Independent 11,422 by Xestobium

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Xestobium (the scientific name for the Death Watch beetle) seems to have made a couple of previous appearances.

This was very much on the gentle end of the spectrum with very few clues requiring much effort. There were some nice surface readings – I particularly liked 13D with the clever use of the clue definition there.

ACROSS
1 CANNULA
Is it possible invalid almost should get a tube? (7)

Can(=is it possible) + nul[l] + a.
5 DESPAIR
Praised criminal in state of hopelessness (7)

Praised*
9 GASTROPOD
Snail perhaps, found in Gourmet food establishment with glamping accommodation? (9)

Gastro(=Gourmet food establishment) + pod(=a type of small hut used in upmarket camping breaks)
10 AISLE
Place in church where, briefly, “I will” may be heard (5)

Hom of I'll
11 TALLIED
Agreed, part-time soldiers (fifty) gave out pork pies (7)

TA(=Territorial Army, old name for the Army Reserve) + l(=fifty in Roman numerals) + lied(lie = pork pie in Cockney rhyming slang).
12 CHEESE
Revolutionary English (Home Counties) dairy product (6)

Che (Guevara = revolutionary) + E{nglish} + SE(=South East i.e. Home Counties)
14 TABLE
Story involving British chart (5)

Tale around B{ritish}
16 SOAPSUDS
“Bubbles” seen in TV series: first of all staging unusually dramatic scenes (8)

Soap( opera) + initial letters of staging unusually dramatic scenes
18 PONY TREK
25 quid given to Star’s companion for a ride? (4,4)

Pony(=£25 in slang) + trek(=companion of Star in Star Trek)
20 DEMOS
Parade mostly includes such marches (5)

Hidden in parade mostly
22 ASSURE
Guarantee finding animal by river (6)

Ass + Ure. The Ure is a river in the Yorkshire Dales.
23 TESSERA
Stares excitedly, restraining energy, as piece of mosaic revealed (7)

Stares* around e{nergy}
26 GLEAN
Gather leader of aborigines found in valley (5)

A[borigines] in glen(=a Scottish valley)
27 ECONOMIES
Savings – from earnings, initially – come in so erratically (9)

E{arnings} + (come in so)*
28 REFUSES
Declines to accept official applications (7)

Ref(=short for referee, an official) + uses(=applications in a different sense from the clue)
29 EASTERN
Oriental holiday at beginning of November (7)

Easter(=holiday) + N[ovember]
DOWN
1 COGITATE
Part of machine getting computer science absorbed – which makes it think? (8)

Cog(=part of machine) + IT(=information technology) + ate(=absorbed)
2 NASAL
Being nosey, see rocket launcher at Canaveral’s base (5)

NASA(=rocket launcher in an oblique sense, as in the organisation which launches rockets) + [Canavera]l
3 UKRAINE
This country gets bad weather by end of June? No – it’s somewhere else (7)

UK(=this country, at least for British users) + rain + [Jun]e
4 ASPIDISTRA
I said, parts damaged in this plant (10)

(I said parts)*
5 DUDE
Completely useless English fellow (4)

Dud(=useless) + E{nglish}
6 SWATHES
Blow! This chap gets silk, initially, as bandages! (7)

Swat(=a blow, as in a powerful hit in sports such as baseball) + he + s[ilk]
7 AMSTERDAM
Headless rodent spotted by mother somewhere in Europe (9)

[H]amster + dam(=a term for the mother of a domestic animal)
8 REEFER
Fat cigarette discovered in jacket (6)

DD
13 BACKSTROKE
Favours pull on spliff, inhaling: Roger’s head swimming! (10)

Backs(=favours) + toke(=pull on spliff) around(=inhaling) R[oger]
15 BOOKSHELF
Reserves hour with little person, making item of library furniture? (9)

Books(=reserves) + h{our} + elf(=little person)
17 ASSASSIN
Doubly a fool, taking in killer (8)

Ass + ass(=two fools) + in
19 Y FRONTS
Stir fry snot? That’s pants! (1-6)

(Fry snot)*(stir as the indicator)
20 DESPOTS
Bases storing last of weapons for tyrannical leaders (7)

Depots around [weapon]s
21 MANGER
Maiden with incense as Nativity prop (6)

M{aiden}(=abbrev used in cricket, maiden over) + anger(=incense)
24 ELITE
Ecstasy – diet version – for the chosen ones? (5)

E{ctasy} + lite(=a homophone of light used in some product names to denote a diet version)
25 CEPS
Technical details written up to obtain mushrooms (4)

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11 comments on “Independent 11,422 by Xestobium”

  1. This was light and good fun with smiles throughout the grid.
    I know setters still use them but the voluntary soldiers haven’t been in existence for 10 years, maybe they should be consigned to Room 101.
    I particularly enjoyed the (CAD?) AISLE,
    PONY TREK, COGITATE, UKRAINE and BACKSTROKE lol.
    Many thanks to Xestobium and NealH

  2. A very nice Monday with lots to make the solver smile

    Many thanks to Xestobium and NealH

  3. Doing this on the tube with my daughter and were both sad it was over too quickly, even with me slowing down to explain clues.

    Thank you to Xestobium and NealH

  4. As others have said, a gentle and enjoyable introduction to the week, though CANNULA was a new word for me. And I can always rely on the Indie cryptic to introduce me to terms related to recreational drugs, which were unknown at my school – at least to me! So thanks Xestobium and Neal.

  5. Enjoyable solve although it stupidly took a while for the penny to drop where Star’s companion was concerned.
    Tops for me were GLEAN, REFUSES, BACKSTROKE & BOOKSHELF.

    Many thanks to the death watch beetle and to Neal for the review.

  6. Thanks both. I liked the ‘trek’ element of PONY TREK for its originality. I parsed GASTROPODA whereby snail is the definition and ‘perhaps’ gives us the concept of a gourmet food outlet for those glamping

  7. Very easy. Also in camp of banning TA = volunteers etc. ‘reservists once’ maybe, but they’re now Territorial and Army Volunteer Reserve (TAVR). Clues for TAVERN on a postcard please.

  8. Most enjoyable. Thanks, Xestobium and NealH.
    lady gewgaw@7: No postcards to hand but how about ‘Local amateur soldiers surrounding base before start of negotiations (6)’?

  9. Thanks Xestobium for a gentle start to the week. Favourite was AMSTERDAM for the headless rodent. I failed to parse TREK so thank NealH for the blog.

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