Independent 9312 / Rodriguez

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An interesting but tricky puzzle from Rodriguez today.

We tend to tackle crosswords in numerical order, and we had considerable difficulty with several of the across clues, particularly on the right hand side of the grid. Consequently, the theme only became apparent when we reached the last across clue – a phrase we had never heard of before, and which we were not able to solve until we had most of the crossers.

We had not come across 8ac or 18d either, so we needed a bit of help to check that our interpretation of the wordplay was correct.

All in all, a good Thursday challenge.

Across
8   US prosecutor probes car fire, just the outside burning (4-2-2)
AUTO-DA-FE DA (US prosecutor) in or ‘probing’ AUTO (car) FirE (first and last, or ‘outside’ letters only)
9   Compiler’s clothes stay in the same place (6)
IBIDEM I’M (compiler is) round or ‘clothing’ BIDE (stay)
10   Love to ridicule left-leaning writer (4)
BIRO O (love) RIB (ridicule) reversed or ‘left-leaning’
11   Itchy feet stick together with nasty result (10)
WANDERLUST WAND (stick) + an anagram of RESULT – anagrind is ‘nasty’
12   Commander‘s weapon’s discharged tons (6)
SHOGUN SHOtGUN (weapon) without or ‘discharging’ ‘t’ (tons)
14   It’s low, taking in unimportant person: a sucker (8)
MOSQUITO MOO (low) round or ‘taking in’ SQUIT (unimportant person)
15   Bread and cheese’s eaten round Switzerland (7)
BRIOCHE BRIE (cheese) round or ‘eating’ O (round) CH (Switzerland)
17   Animal flesh cut into by queen, starter from kitchen (7)
MEERKAT MEAT (flesh) round or ‘cut into by’ ER (queen) K (first letter or ‘starter’ of ‘kitchen’)
20   Run, in fear, over motorway a tiny distance (8)
ANGSTROM R (run) in ANGST (fear) O (over) M (motorway)
22   This spring will be hot, man announced (6)
GEYSER A homonym (announced) of GEEZER (man)
23   “Sprite”, lemonade “in extremis”, and punch are drunk (10)
LEPRECHAUN LemonadE (first and last letters or ‘extremes’) + an anagram of PUNCH ARE – anagrind is ‘drunk’
24   It’s abominable being constrained by silly etiquette (4)
YETI Hidden or ‘constrained’ in sillY ETIquette
25   French department – a king from the east’s got it! (6)
EUREKA EURE (French department) + A K (king) reversed of ‘from the east’
26   Master comprehends answer, now cracking each across solution? (4,4)
LOAN WORD LORD (master) round or ‘comprehending’ an anagram of A (answer) and NOW – anagrind is ‘cracking’ – not a phrase we’d heard of before, but apparently a reference to the fact all the other across entries are words originating in other languages, but taken into English
Down
1   He’ll penalise trafficker crossing UK province (8)
PUNISHER PUSHER (trafficker) round or ‘crossing’ NI (Northern Ireland – UK province)
2   Work up energy to behave like a punk (4)
POGO OP (work) reversed or ‘up’ GO (energy)
3   PhD title’s secured a success for scientist (6)
DARWIN DR (‘PhD’s title) round or ‘securing’ A + WIN (success)
4   Leak about German novelist making comeback: Erich Maria Remarque? (3,4)
PEN NAME PEE (leak) round MANN (German novelist) reversed or ‘making comeback’
5   Film-maker‘s shot a scene with it (8)
CINEASTE An anagram of A SCENE and IT – anagrind is ‘shot’
6   Winner in court upholds charges for Hollywood actor (4,6)
BILL MURRAY MURRAY (Andy – ‘winner in court’) after or ‘upholding’ BILL (charges)
7   One’s back in debt, struggling and a little flat (6)
BEDSIT I’S (one’s) reversed or ‘back’ in an anagram of DEBT – anagrind is ‘struggling’
13   Polish sign provides explanatory notes (10)
GLOSSARIES GLOSS (polish) ARIES (sign – of the zodiac)
16   Demanding American mines mountain pass for fossil fuel (4,4)
HARD COAL HARD (demanding) + A (American) in or ‘mining’ COL (mountain pass)
18   Drink with politician, taking a chance (8)
ALEATORY ALE (drink) TORY (politician) round or ‘taking’ A
19   Charming question about my capabilities (7)
AMIABLE A question about my capabilities might be AM I ABLE?
21   Van, battered with use, shows blemish (6)
NAEVUS An anagram of VAN and USE – anagrind is ‘battered’
22   Warm mozzarella in egg sandwiches – revolting! (6)
GENIAL Hidden or ‘sandwiched’ in ‘mozzarelLA IN EGg’ reversed or ‘revolting’
24   Unknown bird’s cry (4)
YOWL Y (unknown, as in algebra) OWL (bird)

 

13 comments on “Independent 9312 / Rodriguez”

  2. Me, too. Do we know him? He writes a beautiful surface: EUREKA and IBIDEM were favourites. Good crosswords fun.
    Thanks to B&J for the usual faultless-yet-self-deprecating blog.

  4. Very enjoyable thank you Rodriguez. I will say that getting 26a early on did help me with solving some of the gaps in the Acrosses

    Thanks to B&J too.

  5. I liked this one too though found some of the clues difficult and failed on EUREKA and ALEATORY, a new word for me. My favourite, especially for the surface, was GENIAL with BEDSIT not far behind.

    Thanks to Rodriguez and B&J.

  8. Absolutely loved this.(Having
    to type in half the width of the
    box bec. of immovable Cookies
    warning.) Couldn’t help noticing
    that all the across solutions
    were borrowings

  9. Yesterday (@ Hoskins) I ended my (positive) comment with ‘tomorrow, it would take a giant to present an even better crossword’.
    Well, what a brilliant puzzle this is!

    Fortunately, 26ac was one of our last ones in, so we spotted quite late what was going on (something that added considerably to the fun).
    Meanwhile, there’s something very far in the back of my mind that tells me that Philistine once did a thing like this.
    I’m not sure though, and it doesn’t take anything away from Rodriguez’s achievement.

    Silky-smooth surfaces, no iffiness, another proof that this setter is one of the very best in the business.
    Picaroon couldn’t have done it better!

    Many thanks, B&J.

  10. Cont.) as I am a linguist by pro-
    fession. Rodriguez is to be
    congratulated. Wonder if he’s a
    pirate, by any chance?

  11. Super! Not too difficult either, once 26ac flagged up the theme; it made a pleasant coffee-time diversion.

    I wasn’t too sure of the definition in 2dn, but Chambers has “… a popular punk form of dancing…”, derived apparently from the once-popular pogo stick.

    Thanks, Rodriguez and B&J.

  12. Top class as ever from Rodriguez a.k.a. Picaroon, a rather Brendan-like theme and rather appropriately EUREKA was last in!

    Thanks to Rodriguez B & J

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