Independent 10116 by Jambazi

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With Spring on its way a puzzle from Jambazi to amuse and detract from the clowns responsible for making decisions in this country.

Nice and short punchy clues in general – always a good sign in my opinion. Also a little risque, in several places, this week. Might not just be the hare who likes March.

Thanks Jambazi – 4ac or 19dn  were my favourites – though 23dn did require a double take. Sublime.

 

 

Key: * anagram; DD Double definition; Underline – definition; Rev. Reversed

Across
1 Went fast cycling behind flash bikes (6)
Rev. sped (went fast) after Mo (flash) = MOPEDS
4 Darn idiot in school (6)
tit (idiot) in sch (school) = STITCH
9 Addict stealing heroin from escort (4)
usher (escort) – h (heroin) = USER
10 Holding, touching and keeping it up (8,2)
carrying (holding) + on (touching) = CARRYING ON
11 Sloppy smacker on cheek, mostly (6)
quid (smacker) after Lip (cheek) – p = LIQUID
12 Go out to pee in the morning over large tree (4,4)
date (go out) + p (pee) + am (morning) around l (large) = DATE PALM
13 Child is bad then well (9)
off (bad) + spring (well) = OFFSPRING
15 Responsibility towards me (4)
on (towards) + us (me) = ONUS
16 Position to make out (4)
DD SPOT
17 Rubbish or good liar? Leader comes out with his crap (9)
g (good) + fibber(liar) – f + (his)* = GIBBERISH
21 Customers pay, go down (8)
foot (pay) + fall(go down) = FOOTFALL
22 In pub he might pull bachelor with designer cut (6)
b (bachelor) + Armani (designer) – i = BARMAN
24 Lovers in film with clothes discarded at the start (10)
mist (film) + dresses (clothers) – d = MISTRESSES
25 He’s one pinching parking spaces (4)
gas (as in he’s a gas) around p (parking) = GAPS
26 Prosecute to restrict member that’s lying (6)
sue (prosecute) around pin (member) = SUPINE
27 One might play record way before radio’s finale (6)
st (way) + ere (before) + o (radio’s finale) = STEREO

DOWN
1 One’s hard on end of man’s lead? (7)
ma (man’s lead) + stiff (hard) = MASTIFF
2 Concealed diamonds when entering country (5)
d (diamonds) in Peru (country) = PERDU
3 Liverpool supporter’s chilled about crucial match (7)
Rev. Red (Liverpool supporter)  + iced(chilled) = DECIDER
5 Books? Lad essentially after a model car (6)
toy (model) + ot (books) + a (lad essentially) = TOYOTA
6 Turning against it, one might go around end of can? (3,6)
Rev. on it (against it) + peer (one might go) around n (end of can) = TIN OPENER
7 No goals? Premier League, primarily has entertaining, fair games (7)
has around oo (nil nil) + pl (premier league primarily) = HOOPLAS
8 Stormy Daniels: “Trump and I being cautious with this” (13)
(trump I Daniels) = PRUDENTIALISM
14 One in field with summer wear and t-shirt? (9)
shorts (summer wear) + top (t-shirt) = SHORT STOP
16 Deposits blocked by current accounts (7)
stores(deposits) around I (current) = STORIES
18 Tend to gorge, briefly cutting portion (4-3)
abyss (gorge) – s in bit (portion) = BABY SIT
19 Cleaner put on dirt? (7)
sham (put on) + poo (dirt) = SHAMPOO
20 What’s in milk crate at home? (6)
case (crate) + in (home) = CASEIN
23 Have sex with man (5)
DD ROGER

16 comments on “Independent 10116 by Jambazi”

  1. A welcome return for Jambazi/Tramp. He is a master of clues such as the one for PRUDENTIALISM (my favourite).

    There is a typo in blog for 7d: HOOPLAH -> HOOPLAS.

    I parsed 1d as an &lit with A STIFF being “one’s hard” and M being “man’s lead”.

    Didn’t know CASEIN or that meaning for FOOTFALL but both easy to get from the clue.

    Lots of fun clues. Really enjoyed it. Thanks to Jambazi and twencelas.

  2. Great puzzle, snappy and tough clues.  I’d forgotten Jambazi is Tramp, but this is recognizably (in hindsight) like his last couple of Guardian prize puzzles.  Though not the hardest, TIN OPENER was very satisfying.  Also BABY SIT. I was sorry not to be able to think of a way to make snog = position for 16a.  That was LOI.

    Thanks Jambazi, Twencelas

  5. Thanks twencelas for the great blog and thanks to others for the very kind words.

    Hovis is correct with regards to the correct parsing of MASTIFF (I wouldn’t use man’s lead to indicate MA).

    One’s hard on end of man’s lead?

    M[an]+(A STIFF). The clue is &lit.

    Neil

  8. Brilliant tramp/jambazi. Great stuff as usual. Loved every minute. Thanks for all the chuckles.

    And thank you twencelas

  9. Yes, a welcome return by Jambazi – he was a regular back in 2014 but since then has appeared just once a year.  A detraction indeed from the clowns responsible for making decisions in this country – plus some amusement in 8dn at the expense of the clown responsible for making decisions in another country.

    All very enjoyable – just one (minor) quibble: we thought 14dn should be enumerated as (5,4) which is how you’ve actually shown the answer in the blog.

    Thanks, Jambazi and Twencelas.

  11. Doing well until only the bottom left corner was left and then I got totally stuck.  Couldn’t get a single answer!

  13. Something of a tour de force, this.  Had to visit and revisit several times to get it all out.  Would be delighted to see more Jambazi puzzles on this site.  I found this taxing, but great clues, great fun.

    Another who parsed He as helium.

    1A – SPED is not reversed (deps), but “cycled” (peds).

    Thanks again to Jambazi and to twencelas for the blog.

  14. thanks to Jambazi for a really great puzzle & to twencelas for the blog.

    Like James, I contemplated SNOG for “make out” but it is that time of year, I suppose

  16. Now, this was indeed a very good crossword.

    But if there had been no name attached to this puzzle, I would never have guessed that it was a Jambazi.

    In my perception, very different from Tramp puzzles, in particular.

    While Jambazi is not to blame, I do wholeheartedly agree with Geoff Wilkins @7! (never liked it anyway)

    Many thanks to twenceslas for the blog & Jambazi for the fun.

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