Independent 10,030 / Hoskins

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Hoskins has provided our mid-week cruciverbal entertainment today.

We got good value for money from Hoskins today in that the shorter entries – only 5-, 7- and 9-letter lights in this grid – make for a more than average number of clues in this puzzle. Furthermore, some saucy clues – 1A, 28, … – made this puzzle somewhat reminiscent of those by Cyclops in the Private Eye. It made me wonder if the editor would ever have been brave enough to publish this puzzle in the print edition of the Indy back in the day.

There was much to enjoy in this puzzle, not least some less usual devices for indicating dropped letters, e.g. side-splitting in 4 and out-of-head at 14. I wasn’t sure about “elegant” for ingenious at 15, unless it is in expressions such as “elegant solutions”, perhaps? Any thought from fellow solvers on this? I’d also appreciate confirmation of my overall parsing of 14.

As for my favourite clues, I really liked 18, for its well-disguised definition, and 24, for its smooth surface reading. I didn’t actively know the entries at 2 and 5A or indeed the US slang at 22.

*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues

Across    
     
01 SCROTUM Bag of nuts

Cryptic definition, referring to the male anatomy!
     
05 BONDMAN Slavish type of tie with mum, bit of nuisance?

BOND (=tie, connection) + MA (=mum) + N<uisance> (“bit of” means first letter only); a bondman is a male slave or serf
     
09 LLAMA One known to spit lines with ace on a mike

LL (=lines) + A + M (=mike, in radio telecommunications) + A (=ace, in cards)
     
10 SALACIOUS Prurient criminal is casual about love

O (=love, i.e. zero score) in *(IS CASUAL); “criminal” is anagram indicator
     
11 CHECKMATE Slow down partner or it’s all over!

CHECK (=slow down, rein in) + MATE (=partner)
     
12 NUDGE Dig German coming in with nothing on

G (=German) in NUDE (=with nothing on)
     
13 TODDIES Drinks round Mark returns and gives out

TOD (DOT=round mark, pictorially; “returns” indicates reversal) + DIES (=gives out, fails)
     
15 ELEGANT Ingenious English worker putting up stage

LEG (=stage, section, e.g. of race) in [E (=English) + ANT (=worker)]; an elegant solution could be an ingenious, clever one
     
17 MADEIRA Strong wine compelled artist to hug one

I (=one) in [MADE (=compelled) + RA (=artist, i.e. Royal Academician)]
     
19 RATCHET Contrary article run by Times about revolutionary device

RA (A=article, in grammar + R (=run, on cricket scorecard); “contrary” indicates reversal) + [CHE (=revolutionary) in T T (2 x T (=time)]
     
21 COBRA Firm support for government committee

CO (=firm, i.e. company) + BRA (=support, for breasts); COBRA is the British government’s emergency response committee
     
23 SINECURES Fix to gatecrash functions or work picnics?

CURE (=fix, heal) in SINES (=functions, in maths); sinecures are cushy jobs, hence “work picnics”
     
25 EMOTIONAL Massage oil on mate full of passion

*(OIL ON MATE); “massage” is anagram indicator
     
26 SCENE Panorama broadcast already taken in by viewers

Homophone (“broadcast”) of “seen (=already taken in by viewers)”
     
27 SATANIC Wicked lookers a tan Icelander embraces

Hidden (“embraces”) in “lookerS A TAN ICelander”
     
28 SHEATHS During deserted sessions PM covers for members

HEATH (=PM, i.e. Edward Heath) in S<ession>S (“deserted” means all middle letters are dropped); the members of the definition refer to the male anatomy!
     
Down    
     
01 SOLICIT Refurb Clio found in Settle and offer it for cash?

*(CLIO) in SIT (=settle, as verb); “refurb” is anagram indicator; the “it” of the definition is doubtless sex, as in to do it
     
02 REAR-ENDED Dean erred badly, having smacked another on the tail

*(DEAN ERRED); “badly” is anagram indicator; to rear-end is to hit the rear of another vehicle with the front of one’s own vehicle
     
03 THANK Express gratitude if leader of house cuts VAT

H<ouse> (“leader of” means first letter only) in TANK (=vat, reservoir)
     
04 MISHAPS Teacher welcoming side-splitting form’s misfortunes

<s>HAP<e> (=form; “side-splitting” means fist and last letters are dropped) in MISS (=teacher)
     
05 BELIEVE Fall for bishop free to express innermost homoerotism!

B (=bishop, in chess) + <r>ELIEVE (=free, i.e. from duty, pain; “to express (=squeeze out) innermost (=middle letter of) <homoe>R<otism>” means letter “r” is dropped)
     
06 NO CONTEST It’s a foregone conclusion I won’t cheat on exam

NO CON (=I won’t cheat) + TEST (=exam)
     
07 MOOED Flash old editor spoke like a sacred beast!

MO (=flash, as in in a mo’) + O (=old) + ED (=editor); the reference is to a sacred cow
     
08 NO SWEAT Without any difficulties, lad turned up with feed

NOS (SON=lad; “turned up” indicates vertical reversal) + W (=with) + EAT (=feed, take food)
     
14 IMITATION Hoskins is the man out-of-head people mock

I’M IT (=Hoskins – our compiler – is the man) + <n>ATION (=people; “out-of-head” means first letter dropped); mock leather is imitation leather
     
16 ABHORRENT Somehow other bran is loathsome

*(OTHER BRAN); “somehow” is anagram indicator
     
17 MUCKERS Dirty stuff Her Maj associates with society pals

MUCK (=dirty stuff) + ER (=Her Maj, i.e. Elizabeth Regina) + S (=society)
     
18 ARSENIC As behind, starts on numerous Indy crosswords

ARSE (=behind) + N<umerous> I<ndy> C<rosswords> (“starts on” means first letters only); As is the chemical formula for arsenic
     
19 RANKLES Nettles growing by the second! They’re just over two feet!

<g>R<owing> (“by the second” means second letter only) + ANKLES (=they’re just over two feet, i.e. anatomically)
     
20 TOSSERS Those making Her Maj’s head spin can be idiots

Someone tossing a coin would make “Her Maj’s head (on the coin) spin”!
     
22 BOOST Britain loves Saint Nick, according to Americans

B (=Britain, as in GB) + O O (=loves, i.e. 2 x O=love, zero score) + ST (=Saint); to boost is to shoplift, steal in US slang, hence “nick”
     
24 CASTE Order endless Italian wine in empty café

AST<i> (=Italian wine: “endless” means last letter dropped) in C<af>E (“empty” meets all but first and last letters are dropped)
     

 

9 comments on “Independent 10,030 / Hoskins”

  1. A great challenge from Hoskins with a lot of tricky parsings. Got there in the end and all parsed as in the blog. BONDMAN and BOOST were new to me.

    Thanks to Harry and RatkojaRiku.

  2. A very enjoyable challenge today.   5a & 22d were new for me and a big thank you to Hoskins not only for the fun but also for indicating the Americanism in the latter clue.

    Thanks too to RR for the explanation of “the man” in 14d which must be the correct interpretation.

    The risqué clues today were not too OTT (although I doubt they would have passed muster in the Telegraph).

    18d was clever but my favourite was the simple but excellent 3d.

  4. I think it’s about 6 weeks since we had a Hoskins puzzle, so welcome back. Straight away, 1a was true to Hoskins form, as were the surface of 25a and the ‘covers for members’ in 28a.

    Apart from the entertainment, there was plenty of challenging stuff and I had to enter quite a few answers from the def. or just have a guess. The wordplay was clear enough, but I’d never heard of BOOST as a US term meaning ‘to steal’ and I didn’t know about the non-reptilian COBRA. I agree about the parsing for IMITATION and the sense of ELEGANT.

    My ‘non-naughty’ favourites were the ‘work picnics’ and ‘spoke like a sacred beast’. On top of everything else, we also had two spitting animals – this puzzle just kept on giving.

    Thanks to Hoskins and to RR.

  5. I don’t think the editor would have dared publish this in the old print Indy but back then it aspired to be a serious newspaper.

  6. I got the M in 1a and thought – ah. Great to have Hoskins back. Favourites probably 14d and 18d but clearly the puzzle is loaded with fun and quality. Many thanks Harry and RR

  7. A generally good crossword – we liked LLAMA, SINECURES, IMITATION and RANKLES among others – but spoiled by this setter’s penchant for the P** P* B**** B** D****** side of things.

    Thanks to RR for the blog.

  8. No-one does innuendo quite like our ‘arry!

    I struggled a bit to verify the Americanism in 22d and needed RR to justify the ‘R’ in 19d but still greatly enjoyed the puzzle.

    Votes for top clues went to 11a & 3d.

    Thanks to Hoskins (good to see you back) and to RR for the help where necessary.

  9. Only just got round to completing the puzzle. Very pleased to see Hoskins back and on good form.

    1ac went in with a smile and pleased to see Her Maj making an appearance twice.

    4d went in unparsed so thanks RR for the blog.

    Thanks Harry – hope all is well with you.

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