Tack is a setter who appears every two or three months in the Independent.
This was a puzzle where the wordplay was very detailed with frequent use of just one or two letters as part of the construction of the entry. Also ,there were some nested ‘container and contents’ clues. That’s the way I like my wordplay but I am sure there will be some solvers who take a different view.
Tack’s puzzles sometimes have a theme, but I can’t see one today.
I was a bit confused about TANKARDs (4 down) never leaving the pub, but Google’s artifical intelligence tells me that many people have personal TANKARDs that stay in the pub all the time.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 | They have a quick bite when taking a breather going over hill (10)
ALLIGATORS (reptiles that can bite their prey very quickly) AS (when) containing (taking) ([A + GILL {membranous organ for breathing in water; breather} reversed {going over}] + TOR [hill]) A ((LLIG A)< TOR) S |
| 6 | That man with £500 set aside (4)
HELD (reserved; set aside) HE (that man) + L (symbol used to indicate £ sterling) + D (Roman numeral for 500) HE L D |
| 10 | Savage spotted individual laughing in the bush? (5)
HYENA (a spotted HYENA is a savage animal (genus Crocuta) HYENA (the laughing HYENA is another name for the spotted HYENA that lives in the bush) double definition I think the word ‘individual ‘ could be part of either or both definitions HYENA |
| 11 | Substances promoting growth in 17 nuts (9)
NUTRIENTS (nourishing substances; substances promoting growth) Anagram of (nuts) IN and ENTRUST (entry at 17 across) NUTRIENTS* |
| 12 | One tears up the road in plum car I’d let out (9,5)
PNEUMATIC DRILL (a tool powered by compressed air that it used to dig up part of a road) Anagram of (out) IN PLUM CAR I’D LET PNEUMATIC DRILL* |
| 14 | Lager top drinks Irish broadcaster loved (7)
HEARTED (slang term for ‘loved’) HEAD (froth on top of a glass of lager; lager top) containing (drinks) RTE (Radio Telefis Eireann; Irish broadcaster) HEA (RTE) D |
| 15 | State courts putting me inside (7)
AUSTRIA (European country [State]) ATRIA (courtyards; courts) containing (putting … inside) US (informal word for ‘me’) A (US) TRIA |
| 17 | New PM briefly absorbed by case of Egypt delegate (7)
ENTRUST (to delegate) (N [new] + TRUSs [reference Liz Truss, UK Prime Minister from 6th September 2022 until 25th October 2022] excluding the final letter S [briefly]) contained in (absorbed by) ET (outer letters of [case of] EgypT) E (N TRUS) T |
| 19 | Turn round exasperated at first after fellow left without you (7)
FLEXURE (a bend or turn) F (fellow) + L (left) + EX– (without) + U [textspeak for ‘you’) + RE (initial letters [at first] of each of Round and Exasperated) F L EX U RE |
| 20 | Gets wrong motorway to northern city – learner is stumped by satnav initially (14)
MISUNDERSTANDS (gets wrong) MI (characters represent the M1 motorway) + SUNDERLAND (city in North East England) with L (learner) replaced by (is) ST (stumped) + S (first letter of [initially] of Satnav) MI SUNDERSTAND S |
| 23 | Union member’s paraphernalia ultimately upset polymath (9)
TROUSSEAU (the clothes, linen, etc, collected by a bride for her marriage; union member’s paraphernalia) T (last letter of [ultimately] upseT) + ROUSSEAU (reference Jean-Jacques ROUSSEAU [1712 – 1778], Genevan polymath) T ROUSSEAU |
| 24 | Feel apprehensive about duke on a date (5)
DREAD (fear) D (duke) + RE (with reference to; on) + A + D (date) D RE A D |
| 25 | Find fault with swimmer (4)
CARP (find fault with) CARP (fish; swimmer) double definition CARP |
| 26 | Interactive software really excited news providers (10)
HYPERMEDIA (interactive software systems that link information stored as text, graphics, audio and video) HYPER (intensively excited) + MEDIA (news providers) HYPER MEDIA |
| Down | |
| 1 | Long article about heroin and ecstasy (4)
ACHE (long [for]) A (indefinite article) + C (circa; about) + H (informal term for heroin) + E (informal term for an ecstasy tablet) A C H E |
| 2 | Ready to attack claim ex is now racist periodically (3,2,4)
LIE IN WAIT (be ready to ambush or attack) LIE IN WAIT (letters 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 and 17 of cLaIm Ex Is NoW rAcIsT) L I E I N W A I T |
| 3 | Nark catching American dons teaching English the second I expressed it’s unnecessary (14)
GRATUITOUSNESS (descriptive of an unnecessary action) GRASS (informer; nark) containing (catching) ([US {United States; American} contained in {dons} TUITiON {teaching} excluding {expressed} the second I] + E [English]) GRA (TUITO (US) N E) SS |
| 4 | Contrive to lose a rampant doctor that never leaves the pub (7)
TANKARD (Google’s artificial intelligence tells me that a TANKARD traditionally never leaves the pub because it is often considered property of the establishment, part of a personal “locker” system for regulars, or designed with specific features [like lidded pewter] that make them impractical to take home) TANK (fail; contrive to lose [?]) + A + DR (doctor) reversed (rampant [heraldic term for standing on hindlegs or raised]; rearing) [down entry] TANK A RD< |
| 5 | Around tavernas essentially it’s drunk neat regularly (7)
RETSINA (a Greek wine frequently drunk in tavernas) ER (central letters of [essentially] tavERnas) reversed (around) + an anagram of (drunk) IT’S + NA (letters 1 and 3 [regularly] of NeAt) – an &Lit clue where the whole clue is the definition RE< TSI* NA |
| 7 | Boredom reported working a short time in Scotland (5)
ENNUI (boredom) ENNUI is pronounced ONWEE (ON [working] WEE [Scottish word for a short time]) ENNUI |
| 8 | Angry complaint about empty parcel delivered to daughter (10)
DISPLEASED (angry) (DISEASE [medical complaint] containing [about] PL [letters remaining in ParceL when the central letters arce are removed][empty]) + D (daughtyer) DIS (PL) EASE D |
| 9 | Love, send D:Ream up to play Things Can Only Get Better (3,11)
NIL DESPERANDUM (never despair, as, one hopes, things can only get better) NIL (zero; love score at tennis) + an anagram of (to play) SEND D:REAM UP NIL DESPERANDUM* |
| 13 | Disorderly place might calm (10)
PHLEGMATIC (calm) Anagram of (disorderly) PLACE MIGHT PHLEGMATIC* |
| 16 | Parliamentarian drinks hot beverage after striking head (9)
ROUNDHEAD (a supporter of Parliament against King Charles I during the English Civil War) ROUND (several drinks bought at one time) + H (hot) + mEAD (an alcoholic drink made by fermenting honey and water, usually with the addition of spices, etc) excluding the first letter M (striking head) ROUND H EAD |
| 18 | In that way the right is supported by Elon, primarily on X (7)
THEREBY (iby that means; n that way) THE + R (right) + E (first letter of [primarily] Elon) + BY (times; x) – Elon Musk owns the social media platform X THE R E BY – as this is a down entry, the letters ERY are ‘supporting’ the letters THER |
| 19 | Split force is no problem (7)
FISSURE (cleft or crack; split) F (force) + IS + SURE (yes; of course; no problem) F IS SURE |
| 21 | Conscientious objector punches Parisian on hunt (5)
SCOUR (search for; hunt) CO (conscientious objector) contained in (punches) SUR (French [Parisian] word for ‘on’) S (CO) UR |
| 22 | Almost perfect aim (4)
IDEA (a plan; an aim) IDEAl (perfect) excluding the final letter (almost) L IDEA |
TANKARD
Under ‘tank’ Chambers has
To lose or drop points, games etc deliberately (tennis sl)
—>’contrive to lose’ looks fine.