Independent 10,793 by Hypnos

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An entertaining puzzle with lots of clever use of cultural references.

There were a couple I was slightly dubious about. 1D was probably my favourite clue but only because I got the reference straightaway. If I'd never heard of the person in question, I might have found it mildly annoying.

ACROSS
1 SASHAY
A Sikh on vacation engaged by, for instance, leisurely walk (6)

(A S[ik]h) in say(=for instance)
4 FEASIBLE
A belief in reform around Sweden is likely (8)

(A belief)* around S{weden}
9 ASTERN
A second seabird on the back of a liner, say (6)

A s{econd} tern
10 DEFINITE
What initiates disquiet about fellow in computing etc for certain (8)

Dee (=name of the initial letter of disquiet) around (f{ellow} in IT)
11 DO ONES BIT
Bodies not disposed to make a useful contribution (2,4,3)

(Bodies not)*
13 NERVE
Bottle stocked by finer vendors (5)

Hidden in finer vendors
14 PANIC ATTACK
Captain altered course in fit of severe anxiety (5,6)

(Captain)* + tack(=course)
18 CALLIGRAPHY
Fine writing graphically represented (11)

(Graphically)*
21 ON ICE
Where one might see polar bears waiting in readiness? (2,3)

DD
22 FRYING PAN
Father messed up a pinny when grabbing good item in the kitchen (6,3)

F{athe}r + (a pinny)* around g{ood}
24 CATHETER
Caught a place for surgery in the US lacking a medical tube (8)

C{aught} + the[a]ter. The "in the US" represents the American spelling of theatre.
25 BREACH
Disruption where one might play volleyball? About right (6)

Beach around r{iver}. Obviously referring to beach volleyball rather than the traditional game.
26 PRECLUDE
Rule out contralto appearing in opening passage (8)

C{ontralto} in prelude
27 SATYRS
South American dictators, not a model of industry, are lecherous types (6)

S{outh} A{merican} + tyr[ant]s. I’m struggling to find a definitive reference but I think the ant is used as a symbol of industry in some contexts. For example, there is Aesop’s Fable The Ant and the Grasshopper.
DOWN
1 STAND UPS
Fail to keep appointment with last of mandarins in Whitehall etc (5-3)

Stand up + [mandarin]s. The def is a reference to the comedian Jack Whitehall.
2 SET POINT
Essential matter overlooked by group as key moment in a court? (3,5)

Point with set on top, although I'm not exactly clear why "essential" is needed. Ref to set point in a tennis match (=in a court, although I think the more usual phrase would be "on court").
3 AGREE
See eye to eye with a native of Corfu largely (5)

A + Gree[k]
5 EVENTUALITY
A tune played with levity as a possible result (11)

(A tune levity)*
6 SPINNAKER
Wild prank in sea, not a feature of yachting? (9)

(Prank in se[a])*
7 BRIERS
British comedienne dropping very old sitcom actor (6)

B{ritish} + Ri[v]ers (Joan Rivers). Ref to Richard Briers of The Good Life and various other sitcoms.
8 EXETER
Former partner leads number wanting hotel in English city (6)

Ex + et[h]er (number in the sense of something which numbs)
12 BATTLEFIELD
Traditional site for an engagement? (11)

CD
15 COCKERELL
Inventor discussed French symbol (9)

Hom of cockerel. Ref to Christopher Cockerell of hovercraft fame.
16 EPIPHANY
Hype in a rogue when seizing power produces moment of revelation (8)

(Hype in a)* arount p{ower}
17 BY INCHES
Only just how one measures rainfall? (2,6)

DD
19 TOECAP
Reportedly, pull top thing for protecting a boot (6)

Hom of tow + cap(=top)
20 VIRTUE
Man in Rome regularly toured showing patience, perhaps (6)

Vir + odd letters of toured. Vir is Latin rather than Italian for man.
23 NORMA
Film critic on TV once snubbed opera (5)

Norma[n](=Barry Norman, the late film critic). Norma is an opera by Bellini.

17 comments on “Independent 10,793 by Hypnos”

  1. This proved to be an enjoyable and entertaining diversion. 27a was my last one in and favourite.

    Many thanks to Hypnos and to NealH.

  3. An early reference to ants as hard workers is from the book of Proverbs (chapter 6):

    Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
    Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,
    Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.

    (Consider Her Ways was used as the title of a short story by John Wyndham/)

  4. Hear hear to comments above. My only quibble was with 12D, which hardly seemed cryptic at all. My last one in was 7D, as I struggled to think of both a comedienne and an old sitcom actor. Thanks Hypnos and Neal.

  5. A few stretches of both lateral thinking and memory required this morning. BRIERS is certainly a pretty ancient sitcom actor and Joan Rivers was certainly not the first comedienne to come to mind. I also had a wrongly parsed EXETER, thinking the number was ‘three’ short of its ‘h’ but without spotting an anagrind. I took similar pleasure to our blogger when the Whitehall reference jumped out and I also liked TOECAP, VIRTUE and SPINNAKER. I’m surprised at the raised eyebrow for ‘ant’ as a model of industry. Surely, together with bee, reasonably standard fare when it comes to indicating workers, toil, organisation, busyness etc.
    Without wanting to be a spoiler, interesting, for those who have already done the Guardian, to spot a similarity between the two.

    Thanks Hypnos and NealH

  6. I always enjoy puzzles from this setter and – as usual – had a lot of ticks on my printout. Particular mention for DO ONES BIT, PANIC ATTACK, BREACH, PRECLUDE, SPINNAKER and BY INCHES.

    Many thanks to Hypnos and also to Neal – both for the review and the Latin word for ‘man’ – no wonder I struggled to parsed that one!

  7. I took essential matter=point, so didn’t upset me… in fact nothing to get upset about …
    thanks Hypnos and NeilH

  8. Some lovely smooth surfaces. 26a, 14a, 6d to mention just a few. Couldn’t parse 20d, not knowing the Latin, so thanks to Hypnos and NealH. Sashay seems to be word of the month in crosswordland.

  9. Completed in a reasonable time with no real problems. In 1dn we have to confess we’d never heard of Jack Whitehall but we thought it might be a reference to the erstwhile Whitehall Theatre (now Trafalgar Studios), known at one time for its farces if not perhaps for stand-up comedians. We liked CALLIGRAPHY – never noticed that anagram before, very nice! Others we liked were SATYRS, SPINNAKER, EXETER and EPIPHANY.
    Thanks, Hypnos and NealH.

  10. Yes, it went in fairly quickly.

    Curiously, the first Richard Briers sitcom that came to mind for me was The Marriage Lines from the early sixties.

  11. I don’t think 24a is quite fair: yes, the American spelling of “theatre” is (sometimes) “theater,” but we don’t use the word in reference to surgery–it takes place in an operating room. I spent forever trying to work “room” in there…

  12. PostMark @5 – Briers ancient?! You just made me feel like I should start looking into the most affordable retirement homes!

    Good stuff as always from La Mesmerist.

  14. I dunno, PM@13 – and this is all in good faith – if you see God, tell Him I seem to be going in ever-decreasing circles nowadays, feel the good life is over and that death is my neighbour …

    By the way, if anyone is looking for a great film to watch this or any other night, you might do worse than checking out Briers on top form in Branagh’s In the Bleak Midwinter (also known as A Midwinter’s Tale).

    The above is a very good and very British feel-good film (though don;t let that put you off!) and well worth the watch in the opinion of this reporter wot watches it every year.

  15. Hoskins @14: The Good Life – which was, surely, Briers at his sitcom peak – was 1975-78. 45 years ago, so few of those younger than 55 will have anything but hazy recollection. A normal state of affairs for those like you and I who view the world through a blurry haze, for reasons best kept to ourselves. But maybe the clue might have benefited from an extra ‘very’? Ne c’est pas?

    And, regrettably, God doesn’t seem to enjoy the odd glass so I haven’t encountered him/her/it/they, whatever the politically correct nomenclature of the moment that appears on the Facebook entry might be. Not for some time. So you’ll need a diff’rent messenger than I.

    Toodle pip and bon soir

  16. Recently I had a work colleague in his twenties trying to explain to me why smoking was good for the economy. To back up his argument, he played me the YouTube video of Sir Humphrey Appleby explaining to Jim Hacker why the huge tax revenue and early deaths of smokers was an enormous boon to the treasury. This is it if you’ve never seen it – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJIMffhpZRw.

  17. Excellent clip, Neal. Another gem of a show that makes me feel ancient but the satire makes it okay to feel old (as long as one doesn;t have to suffer the Thatcher version of their scripts, natch). It also reminded me of the Stewart Lee bit in which a taxi driver who is losing an argument says: “Well, you can prove anything with facts, mate”. Works in many ways and is humorous and true in all of them!

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