Riader is a fairly new setter who has published three Independent puzzles since the first one in November 2021. This is my first experience blogging a Raider puzzle.
Wednesday is usually a theme free day in the Independent. I don’t see one or a message in the perimeter, but that’s not unusual for me.
There were a couple of definitions or synonyms that didn’t quite gel with me, but that’s probably because I have missed something. I am still struggling with linking LEMONADE to ‘it might be the top’ at 1 across although I have made a stab at it in the detailed table below. Are cream and DAIRY really synonymous in the wordplay at 11 across and similarly, can you replace defeat with OUT as indicated in the wordplay at 14 across, on a regular basis?
Having said that I did enjoy many other clues such as the ones for VIEWER with the link between the Independent and The Observer, the one for FELICITOUS where every one of the six words in the clue played a vital part and the one for UNMASK where we had a Welsh town that doesn’t make many appearances.
My last one in was WHITEBOARD where I could see the anagram but it took me a long time to read remarkable in the definition as re-markable
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 7 |
It might be the top part of emblem on a design (8) LEMONADE – the only way I can link LEMONADE and ‘it might be the top’ is through the word ‘cherry’ using the phrase ‘cherry on the top’ and ‘cherry’ LEMONADE) LEMONADE (hidden word in [part of] EMBLEM ON A DESIGN) LEMONADE |
| 9 |
Contest The Independent runs in The Observer (6) VIEWER (observer) VIE (contend in rivalry; contest) + WE (descriptive of the online newspaper, The Independent, that publishes this crossword) + R (runs) VIE WE R |
| 10 |
Fresh, unopened cream? (4) AIRY (well ventilated; fresh) DAIRY (cream is a form of DAIRY produce) excluding the first letter (unopened) D AIRY |
| 11 |
Very fast form of percussion (10) SUPERSONIC (faster than the speed of sound; very fast) Anagram of (form of) PERCUSSION SUPERSONIC* |
| 12 |
Fellow in therapy with restraining order? (6) CURFEW (regulation obliging people to be indoors within certain hours; restraining order) (F [fellow] contained in [in] CURE [therapy]) + W (with) CUR (F) E W |
| 14 |
Departing in defeat at long jump, perhaps (8) OUTBOUND (departing) OUT (defeat, as a verb?) + BOUND (a long jump) OUT BOUND |
| 15 |
Regularly credit Top Hat’s opening dance (7) CEILIDH (evening of [Scottish and Irish] music and dancing; a dance) CEI (letters 1, 3 and 5 [regularly] of CREDIT) + LID (top) + H (first letter of [‘s opening] HAT) CEI LID H |
| 17 |
Mark‘s small container of lube holds two gallons (7) SPECKLE (small spot or mark) (S [small)] + LE [outer letters of [container of] LUBE) containing (holds) PECK (formerly, a measure of capacity for dry goods, 2 gallons, or one quarter of a bushel) S (PECK) LE |
| 20 |
Maiden happening to scrub old shoe (8) MOCCASIN (heelless Native American shoe of deerskin or other soft leather; shoe) M (maiden [over], cricketing term) + OCCASION (event; happening) excluding (to scrub) O (old) M OCCASIN |
| 22 |
Bolt loosened for fun (3,3) RUN OFF (race away; bolt) Anagram of (loosened) FOR FUN RUN OFF* |
| 23 |
Remarkable thing about Bath weirdo (10) WHITEBOARD (a display device that can be erased and then rewritten on; re-markable thing) Anagram of (about) BATH WEIRDO WHITEBOARD* |
| 24 |
Young setter, say, boxing pound for pound (4) PULP (reduce to a soft mass by beating; pound) PUP (young dog; a setter is breed of dog) containing (boxing) L (symbol for pound sterling) PU (L) P |
| 25 |
On the panel assessing hearing impairment (6) INJURY (impairment) IN [the] JURY (on the [assessment] panel) IN JURY |
| 26 |
Reminder of what Japanese restaurants do? (8) KEEPSAKE (something given, or kept, as a reminder of the giver, or a certain event, time, etc) SAKE is a Japanese alcoholic drink made from fermented rice so a Japanese restaurant would KEEP SAKE for serving to customers KEEP SAKE |
| Down | |
| 1 |
Timeless photo possibly inspires journalist to provide digital restoration (8) PEDICURE (a treatment of corns, bunions and other minor ailments of the toes [digits]; digital restoration) PICTURE (photo) excluding (…less) T (time) and containing (inspiring) ED (editor; journalist) I’m not sure what part ‘possibly’ plays in this clue other than as a link word P (ED) ICURE |
| 2 |
Stiff grass around yard (4) BODY (STIFF is a word for a corpse or dead BODY) DOB (inform on; grass) reversed (around) + Y (yard) BOD< Y |
| 3 |
Cut to pieces after fighting in city (6) WARSAW (Capital city of Poland) WAR (fighting) + SAW (cut into pieces) WAR SAW |
| 4 |
Go too far above one in flight (8) OVERSTEP (transgress; go too far) OVER (above) + STEP (part of a ladder or flight of stairs) OVER STEP |
| 5 |
Wave on Coral Sea spraying vessel (7,3) AEROSOL CAN (spraying vessel) Anagram of (wave) ON CORAL SEA AEROSOL CAN* |
| 6 |
Host feeding cat for example (6) LEGION (in Ancient Rome, a body of three to six thousand soldiers; army; host) EG (for example) contained in (feeding) LION (cat) L (EG) ION |
| 8 |
My pole dancing is put to use (6) EMPLOY (put to use) Anagram of (dancing) MY POLE EMPLOY* |
| 13 |
Change of clue, is it appropriate? (10) FELICITOUS (appropriate) Anagram of (change) OF CLUE IS IT FELICITOUS* |
| 16 |
Vicious uprising then order? Youngsters on vacation can be rebels (8) DISOBEYS (defies; rebels) SID (reference SID Vicious [1957 – 1979], bassist and vocalist in the Sex Pistols band) reversed (uprising; down entry) + OBE (Order [of the British Empire]) + YS (letters remaining in YOUNGSTERS when the central letters OUNGSTER are removed [on vacation]) DIS< OBE YS |
| 18 |
It’s quite a stretch, fancy being realistic? (8) LIFELIKE (realistic) LIFE (a life term is prison is a long sentence [quite a stretch]) + LIKE (find attractive; of a person, fancy] LIFE LIKE |
| 19 |
Bare man cycling in Welsh town (6) UNMASK (expose; bare) NMA (letters of MAN cycled one place to the right) contained in (in) USK (Welsh town) U (NMA) SK |
| 21 |
Good to go running, right? (2,4) ON HAND (available; prepared; good to go) ON (working; running) + HAND (right describes a hand) ON HAND |
| 22 |
Apparently it was partitioned and erased accidentally (3,3) RED SEA (reference Moses parting the RED SEA as described in Exodus in the Old testament of the Bible) Anagram of (accidentally) ERASED RED SEA* |
| 24 |
Listen to me sounding drunk (4) PSST (word used to attract attention; listen to me) PSST (sounds like; sounding) PISSED (extremely drunk) PSST |
Lager tops is lager and lemonade
Keith @ 1
Thanks – that shows what a sheltered life I’ve led. Lager tops is not a phrase I have heard; I would just call it a lager shandy.
Thanks Duncan,
A lager shandy would be half-and-half lager and lemonade, a lager top is a nearly full glass of lager with a bit of lemonade on the top to sweeten it.
In 14 across does “in defeat” read better for OUT?
That last comment @3 was by me (PeeDee) not admin. Something odd going on with WordPress there.
I had no idea what was going on with LEMONADE either. Keith @1’s explanation sounds plausible as you say.
No problem with DAIRY as a general description for milk products. The ‘possibly’ at 1d could just be a link word, though it may be there to convey that a PICTURE could ‘possibly’ be a ‘photo’, but could also be a painting, drawing etc. OUT as a transitive verb for ‘defeat’ seemed OK to me.
FELICITOUS is a good, old-fashioned sort of word and I liked the ‘Remarkable thing’ for WHITEBOARD.
Thanks to Raider and Duncan
To defeat at long jump is to ‘outbound’, one word.
Lots of very smart clues including the hard-to-spot anagrams.
Thanks Raider, Duncan
This took me all day between bits of weeding and was a bit like rooting out the couch grass, difficult but satisfying when finished. I agree with James about OUTBOUND. I think the top in a lager top can be lemonade or lime juice, hence the “it might be” Thanks, both.
Just a small point: in 16D it seems to me that “Vicious” for SID is clueing by example and that the question mark is perhaps too removed from the word in question to have the effect of indicating this. On the other hand, in 10A its close proximity to “cream” does have the effect of indicating that that word is providing an example of DAIRY.
Some clever clues, with dob and lager top new to me.
A lemon top isa beer with a dash of lemonade, it was bitter usualy, now lager more usually.
If Emma Radacanu is defeated in the US Open , then she will be out. Let us hope. I could say the same for Serena.
Cream is adairy product, but I too thought it a little tenuous, it also seems like an open DAIRY to me.
Loved PSST but I put an H in it!