Independent on Sunday 1,799 by Deri

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Relative newbie Indy setter Deri returns

Previous puzzles by Deri seem to have been theme heavy, but I seem to be missing it here, thanks Deri over to you folks

 

ACROSS
1. Invincible perhaps, informed on fellow prisoners (8)
FLAGSHIP

F(ellow) & LAGS – prisoners & HIP – with it, informed

5. Clean injured daughter’s cut (6)
LANCED

CLEAN* injured & D(aughter)

9. A mother’s diatribe ending in hush … and maybe tumbleweed! (8)
AMARANTH

A & MA – mother & RANT & end of (hus)H. Tumbleweed is a variety of Amaranth

10. Mythical wild East Riding? (4-2)
MADE-UP

MAD – wild & E(ast) & UP – riding

12. They can be made to measure under the arms (12)
THERMOMETERS

I assume it’s a cryptic definition

15. Drunk? That half-cut swine flipping is! (5)
TIGHT

TH(at) half cut & GIT- swine all reversed – flipping

16. Meat Stein cooked for small bistro (9)
ESTAMINET

[MEAT STEIN]* cooked

18. Concoction lethal for some — e.g. cider I’m brewing (9)
GERMICIDE

[EG CIDER IM]* brewed

19. Relish and egg behind sudden incidence of wind (5)
GUSTO

GUST – wind & O – egg shape

20. Mama who sang about husband caught short! (4-8)
CASH-STRAPPED

H(usband) in (mama) CASS & TRAPPED – caught

24. Note bird going over beast (6)
ANIMAL

LA – note and MINA bird all reversed

25. Secret signal (8)
INTIMATE

Double definition

26. I provide a clue: Urchin terrier bites (6)
HINTER

Hidden in UrcHIN TERrier

27. Broke up with sweet date (8)
CRUMBLED

CRUMBLE – dessert, sweet & D(ate)

DOWN
1. Mistake from Falcao, oddly heading wide (4)
FLAW

Alternate letters of FaLcAo & W(ide)

2. American getting stuffed in half of finals, unfortunately (4)
ALAS

A(merican) in half of (fin)ALS

3. The Gap and its new eatery serving this? (9)
SPAGHETTI

A new [THE GAP ITS]*

4. Popular and married, yet sadly broker (12)
INTERMEDIARY

IN – popular & [MARRIED YET]* sadly

6. Graduate in not finishing Observer crossword shock! (5)
AMAZE

MA – graduate in most of the AZE(d) crossword

7. Intelligence head is propping up bar with Conservative (10)
CLEVERNESS

C(onservative) & LEVER – bar & NESS – head of a river say

8. Statement stupid idiot pens about nothing (10)
DEPOSITION

O – nothing in a stupid [IDIOT PENS]*

11. What suggests bee that releases “amber nectar” perhaps (6,6)
BOTTLE OPENER

The opening of Bottle is “B” Seen quite a few variants of this same clue over the years

13. Put on trainer in old vehicle (10)
STAGECOACH

STAGE – put on a play say & TRAINER – one who coaches

14. Princess in straying goes for silver — that’s pushiness (10)
AGGRESSION

AG – silver – replacing the late Princess DI in DI-GRESSION – straying

17. Pull first of many gents and aim to arouse (9)
MAGNETISM

M(any) & [GENTS AIM]* aroused

21. Italian wine bar stocking the ultimate in Prosecco (5)
SOAVE

End of (prosecc)O inside SAVE – bar, as in bar the rest often seen in betting odds

22. Henry IV of England’s chamber (4)
HALL

HAL – Henry & 4th letter of engLand

23. Did leak drip? (4)
WEED

Double def

10 comments on “Independent on Sunday 1,799 by Deri”

  1. Soave and rioja are two wines I’ve learned about in cwland. Speaking of drinks, if I’d had to guess what amaranth is, I’d have said it was one too. Thanks Deri and flashling.

  2. Liked 20d CASH-STRAPPED, with Ms Elliot making a nice change from “The Man In Black”, and a neat L&S of “caught short”
    [typo 13d “… & TRAINER – one who coaches” -> “… & COACH – one who trains”]
    Thanks D&F

  3. I enjoyed this but encountered a problem with THERMOMETERS. Not only did I fail to solve it but I also persuaded myself, quite early on, that it was a cryptic clue for SHIRTSLEEVES which fits nearly all the crossers, (Indeed, it gave me a V which – too hastily – I saw as intersecting with the V of CLEVERNESS) Which left me staring at LOI BOTTLE OPENER which appeared to begin with BS. Which is, ironically, what I appeared to have ended up with. I’m afraid I was sufficiently deflated to reveal the solution after a bit more head-scratching and I’m afraid I am none the wiser. I like Deri – he may be new to the Indy but has pedigree elsewhere – but this clue left me cold.

    Most of my favourites were in the Downs today – SPAGHETTI, CLEVERNESS, DEPOSITION, STAGECOACH and AGGRESSION with CASH-STRAPPED popping in from the Across clues to join them.

    Thanks Deri and flashling

  4. Hah! I had exactly the same problems with THERMOMETERS as PostMark. Once I got BOTTLE OPENER, I resorted to a word fit. As a CD, I’ve seen worse but agree it’s not up there with the better ones.

  5. 12A was my LOI: I was convinced the answer was an anagram of ‘under the arms’ as so many letters coincided with the down squares, but the penny eventually dropped. Much enjoyed, so thanks Deri and Flashling.

  7. As others have said, I initially had shirtsleeves in place of thermometers.

    My favourite was Cash strapped

  8. Put me down as another who was in her shirtsleeves. I also had to ask Mr G about the small bistro.
    Always thought that the amber nectar was whisky so that’s something new I’ve discovered and I was desperately hoping that our setter wouldn’t stoop as low as did to clue 23d. Ho hum, such a shame.
    Top clues for me were CASH-STRAPPED and STAGECOACH.

    Thanks to Deri and to flashling.

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