Independent 11,835 by Dutch

by

We are treated to one final puzzle from Dutch, which is available to solve online or download here.

 

Hello everyone.  There is a lot I could say about Richard, aka Dutch, who we lost earlier this year, but I’m going to concentrate on the crosswords here.  For tributes please see the posts on this site and BD.

Dutch’s test solvers helped bring to light the most recent version of puzzle he was working on.  If it seems to be not quite vintage Dutch, that is because it had not had its final Dutch polish (like French polish, but far superior).  I’m glad to have one last Dutch crossword, and I hope he would be happy with this too.

I found it quite tough, especially the right hand side, but I didn’t want it to be over too quickly anyway.  There is also something going on in the grid where answers in the same row or column can be read together or are related:

I can’t pick a favourite clue today, but have featured some of Dutch’s greatest hits at the bottom of the blog.  I’ve also provided a complete list of his Indy crosswords in case you want to revisit them.  Please do let me know if any are missing.  Unfortunately I can only link to the blogs not the crosswords to solve, but if you email me at kittyxwds (outlook.com) I may be able to help.  There is also one puzzle on BD’s Rookie Corner which is available to solve; I’m planning to revisit that myself later to see where it all began.  EDIT: plus two Not The Saturday Prize Puzzle crosswords created for the Macclesfield Sloggers & Betters events.  Thank you to my most valued correspondent for locating these for me.

There is one more crossword I would like to mention.  For several years Dutch blogged the Friday Telegraph Toughie crosswords, every other one of which was an Elgar (John Henderson) production.  Elgar created a fitting tribute puzzle, Telegraph Toughie 3320, which is blogged here.

 

Definitions are underlined in the clues below.  In the explanations, most quoted indicators are in italics, specified [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
7a Privy Seals: a function of Charles (8)
CAROLEAN — CAN (privy) encloses (seals) A (from the clue) and ROLE (function)
9a A point in time (6)
PERIOD — Two definitions
10a Damsel fails to conceal identity (4)
SELF — DamsSEL Fails is hiding (to conceal) the answer
11a Caught you blocking pitch about stuff in meeting (10)
FULFILLING — U, sounding like (caught) you is inside (blocking) FLING (pitch) around (about) FILL (stuff)
12a Check on limits of safety practice (6)
SYSTEM — STEM (check) on the outer letters of (limits of) SafetY
14a Lens care solution? (8)
CLEANSER — An anagram (solution) of LENS CARE
15a Reports of bastards besieging peacekeepers (6)
SOUNDS — SODS (bastards) around (besieging) UN (peacekeepers)
16a The original American restaurant (6)
INDIAN — Double definition
19a Leaving city, Eccles packs a lot of ice for twists (8)
CRINKLES — Omitting (leaving) EC (city), [ec]CLES takes in (packs) RINK (a lot of ice)
21a Clothing scraps less feminine after time? (6)
TIGHTS — [f]IGHTS (scraps) without (less) F (feminine) after T (time)
23a Clashing as mad chemist dispensed liberally (10)
MISMATCHED — MAD CHEMISTS anagrammed (dispensed liberally)
24a Train app used regularly when heading west to find partner (4)
PAIR — Taking alternate letters (… used regularly), tRaIn ApP written backwards (when heading west)
25a Cash put up will be invested in church (6)
CHANGE — HANG (put up) is to go inside (will be invested in) CE (church)
26a Alterations extended, ignoring German customs (8)
REWRITES — [d]REW (extended) without (ignoring) D (German) + RITES customs

 

Down
1d Grass boosting energy? Hardly (6)
BARELY — BARLEY (grass) moving E up (boosting energy)
2d Game often linked with failure, initially (4)
GOLF — First letters of (… initially) Game Often Linked with Failure
3d A smoke Dutch finds fragrant (8)
PERFUMED — PER (a) + FUME + (smoke) + D (Dutch)
4d Hours spent working – those on a plane? (6)
UPTIME — A bit of whimsy: you could describe hours spent in the air as UPTIME
5d Extension for student going abroad around November (10)
PROLONGING — PRO (for) + L (student) + an anagram of (… abroad) GOING around N (November)
6d Attack unexpectedly, once up and running (6,2)
POUNCE ON — An anagram of (unexpectedly) ONCE UP + ON (running)
8d Upset about courage quietly deserting, fortune not favouring one (2,4)
NO LUCK — The reversal of (upset) ON (about) + [p]LUCK courage with P (quietly) leaving (deserting)
13d Somehow meant to run event (10)
TOURNAMENT — An anagram of (somehow) MEANT TO RUN
15d Recited passage in a normal way (8)
STRAIGHT — This sounds like (recited) STRAIT (passage)
17d Record low after school review (4,4)
NOTE DOWN — DOWN (low) after a reversal (review) of ETON (school)
18d One woman’s husband falling for another (6)
ESTHER — HESTER (one woman)’s H (husband) is falling to a lower position in the word to give another woman
20d Permissive landlord? (6)
LETTER — More whimsy: one who is permissive might be described as an allower – or a LETTER
22d Secure remuneration for speech in capital (6)
TAIPEI — This sounds like (… for speech) TIE (secure) and PAY (remuneration)
24d Marquis de Sade obviously enjoyed this offering from the boulangerie (4)
PAIN — A double definition, PAIN being French for bread

 

The complete list of published Dutch crosswords:

Rookie Corner 58 – blog here
NTSPP 319 – blog here
NTSPP 387 – blog here

Independent 9465
Independent 9545
Independent 9594
Independent 9690
Independent 9775
Independent 9886
Independent 10015
Independent on Sunday 1521
Independent 10336
Independent 10595
Independent 11143
Independent 11287
Independent 11439
Independent 11595
Independent 11625

And finally, some highlights.  I’ve mostly just cribbed the work of John Henderson who featured these clues in his column in the i newspaper, but have added a choice of my own.

Pull on ends of cord to tighten (3)  (Independent 9545)
Two hurricanes demolished flood defence system (6,7)  (Independent 9690)
Where students learn to sing? (6)  (Independent 10336)
Twist again, as Checker might (8)  (Independent 11287)
Judge drops order for suspension? (7)  (Independent 11439)
Little ménage à trois? (8)  (Independent 11439)
Going through each year is painful (4)  (Independent 11595)
Cryptic clue I’d plan around you, dear solver (10)  (Independent 11625)

Goodbye, dear Dutch (no enumeration)

 

12 comments on “Independent 11,835 by Dutch”

  1. Bittersweet. A fine puzzle tinged with the sad knowledge that Dutch is no longer with us.

    RIP Richard, and thanks to Kitty for a fitting review.

  2. I was surprised to see the setter name and relished what followed. Very tightly clued, loads of misdirection, plenty of lovely surfaces. It started off pretty tough and I struggled to make headway in the first few downs before – ironically – PROLONGING popped in. Thereafter, fairly steady going but I really needed my thinking cap. I was beaten by INDIAN at the end: I suppose I have become rather conditioned to modern sensitivities and just don’t think of that word in connection with native Americans any more. Kicked myself, having revealed, but did wonder if it would be a construct that met with universal approval.

    It’s hard to pick favourites – and there are some lovely extra ones to contemplate, thanks to Kitty. CAROLEAN is right up there, along with FULFILLING, SYSTEM, TIGHTS, CHANGE, GOLF, POUNCE ON and STRAIGHT.

    Thanks Dutch and Kitty

  3. I’m recent to the Indy so I don’t know the setters, but it’s nice to hear about the warm esteem in which they’re held.

    I enjoyed this puzzle which turned out to be Dutch’s swansong. Quite chewy, took ages to twig 9ac period (d’oh) and then nut out 4d up time. And totally missed all the linked phrases, d”oh again. Thanks and vale Dutch, and thanks Kitty.

  4. My top faves: FULFILLING, MISMATCHED, GOLF and PAIN.

    The GOLF clue has ‘link’ in it. The LETTER clue has ‘missive’ in it.
    No role for these words, I guess.

    Thank you for the lovely puzzle. Good bye Dutch!
    Thanks Kitty for the blog.

  7. Almost wanted to postpone solving this one indefinitely knowing that it rang down the final curtain on the setting career of a ‘one-off’ of a man. So many memories of him from BD gatherings over the years – thank you for both your company and your crosswords, Richard.

    Well done, Kitty, for a fitting final Dutch blog.

  8. I remember being delighted by some of those clues – the hurricane, Checker and menage a trois ones particularly.
    Enjoyed the puzzle and blog, thanks
    6d – I suspect that cat has been thrown, possibly before being eaten

  10. We found this tough, but just about got there with lots of help. A fitting tribute, though, to a much missed setter. Thanks, Kitty, for the blog.
    PS. For those with enough patience the last five Indy crosswords in Kitty’s list, plus this one, may appear in the i at intervals over the next two years or so; most recently Indy 10,595 was reprinted there in August.

  11. Thanks Allan. Good things come to those who wait (and remember to keep an eye on the i).

    A friend has alerted me also to two further puzzles which Dutch produced for the Macclesfield S&Bs. I remembered the Snow Goose puzzle in particular and had searched this site high and low for it, with no luck. Silly me – they were published in the NTSPP series. I’ve added the links above.

Comments are closed.