Independent 12,072 by Eccles

by

We are very happy to have another Eccles to blog.

Precise clueing, the odd unusual word and smooth surfaces. Just as we expected!

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
6. Some of these boys coming back fat (5)
OBESE

Hidden (‘some of’) and reversed (‘coming back’) in thESE BOys

7. Cryptic hint came regarding Songs of Praise (8)
ANTHEMIC

An anagram (‘cryptic’) of HINT CAME

10. Absolutely nothing from Ireland is OK (7)
FAIRISH

FA (absolutely nothing) IRISH (from Ireland)

11. Thug running funfair (7)
RUFFIAN

An anagram (‘running’) of FUN FAIR

12. Cautious about books of the Bible in chapel (7)
CHANTRY

CHARY (cautious) around or ‘about’ NT (books of the Bible)

13. Study a leader from Rome on two Roman coins (7)
DENARII

DEN (study) A R (first letter or leader from Rome) II (two in Roman numerals)

14. Development of speech after beer knocked back by bachelor (11)
ELABORATION

ORATION (speech) after a reversal or ‘knocked back’ of ALE (beer) and B (bachelor)

19. Part of hockey not exactly of fundamental importance (7)
KEYNOTE

Hidden in the clue (‘part of’) hocKEY NOT Exactly

21. Seaweed review regularly carried out in popular holiday destination (7)
ALGARVE

ALGA (seaweed) ReViEw (alternate letters only or ‘regularly carried out’). We had our honeymoon on the Algarve back in 1971.

23. Greenness of navy tie confusing (7)
NAIVETY

An anagram (‘confusing’) of NAVY TIE

25. Article inspired by sport’s external factors (7)
WEATHER

THE (article) inside or ‘inspired by’ WEAR (sport)

26. Window in Kentucky with delicate casing (8)
SKYLIGHT

KY (Kentucky) inside or being ‘cased’ by SLIGHT (delicate)

27. Perv cuddles English sucker (5)
LEECH

LECH (perv) around or ‘cuddling’ E (English)

DOWN
1. Legacy of woman’s sex appeal and maturity (8)
HERITAGE

HER (of woman) IT (sex appeal) AGE (maturity)

2. Stop believer eating seconds (6)
DESIST

DEIST (believer) around or ‘eating’ S (seconds)

3. Melancholy rhymes with cola, surprisingly (10)
LACHRYMOSE

An anagram (‘surprisingly’) of RHYMES and COLA

4. Very hungry half-cut celebrity (4)
STAR

STARving (hungry) losing half or with half-cut

5. Adult publication that is right for political adviser (6)
VIZIER

VIZ (adult publication) IE (that is) R (right)

6. State department kills American (6)
OFFICE

OFF and ICE are two Americanisms for ‘kill’

8. European females break off with one Turkish gentleman (7)
EFFENDI

E (European) FF (females) END (break off) I (one)

9. People in the far north instinctively know when temperature’s dropped (5)
INUIT

INtUIT (instinctively know) missing or ‘dropping’ T (temperature)

13. Abolish event, using fences elsewhere (2,4,4)
DO AWAY WITH

DO (event) WITH (using) around or ‘fencing’ AWAY (elsewhere)

15. When climbing, I will be introduced to American friend on summit? (7)
APOGEAL

A reversal or ‘climbing’ of EGO (I) inside or ‘introduced to’ A (American) PAL (friend)

16. Shot near turbulent body of water (5,3)
NORTH SEA

An anagram (‘turbulent’) of SHOT NEAR

17. Son with fetish for lizard (5)
SKINK

S (son) KINK (fetish)

18. Shortage of Dutch land (6)
DEARTH

D (Dutch) EARTH (land)

20. Former jester’s wanting rector to give encouragement for hunters (6)
YOICKS

YOrICK’S (former jester’s) missing or ‘wanting’ R (rector)

22. Knight, perhaps, cut large slices with pleasure (6)
GLADLY

GLADYs (as in Gladys Knight, the singer) missing last letter or ‘cut’ with L (large) inside or ‘slicing’

24. Philosophy of Hindu in year since returning (4)
YOGA

Y (year) + AGO (since) reversed or ‘returning’

 

11 comments on “Independent 12,072 by Eccles”

  1. This was excellent and as enjoyable as we have come to expect from Eccles although, aside from a couple of words unknown to me, I did find it at the easier end of his spectrum.

    GLADLY was my favourite when the penny finally dropped regarding the Knight in question.

    Many thanks to Eccles and to B&J.

  2. Gladys Knight and the Pips were the first international live act I saw here in my home town. I booked 20 swats, front stalls, and made it a party. She was superb! Bu,r, alas, dull ageing brain did not twig, so 22d gladly was a bung. Sad. Oh well, that’s life, enjoyed the rest, ta Eccles and B&J.

  3. I, too, took a while to remember Gladys for the cross-eyed bear clue, spending far too long trying to make something of Galahad. Eccles is such a reliably good setter.

  4. Another lovely puzzle from Eccles.

    I particularly enjoyed FAIRISH, ALGARVE, LACHRYMOSE, INUIT, YOICKS and GLADLY, eventually.
    Thanks to Petert for the reminder of one of my favourite mondegreens. I played around with Galahad for a while, too.

    I think ‘on’ must be part of the definition in 15dn.

    Many thanks to Eccles and B&J.

  5. Another excellent puzzle from our setter and put me down as another who got hung up on Sir Galahad being involved in 22d! Think my favourite surface reads were those for HERITAGE & INUIT.

    Many thanks to Eccles and to B&J for the review.

  7. Super puzzle as usual. Delighted to buck the trend, though: Galahad never came to mind!

    Thanks Eccles and B&J

  8. Thanks both. I know I am in the minority saying this wasn’t entirely to my liking; perhaps just a few too many unknowns, in that I was ultimately beaten by LACHRYMOSE having triumphantly entered ‘lachrysome’ as well as APOGEAL as I was determined to fit ‘I’ or ‘me’ somewhere, and YOICKS which I should have guessed given the ongoing fixation with Hamlet but that he was a jester escaped me, and I have precisely no respect for the so-called ‘sport’ referenced.

  9. An excellent puzzle which I found slightly less taxing than Eccles’ usual offerings, and just as enjoyable. For my LOI, Galahad was first thought in the Knightly department, but not for long, as the Pips soon raised a smile. Thanks B&J and Eccles.

  10. I often have difficulties with Eccles’s puzzles, but this one flew in – right up to 15dn and 22dn, neither of which I could see. I knew APOGEE but not APOGEAL, and I had heard of Gladys Knight but the name didn’t come to mind.

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