Atrica has set the Independent Tuesday puzzle this week.
It’s Tuesday, so we can expect a theme. This one is fairly obvious with the Seven Deadly Sins (Vices) – ENVY, LUSTs, SLOTH, GREED, GLUTTONY, PRIDE and ANGER – appearing in the Down entries along with the word VICES. In the Across entries, we have the Three Theological Virtues – HOPE, FAITH and LOVE (Charity) as well as the word VIRTUES.
Atrica packed a lot into this puzzle with 38 entries, significantly more than usually found in a typical blocked crossword.
The spelling DIDJERIDU for the musical instrument at 23 across can be found in Collins English Dictionary.
The parsing I had most diffculty with was for ENVY at 1 down. I think I got there in the end.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 | Fish died after net unfortunately snarled (9)
ENTANGLED (snarled) Anagram of (unfortunately) NET + ANGLE (to fish) + D (died) ENT* ANGLE D |
| 6 | Prepares to fire helmsman, from the sound of it (5)
COCKS (prepares a gun for firing; prepares to fire) COCKS (sounds like [from the sound of it] COX [COXswain; helmsman of a lifeboat]) COCKS |
| 9 | The last couple leaving servitude arranged benefits (7)
VIRTUES (benefits) Anagram of (arranged) SERVITUde excluding the final two letters [the last couple leaving) DE VIRTUES* |
| 10 | Ban flipping setter then take over (7)
EMBARGO (ban) ME (setter) and GRAB (take) each reversed individually (flipping) + O (over) EM< BARG< O |
| 11 | Optimistically expecting hard work and energy (4)
HOPE (belief in the possibility of something beneficial happening; optimistically expecting) H (hard, usually seen in description of pencil lead) + OP (OPus; work) + E (energy) H OP E |
| 12 | Burst of energy? Possibly, shrugs au pair evenly (5,4)
SUGAR RUSH (sudden feeling of stimulation and enhanced energy experienced after consuming foods that have a high SUGAR content; burst of energy) Anagram of (possibly) SHRUGS and UAR (letters 2, 4 and 6 [evenly] of aU pAiR) SUGAR RUSH |
| 15 | One with authority to kill legally inserting IV (9)
EXECUTIVE (person with authority) EXECUTE (kill legally) containing (inserting) IV EXECUT (IV) E |
| 18 | It’s a small thing to put on the song Cockney chap’s forgotten (5)
THONG (garment, e.g. or wear on the beach, consisting of a narrow band of material running between the legs and attached to a cord round the waist; it’s a small thing) THe sONG excluding (forgotten) ‘ES [cockney expression for man’s [hE’S] excluding the H that Cockneys drop when speaking) THONG |
| 21 | Trust answer entertained by suitable husband (5)
FAITH (trust or confidence) (A [answer] contained in [entertained by] FIT [suitable]) + H (husband) F (A) IT H |
| 23 | Producer of music performed badly injured, missing note (9)
DIDJERIDU (alternative spelling [in Collins Dictionary] of DIDGERIDOO [Australian Aboriginal musical instrument, consisting of a very long tube producing a low-pitched resonant sound]) DID (performed) + an anagram of (badly) InJURED excluding (missing) N (note) DID JERIDU* |
| 25 | Stupidly still pays for sequences of numbers (9)
PLAYLISTS (sequence of musical numbers [self-contained pieces of music]) Anagram of (stupidly) STILL PAYS PLAYLISTS* |
| 28 | Duck or ducks from Slovenia (4)
LOVE (zero score in tennis; DUCK is a zero score for a batter in cricket) LOVE (DUCKS is a term of affection for one LOVEd in parts of England) double definition LOVE (hidden word in [from] sLOVEnia LOVE |
| 31 | Working at home before entering office (7)
INGOING (entering office) IN (at home) + GOING (working, of a clock or watch for example) IN GOING |
| 33 | Regularly ignored – I’m sorry – once cool African country (7)
MOROCCO (African country) MOROCCO (letters remaining in i’M sOrRy OnCe CoOl when characters 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15 [regularly] are excluded [ignored]) MOROCCO |
| 34 | Avoiding time, dread what might follow trial (5)
ERROR (a word that often follows [what might follow] TRIAL & ERROR) tERROR (dread) excluding (avoiding) T (time) ERROR |
| 35 | Practise economy, extremely likely without effect (9)
USELESSLY (without effect) USE LESS (practise economy) + LY (outer letters of [extremely] LikelY) USE LESS LY |
| Down | |
| 1 | Resentment of another Nobel Venezuelan originally received (4)
ENVY (resentment) EN (the letter N [first letter of [originally] Nobel) + VY [this pair of letters is pronounced VEE [the letter V, first letter {originally} of Venezuelan] in the word ENVY) – together EN and VY are pronounced and received by the ears as ENVY. In less complicated terms ENVY is pronounced the same as NV (the first letters [originally] of each of Nobel and Venezuelan) EN VY |
| 2 | What’s covered by casual shirt, approximately (5)
TORSO (a casual shirt will cover part of [approximately] the TORSO) T (T-shirt; casual shirt) + OR SO (approximately) T OR SO |
| 3 | What you hope to see through sunglasses? Water in Cannes, having just arrived there (7)
NOUVEAU (modern or up-to-date; just arrived) NO UV (no ultra violet light; good sunglasses are supposed to eliminate or block ultra-violet rays) + EAU (French [Cannes] for water) NO UV EAU |
| 4 | Case of lascivious American with Epstein essentially filling cravings (5)
LUSTS (passionate desires; cravings) (US [United States; American] + T [central letter of {essentially} EpsTein]) contained in (filling) LS (outer letters of [case of] LasciviouS) L (US T) S |
| 5 | Outstanding leader of Denmark uplifting continental bloc (3)
DUE (still to be paid; outstanding) D (first letter of [leader of] Denmark) + EU (European Union [continental bloc]) reversed (uplifting; down entry) D UE< |
| 6 | Jazz fan bored by nude club (7)
CABARET (nightclub providing entertainment) CAT (jazz fan) containing (bored by) BARE (naked) CA (BARE) T |
| 7 | Cuba on top of uprising from briefly united island (5)
CORFU (Greek island) C (International Vehicle Registration for Cuba) + FROm excluding the final letter M (breifly) reversed (uprising; down entry) + U (United) C ORF< U – as this is a down entry, the letter C is entered into the grid above [on top of] all the other letters ORFU |
| 8 | Disinclination to move hotel supporting small fortune (5)
SLOTH (reluctance to work or exert oneself; disinclination to move) S (small) + LOT (fortune) + H (hotel is the international radio communication codeword for the letter H) S LOT H – as this is a down entry, the H in the grid supports the letters SLOT above |
| 13 | Desire to acquire Greenland without at first notifying loyal allied nations (5)
GREED (eager desire for more than one’s share; desire to acquire) GREEnlanD excluding (without) the initial (at first) letters of each of Notifying, Loyal, Allied and Nations GREED |
| 14 | Muscle complaint (4)
BEEF (human flesh, especially when muscular; muscle) BEEF (a complaint) double definition BEEF |
| 16 | Priest restricted by piles coming back (3)
ELI (In the Old Testament, the name of the highest priest at Shiloh, and teacher of Samuel) ELI (reversed [coming back] hidden word in [restricted by] pILEs) ELI< |
| 17 | River plants etc. go missing (5)
INDUS (a transboundary river of Asia) INDUStry (factories or manufacturing plants) excluding (missing) GO (an attempt; a try) INDUS |
| 19 | Band bird missing its wings (3)
OBI (a broad sash or band worn with a Japanese kimono) rOBIn (a bird) excluding (missing) the outer letters (its wings) R and N OBI |
| 20/30 | Overindulgence? Belly filled with large superfluity in the end underlying weight? (8)
GLUTTONY (excess in eating; overindulgence) (GUT [stomach; belly] containing [filled with] L [large]) + TON (a weight) + Y (last letter of [in the end] superfluitY) G (L) UT TON Y – as this is a down entry, the letter Y is entered in the grid below [underlying] the letters TON [weight] Entered as GLUT [TONY] |
| 22 | Hurry to contain hostile Right with increasing relief (7)
HILLIER (with more HILLs; with a greater number of changes of relief) (HIE [hurry] containing [to contain] ILL [hostile]) + R (right) H (ILL) IE R |
| 24 | Add to general unravelling (7)
ENLARGE (add to) Anagram of (unravelling) GENERAL ENLARGE* |
| 25 | Assuming high opinion of own self, exerted leverage in speech (5)
PRIDE (excessive self-esteem; assuming high opinion of own self) PRIDE (sounds like [in speech] PRIED [exerted leverage]) PRIDE |
| 26 | Perhaps Yellowstone employee top Republican axed might be upset? (5)
ANGER (upset) rANGER (Yellowstone National Park will employ Rangers) excluding the first [top] letter R (Republican) ANGER |
| 27 | Where thousands died a few pocketing millions (5)
SOMME (reference the First World War Battle of the SOMME where thousands died) SOME (a few) containing (pocketing) M (millions) SOM (M) E – either M could be the one contained |
| 29 | Against US immigration agents’ singular failings (5)
VICES (immoral habits; sins; failings) V (versus; against) + ICE (American Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE] agents) + S (singular) V ICE S |
| 30 |
See 20 [GLUT] TONY |
| 32 | Emptied firearm and its contents thus missing antelope (3)
GNU (either of two sturdy antelopes) GuN (firearm) excluding the central letter (emptied) U + U (that same central letter [contents of the three-letter word gUn) GN U |
I thought this was very solid, with a lot of clever constructions and several excellent surfaces telling a story (GREED, NOUVEAU) and a lovely concise &lit in TORSO. Favourite PDM was HILLIER.
I failed to parse INDUS as I couldn’t get the right hold on “plants” so thanks to Pierre for clearing that up!
The theme was blatant and yet it failed to register, other than “emotions” and suchlike; and so it didn’t help at all with the solving – which I’m glad about, in fact, as I enjoyed doing it all from scratch and it would have been easy to predict at least a few answers if I’d seen it. That’s what comes of doing the puzzle piecemeal during a night of insomnia, and of forgetting that that night led to a Tuesday 😉.
Thanks both
*semi-&lit
NOUVEAU. TORSO and HILLIER were my favourites in a very well constructed puzzle.