Windsurfer is a new name in the Independent stable although he has featured on fifteensquared before as the setter of puzzles for sloggers and betters get-togethers.
I enjoyed solving this and noted a few references to CLIMATE CHANGE (1 across and 1 down) in the entries. Other entries clearly associated with this theme were WARMING, GREENHOUSE, TEMPERATURES, FOOTPRINT, and EXTREME in the acrosses, plus CARBON and GLOBAL in the downs. Some of these can be combined – GLOBAL WARMING, CARBON FOOTPRINT, EXTREME TEMPERATURES. We have nearly got GREENHOUSE GAS if you ignore the P in GASP. I reckon WAKE-UP CALL is also connected to the theme. and, at a push, IN HOT PURSUIT is connected with increased heat.. I suppose we could add RACE [against time] as well.
I like the use of 1D for ONE DOWN as part of the wordplay in TONED DOWN.
It took me a while to see how INDEED parsed at 2 down. It wasn’t until I was well into the blog that I saw what was going on there.
I look forward to more from Windsurfer
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
| 1 | Mood shown by couple on short piece of film (7) |
CLIP (piece taken from a film for separate showing) excluding the last letter (short) P + MATE (to couple) ) CLI MATE |
CLIMATE (atmosphere; mood) |
| 5 | 14 rising from Section admitting member (7) |
WING (section) containing (admitting) ARM (member) W (ARM) ING |
WARMING (descriptive of TEMPERATURES [14 across] rising |
|
9
|
Regularly valued bijou is sound (5)
|
AUDIO (letters 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 [regularly] of VALUED BIJOU) AUDIO |
AUDIO (sound)
|
| 10 | Less 27 1D on time, with break of day (5,4) |
T (time) + (ONE DOWN [1D] containing [with] D [first letter of {break of} DAY]) T ONE (D) DOWN |
TONED DOWN (less EXTREME [27 across]) |
| 11 | A place for growing protest about English space research’s closure (10) |
GROUSE (complain; protest) containing (about (E [English] + EN [space in printing terminology] + H [last letter of {closure} RESEARCH]) GR (E EN H) OUSE |
GREENHOUSE (place for growing plants) |
| 12 | Firstly getting asthmatic, so pant (4) |
GASP (first letters of [firstly] GETTING, ASTHMATIC, SO and PANT) GASP |
GASP (pan or breathe in a distressed manner) This may be an &Lit clue where the whole clue is the definition |
| 14 | Moderate characters beginning to drop degree classifications (12) |
TEMPER (moderate) + NATURES (characters) excluding (to drop) the first letter (beginning) N TEMPER ATURES |
TEMPERATURES (degrees of hotness of a body, etc or medium [eg air, water] ascertainable by means of a thermometer; degree classifications) |
| 18 | Following closely to this I run up shattered (2,3,7) |
Anagram of (shattered) TO THIS I RUN UP IN HOT PURSUIT* |
IN HOT PURSUIT ((following closely at full speed) |
| 21 | Career suggestion after scratching the head (4) |
TRACE (suggestion) excluding (scratching) the first letter (the head) T RACE |
RACE (rush; career) |
| 22 | Reminder to stir duck paella wife cooked omitting last of squid (4-2,4) |
Anagram of (cooked) DUCK PAELLA and W (wife) excluding (omitting) D (final letter of [last of] SQUID) WAKE-UP CALL* |
WAKE-UP CALL (prearranged telephone CALL to inform someone that it is time to get up; reminder to stir [rose; WAKE-UP])) |
| 25 | Impressive profile (9) |
FOOTPRINT (shape [profile] of, for instance, the area surrounding an airport, or the part of an aircraft’s flight path, in which the noise is liable to be above a certain level) FOOTPRINT |
FOOTPRINT (impression [mark] left on the ground or floor by a person’s or animal’s FOOT) double definition |
| 26 | Fast food produced by British bake-off (5) |
Anagram of (off) B (British) and BAKE KEBAB* |
KEBAB (example of a food often served in a fast food establishment) |
| 27 | Part of sex tremendously far out (7) |
EXTREME (hidden word in [part of] SEX TREMENDOUSLY) EXTREME |
EXTREME (most remote; far out) |
| 28 | Two ways adult rejected gland (7) |
(LANE [narrow road; way] + RD [road; way] giving two ways + A [adult]) all reversed (rejected) (A DR ENAL)< |
ADRENAL (a gland near the kidneys secreting adrenaline and steroids) |
| Down | |||
| 1 | Suspend during church reform (6) |
HANG (suspend) contained in (during) CE (Church [of England]) C (HANG) E |
CHANGE (reform) |
| 2 | Independent head of private new hospital department lost without doubt (6) |
INDEPENDENT excluding (lost) (P [first letter of {head of} PRIVATE] and N [new] + ENT {Ear, Nose & Throat; hospital department]) leaving only the letters INDEED INDEED |
INDEED (without doubt) |
| 3 | Notice decorations lacking tip of attractive frills (10) |
AD (advertisement; notice) + ORNAMENTS (decorations) excluding (lacking) A (first letter of [tip of] ATTRACTIVE) AD ORNMENTS |
ADORNMENTS (frills) |
| 4 | Poetic inspiration from French art – silly rot (5) |
ES (French for the old-fashioned form of ‘are’; art) + an anagram of (silly) ROT ES TRO* |
ESTRO (height of poetic inspiration) |
| 5 | Find USSR with suspect planes over the sea (9) |
Anagram of (suspect) FIND USSR and W (with) WINDSURFS* |
WINDSURFS (rides on a sailboard; planes over the sea) |
| 6 | Journey East to free the leader (4) |
RID (free) + E (East) ‘the leader’ is indicating that RID should come before E RID E |
RIDE (journey) |
| 7 |
Setter’s old, funny and latterly ignoring the odds getting extreme admiration (8) |
I (setter [of the crossword]) + an anagram of (funny) OLD + ATRY (letters 2, 4, 6 and 8 [ignoring the odds] of LATTERLY) I DOL* ATRY |
IDOLATRY (excessive adoration) |
| 8 | During drive home, dad’s overtaken (4,4) |
PA (father; dad) contained in (during) (GO [vitality; drive] + NEST [bird’s home]) GO NE (PA) ST |
GONE PAST (overtaken) |
| 13 | Revealing game to be OK with European after this instruction (5,5) |
STRIP POKER is an instruction to remove the outer letters P and R from the word POKER. Doing this will leave you with OK and E as described in the clue STRIP P OK E R |
STRIP POKER (card game in which losses are paid by removing articles of clothing) |
| 15 | Make more than one place on river with pronounced views (9) |
PL (place) + URAL (river in Russia and Kazakhstan) + ISE (sounds like [pronounced] EYES [views]) PL URAL ISE |
PLURALISE (makes more than one) |
| 16 | Pneumatic arm is initially frailer when modified (3,5) |
Anagram of (when modified) I (first letter of [initially] IS) and FRAILER AIR RIFLE* |
AIR RIFLE (weapon [arm] hat fire missiles by means of compressed air. [i.e. pneumatic in nature]) |
| 17 | Where one pays to listen to opinion of some Brexiteers? (8) |
CHECK OUT (sounds like CZECH [native of the CZECH Republic, which is a member of the European Union]) + OUT (what Brexiteers want Britain’s status with the European to be) CHECK OUT |
CHECKOUT (cash desk where goods are paid for) |
| 19 | Substance, one that provides energy shortly before working (6) |
CARB (brief form of [shortly] CARBOHYDRATE) + ON (working) CARB ON |
CARBON (example of a substance) |
| 20 | Throw girl keeps as blanket (6) |
LOB (throw) contained in (in) GAL (girl) G (LOB) AL |
GLOBAL (worldwide; universal; blanket) |
| 23 | More paintings by Magritte – his last retrospective coming up (5) |
(ART [paintings] + X (times; by) + E [final letter of {his last} MAGRITTE]) all reversed (retrospective coming up; down clue) (E X TRA)< |
EXTRA (more) |
| 24 | Final two in House after accepted start of parliamentary recess (4) |
A (accepted) + P (first letter of [start of] PARLIAMENTARY]) + SE (last two letters of [final two] HOUSE) A P SE |
APSE (semicircular or polygonal recess, especially at the east end of a church choir) |
Thanks to duncanshiell and Windsurfer
A very welcome newcomer on this evidence – even managing to announce his arrival @ 5d with a nicely crafted definition.
@ 25a I suppose “digital” footprint is one of the most familiar usages nowadays.
We may all have to 12ac for air if things don’t improve soon.
Wrestled with this but enjoyable nonetheless. Failed on CHECKOUT for no good reason and popped in INDEED unparsed. Also the same with APSE since I couldn’t justify to myself A for accepted, perhaps it is in Chambers etc.
So deep into the trees I lost all sight of the wood, which turned out to be a pretty solid theme.
Thanks to duncanshiell and Windsurfer
New setter, a few new words (eg ESTRO), an original clue device (10a) and a not too obscure theme; all good stuff for a Tuesday Indy.
Favourites were 10a, the parsing for INDEED and those self referential, dodgy, carrier-based MiG’s in 5d.
Thanks (and welcome) to Windsurfer and to Duncan.
Welcome to Windsurfer
Quite tough to get into it, but all ok in the end. Some nice definitions: pneumatic arm, reminder to stir etc., and 5d is a cracker
Thanks Duncan
I also put in INDEED without parsing it. Also tried to fit ERATO into 4d but couldn’t parse it either. ESTRO was a new word for me. Liked 5d.
A fine debut.
Quite a lot to like here, including the theme. Some nice definitions, degree classifications, reminder to stir ( i am reminded here of arachne’s lovely “spooner’s baking disaster”), pneumatic arm, etc. I
I spent too much time trying to force ERATO into 4d.
Loved TONED DOWN, temperatures, IN HOT PURSUIT, kebab (though I thought that would also work without fast), INDEED, windsurfs, PLURALISES, air rifle.
Windsurfer also just won the Sunday times clueing competition.
Many congratulations Windsurfer, a very fine debut 2d
And than you Duncan for the excellent blog
I think Windsurfer (and/or his alter ego) had already written dozens of crosswords before, some 10 years ago, I’d even solved one!
And if that’s indeed so, his arrival here is surely long overdue. A ‘warm’ welcome!
Very nice crossword in which the theme helped me a lot to finish it within a reasonable time.
ESTRO [I expected solvers to try to make ERATO work] and INDEED [took a while to parse correctly] were my last ones in.
In 23d (EXTRA) it feels like there are two reversal indicators for the price of one.
Some less precise solvers might have seen 21ac as TRACE minus T[he] – however, Windsurfer’s too precise a setter for that.
All good but I especially liked 10ac, 5d and 17d [I still have to go to Waitrose today ….].
Many thanks Duncan for blogging this fine debut puzzle.
Many thanks to Eimi for the opportunity to get published in the Indy, and to Duncan for a superb blog.
The theme is obviously current and of great concern to many people around the world. I did intend WAKE-UP CALL as part of the theme but I hadn’t really considered IN HOT PURSUIT, although Duncan does make this case.
Many thanks to all the posters for their kind comments. I have been compiling for the last 5 or 6 years, hopefully improving along the way, and some may have seen me on Big Dave’s and Alberich’s sites as well as 1Across Magazine, http://www.customcrypticcrosswords.com, and various other outlets.
I hope to set more for the Indy in the future.
Its taken me a while to finish this. Another ERATO here, making 4dn my LOI after finally getting 10ac. And only now do I see the connection between 5dn and the name of the setter. (It’s getting late.)
Found this a good challenge and came here with a couple half parsed.
Favourite has to be WINDSURFS, which took me an embarrassingly long time. Also liked the wordplay in TONED DOWN and INDEED, and enjoyed the KEBAB.
Thanks and congratulations Windsurfer, and thanks to Duncan for the blog.