Wednesday amusement (though not for the easily offended) from a regular Independent setter.
As usual Hoskins has given us clues with a fair amount of drink and sex, and I wasn’t too surprised to see the solution to 18d which is typical of his puzzles. But it’s all good clean-ish fun. Some very neat anagrams, and good surfaces (though I hope any German or Caribbean readers won’t take 19a or 23a personally). I didn’t know the singer at 15a or the tree at 3d, but both were guessable. Thanks Hoskins as always.
Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | BABYLON |
Labour follower: “Half of London is a corrupt place” (7)
|
| BABY (what follows after a woman is in labour) + half of LON[don].
Ancient city, in Biblical tradition (especially the book of Revelation) a symbol of moral corruption in the world. |
||
| 5 | SLAMMER |
Can of fizzy cocktail (7)
|
| Double definition. Can = slammer = slang for prison; or a slammer is a type of cocktail drink, with various ingredients but usually including some kind of carbonated soft drink or fizzy beer. | ||
| 9 | EARTH |
Want to bump off daughter … what are you on? (5)
|
| [d]EARTH (want, as a noun = shortage) without the D (abbreviation for daughter).
The planet we’re on. |
||
| 10 | TELEPATHS |
Those in two minds about ultimately clumsy heel taps (9)
|
| Last letter (ultimately) of [abou]T, then an anagram (clumsy) of HEEL TAPS.
A sneaky definition: two or more people who can understand each other’s minds. |
||
| 11 | ITERATION |
Sex drug helping to get a repeated performance (9)
|
| IT (slang for sex) + E (abbreviation for the drug ecstasy) + RATION (helping, as a noun = an allocated portion). | ||
| 12 | AIOLI |
A drop of IPA and I look around for a saucy type (5)
|
| A (from clue text) + first letter (a drop) of I[pa], then I + LO (lo! = look! = a call for attention) reversed (around).
A sauce made from garlic and oil, or a garlic-flavoured mayonnaise. |
||
| 13 | HADES |
Headless disembodied souls in hell (5)
|
| [s]HADES (disembodied souls or ghosts) without the first letter (head).
The Ancient Greek underworld of the dead. |
||
| 15 | KISSINGER |
Nixon aide stealing a dollar from Paul Stanley? (9)
|
| Paul Stanley is the lead vocalist in the US rock band Kiss (no, me neither, but that’s what Wikipedia is for) = KISS SINGER. Then we need to remove one S ($ = abbreviation for dollar).
Henry Kissinger, US politician who served during Richard Nixon’s presidency. |
||
| 18 | CARTHORSE |
One drawing loads of craft in cold bay, say (9)
|
| ART (craft), inserted into C (abbreviation for cold) + HORSE (definition by example: a bay is a brown or red-brown horse with black mane and tail).
A horse that pulls a loaded cart. |
||
| 19 | GRASP |
Understand German? Speak with harsh and grating tone! (5)
|
| G (abbreviation for German) + RASP (to speak with a rough voice). | ||
| 21 | SPOIL |
Cause damage to 9 houses close to Sidcup (5)
|
| SOIL (9 = reference to 9a EARTH), containing (housing) the closing letter of [sidcu]P. | ||
| 23 | BARBADIAN |
Islander jiggled about in a bad bra (9)
|
| Anagram (jiggled about) of IN A BAD BRA.
Someone from the Caribbean island of Barbados. The climate allows the locals to dance in fairly skimpy clothing, especially as part of carnival and music festivals, but I wouldn’t pass judgement on the quality of such clothing. |
||
| 25 | PLATITUDE |
“Freedom requires power first” is a trite remark (9)
|
| LATITUDE (freedom to make one’s own decisions), with P (abbreviation for power) first. | ||
| 26 | TUTSI |
African expression of disapproval one’s rebuffed (5)
|
| TUT (a sound expressing disapproval), then I’S (one’s) reversed (rebuffed).
A mamber of an African ethnic group associated mainly with Rwanda and Burundi. |
||
| 27 | TRIGGER |
Provoke first of revellers to punch bouncer? (7)
|
| First letter of R[evellers], inserted into (punching) TIGGER (a character in A A Milne’s Winnie the Pooh stories, known for being bouncy). For the surface, has Hoskins been reading recent stories about the England men’s cricket team?
Trigger, as a verb = provoke = cause an adverse reaction. |
||
| 28 | DEPARTS |
Bed-bound types holding record for splits (7)
|
| DARTS (objects that are aimed towards a bed = a specific scoring area surrounded by wires on a dartboard), holding EP (abbreviation for extended-play record).
Split, as a verb = slang for leave a group = depart. |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | BLEMISH |
Mark from Flanders leaving France for Britain (7)
|
| [f]LEMISH (from the Flanders area of Belgium), with the F (abbreviation for France) removed and replaced by B (abbreviation for Britain). | ||
| 2 | BARTENDER |
A worker present ultimately during boozy sesh (9)
|
| A (from clue text) + last letters (ultimately) of [worke]R [presen]T, inserted into BENDER (boozy sesh = a long drinking session).
Clue-as-definition: a bender typically takes place in a bar, or often multiple bars one after another, staffed by bartenders. |
||
| 3 | LEHUA |
Tree line eventually hides unit attacking at front (5)
|
| First letters (at front) of L[ine] E[ventually] H[ides] U[nit] A[ttacking].
A Hawaiian tree, Metrosideros polymorpha. Never heard of it, but Wikipedia has. |
||
| 4 | NIT-PICKER |
Silly trick in PE leaves one in critical condition (3-6)
|
| Anagram (silly) of TRICK IN PE.
Slang for someone being critical by disputing or correcting minor details. |
||
| 5 | SALON |
Boy seen around a large Barnet establishment? (5)
|
| SON (boy = male child), around A (from clue text) + L (abbreviation for large).
Barnet = Cockney rhyming slang for hair, from Barnet Fair; salon = a hairdressing establishment. |
||
| 6 | APPEALING |
A reverberating of bells on radio is pleasing (9)
|
| A (from clue text) + sound-alike (on radio) of PEALING = reverberating of bells. | ||
| 7 | METRO |
French underground force soldiers repelled (5)
|
| MET (abbreviation for the Metropolitan Police Force in London), then OR (abbreviation for other ranks = soldiers who aren’t officers) reversed (repelled).
The underground railway system in Paris: in French it’s Métro, short for Métropolitain. |
||
| 8 | RISKIER |
Being extra-playful when topless is more perilous (7)
|
| [f]RISKIER (more frisky = extra-playful), without the first letter (top, in a down clue). | ||
| 14 | SCHILLING |
Soprano taking time out in old foreign capital (9)
|
| S (abbreviation for soprano) + CHILLING (slang for taking a rest = taking time out).
Former currency (capital = money) of Austria, now replaced by the euro. |
||
| 16 | SPEARHEAD |
He parades around foremost of army units (9)
|
| Anagram (around) of HE PARADES.
The leading group in a military attack. |
||
| 17 | GLADIATOR |
One who fought a dog trial unrestrainedly (9)
|
| Anagram (unrestrainedly) of A DOG TRIAL.
In the Roman empire (hence the past tense), an arena fighter. |
||
| 18 | CESSPIT |
Success pitilessly stymies one full of crap (7)
|
| Hidden answer (. . . stymies = obstructs = contains?) in [suc]CESS PIT[ilessly]. | ||
| 20 | PANTIES |
Moneypenny is one first to notice Bond’s undies (7)
|
| PA (abbreviation for personal assistant, for example Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond books and films) + first letter of N[otice] + TIE’S (tie is = bond is = connection is).
Undies = slang shortening of “underwear”, such as women’s panties. |
||
| 22 | OMANI |
I love to gyrate around fellow from Muscat (5)
|
| I (from clue text) + O (zero = love in tennis scoring), reversed (to gyrate = to spin round), around MAN (fellow).
From Muscat, the capital city of Oman. |
||
| 23 | BLUER |
Obscure cut by European is more melancholy (5)
|
| BLUR (obscure, as a verb = to make indistinct) containing E (abbreviation for European).
Blue = slang for melancholy. |
||
| 24 | ACT UP |
Carry On performers perhaps appearing in court (3,2)
|
| ACT (two or more people who perform together in entertainment, as in “double-act” or “supporting act”) + UP (slang for appearing in court, as in “up before the magistrate”). I’m not sure what “perhaps” adds to the meaning.
Carry on = act up = behave in an annoying way. |
I thoroughly enjoyed this, although with the same two nho as Quirister. DEPARTS could have been nothing else but I had never come across ‘bed’ as being the target area on a dartboard before, seems counterintuitive for something that’s hung vertically.
Thank you to both setter and blogger
I didn’t think the definition in 4d quite worked 😉
Thanks both. I had equally no idea about Paul Stanley as the source for Kissinger, and have never seen the Dollar symbol regarded purely as an S. I actually quite liked the definition for NIT PICKER, and eventually grasped DEPARTS having maybe recalled Jim Bowen on the addictively terrible Bullseye instructing that you get nothing for two in a bed.
Typical Hoskins – irreverent and great fun. I am definitely a 4d and I’m very happy with the definition!
Doofs @1. Three in a bed is a common darts expression when you get all three darts in the same segment, e.g. triple twenty or double one.
Many thanks to Hoskins and to Quirister.
Hovis@2 Very amusing! BARTENDER was my favourite.
Thanks both – such fun!
The ‘Labour follower’ was a thigh-slapper – now to infiltrate it into a conversation…
As so often happens, I deferred the Indy to lunchtime on a day when lunchtime for me (I’m in Chicago) was late. So most of you are, if not in bed, at least curled up with something cozy.
The only member of Kiss that I can name is Gene Simmons, who has had a career outside the band, so I entered that one completely unparsed.
I like the way that Hoskins always manages to stay *just* this side of decent for a general-circulation newspaper, while still managing wit and fun, with all the ooh-la-la only interfering if you are determined to be offended. That’s actually a talent.
I enjoyed solving this but even more reading the clues again afterwards. Brilliantly hilarious. Thanks both.