Independent on Sunday 1,771 by Filbert

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Sunday rolls around and it’s Filbert in his weekly slot, albeit differing days

Can’t see a theme or nina but a Filbert with his usual mix of tricksy stuff. Thanks Filbert

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1. House built quickly yards from quarry cracking (6)
PREFAB

Y(ards) removed from PRE(y) – quarry, what’s hunted & FAB – great, cracking

5. As my spot could be with onset of measles? (7)
SYMPTOM

All in one or an &lit clue, an anagram – could be – of [MY SPOT]* & start of M(easles)

9. Dome where king is regularly seen on throne (5)
IGLOO

Alternate letters of kInG & LOO – throne, toilet informally

10. Bald Omani spreading around the midriff (9)
ABDOMINAL

Spreading [BALD OMANI]*

11. Bike race stage in California cleared bumpy section of road (6,4)
CATTLE GRID

CA(lifornia) & TT – bike race & LEG – stage & RID – cleared

12. Worry about paper clips (4)
FRET

RE – about inside clipped by The FT – newspaper

14. Englishman in Brisbane goes west to see bush (3)
MOP

POM Aussie derogatory for an Englishman

15. E.g. flute maker putting lips to metal pipe (5-6)
GLASS-BLOWER

Cryptic def, flutes can be wine glasses

17. Aren’t ropes aboard ship in irreproachable condition? (11)
SAINTLINESS

AINT – aren’t & LINES – ropes all in SS – ship

19. American’s mate runs out of brandy (3)
MAC

R(uns) removed from MA(r)C – a style of brandy

20. Animals walk around (4)
PETS

STEP reversed

21. Failing roll, I’d accept sandwiches brought over (10)
PECCADILLO

Hidden reversed in rOLL ID ACCEPt

24. Pigeon confused with rat? One flutters (6-3)
ORANGE-TIP

A butterfly – a confused [PIGEON RAT]*

25. Tramps less hot in some wind (5)
OBOES

H(ot) removed from (h)OBOES – tramps

26. Thin sheet up to storing data (7)
TINFOIL

INFO – data inside TIL

27. Child put back Tango in response to strict order (6)
DIKTAT

KID – child reversed & T(ango) & AT in response to

DOWN
2. Sandwich crust in desk (4-3)
ROLL-TOP

ROLL – sandwich & TOP – the crust of something

3. Comedy club jester has bottom in ladies underwear (10)
FOOTLIGHTS

Slightly unusual formation here – FOOL – jester but the end of it (L) is inside TIGHTS – women’s underwear

4. British exhibit Indian’s pot (5)
BHANG

B(ritish) & HANG – exhibit like a painting. Perhaps I had a sheltered upbringing but I’ve never heard of this Indian variety of cannabis – pot

5. Anagram I use is ed’s problem for later (4,5)
SIDE ISSUE

An anagram of [I USE IS EDS]*

6. Record is number one a short time (4)
MEMO

ME – looking after number one & MO – short time

7. Addressing emperor with notes in order (4,3)
TONE ROW

TO (emperor) NERO & W(ith)

8. Mother at Christmas mad to pinch one bright decoration (8,5)
MILITARY CROSS

MARY – the mother at Christmas & CROSS – mad with 1 & LIT – bright inserted. Not immediately obvious this one,

9. Benefit of batting is discussed over wine (6,7)
INCOME SUPPORT

IN – currently batting in cricket & COMES UP – is discussed & PORT wine

13. Mystery pong bearable after muggy day (6,4)
CLOSED BOOK

CLOSE – muggy & D(ay) & BO – pong & OK bearable

16. Boxer using loaf as food (9)
ALIMENTAL

ALI – boxer & MENTAL using loaf, brains

18. Progressing while it’s wet on Pen-y-ghent? (2,5)
IN TRAIN

IN T’ RAIN

19. Country market’s opening with out of date eggs (7)
MOLDOVA

M(arket) & OLD OVA – out of date eggs

22. Archer in court with police outside (5)
CUPID

UP – in court inside CID – police

23. Nigerian playing bingo has crossed out number (4)
IGBO

N removed from BI(n)GO* playing

 

15 comments on “Independent on Sunday 1,771 by Filbert”

  4. Excellent as usual from Filbert. PECCADILLO is a great find. INCOME SUPPORT and MILITARY CROSS also make the podium for me.

    Thanks both.

  5. Have to say I didn’t care for this much: spent far too long on it, had to make much use of a wordlist and DNF with 7D/12A missing. At 15A I understand the glass-blower but where do ‘lips to metal pipe’ come in? At 5D it seems a cop-out to put ‘anagram’ in the clue. At 18D one would probably hear very few Yorkshire accents on Pen-y-ghent – they’re mostly folk from elsewhere doing the Three Peaks; OK, splitting hairs but I didn’t like it! Despite which, thanks Filbert and Flashling.

  7. Excellent. I was on Filbert’s wave length today.

    Tatrasman@5. Glassblowers blow down a metal tube as they turn and roll the glass to shape the object they are creating.

    Thank you both.

  8. Although a few unknowns, I felt this was relatively straightforward for a Filbert. I like the idea of a filbert being a length of time. How many filberts to a nimrod?

  11. Shifting the fool’s L into the lady’s tights fooled me completely. A neat trick which I’m sure I’ll forget by tomorrow.
    I wondered if anagram in 5d was a placeholder to be tweaked later and which sneaked through editing.
    Thank you Filbert and flashling.

  12. Hovis @8: there is no rate of exchange. Nimrods take on average one nimrod, but an uncountable number of filberts. This rule applies whoever the setter. Measurement can only be attempted with the appropriate scale.

  13. Thanks Filbert. This was slow going at first but I got there in the end except for FOOTLIGHTS, a place unknown to me. I guessed MAC from the wordplay since the definition seemed more Scot than American to me. As usual there were many favourites including the very clever SYMPTOM, FRET, IGLOO, SAINTLINESS, SIDE ISSUE (I liked anagram as the anagrind), TONE ROW, CUPID, and ALIMENTAL. Thanks flashling for the blog.

  14. Took me as long as yesterday’s Phi. I found both tougher than usual.

    I was convinced there was going to a Ig… Clue on each edge after two early answers were igloo and igbo

    Thanks Setter and Blogger

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