Independent on Sunday 1,714 by Raich

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Hello and Happy New Year to you all.  I hope it proves to be a peaceful, healthy and fulfilling one.

We ring in the new year at the Independent with Raich … but which year?  For several of the across clues, we are in 1963.

I enjoyed solving the puzzle and discovering the theme, my highlight being “King’s Speech”.  Thanks Raich!

 

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

1a    Enthusiasm for Liverpool players, lively, neat, amiable? (11)
BEATLEMANIA
An anagram of (lively) NEAT AMIABLE.  Cue screaming fans

7a    Outdo international sportsman (3)
CAP
A double definition.  (Not quite thematic, the Common Agricultural Policy was launched in 1962)

9a    Vegetable one cut twice, I accepted (5)
ONION
Two copies of (… twice) ONe minus the last letter (cut), with I included (accepted)

10a   Referring to belief in Lord, act differently (9)
DOCTRINAL
IN LORD ACT anagrammed (differently)

11a   Greek character, central, oddly missing (3)
ETA
Without odd letters (… oddly missing), cEnTrAl

12a   “King’s Speech” reworked — hear via Dame (1,4,1,5)
I HAVE A DREAM
An anagram of (reworked) HEAR VIA DAME.  Martin Luther King Jr’s iconic speech, 1963

14a   John favouring a lot of fun, instant (7)
PROFUMO
PRO (favouring) + a lot of FUn + MO (instant).  The Profumo affair, with 16a, 1963

16a   Christine, on return, referring to national emblem (6)
KEELER
The reversal of (on return) RE (referring to) and LEEK (national emblem)

18a   German article about a pair of learners in US city (6)
DALLAS
DAS (German article) around (about) A and L L (pair of learners).  Location of JFK’s assassination in 1963

20a   PM potential is clear (3,4)
SIR ALEC
This can be anagrammed to make (potential) IS CLEAR.  SIR Alec Douglas-Home became Prime Minister in 1963

24a   Nun associated with popular rule, one related (6-2-3)
SISTER-IN-LAW
SISTER (nun) + IN (popular) + LAW (rule)

26a   Wrong number is too much for African native (3)
GNU
WronG NUmber contains in part (is too much for) the answer

27a   One, good, fine, in gentle wind or severe weather (3,6)
BIG FREEZE
I (one), G (good) and F (fine) in BREEZE (gentle wind).  The Big Freeze of 1963

29a   Jumped over obstruction avoiding pitfall initially noticed inside (5)
LEAPT
LET (obstruction) with initial letters of (… initially) Avoiding Pitfall seen inside

30a   Half-forgotten Korean back in Glasgow? No (3)
NAE
With half removed (half-forgotten), KorEAN reversed (back)

31a   Cheerful, beginning to end, look around rig (11)
GERRYMANDER
MERRY (cheerful) having the first letter moved to last place (beginning to end), with GANDER (look) around it

 

Down

1d    Celebration in bar being mounted — escape slowly (5-2)
BOOZE-UP
In PUB (bar) reversed (mounted) is OOZE (escape slowly)

2d    In musical terms, lively fan, I’m at opera taking it in (7)
ANIMATO
fAN, I’M AT Opera contains the answer, or is taking it in

3d    Left global body over soldier’s garment (5)
LUNGI
L (left) + UN (global body) over GI (soldier)

4d    Troubleshooter, say, to admire, flexible (8)
MEDIATOR
TO ADMIRE, anagrammed (flexible)

5d    Pound sound at Epsom? (6)
NICKER
Two definitions, the second of which is new to me.  According to Chambers, nicker meaning neigh is chiefly Scot and N England usage

6d    Broadcast’s distinctive quality (3)
AIR
Another definition pair

7d    Hide, formerly found in California (7)
CONCEAL
ONCE (formerly) is found in CAL (California)

8d    European gathering the writer’s brought up rebel leader seen in compound (7)
POLYMER
POLE (European) around (gathering) MY (the writer’s) reversed (brought up, in a down entry), followed by Rebel’s first letter (leader)

13d   Miserable daughter back (5)
DREAR
D (daughter) + REAR (back)

15d   Practice in American era (5)
USAGE
US (American) + AGE (era)

17d   Following belated comment, change key at last in instrument (8)
PSALTERY
After (following) PS (belated comment), we have ALTER (change) and the last letter of (… at last) keY

18d   Spooner’s raid, noise, something we don’t want here? (7)
DUSTBIN
A spoonerism of (Spooner’s) BUST (raid) and DIN (noise)

19d   The French knowledgeable about Northern dish (7)
LASAGNE
LA (the, French) + SAGE (knowledgeable) around (about) N (Northern)

21d   Sluggish writer needing new start (7)
LAGGARD
H Rider [h]AGGARD (writer) with a change of first letter (needing new start)

22d   Group’s strong desire to be involved in Church? Right (7)
CLUSTER
LUST (strong desire) going inside (to be involved in) CE (church) + R (right)

23d   One-dimensional article probing Titanic, maybe (6)
LINEAR
A (article) inserted into (probing) LINER (Titanic, maybe)

25d   Girl’s intention not entirely supported by mother (5)
WILMA
WILl (intention) without the last letter (not entirely) above (supported by, in a down entry) MA (mother)

28d   Make fun of student event (3)
RAG
Our final double definition: to tease; or a university rag week

 

13 comments on “Independent on Sunday 1,714 by Raich”

  1. And a Happy New Year to you, Kitty.

    Thanks for the blog; I had not realised how fine a theme treatment this was. 1963 was a momentous year for self: I celebrate my 60th in a fortnight. So I have no personal recollection of the events. I was, of course, born in the midst of the BIG FREEZE (ice cream vans famously powering hospitals at the time – doesn’t sound that different from now!) but everything else going on was a bit above my head. I solve in numerical order and was scratching my head at what seemed a very loose definition of PROFUMO. And then the very next clue put it into context. But I didn’t associate some of the other themers with the year. (BTW Kitty, BEATLEMANIA started in 1963 so can problem qualify for the italic treatment too).

    Thanks Raich and Kitty

  2. As Philip Larkin said
    “So life was never better than
    In nineteen sixty-three” when, apparently, sexual intercourse began. I am quite a bit older than PostMark and can remember all the references, so I really enjoyed this. Happy New Year and thanks to Kitty and Raich.

  3. That was a fun start to the year. I’m also old enough to remember 1963 – though I wouldn’t have known that it was when Alec Douglas Hume became PM.
    Would someone please elucidate the definition of DUSTBIN for me? I suppose it’s blindingly obvious but I don’t see it…..
    Greetings to all!

  4. A very happy New Year to you, Kitty, and thanks for the trip down memory lane. The link you included for BEATLEMANIA made me smile as I was one of those girls who queued overnight in Ardwick for tickets to see the Fab Four. Sadly, my friends and I didn’t quite make it to the Box Office window before all the tickets sold out so all we actually achieved was a dressing down from the headmistress the following day and a ‘detention’!
    Many thanks to Raich for an excellent start to 2023 – particular favourites here were BEATLEMANIA, BOOZE-UP, SISTER-IN-LAW & LASAGNE.

  6. DP: I think the idea is that “something we don’t want here?” is to be read as “we put something we don’t want into this”.

    Fun puzzle: I’m just old enough to remember most of the events commemorated, though the Profumo scandal either passed over my head or perhaps was something not to be mentioned in front of a 9-year-old. I have a photo of my younger brother and me sledging on a frozen boating lake during the big freeze: both of us are wearing short trousers….

  7. Thanks for Dustbin clarification folks. I failed to deconstruct the dodgy (but normal in crossword land) syntax.
    New Year’s resolution: must try harder.

  8. Can’t say this was my favourite puzzle though I did enjoy it a fair bit more when I twigged the mini theme (though a bit before my time I do know the various protagonists)
    I’ll highlight two long ones and two short ones as my standouts BEATLEMANIA, the clever GERRYMANDER, the funny NAE and GNU (I liked the indicator)
    Many thanks and HNY to Raich and Kitty

  9. Thanks for comments, in particular replies to DP while I was neglecting my blogging duty.

    PostMark @1 – I did twig Beatlemania as part of the theme, but the link mentions the year at the start so I didn’t bother to duplicate it in a comment. Actually, I added the italicised bits at the last minute, after several mind changes regarding how to mark the thematic entries. At first I was going to illustrate them all, but then (getting short of time) thought I would just mention them in the intro or highlight them in a different colour, or perhaps leave them as an exercise for the reader (always good for comment numbers!).

    I’m a millennial (just) so 1963 is a couple of decades before my time. I knew the events referenced, just wouldn’t have been able to put a year to them (dates are not my strong point – I even struggle with family birthdays!). Luckily, seeing the two linked clues and wondering if the political fallout was connected also to the referenced PM set me to some research, in the course of which I noticed the year in common.

    I didn’t know about ice cream vans supplying power to hospitals though. I hope nobody dialled 999 for a 99 …

  11. I was 10 in 1963, so I remember many of the things here, especially the Big Freeze. (My brother was still in nappies at the time and my mother would wash them, put them out on the washing line, only for them to brought in frozen rigid and having to be stood by the fire.)

    However, it was some years after that I discovered the significance of who Christine Keeler was.

  12. Well I was a few months old in the freeze in 63 so my memories are a little vague. Got the theme ok though. Cheers kitty and Raich.

  13. Many thanks, Kitty, for the excellent blog and thanks also to all who commented. Some interesting memories. I confirm CAP was not thematic. Happy New Year.

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