Major starts the puzzling week in the Indie.
I’m not familiar with this setter, who seems to be a relatively recent addition to the Independent’s setting stable. Indeed, a quick search on this site suggests this is just their fourth outing here.
I found this a well-constructed, mostly very amenable puzzle. I’m not quite sure about 11ac, WOOF, but I dare say someone will be able to provide a rationale (see Hovis @1). I was inevitably delighted to see UNSHACKLE and was amused by DUTCH TREAT as well as POTHEAD, but my favourite has to be the very neatly worked WATERSHED.
Many thanks to Major, I shall look forward to seeing more of your work.
Moh’s improbably precise cruciverbial hardness scale rating: Gypsum
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | COWARD |
Chicken or fish sandwiches campaign (6)
|
| Insertion (sandwiches) of WAR (campaign) into COD | ||
| 4 | FEDORAS |
Potentially, exams for American agents learner passes to get headgear (7)
|
| ORA[L]S could be tests for FEDs (American agents) without the L (learner passes) | ||
| 9 | KEY WORKER |
Locksmith who’s valued for their trade? (3,6)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 10 | TABOO |
Bill loves talking about death, among other things (5)
|
| TAB (bill) + OO (loves) | ||
| 11 | WOOF |
Sound setter makes with sympathetic exclamation (4)
|
| 12 | NEWSHOUND |
Reporter of latest music captivating hearts (9)
|
| NEW + SOUND around (captivating) H | ||
| 14 | LOOK AFTER |
Face paying tribute to mind (4,5)
|
| LOOK (face) + AFTER (paying tribute to, as in ‘After Rembrandt’) | ||
| 16 | RIDE |
Journey uncovered groups of lions (4)
|
| Removal of first and last letters (uncovered) from [p]RIDE[s] | ||
| 18 | DOLL |
Liberal following party line is plaything (4)
|
| DO (party) + L (line) + L (liberal) | ||
| 20 | UNSHACKLE |
Release articles in Paris about small journalist (9)
|
| UN and LE (articles in French, so Paris) around S (small) HACK. Great clue! | ||
| 23 | WATERSHED |
Start of transmission where ad’s naughty? (9)
|
| Anagram (naughty) of T (start of transmission) WHERE ADS, solution referring to the 9pm ‘watershed’ in British broadcasting after which more adult content was permitted. Is this still a thing in the age of streaming? Either way, it’s an &lit | ||
| 25 | SNUG |
Tight, muscular arms twisting (4)
|
| Reversal (twisting) of GUNS. Not sure that ‘muscular’ is necessary for the wordplay, but please point out if you think otherwise (see Hovis @1 – I must admit to being ignorant of this usage of ‘guns’) | ||
| 27 | SOFIA |
Capital where one is part of furniture (5)
|
| Insertion (is part of) of I (one) in SOFA | ||
| 28 | ON THE SPOT |
Return of high temperature breaks my pool facing sudden pressure (2,3,4)
|
| Reversal (return) of HT (high temperature) inside (breaks) ONE’S POT (my pool) | ||
| 29 | POTHEAD |
One’s abusing no end of that dope? (7)
|
| Anagram (abusing) of THA[t] (no end of that) DOPE. Very nearly &lit | ||
| 30 | TURN IN |
Retire from position at last, occupying Italian city (4,2)
|
| N (last letter of position) inside (occupying) TURIN | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | CAKEWALK |
Easy task to stir sealant for Spooner (8)
|
| Spoonerism of ‘wake’ (stir) ‘cork’ (sealant). Or, as DavidO @2 suggests, ‘caulk’ for the sealant. That’s sounds more likely to me than ‘cork’ | ||
| 2 | WAY TO GO |
Good job to deliver step of cheese making process? (3,2,2)
|
| Soundalike (to deliver) of ‘Whey to go’, ie separation of curds from whey | ||
| 3 | ROOM |
Topless husband soon finding place to stay for the night (4)
|
| [g]ROOM (topless husband soon) | ||
| 4 | FIREWORKS |
Dismiss Labour’s angry outburst (9)
|
| FIRE + WORK’S | ||
| 5 | DUTCH TREAT |
Clean up the cat turd spread on everyone? (5,5)
|
| Anagram (clean up) of THE CAT TURD, definition referring to a spread, or meal, which is paid for (ie, on) all those taking part | ||
| 6 | REBOUND |
Heart of crew stuck together in post break-up period (7)
|
| [c]RE[w] (heart of ‘crew’) + BOUND (stuck together) | ||
| 7 | SHODDY |
Quiet eccentric loses it lacking quality (6)
|
| SH + ODD[it]Y (eccentric loses ‘it’) | ||
| 8 | SKIN |
Hide task information, in part (4)
|
| Hidden (in part) in taSK INformation | ||
| 13 | TAILOR MADE |
Trouble crowding hill ahead of cheese rolling custom (6-4)
|
| Insertion (crowding) of AIL (trouble) into TOR (hill) + reversal (rolling) of EDAM | ||
| 15 | TOUCH WOOD |
Let’s hope for good luck and skill with golf club (5,4)
|
| TOUCH (skill) + WOOD (golf club) | ||
| 17 | HEIGHTEN |
Raise daughters essentially, 8 and 10, sharing time between them (8)
|
| H (middle letter – essentially – of daughters) + EIGHT + TEN but with only one T (sharing time between them) | ||
| 19 | OUT OF IT |
Drunk head of organisation wears suit (3,2,2)
|
| Insertion (wears) of O (head of Organisation) in OUTFIT (suit) | ||
| 21 | KINGPIN |
Family doctor at work’s most important member of the team (7)
|
| KIN (family) + GP + IN (at work, as in the phrase ‘the doctor is in’) | ||
| 22 | OWNS UP |
Now, surprisingly, son appearing in court comes clean (4,2)
|
| Anagram (surprisingly) of NOW + S + UP (appearing in court, as in ‘up before the court’) | ||
| 24 | DUTY |
Responsibility to pick up condensation with hot drink (4)
|
| Soundalike (to pick up) of ‘dew’ and ‘tea’ | ||
| 26 | MENU |
Premier League team taking American out for English food at restaurant (4)
|
| MAN U (Manchester United, Premier League team) with the A (American) swapped for E (English) |
I struggled with this, especially the top left, but got there in the end. Enjoyable even though I found some of the definitions a bit out there. I think, after somebody has had a fall for example, people may well say “oof” in sympathy. GUNS refer to muscular biceps so I think ‘muscular’ is needed in 25a, although ‘arms’ is a bit non-specific.
We think Hovis @1 has it right with “oof” as the sympathetic remark in 11a, the “with” in the clue giving the required W.
Re 1d, one of us thought of “caulk”, rather than “cork” as the sealant….
Thanks to setter and blogger for a good start to a Monday
[Many thanks Hovis and DavidO – blog updated accordingly]
DavidO. Funnily enough, I initially thought ‘caulk’ as well but, checking in Chambers again, ‘caulk’ is only there as a verb with ‘caulking’ as a noun.
Thanks Major and moh
Caulk as a noun is widely used in the building trade; a quick search for “decorator’s caulk” returns many examples.
Thanks Simon. I was a little surprised by the Chambers’ entry. Maybe ‘caulk’ was the setter’s intention?
Hovis @ 6 Quite possibly – both Chambers and the OED give calk as an alternative to caulk (but still only as a verb).