting up hotel bill (4)
H (Hotel in the radio alphabet) + TAB (slang for a bill, especially for food or drinks), all reversed (putting up = upwards in a down clue).

Spa city in south-west England.

10 comments on “Independent 12,049 by Knut”

  1. Enjoyed the puzzle. Thanks Knut.
    Excellent blog. Thanks Quirister.
    My faves: TAX HAVEN, CYBERSEX, BYE-LAW, NANOTECH, JEROME and TEA DANCE.

  2. Silky smooth, buttery cluing with some splendid anagrams which are absolutely one of this setter’s trademarks. Great fun. Quite accessible, I found. One of my quicker solves but I suspect that is due to the accurate cluing, wavelengths coinciding – and a bit of luck. Faves inc RHINOCEROS, FLEMISH, BEAU, RONDO, WHITE, ANTIOCH, TAMBOURING, EXPERT and BATH with an honourable mention for BLENNY which just made me laugh.

    Thanks Knut and Quirister

  3. I really enjoyed this. Realising it might be an pangram helped me with my last two in which were BOZO and JEROME in the NE corner.

    My top picks were: TAX HAVEN, CYBERSEX and FLEMISH.

    Many thanks to Knut and to Quirister.

  4. Thinking that 17d was either leg (= a stage or step in a process) or gel (= clot, solidify) held up the midwest until ‘below par’ and ‘Flemish’ prevailed.
    [In the NE I didn’t like the def in 6d but it’s political — Pol Pot and cadre became genocidal murderers, no longer guerillas].
    Otherwise, pretty smooth, thanks Knut and Quirister.

  5. A nice smooth puzzle, and solidly clued. Favourites were APPRECIATE, the splendidly-well hidden NANOTECH, BLENNY and RHINOCEROS, though I enjoyed the ones others have mentioned too.

    Thanks both

  7. Another +1 here for the large bloke from ABBA. NANOTECH was a very nice spot too.
    Short two-syllable Spoonerisms I always find challenging, but I had a distant rusty memory of a Libor-fixing scandal which helped for 23a. Thank you Knut and Quirister.

  8. Quirister’s preamble re FLEMISH, BORZOI and NANOTECH (such a craftily hidden answer) pretty much mirrors my own experience with this puzzle in that I conjured Laika, UPS and DHL before catching on.
    I also had ticks for ASQUITH, ARIADNE and EXPERT, as well as liking the idiotic trio of CLOT, SAP and BOZO. Didn’t know the fish but remembered good old Benny Ulvaeus. As others have already mentioned, the cluing was smooth and the anagrams top notch.
    Thanks Knut and Quirister for a great blog.

  9. I like a pangram, and like Rabbit Dave @3 it helped with those same last two. I know a bit about the Cathars, so it took a long time to convince my brain that 7d wasn’t something to do with that (although the clue made that clear from the start; awarded myself a 12a). Parcels biz in 28a was a brilliant wrong-footer. Loved it. Thanks to Knut and thanks to Quirister for a great blog

  10. Thanks both. A few unknowns or forgottens for me, including BLENNY, squit in ASQUITH (though I know squirt) and the Russian pooch taking us to BOZO. I served in the sat/sitting police for many years, but I guess we’re expected to forgive the clue for JEROME in the interests of the surface.

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