I began complacently, expecting the gentle puzzle the Independent usually provides for us on Sunday and got a rude awakening! Once I got over the shock I enjoyed the challenge. Thank you Filbert.

| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | GENESIS | Your basic make-up is foundation (7) |
| GENES (your basic make-up) then IS | ||
| 5 | ARMED | Injured? Not hard with a sword, maybe (5) |
| hARMED (injured) missing H (hard) | ||
| 9 | LEAPT | Was hurdling a field sport? (5) |
| LEA (a field) then PT (physical training, sport) | ||
| 10 | SAMARITAN | A mantra is stirring for a listener (9) |
| anagram (stirring) of A MANTRA IS – a worker for the The Samaritans | ||
| 11 | ROSEBAY | Bush grew bark (7) |
| ROSE (grew) BAY (bark) | ||
| 12 | ORATORY | Colourful words including one between yellow and blue (7) |
| A (one) inside (between) OR (yellow) and TORY (blue, colour of political party) | ||
| 13 | STRONG SUIT | Maybe armour‘s best feature (6,4) |
| double/cryptic definition | ||
| 16 | EGGS | Breakfast for one – guests cleared out (4) |
| EG (for one, for example) then GuestS (no middle letters, cleared out) | ||
| 19 | OINK | Beastly noise the reason tattooist might stop? (4) |
| a tattooist might stop because there is O (zero) INK | ||
| 20 | CROSSPATCH | He’ll find fault to repair on bridge (10) |
| PATCH (to repair) following (on) CROSS (bridge) | ||
| 22 | RUFFIAN | Simple coat’s reversible hood (7) |
| NAIF (simple) FUR (coat) all reversed | ||
| 23 | CITADEL | Keep coming over chilled at Iceland stores (7) |
| found inside (stored by) chilLED AT ICeland reversed (coming over) | ||
| 25 | BANGALORE | Indian IT hub running on algebra (9) |
| anagram (running) of ON ALGEBRA | ||
| 26 | IMAGE | That is providing cover for Vogue? (5) |
| IE (that is) contains (providing cover for) MAG (vogue, for example) | ||
| 27 | SMEAR | Ray’s bottom is starting to get dirty (5) |
| MEARS (Ray Mears, TV presenter) with last letter (bottom) at the front (starting) | ||
| 28 | TOOTSIE | Foot is to toe as inch is to chin? (7) |
| anagram (as inch is to chin) of IS TO TOE | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | GLASS | Maybe helium’s left inside balloon? (5) |
| GAS’S (maybe Helium’s) contains (with…inside) L (left) – a type of wine glass | ||
| 2 | NOTA BENE | I wish it wasn’t a mountain expedition – only at first, mind you (4,4) |
| NOT A BEN (I wish it wasn’t a mountain,to be read in a whining voice) then Expedition (only the first letter) | ||
| 3 | SASSY | Impertinent fool stretches the bounds of stupidity (5) |
| ASS (fool) inside (stretches) StupiditY (outer letters, bounds of) | ||
| 4 | SEMIOTICS | Half of hearing aids finally interpreting sign language (9) |
| SEMI (half of) OTIC (of hearing) then aidS (last letter, finally) | ||
| 5 | ADRIAN | English priest in Rome wanting a Scottish doctor he’s familiar with? (6) |
| A then DR IAN (Scottish doctor) – Pope Adrian IV, the only English Pope | ||
| 6 | METHOUGHT | I felt satisfied while being hugged (9) |
| MET (satisfied) contains (…being hugged) THOUGH (while) | ||
| 7 | DANDY | Father’s middle daughter falls for new beau (5) |
| DAdDY (father) with the middle D (daughter) replaced with (falls for) N (new) | ||
| 8 | ALFRESCO | Flares set off by officer in the open (8) |
| anagram (set off) of FLARES then MO (medical officer) | ||
| 14 | RING FENCE | Protect one who wrongly accepts tokens of commitment? (4-5) |
| a RING FENCE might be a dealer in stolen rings (tokens of commitment) | ||
| 15 | STRUNG OUT | High sturdy walls the usual support for a window cleaner? (6,3) |
| STOUT (sturdy) contains (walls) RUNG (the usual support for a window cleaner) | ||
| 17 | SCHILLER | Poet‘s not doing so well raising small children (8) |
| ILLER (not doing so well) following (with…on top, raising) S (small) CH (children) – Frederick Schiller writer of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy | ||
| 18 | UPSTAIRS | Cook puts on fancy manners away from the servants’ quarters (8) |
| anagram (cook) of PUTS then AIRS (fancy manners) | ||
| 21 | MIDAIR | Pick up faint broadcast in the ether (6) |
| DIM (faint) reversed (pick up) then AIR (broadcast) | ||
| 22 | REBUS | Something puzzling about public transport (5) |
| RE (about) BUS (public transport) | ||
| 23 | CREDO | Catholic to have another look at his belief (5) |
| C (catholic) and REDO (have another look at) | ||
| 24 | DRAKE | Legendary bowler – one might fall for a duck (5) |
| two cryptic definitions – Sir Francis Drake and a male duck | ||
A challenge which defeated me. I’d never heard of Ray Mears, which scuppered me for MIDAIR and I didn’t twig to the connection between ‘a listener’ and The SAMARITAN(s). I was also mystified by TOOTSIE, which to me means a toe, rather than a foot, although Chambers has it as meaning either. No idea about the ‘English priest in Rome’ who had to go in from (the v. neat) wordplay. One person’s BANGALORE is another’s Bengaluru I suppose.
Something to keep the solver’s mind well in gear for an otherwise lazy Sunday.
Thanks to Filbert and PeeDee
I didnt stand a chance with Ray Smears and didnt much like GLASS but this was certainly a challenge for a Sunday.
I am normally a fan but….
Much the same comments as WordPlodder although I was ok with SAMARITAN. Very pleased to get NOTA BENE, GENESIS, SASSY & SEMIOTICS making a very tough NW quadrant. Guessed CROSSPATCH which was an unfamiliar word for me.
Thanks to Filbert and PeeDee.
wow this was tough but what fantastic surfaces, really good.
Thanks @Filbert and PeeDee
Agree with baerchen. I thought this was excellent with original clueing and some great surfaces.
Thanks to Filbert and PeeDee.
15, in what sense does “STRUNG OUT” mean high?
Hi Gasmanjack – I think the meaning of “strung out” is in the context of drug use, being under the influence. Chambers is a little confusing on the subject with different and somewhat contradictory meanings for “string out” and “strung out” but I got the general idea. I didn’t check any other dictionaries.
Thanks to PeeDee and everyone who had a go and/or commented.
Gasmanjack @6: there was some discussion about strung out. I thought it commonly meant nervous/anxious, and had a clue based on that, but the dictionaries seem to prefer a drug-related definition as PeeDee says. Adversely affected by drugs would be more accurate than just high, probably, but it’s not really my area.
Not quite as tough as yesterday – at least we got it all with some wordfinder help but no need to go back online and use the reveal function. We liked SAMARITAN, TOOTSIE and ADRIAN.
Thanks, Filbert and PeeDee.
24 down: Freddie Trueman, who once held the record for most wickets (307) in Test cricket, used to bemoan the fact that “Last bluddy bowler to be knighted was Sir Francis Drake.”
Filbert@8 I normally see STRUNG OUT as a negative reaction to a drug and HIGH as an albeit temporary positive effect.
“What goes up must come down” (Newtons law of narcotics)
Or, when a drug expert said to Ali G that he would feel disorientated, wheezy and in another place and he replied (yeh wot about the negative effects)
Thanks, I’ll take that as authoritative