Independent 11,626 by Italicus

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Morning folks, Italicus gets our week going

A plain, mostly on the easier side crossword today, thanks Italicus

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1. Court hearing accepts main point upon reflection (8)
TRIBUNAL

NUB – main point reversed inside TRIAL – hearing

5. Key rings start to oxidise on the surface (6)
AFLOAT

The key here is musical – A – FLAT with O(xidise) inserted

9. Stand-off is not quick rugby player (8)
DEADLOCK

DEAD opposite of quick, alive & LOCK – a rugby position

10. Spotted swimmer and reported location (6)
PLAICE

Swimmer for fish, sounds like PLACE

12. Journalist essentially derided court’s pronouncement (5)
EDICT

ED(itor) & middle of – essentially (der)I(ded) & C(our)T

13. Protracted contortion of leg and toe (9)
ELONGATED

A contorted [LEG AND TOE]*

14. Heartless German soldier pinches used, sleeveless jumper (6)
JERSEY

Without the heart, core JE(r)RY – German soldier around a sleeveless uSEd

16. Excessively complex set containing one digit (7)
TOOTSIE

TOO – excessively & a complex SET* with I – one inserted

18. Outrage surrounding soldier in dress (7)
APPAREL

RE – soldier inside APPAL

21. Expatriate from Northern India gatecrashing party (6)
BANISH

N(orthern) & I(ndia) both in BASH – party

24. Settled outcome, concealing last of arsenic in cake (9)
ENSCONCED

END – the outcome with end of (arseni)C inside SCONE – cake inserted.

25. Conspiracy involving international jet-setter? (5)
PILOT

I(nternational) inside PLOT – conspiracy

26. Some revolutionary tracts are popular works (6)
OPERAS

Hidden reversed in tractS ARE POpular

27. Cranes regulated by satellite in hypothetical situation (8)
SCENARIO

A regulated CRANES* & the moon IO. Does regulated suggest anagram to you? I’m less convinced

28. More inquisitive envoy’s wife oddly ignored king (6)
NOSIER

Alternate letters of eNvOyS wIfE & R – rex, king

29. Waiter’s struggling with English, so to speak (2,2,4)
AS IT WERE

A struggling WAITERS* & E(nglish)

DOWN
1. Clears up island engulfed by changing sea levels (6)
TIDIES

I(sland) inside TIDES

2. Popular ballad that is about mother meeting her ruin (7)
IMAGINE

John Lennon’s peace song, MA -mother & GIN – her ruin all in IE – that is

3. Gloomy detachment of soldiers encircles Lima (5)
UNLIT

L(ima) inside UNIT group of soldiers

4. Camp originally established on River Wye, say, for sport (7)
ARCHERY

ARCH meaning camp, well I guess it does, & R(iver) & Y sounds like WYE

6. Adult packed wrong pants (4-5)
FULL-GROWN

FULL – packed & a pants GROWN*

7. Old detective consumed son’s drugs (7)
OPIATES

O(ld) & PI – Private Investigator & ATE – consumed & S(on)

8. Model peruses gripping Spanish article about loom operators? (8)
TREADLES

Ford model T & READS with EL – Spanish article inserted

11/20. Ransack headquarters for Spooner’s fastening device (8)
BOOTLACE

Spoonerism of LOOT BASE

15. Rogue rats out deputy (9)
SURROGATE

[ROGUE RATS]* out

17. Tired-looking ship’s company secures a mooring, periodically (8)
CAREWORN

A inside a ship’s CREW & alternate letters of mOoRiNg

19. Pictures friends crossing street on Ecstasy (7)
PASTELS

ST(reet) & E(cstasy) all in PALS – friends

20. See 11

 

21. Spotted things hidden by sailor beneath black undergarments (7)
BODICES

B(lack) & DICE – spotted things inside OS – sailor

22. Turn up records and incite ostentatious display (7)
SPLURGE

LPS – long playing records reversed & URGE – incite

23. Tried fitting horse’s heart in cooker (6)
STROVE

Middle of hoRse in STOVE – cooker

25. Vessel carrying fashionable wine producer (5)
PINOT

IN – fashionable inside POT – vessel

 

13 comments on “Independent 11,626 by Italicus”

  1. Didn’t find this particularly exciting.
    Not convinced by ‘arch’ = ‘camp’ in 4d. (Blog missing the E from Established).
    The blog for 8d should mention ‘el’ is reversed.

  3. I liked IMAGINE and the Spoonerism. I suppose “arch” is about as camp as the commonly used “affected”. Deregulated might have made a better anagrind than regulated?

  5. Thanks Setter and Blogger. A couple I thought I had not parsed fully but, it turned out, they were just a bit loose.

    Nice Spoonerism and I liked Surrogate and Imagine a lot

  6. Arch = camp was fine for me, but tootsie surely = foot not toe/digit. Otherwise all plain sailing and most enjoyable, so thanks Italicus and Flashling.

  7. This was good fun with TOOTSIE. IMAGINE & FULL-GROWN my top picks. Tatrasman @6, I’ve always known a “tootsie” as a toe, not the whole foot. Incidentally, Chambers gives both toe and foot.

    I’m in the “not sure about CAMP = ARCH” camp.

    Many thanks to Italicus and to flashling.

  8. Maybe not the trickiest of puzzles but just right for a Monday morning, with some elegant clueing on display – 5a and 13a, for example.

    Both arch and regulate seem fine to me. From the OED:
    Arch: consciously or affectedly playful or teasing
    Regulate: calibrate, modify or adjust

    Tatrasman – tootsies has always meant toes for me.

    Thanks, Italicus and flashling.

  9. Always nice to see a puzzle from this setter and I enjoyed the solve, my only reservation being the thought of putting a horse’s heart in the oven! I did like the reference to Fawlty Towers in 29a.

    Thanks to Italicus for the puzzle and to flashling for the review.

  10. I think this is my first Italicus, and a pleasant, steady solve it was. No problem with arch or regulated here.

    Thanks Italicus and flashling.

  11. Not sure I’ve ever tackled an Italicus puzzle before & rather enjoyed it. Not sure why you’d bother trying to put the ?’s head into the oven – much better at the bottom of the bed. IMAGINE & FULL GROWN my picks.
    Thanks both.

  12. Thanks flashling, Italicus.
    Always like Italicus puzzles, and this one , too.

    JERSEY, ENSCONCED, BOOTLACE, CAREWORN are my favs.

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