Independent 10,072 / Serpent

Serpent has unleashed his cruciverbal venom on us this Thursday, although I am more used to seeing his work on Tuesdays.

I found this to be a thoroughly entertaining and very challenging puzzle, towards the top end of the Indy difficulty spectrum, and I needed to have two stabs at it to solve it. That said, I was ultimately able to complete the grid unaided, needing to check one or two things in Chambers for the benefit of this blog.

I realised only once I was writing up the blog that the word “cross” is the first word of three (across) clues and provides their definition, and that the completed grid contains a number of types of cross, at 9, 10, 28 … and a number of words that can be prefixed by “cross”, at 4, 12, 13, 22, 23 … There are probably even more references that I just haven’t spotted. Of course, the solver can complete the puzzle and be wholly unaware of this theme.

My favourite clues today are the interlinking clues around 10, 20, 22, for adding an extra layer of interest to the puzzle; 1A, for its “case of” device; 1D and 26, both for surface; and 5, for making me smirk.

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

Across  
   
01 HAMPER Basket concealing case of sparkling wine

<c>HAMPER<s> (=sparkling wine); “concealing case of” means first and last letters are dropped

   
04 PURPOSES Uses model to encourage cycling outside

MODEL (=pose, as verb) in PURS (SPUR=encourage; “cycling” means first letter is moved to end of word)

   
09 NORMAN Someone who’s not British and not male

NOR (=and not) + MAN (=(a) male)

   
10 VICTORIA State through with initial expansion according to NATO

VIA (=through, as preposition); “with initial expansion according to NATO” means that the first letter – i.e. V, which is Victor in the NATO alphabet – is written out in full; Victoria is one of the states in Australia

   
12 EXAMINED Tested revolutionary fabric cutter

DENIM (=fabric) + AXE (=fabric); “revolutionary” indicates (here full) reversal

   
13 WIND Snake scared off everybody in the end

WIND<y> (=scared, edgy); “off everybody in the end” means that the last letter of “everybody“, i.e. Y, is dropped

   
16 CANTANKEROUS Cross three-quarters of river on tin vessel

CAN (=tin) + TANKER (=vessel, e.g. for oil) + OUS<e> (=river; “three-quarters of” means 3 of 4 letters are used)

   
19 ESOTERICALLY Reality close to collapse in a mysterious way

*(REALITY CLOSE); “to collapse” is anagram indicator

   
22 BEAM Broadcast live in the morning

BE (=live, exist) + A.M. (=in the morning); cf. The satellite beams back images to Earth

   
23 QUESTION Doubt nothing will stop search happening

O (=nothing, pictorially) in [QUEST (=search) + IN (=happening, fashionable)]

   
26 TRAVERSE Cross with partygoers in centre of Cheltenham

RAVERS (=partygoers) in <chel>TE<nham> (“centre of” means middle letters only)

   
27 GIBBET Where suspension took place having rejected substantial stake

GIB (BIG=substantial; “rejected” indicates reversal) + BET (=stake); the “suspension” of the definition refers to hanging (by the neck)

   
28 MILITARY Services settled on being included in year end retrospectively

LIT (=settled on, landed) in MIARY [YR (=year, i.e. abbreviation) + AIM (=end, goal); “retrospectively” indicates reversal]

   
29 HYBRID Cross letters from grouchy bridegroom

Hidden (“letters from”) in “groucHY BRIDegroom”

   
Down  
   
01 HINDER Rubbish in derelict housing block

Hidden (“housing”) in “rubbisH IN DERelict”

   
02 MORTAL Very drunk // person // liable to die

Triple definition

   
03 ERADICATED Energy emitted around the speed of light is annihilated

E (=energy) + [C (=speed of light, in physics) in RADIATED (=emitted)]

   
05 URIC Heard you are in charge of number one

Homophone (“heard of”) of “you are” + I<n> C<harge>: “of (a) number one” refers to urine, as in uric acid

   
06 PITY Snobbish, but not winning sympathy

<up>PITY (=snobbish); “not winning (=up, e.g. in match)” means letters “up” are dropped

   
07 SURVIVOR One continuing to live with zero resistance against virus surprisingly

*(O (=zero, pictorially) + R (=resistance, in physics) + V (=against, i.e. versus) + VIRUS); “surprisingly” is anagram indicator

   
08 SLAPDASH American cops belt around carelessly

LAPD (=American cops, i.e. Los Angeles Police Department) in SASH (=belt)

   
11 CERTAIN Decided church school has to promote reading

CE (=church, i.e. Church of England) + RTAIN (TRAIN=(to) school; “has to promote reading (=R, as in the three R’s)” means letter “r” is moved to an earlier position in the word)

   
14 IN VACUO Cook large quantity of coq au vin amid empty space

*(CO<q> + AU VIN); “large quantity of” means last letter is dropped; “cook” is anagram indicator

   
15 RECLASSIFY Update assignment to groups of engineers providing stylish shelters

RE (=engineers, i.e. Royal Engineers) + [IF (=providing) in CLASSY (=stylish)]

   
17 VERBATIM Ends of 10 and 20 could be rendered identically

*(V<ictori>A (=entry at 10; “ends of” means first and last letter only) + TIMBER (=entry at 20)); “could be rendered” is anagram indicator

   
18 NOT AT ALL Write down almost everything and forget it

NOTAT<e> (=write down; “almost” means last letter only) + ALL (=everything); cf. forget it, not at all, think nothing of it, you’re welcome

   
20 TIMBER 22 million stolen by Italian banker

M (=million) in TIBER (=Italian “banker”, i.e. river); a (wooden) beam (=entry at 22) is a form of timber

   
21 UNITED One set free following slight drop in temperature

UNTIED (=set free); “slight drop in temperature (=T)” means letter “t” is moved to the next position in the word

   
24 FELT Was aware of being left out

*(LEFT); “out” is anagram indicator

   
25 USER One taking advantage of scheme right to the end

RUSE (=scheme); “right (=R) to the end” means letter “r” moves to the end of the word

   
   

 

20 comments on “Independent 10,072 / Serpent”

  1. Excellent stuff. I was looking for the usual but I do notice that the grid has 6 “crosses” of blank squares-one  for each of the “cross”answers-and of course accurately placed. How else?

    Thanks Serpent and RR.

  2. Wow! Serpent remains my favourite setter and this is him at his best. Just superb.

    Loved the way the 3 clues beginning with ‘Cross’ use three different meanings but missed the other links to “cross” as detailed in the blog. Did spot the 6 + signs in the grid though, as mentioned by copmus.

    As always, Serpent produces masterful surfaces. The clever inclusion at 1d, playing on different meanings of ‘block’ ; the nice anagram at 19a ; and the clever cross-reference and use of ‘banker’ in 20d to name a few favourites.

    Haven’t met MORTAL for very drunk before but guessed it at first reading and checked in Chambers.

    Got stuck several times but resisted the urge to cheat. Getting SLAPDASH opened up the NE and getting MILITARY opened up the SW allowing me to complete without aids.

    Thanks to Serpent and RatkojaRiku.

  3. Very good, even though I missed the theme and ended up as a DNF with ‘unit’ for URIC. I didn’t know MORTAL for ‘drunk’ either.

    Plenty to pick from but I’ll go for NORMAN and the ‘American cops’ as my favourites.

    Thanks to Serpent and RR.

  4. In 23 across I parsed it the same way as you but logically “happening” must be IN rather than ON, which I’m a bit doubtful about.

  5. This has kept me company on and off all morning (well I am supposed to be working) but I thoroughly enjoyed myself.   I’m also delighted to report that I’ve spotted my second theme today

    Thanks very much to Serpent and RR

  6. Excellent CROSSword with accurate cluing. I found it tough but solved at the end, missing the theme though, doh!

    I particularly liked the CHAMPERS among others.

    Thanks very much to Serpent and RR

     

  7. Thanks Serpent and RR

    As far as I can tell, with the exception of 19 & 27, *all* the across clues have a connection with ‘cross’. It being Serpent, I suspect that those two may as well, and I’m too dim to spot it.

  8. Simon S @10

    I cannot find/think of a connection for 19ac but 27ac is certainly related. The first definition in Chambers under ‘cross’ is “a gibbet on which the Romans exposed criminals, typically consisting of two pieces of timber, one placed transversely to the other”.

  9. Thanks to RatkojaRiku and Serpent

    A cracker. I can’t see the HAMPER/CROSS connection or am I missing something ? If you cross somebody you could be said to hamper them, but that is a little vague.

    At 17d I took rendered to be part of the anagrind.

  10. I did this on squared paper, thus resisting the temptation to check or reveal. All correct, but failed to parse 10 and 17 (my excuse here was I was looking at 21 rather than 20).

    As per usual with Serpent, once you complete the crossword, there is still some work to do. And as per usual, I failed miserably.

  11. Many thanks to RatkojaRiku  for the excellent blog and to everyone who has been kind enough to comment on the puzzle.

    Every across entry, except ESOTERICALLY, is indeed related to the word “cross”.  (I’m happy to accept the tenuous connection proposed by Geoff@11 for ESOTERICALLY!)  Geoff@6 is also correct about the intended parsing of QUESTION.

    One other minor point: MORTAL was intended to be a triple definition – very drunk / person / liable to die.

  12. Almost got there last night, with only 13 and 23 remaining; this morning 23 was so glaringly obvious we wondered how we didn’t get it at once but we were still mystified by 13, and now we’ve seen the blog that’s pretty obvious too.  Doh!

    Failed to see the theme, but that’s nothing unusual.

    Thanks, Serpent and RatkojaRiku.

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