Independent 12,322 by Italicus

A very sound and enjoyable puzzle from Italicus.

I was impressed by the intricacy of 12A and liked the surface plus hidden definition in 10A.

 picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1 NIBBLE
Snack sprightly bachelor brought in for maiden (6)

Nimble(=sprightly) with b{achelor} replacing m{aiden}

4 DESPOTIC
Posted wrong information initially about authoritarian (8)

Posted* + i[nformation] + c(=about)

9 GLOBAL
German graduate entertained by highly amusing international (6)

G{erman} + (BA(=bachelor of arts) in LOL(=internet abbrev for lots of laughs))

10 PROCURER
One who gets runs after treatment by professional (8)

(R{uns} after cure(=treatment)) after pro{fessional}

12 TAKE HEED
Uneven track wends around East Herefordshire’s borders? Pay attention! (4,4)

(Odd letters of track wends) around E{ast} H[erefordshir]e

13 EMBOSS
Decorate rear of cab in some backward society (6)

([Ca]b in some<) + s{ociety}

15 RUDE
Ignorant schoolmarm is penniless (4)

[P]rude. Schoolmarm can be used as a general term for a prudish or old-fashioned woman.

16 QUIVERS
Queen is pressing clergyman about missile carriers (7)

(Qu{een} is) around(=pressing) Rev<(=clergyman with about as the reversal indicator). Quivers are used to carry arrows, so type of missile container.

20 POTTERS
Stirring up protest, they throw objects! (7)

Protest*. Def refers to throwing in pottery making.

21 RENO
Gambling Mecca in Grenoble (4)

Hidden in Grenoble

25 INHALE
Inquisitive navigators originally discovered cetaceans respire (6)

I[nquisitive] n[avigators] + [w]hale[s](=cetaceans)

26 SCRAMBLE
Mix up stuff bishop left in storage on vacation (8)

(Cram(=stuff) + b{ishop} l{eft}) in s[torag]e

28 AIRBORNE
Successor pronounced most of island free of earth? (8)

Hom of heir + Borne[o]

29 PIRATE
Illegally record detective meeting informant beside base (6)

PI(=private investigator) + rat(=informant) + [besid]e

30 DEBUTANT
Day worker on westbound underground is first-timer (8)

D{ay} + (ant(=worker ant) on tube<(=underground))

31 ASCEND
A post about Celsius scale (6)

(A send(=post)) around C{elsius}

DOWN
1 NUGATORY
Invalid turned firearm on a Conservative (8)

Gun<(=firearm) + a + tory(=Conservative)

2 BLOCKADE
Erect barriers around security device in poor quarter (8)

Lock(=security device in (bad(=poor) + E{ast}(=quarter))

3 LOATHE
Find execrable, old articles supporting Liberal (6)

(O{ld} + a + the(=linguistic articles)) after l{iberal}

5 EARL
Almost stripped man of nobility (4)

[N]earl[y](=almost "stripped")

6 POCKMARK
Blemish Spooner’s artificial gardens (8)

Spoonerism of "mock park"

7 TERROR
Model put on slip in panic (6)

T(=model, as in Model T Ford) + error(=slip in the sense of a slip-up)

8 CURTSY
Partial apology struck revolutionary as show of respect (6)

Hidden, rev in "apology struck"

11 JESUITS
Italicus is in Paris defending Thailand’s religious society (7)

(Je suis)(=I am in French) around T{hailand}

14 AVARICE
Expert claims referee’s assistant essentially committed sin (7)

Ace(=expert) around (VAR(=video assistant referee) + [comm]i[tted])

17 GOALPOST
Upright piano kept inside also got damaged (8)

P{iano} in (also got)*

18 MEMBRANE
Mr. Bean crashed into middle of cement barrier (8)

(Mr Bean)* in [ce]me[nt]

19 FOREHEAD
Brow of elevated promontory topped by bare tree (8)

Of<(reversal indicated by elevated) + (head(=promotory) with [t]re[e] on top).

22 WIZARD
Necromancer is reportedly captivated by protégé (6)

Iz(=hom of is) in ward(=protégé). Necromancer is listed as a synonym for wizard, although I would personally say it's a type of wizard, so you could maybe say there is a bit of definition by example.

23 CHERUB
Angel fish circling bottom of wide river (6)

Chub(=type of fish) around (wid[e] [rive]r)

24 MAXIMS
Proverbs 11 divides mother and son (6)

(XI(=11 in Roman numerals)) in (Mam(=slang in some areas for mother) + s{on})

27 IN ON
Having acquired knowledge about home working (2,2)

In(=home) + on(=working)

3 comments on “Independent 12,322 by Italicus”

  1. Rabbit Dave

    This pangram was nicely challenging and great fun with TAKE HEED my favourite of many ticked clues.

    Many thanks to Italicus and to Neal.

  2. Petert

    Nice work. I hade the final “e” in PIRATE as the log base e, but it works either way.

  3. E.N.Boll&

    The parsing of FOREHEAD, 19(d), defeated me, so thanks, NH.
    Petert @2, I concur, “base = E”, in the maths context, seems to be what setters go for.
    A very well-clued puzzle, good variety of devices and solutions, just the right difficulty level for me, to be challenging, but enjoyable.
    Big thumbs up, Italicus & NH

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