Independent 7179 by Tees

by

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, CD=cryptic def, DD=double def, sp=spoonerism

This was similar to a Christmas puzzle a couple of years ago where the setter uses lots of his fellow compilers as either solutions or fodder. Tees managed to get in most of his fellow compilers (and himself), as well as a couple of Guardian setters (though not clued as such). There may be some from other publications as well, but I’m not familar with them.

 

Across
1 Aphid: A + Phi‘d.
4 Ectomorph: E + C + to + Morph.
9 Hard words: DD.
10 Rover: R + over.
11 Came to: Me in Cato.
12 Ambience: Ambi[Val]ence.
14 Enigmatist: CD.
16 Eimi: Hidden in Blenheim is.
19 Role: Hom of roll.
20 Paper Tiger: PA (banking abbrev for private account) + per + g in tier.
22 Scorpion: Or p in scion.
23 Nimrod: (Dorm in)<.
26 Roman: DD – Virgilius is the proper Roman name of Virgil.
27 Guatemala: Gala around (U mate)*.
28 Pendennis: Pen + Dennis (the Menace). Thackeray novel.
29 Sweet: W in Tees<.
Down
1 A Thick Ear: CD.
2 Harem: Hare + m. Not totally sure why hare is “runner in form”.
3 Downtime: Sp “Town Dime”.
4 Eyre: R (as in the 3 Rs) in Eye.
5 Taskmaster: Ask M (Mike in the phonetic alphabet) in Taster.
6 Merlin: RL (right + left) in mein (German for my).
7 Revenging: &lit. Even + g in ring.
8 Horse: Hose around r.
13 Steam organ: S + team + organ.
15 Isle of Man: (If no males)*.
17 Irradiant: It around Radian with double initial letter.
18 E-tailers: [I]sraelite[s]*.
21 Sponge: Pong in SE.
22 Syrup: [T]yrus* + p.
24 Reade: Read + E (Charles Reade).
25 Mass: M & S around as (a Roman coin).

16 comments on “Independent 7179 by Tees”

  2. I enjoyed this one. Definitely helped to be a regular Indy solver and therefore familar with the setters names.

    5D is also a reference to Eimi, no?

  3. I thought this was excellent. Great variety in clueing. I think it’s fair enough to assume that almost everyone tackling it would familiar with the setters. I did find it quite easy.

  4. Ali,
    I’m sure you’re right, in which case it’s a brilliant clue.
    (I suppose its accuracy depends on how difficult eimi is to work for…).
    Loved 14ac. too.

  5. Before anybody else says it, I’m relieved to see that the clue for 14ac was not:

    He recycles Gemini’s tat (10)

  6. Ta for the namecheck, Tees! Some superb clueing here, especially 6D and 5D – the latter was inspired. Poor Nestor must feel a bit left out.

  7. Thanks for the post, NealH, in particular for explaining MERLIN, which stumped me.

    This was a very enjoyable puzzle – all very fair, and fun to work through.

  9. Thanks indeed for the ace blog, and responses to it.

    I should probably say that ROMAN was intended as a 3D, with ‘Virgilius was this (a Roman citizen) Catholic (syn. Roman as in Roman Church) type (syn. Roman as in typefaces e.g. Times New Roman)’.

    Poor Nestor = stoner, but he seemed fine the other weekend.

  10. Very nice, Tees. I hope we’ll see a follow-up featuring my favourites Bannsider, Punk and Anax – and you could use the X from Anax for Quixote … just a thought.

  11. No thanks — I think these insiders’ puzzles are getting a bit much. Too incestuous for the 99.999…% who are just everyday solvers!

  12. I had that Quixote in there for a while – some crack about the end of his pseudonym plus Dac’s appended to ‘to Morph’ – but ’twas not to be. Obviously, I now regret this … !

  13. A very late solve for me – what a belter (as usual) from Tees.

    Fletch: I’m honoured that you should mention me in dispatches, many many thanks. However, I’m glad Tees didn’t squeeze me into this one – unlike Bannsider, Punk and Quixote I’m by no means a household name (although my quest for world domination continues – so far I’ve conquered the back garden). I was very pleasantly surprised, though, that Tees emailed me to apologise for not getting me in there but, as I pointed out to him, I suspect my inclusion would have elicited rather a lot of “Who he?” emails to Eimi.

    Anyway, super puzzle – although I’m torn between Tees and John H for the better anagram of Enigmatist.

  14. Anax might only be four puzzles into his Indy career, but I know he’s made quite an impression in that time. I’m sure Tees wasn’t picking his favourite setters, but simply getting as many setter references in as possible without stretching things too much. Nimrod managed to give all the setters (at that time) a mention in the puzzle that NealH alludes to, so that’s already been done, but this one mentions a couple of setters from a rival publication.

    I understand Quixote’s point about incestuosness, but don’t agree it. As nmsindy points out, most people tackling the puzzle will have been familiar with the setters and I have no problem with ‘rewarding’ the regular Indy solvers.

    And, Ian, 5D isn’t accurate. I’m an enlightened despot.

  15. I’m a regular Guardian solver, but picked up a complimentary Indy on the Eurostar yesterday, and tried this puzzle on the way back from Brussels. No wonder I got a bit stuck!

    Thanks for the blog Neal, all is now revealed.

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