Independent 10,404 by Gila

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Thanks Gila for an enjoyable challenge this morning.

Gila is testing us with a wide range of cultural influences (art, literature and music); there are a few unusual words but the clues are all clear and fair. Some very amusing surfaces too.
Favourites: 25a (simple but effective), the two extended definitions in 14a and 8d, and the neat construction of 18d.
Definitions are underlined; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.

ACROSS
1 JOSHUA REYNOLDS Artist‘s joke representation of nude royals (6,8)
JOSH (joke, as a verb) + anagram (re-presentation) of NUDE ROYALS.
The 18th-century painter Joshua Reynolds.
10 EXTOL Praise former partner for leaving at first (5)
EX (former partner) + TO (for, as in “heading for home”) + initial letter (at first) of Leaving.
11 STRICTURE Adverse criticism is harsh and, from time to time, guarded (9)
STRICT (harsh) + alternate letters (from time to time) of [g]U[a]R[d]E[d].
12 PHONE-IN Interminably insincere person introducing one new radio show? (5-2)
PHONE[y] (insincere person), without the last letter (interminably = not ending), then ONE I (Roman numeral for “one”) + N (new).
13 RADIANT A Democrat stops laughing and beaming (7)
A D[emocrat), inserted into (stopping) RIANT: a rare word for “laughing”, though clear enough if you know the French verb rire.
14 SCOOP Novel‘s primary sources of satire concern one overseas pressman (5)
First letters (primary sources) of Satire Concern One Overseas Pressman.
Extended definition: Evelyn Waugh’s satirical novel Scoop, about a newspaper’s foreign correspondent.
16 HIT PARADE Criminal has mostly pirated chart songs (3,6)
Anagram (criminal) of HA[s] (mostly) + PIRATED.
19 MAHARISHI Ashram is initially tidied up to welcome spiritual leader (9)
Anagram (tidied up) of ASHRAM + initial letter of I(s), then HI (hello = welcome).
20 ELEGY Song of mourning, for instance, penned in a famous cathedral (5)
EG (e.g. = for instance), penned in ELY (cathedral).
22 LIBERAL Progressive artist involved in false reporting (7)
RA (Royal Academician) inserted into LIBEL (false reporting).
25 PERSIAN A Welsh lady’s cat (7)
PER (a, as in one a day / one per day) + SIAN (Siân: Welsh woman’s name equivalent to Jane).
Breed of long-haired cats.
27 SNOWDONIA Small wood in an unkempt national park (9)
S (small) + anagram (unkempt) of WOOD IN A.
National park in north Wales.
28 BRACE Tone up, principally by running and callisthenic exercises (5)
Initial letters (principally) of By Running And Callisthenic Exercises.
29 PASTEURISATION Remover of pathogens transferring parasites in and out (14)
Anagram (transferring) of PARASITES IN + OUT.
Heat treatment for preserving food.
DOWN
2 OSTROGOTH Old German is maybe too short to take the lead in Griselda (9)
Anagram (maybe) of TOO SHORT, containing the leading letter of Griselda.
The Ostrogoths occupied what is now Germany (and beyond) in the 3rd – 6th centuries.
3 HALVE Henry V performance finally split into two parts (5)
HAL (short for Henry, especially in Shakespeare) + V + final letter of Performance.
4 ABSINTHES Sailor isn’t worried – he has strong drinks (9)
AB (Able Seaman = sailor) + anagram (worried) of ISN’T + HE’S (he has).
5 ERROR Glitch deleting time from alarm (5)
TERROR (alarm), deleting the T (time).
6 NICK DRAKE Folk singer in prison with a rapper (4,5)
NICK (slang for prison) + the rapper Drake.
The singer Nick Drake.
7 LAUDA Celebrate a legend of F1 (5)
LAUD (praise, as a verb = celebrate) + A.
Niki Lauda, late great Formula 1 racing driver.
8 SPECTRE Evil organisation quietly residing in secret complex (7)
P (p = piano = musical term for quietly) inserted into an anagram (complex) of SECRET.
Extended definition: SPECTRE, the secretive criminal organisation that James Bond spends a lot of time fighting.
9 TEMPOS Short-term workers receiving ordinary rates (6)
TEMPS (temporary workers) receiving O (ordinary, as in O-level).
Rates = tempos = speeds.
15 PARTRIDGE Bird seen in region next to range of hills (9)
PART (region) + RIDGE (a line of hills).
17 TWIN PEAKS Head of television succeeds when acquiring top US drama (4,5)
First letter (head) of Television + WINS (succeeds) acquiring (containing) PEAK (top).
US mystery / horror series.
18 AMERICANO I’m not sure I’m able to get into Australian instant coffee (9)
ER (expression of hesitation = I’m not sure) + I CAN (I’m able), inserted into A (Australian) + MO (moment = instant).
Italians (or coffee pedants) would call it caffè Americano: espresso and hot water.
19 MILKSOP Weak type of cleaner conserving fancy silk (7)
MOP (cleaning tool) containing an anagram (fancy) of SILK.
21 YANKEE Bet made by sports pro in New York (6)
Double definition: a complicated bet combining four events, or a baseball player for the New York Yankees.
23 BOOTS I’m not impressed with this empty high street outlet (5)
BOO (expression of disapproval = I’m not impressed) + T[hi]S (empty = inner letters removed).
UK retailer of pharmacy, health and beauty products.
24 LONER Antisocial person left a certain party halfway through (5)
L (left) + ONE (a certain) + middle letter (halfway through) of [pa]R[ty].
26 RABAT Short tunic from the bottom part of Morocco (5)
TABARD (tunic), short (last letter removed), reversed (from the bottom = upwards in a down clue).
Capital city of Morocco.

 

10 comments on “Independent 10,404 by Gila”

  1. A few unknowns for me. Didn’t know the painter at 1a or the singer at 6d or RIANT.

    Yankee as a horse racing bet was only vaguely known and, being the illiterate that I am, didn’t know the Waugh novel.

    Wasn’t keen on the wording for 12a. “Introducing’ suggests inclusion whereas I + N (I not ONE as in blog) are tagged on the end. It’s not wrong, you can introduce something at the end, I’m just not keen on it.

    Thanks to Gila and Quirister.

  2. Thanks Hovis – I’ve corrected the blog re ONE / I. I think “introducing” works if you think of PHONE[y] as the introduction to (i.e. coming before / leading into) the rest of the clue.

  3. Never heard of Drake as a rapper but I love Nick Drake

    Je sais “rire” but I wouldnt have thought of “riant”-obvious what the answer was.

    Didnt like “part of Morocco when its the capital, isnt it?

    Thanks all.

  5. [2D allows me the opportunity to dig out one of my most groanworthy:

    If you have an old German steering a boat by a handle, would you have a Hun at the tiller?

    I’ll get mi coat.]

  6. There were several entries which we had to pencil in till we were certain from crossing letters, and we knew neither the singer nor the rapper in 6dn but were able to confirm our guesswork by googling.  And shouldn’t the plural of ‘tempo’ be ‘tempi’ – in the musical sense, anyway?

    Otherwise all fairly straightforward.  Favourite was PASTEURISATION.

    Thanks, Gila and Quirister

  7. i didn’t know either of the Drakes, but now intend to listen to some of Nick Drake’s songs. A sad life but his music sounds very interesting.

    YANKEE as a ‘Bet’ was new to me too and I missed the parsing of EXTOL.

    About right for a Monday, with enough to make you think.

    Thanks to Gila and Quirister

  8. Well, I finished it without aids (apart from looking up how to spell 19ac) and I think I enjoyed it, but it was hard work eking out the last few in the top right corner.  And it was only just as I was about to come here I worked out the parsing of 25ac.  I was also surprised to realise I’d heard of NICK DRAKE although I wasn’t sure he was a folk singer.

    When I got 17dn, I had to stop and check this wasn’t set by Loglady.

  9. Excellent puzzle, thanks Gila and Quirister.  Nick Drake was the brother of that wonderful actress Gabrielle Drake.

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