Independent 10,906 by Tyrus

The puzzle is available here.

 

Hi all.  Tyrus likes to get political in his crosswords, and today’s theme, found in many clues and answers, can be summed up in the nina across the top and bottom rows:

Knowing in advance that the crossword wouldn’t be an escape from awful reality, I much enjoyed it.  I also found it surprisingly smooth-going, taking a very un-Tyrus-like time.  Due to cuts there are no cat pictures today.

Thanks Tyrus!

 

Definitions are underlined in the clues below.  In the explanations, quoted indicators are in italics, explicit [deletions] are in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER.  For clarity, I omit most link words and some juxtaposition indicators.

 

Across

7a    Surprisingly short Lord Sugar keeps you talking a lot (9)
GARRULOUS
An anagram of (surprisingly) all but the last letter of (short) LORd and SUGAR contains (keeps) U (you)

8a    & 30. Delayed restrictions of movement – clown does talk rubbish (4,9)
LATE LOCKDOWNS
CLOWN DOES TALK anagrammed (rubbish)

9a    Get flat denial, occasionally backtracking (3)
LIE
Alternate letters of (… occasionally) dEnIaL reversed (backtracking)

11a   Free – good choice to go over part of roof (5,4)
RIDGE TILE
RID (free) + G (good) + ELITE (choice) reversed (to go over)

12a   & 23. Now recants? An amazingly ineffective (and costly) method of crowd control (5,7)
WATER CANNONS
NOW RECANTS AN anagrammed (amazingly)

13a   Laments on independence – look around outside (7)
ELEGIES
LEG (on) and I (independence), with SEE (look) reversed (around) outside

15a   What’s afoot? Conservative leader involved in misconduct? (7)
SCANDAL
SANDAL (what’s afoot?) with C (Conservative leaver) inside (involved)

18a   & 29. Accomplishment achieving nothing extra for the most part (I bend being flexible) (7,6,4)
GETTING BREXIT DONE
GETTING (achieving) + an anagram of (… being flexible) O (nothing), EXTRa without the last letter (for the most part), I and BEND

23a   See 12

25a   Now happening to bring work forward? Such an illusion! (7)
OPTICAL
TOPICAL (now happing) with OP (work) brought forward

27a   Restrictions abandoned too early, doctors initially considered (5)
RATED
Restrictions Abandoned Too Early, Doctors: first letters (initially)

30a   See 8

32a   I’m surprised – two holiday houses! (3)
OHO
twO HOliday contains (houses) the answer

33a   Obvious – doesn’t have one idea (4)
PLAN
PLA[i]N (obvious) doesn’t have I (one)

34a   Makes secure from wind (also building at back of garden) (5,4)
NAILS DOWN
WIND ALSO anagrammed (building) + the last letter (back) of gardeN

 

Down

1d    See 7

2d    Accommodation (not hotel) for more than one banker (4)
OUSE
[h]OUSE without H (not hotel).  There is more than one river Ouse

3d    Anne who hosts with Nick like this in pub? (8)
ROBINSON
ROB (nick) + SO (like this) in INN

4d    Now has a tenant – start to search for keys (6)
ISLETS
IS LET (now has a tenant) + the first letter of (start to) Search

5d    Directions for securing empty life raft (4)
SLEW
SW (directions) containing (securing) the outer letters only of (empty) LifE

6d    Some, originally offensive, don’t change (4)
STET
The first letter of (… originally) Some + TET (offensive)

7d    & 1. Regarding bed hopping, crossing capital abandoned (6,6)
GARDEN BRIDGE
REGARDING BED anagrammed (hopping)

10d   Start of poorly-paid job for one of the plebs (5)
PROLE
The initial letter (start) of Poorly-paid + ROLE (job)

14d   Keen on accepting right opening (5)
INTRO
INTO (keen on) accepting R (right)

16d   Tip off old prince – essentially FBI’s given up (5)
ALERT
AL[b]ERT (old prince) with the middle letter of (essentially) fBi deleted (given up)

17d   Welshman from Snowdonia done over (3)
DAI
The answer can be taken from SnowdonIA Done reversed (over)

19d   In French describing old age (3)
EON
EN (in, French) going around (describing) O (old)

20d   Sibling repaired chain and inner tubes (8)
BRONCHIA
BRO (sibling) + an anagram of (repaired) CHAIN

21d   Head of state tending to alarm (5)
SCARE
The first letter (head) of State + CARE (tending)

22d   Once the greatest issue for her (6)
ALISON
ALI (once the greatest) + SON (issue)

24d   Cheers with a bit of speculation – figure buffoon’s heading for exit? (2,4)
SO LONG
The first letter (bit) of Speculation + O[b]LONG (figure) with Buffoon’s first letter (heading) removed (for exit)

26d   Reluctant to admit it hurt Britain – rogue (6)
COWBOY
COY (reluctant) with the insertion of (to admit) OW (it hurt) and B (Britain)

28d   Unlikely score, 80% (4)
TALL
TALLy (score): 4/5 or 80% of it

29d   See 18 Across

31d   Record is kept by spurned former adviser initially (4)
DISC
IS inside (kept by) the initials of (… initially) Dominic Cummings (spurned former adviser)

 

14 comments on “Independent 10,906 by Tyrus”

  1. PostMark

    Crikey. Certainly a SLEW of political allusions – which were very clever but, unlike Kitty, I found the subject rather sad. We never know how far in advance puzzles are submitted but coming, as it does, on the back of a week in which there has been precious little good news, it was a tad depressing.

    But the clueing was excellent and it is worth noting one of those occasional coincidences in which I take great delight – the appearance of INTRO in the Indy and OUTRO in today’s blog covering last week’s Guardian prize. Bridgesong, who is blogging that, kindly included the link to this classic Bonzo track and I copy it here for any who do not frequent the Guardian pages.

    Thanks Tyrus and Kitty

  2. copmus

    Nothing like getting UK news via a Tyrus puzzled.This hit the target perfectly.
    Strange times and setters like him provide some cheer (OK with reverse swing)
    Thanks JT and Kitty

  3. Blah

    Not sure I’ve seen Tyrus before, the name isn’t familiar, but he’s made my list of favourite setters very quickly with today’s offering. Didn’t think to look for a nina which is a shame as the theme was quite clear.

    Thanks Tyrus and Kitty.

  4. DuncT

    Blah@3 – you might have come across Tyrus as Vlad elsewhere. Top quality in both guises.

    Thanks to Kitty and Tyrus

  5. Eileen

    Brilliant, once again!

    Many thanks, Tyrus and Kitty.

  6. baerchen

    Another fantastic puzzle from Tyrus, many thanks to him & Kitty

  7. Blah

    DuncT@4 thanks, I have indeed met the impaler, I really can’t keep all these aliases straight 🙂

    Somewhat curiously I didn’t find this particularly difficult (though by no means a walkover), whereas Vlad…

  8. WordPlodder

    Good trying to spot at least some of the examples referred to in the Nina for this non-UK solver. Most meant something but GARDEN BRIDGE was new. Sounds like a real mess looking at the Wikipedia page on the fiasco.

    Blah @ 7, the “Setters” link here on this site is a good way to find the setters’ aliases and is kept up to date – thanks Gaufrid.

    Tyrus at his most benign, probably thanks to the Nina and theme. Look forward to his next outing, in either guise, which I doubt will be as gentle.

    Thanks to Tyrus and Kitty

  9. Blah

    Thanks WP@8, I checked out the setter section quite recently when IIRC Eileen clued me in that Rodriguez was Picaroon, but although I now remember reading it at the time I didn’t recall that Tyrus was Vlad. Alas my previously prodigious memory 🙁 .

    Note to self: A new rule – if I don’t recognise or remember the setter look it up.

  10. Petert

    Let us hope that Tyrus is with us long after the Buffoon has made his exit.

  11. Dormouse

    What I found most difficult in this puzzle was sorting out where each part of the two-part clues were. Totally failed to spot the Nina, but I didn’t think to look for one.

  12. Tyrus

    Thanks to Kitty for a lovely blog and to others who commented.

  13. Bertandjoyce

    Late to the party but we had two Inquisitors to catch up on first.

    Thanks Tyrus for a brilliant puzzle.

    Thanks Kitty.

  14. Alliacol

    Yes, a brilliant puzzle. I’d not heard of the “Garden Bridge” but 43M of public funds and no river crossing? Where did it all go?

Comments are closed.