Independent 12,307 by Dalibor

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Dalibor makes a welcome appearance today.

Another well-crafted puzzle with the anticipated scattering of proper nouns and some general knowledge needed for a few clues. We had to check the Algerian port in 4d and the definition at 13ac – we learn something new every day! Thanks Dalibor

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1. Friendly king leaves before I turn blue (6)
INDIGO

kIND (friendly) with the ‘k’ (king) ‘leaving’ + I + GO (turn)

5. Male adrift in a boat somewhere in Canada (8)
MANITOBA

M (male) + an anagram (‘adrift’) of IN A BOAT

9. Company, calm and dignified, wants money for medical assistance (5,3)
FIRST AID

FIRm (company) STAID (calm and dignified) missing or ‘wanting’ the ‘m’ (money)

10. Thus far Fox media’s right to back terms of current ceasefire (2,4)
TO DATE

TOD (fox) ‘backed’ by A (last or ‘right’ letter in media) + T E (last letters or ‘terms’ of current ceasefire). Bert vaguely remembered that ‘tod’ is another name for a fox – it’s Scottish apparently.

11. Reagan nearly condemned British politician (6,6)
ANGELA RAYNER

An anagram (‘condemned’) of REAGAN NEARLY

13. Jump from dog without lead (4)
OXER

bOXER (dog) missing the first letter or ‘without lead’ – a new word for us, apparently a fence in showjumping

14. Victor’s engaged in old language when abroad (8)
OVERSEAS

V (victor in the phonetic alphabet) ‘engaged’ in O (old) ERSE (language) + AS (when)

17. Monkey business is done here including some that’s criminal (8)
MARMOSET

MART (‘business is done here’) round (‘including’) an anagram (‘criminal’) of SOME

18. Military alliance using vehicles that won’t start (4)
AXIS

tAXIS (vehicles) missing the first letter or ‘not starting’

20. Ironmonger’s speeds across a road initially worrying, having obstructed police from the start (8,4)
HARDWARE SHOP

HARES (speeds) round (‘across’) A RD (road) W (first or ‘initial’ letter of worrying) + Having Obstructed Police (first letters or ‘starts’)

23. Potter with headless reptile? (6)
WIZARD

W (with) lIZARD (reptile) missing the first letter or ‘headless’

24. Tribute to Ruby (AI modified) (8) 
OBITUARY

An anagram (‘modified’) of TO RUBY AI

25. Person carrying weapon like a bandit (3-5)
ONE-ARMED

ONE (person) ARMED (carrying a weapon)

26. Secretary ultimately relied on essential part of phone (6)
KEYPAD

PA (personal assistant – ‘secretary’) D (last or ‘ultimate’ letter of relied) after (‘on’) KEY (essential)

DOWN
2. Nick‘s one wearing nothing (4)
NAIL

A (one) in or ‘wearing’ NIL (nothing)

3. Fashionable males may be on it (9)
INSTAGRAM

A cryptic definition: IN (fashionable) STAG RAM (male animals)

4. Fruit from Algerian port, say, sent back (6)
ORANGE

ORAN (Algerian port) + a reversal (‘sent back’) of EG (say) – we had to check the port

5. Unexciting and generally dangerous to walk here (6-2-3-4)
MIDDLE-OF-THE-ROAD

Obviously, it is generally dangerous to walk in the MIDDLE OF THE ROAD

6. Officials whose birthdays for sure aren’t in the last week of March or the first two of April (8)
NOTARIES

Aries is the zodiac sign for the last week of March and the first two of April – those whose birthdays are not during these weeks are definitely NOT ARIES.

7. President Roosevelt‘s undergarment (5)
TEDDY

Double defintion

8. Film star‘s diabetes variant’s limitations should be dealt with (5,5)
BETTE DAVIS

An anagram (‘dealt with’) of DIABETES and V T (first and last letters or ‘limitations’ of variant)

12. Dig old wine? Crazy on it! (10)
EXCAVATION

EX (old) CAVA (wine) + an anagram (‘crazy’) of ON IT

15. Time a backbencher, say, gets involved in study about taxation (5,4)
STAMP DUTY

T (time) A MP (‘backbencher, say’) ‘involved’ in an anagram (‘about’) of STUDY

16. Faith maybe will protect swimmer in river structure (5,3)
ASWAN DAM

ADAM (Adam Faith, singer from the 1960s) round (‘protecting’) SWAN (swimmer)

19. The first person in film to make you cry (6)
SHRIEK

I (first person) in SHREK (film)

21. Drive the core of hostile Palestinians to cause tragedy? (5)
DRAMA

DR (drive) + middle letters (‘core’) of hAMAs (‘hostile Palestinians’)

22. Excerpt from Ariadne auf Naxos (4)
ARIA

Cryptic definition: hidden (‘excerpt from’) in ARIAdne – ‘auf Naxos’ seems superfluous to the wordplay, but is necessary as an example of an opera

1 comment on “Independent 12,307 by Dalibor”

  1. E.N.Boll&
    #1 - Thu 19th Mar 26, 08:37

    I struggled to even get started on this, just stared at the clues for ages, like my maths A-level. My usual tactic – start with the final clue and work upwards – failed miserably.
    OXER 13(ac) saved me, the spread jump that always scared me. After that, the obstacles got easier, and I really enjoyed the ride.
    Some superb clues, with very crafty wordplay.
    Interesting to see “Aries” again; and “TOD”.
    Faultless rounds by setter and bloggers, rosettes to both, and cheers, Dalibor & BJ

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