Nepeta starts the puzzling week.
Here’s a new setter to me and, I believe, to the Independent. A quick search of the 225 archives suggests this is indeed their first outing, so welcome Nepeta and congratulations on a very solid debut.
It’s always interesting to tackle a new setter, as you can have no preconceptions about their cluing style, which can be quite a test for a solver. That said, I don’t think there was anything too tricky here, as one would expect from a Monday puzzle. That doesn’t mean there wasn’t plenty to enjoy, though, with some very smoothly worked surfaces throughout.
I especially liked the European wanting a new beginning (something many of us can relate to, I’m sure), the raunchy naked threesome for RIBALD, Jack Nicklaus’s slice and the alarming mental picture conjured by the clue for ANALGESIC. But for my top favourite I’m going for “Republican in denial about Atlantic territory”. A very tidy clue indeed. Who on earth could Nepeta have been alluding to? Thanks to them for a very pleasant morning workout.
Moh’s cruciverbal hardnesss scale rating: Gypsum
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | MUESLI |
Almost complete abstainer from pork eating English breakfast (6)
|
| MUSLI[m] (abstainer from pork, almost complete) around (eating) E (English) | ||
| 5 | COACHMAN |
Teach chap to be a driver (8)
|
| COACH + MAN | ||
| 9 | HUNTRESS |
Doctor turns – he’s pursuing woman (8)
|
| Anagram (doctor) of TURNS HES | ||
| 10 | STREAM |
Brook starts to take risks, tucking into bowling (6)
|
| First letters of Take Risks inside SEAM (seam bowling in cricket) | ||
| 11 | PLANTATION |
Criticise rubbish newspaper working to secure closure of council estate (10)
|
| PAN (criticise) + TAT (rubbish) + I (the newspaper formerly known simply as i, now renamed The i Paper) + ON (working) around (to secure) L (final letter – closure – of council) | ||
| 12 | ARGO |
Ship‘s freight not constant (4)
|
| [c]ARGO (freight minus C) | ||
| 13 | OFFENDER |
Fate accepted by tender criminal (8)
|
| END (fate) inside (accepted by) OFFER | ||
| 16 | LATEST |
Final article in Paris Match (6)
|
| LA (definite article in French, so article in Paris) + TEST (test match) | ||
| 17 | FORCES |
Makes for church with son (6)
|
| FOR (from surface) + CE (Church of England) + S | ||
| 19 | TAP DANCE |
Exclamation by magician hiding penny and nickel alternately in rapid performance (3,5)
|
| TA-DA (exclamation by magician) around (hiding) P + alternate letters of N[i]C[k]E[l] | ||
| 21 | GERM |
European wanting a new beginning (4)
|
| GERM[an] minus A N (a new) | ||
| 22 | IMPLEMENTS |
Carries out topless constituents backing independent politician (10)
|
| [e]LEMENTS (topless constituents) after (backing) I + MP | ||
| 25 | RIBALD |
Raunchy trio stripped naked (6)
|
| [t]RI[o] (trio stripped) + BALD (naked) | ||
| 26 | OMISSION |
Something lacking from introduction to overseas job (8)
|
| O (introduction to Overseas) + MISSION | ||
| 27 | EGGSHELL |
Lightweight packaging for swift delivery? (8)
|
| Cryptic definition, swift here referring to the bird | ||
| 28 | GADGET |
Government to receive inspiring promotion for appliance (6)
|
| G (government) + GET (receive) around (inspiring) AD (promotion) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | USUAL |
Slice from Nicklaus unexpectedly returning par (5)
|
| Hidden (slice from) reversal (returning) in nickLAUS Unexpectedly | ||
| 3 | SATIN |
Posed wearing shiny fabric (5)
|
| SAT (posed, as in sat for a portrait) + IN (wearing) | ||
| 4 | IRELAND |
Republican in denial about Atlantic territory (7)
|
| R inside an anagram (about) of DENIAL | ||
| 5 | CASHIER |
Sack race reorganised to protect stunted bone (7)
|
| Anagram (reorganised) of RACE around (to protect) SHI[n] (stunted bone) | ||
| 6 | ARSENAL |
Side roads backed up after abattoir evacuated (7)
|
| Reversal (backed up) of LANES after A[bbatoi]R (evacuated) | ||
| 7 | HERBAL TEA |
Hear table’s prepared for a drink (6,3)
|
| Anagram (is prepared) of HEAR TABLE | ||
| 8 | ANALGESIC |
Something for pain in bottom, for example, pushed up like this (9)
|
| ANAL (in bottom) + reversal (pushed up) of EG (for example) + SIC (like this) | ||
| 14 | FLOWERING |
10-4, good buddy? (9)
|
| FLOW (from 10ac STREAM) + ERIN (from 4dn IRELAND) + G. A flowering plant may perhaps be said to be buddy. | ||
| 15 | ENCOMPASS |
Cover corrupt cops’ names (9)
|
| Anagram (corrupt) of COPS NAMES | ||
| 18 | SWINDLE |
Cheat manipulated sled to bag victory (7)
|
| Anagram (manipulated) of SLED around (to bag) WIN | ||
| 19 | TOPSOIL |
Organic coating beats fossil fuel (7)
|
| TOPS + OIL | ||
| 20 | PEEKING |
Looking to go over monarch’s head? (7)
|
| PEE (to go) above KING (monarch’s head – though why ‘head’ is needed is unclear to me, other than to improve the surface reading. Monarchy’s head might perhaps have worked better) | ||
| 23 | EASED |
Annoyed, not starting to get relaxed (5)
|
| [t]EASED (annoyed not starting) | ||
| 24 | TROVE |
Some treasure time to wander (5)
|
| T + ROVE |
Welcome, Nepeta, and on this performance, don’t be a stranger.
Quite solver-friendly, and great fun. I particularly enjoyed 27(ac), for its novel approach to the EGGSHELL trope.
Frankly, it’s all super stuff, best in show, for me – FLOWERING, 14(d): economic, smooth and crafty.
A great start to a Monday, hats off, N & moh
I think moh and E.N.Boll& have covered everything I was going to say. FLOWERING also my pick and EGGSHELL a rare example, imo, of a good cryptic definition clue. Look forward to more from this setter.
Congratulations on the debut, Nepeta. This is a setter I have encountered elsewhere so I am not surprised at the tight surfaces. All very nice. Another tick for FLOWERING here with MUESLI and IRELAND making up the rest of the podium.
Thanks both
My faves: RIBALD, EGGSHELL, ANALGESIC, FLOWERING and TAP DANCE.
PEEKING
Agree with the blogger’s observation. That said, I have seen many down clues
like this: A on top of B, A standing on B, A resting on the head of B etc.,
Thanks Nepeta and moh.