A solid and pleasing cryptic from Major to start the puzzling week in the Independent.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
cad clue as definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) removed
definitions are underlined
Across
1 Partly abstaining, bit of alcohol knocked back with some frequency
AT TIMES
A charade of SEMI TT (‘partly abstaining’) and A for the first letter of ‘alcohol’, all reversed.
5 See filmmakers fight anti-intellectual
LOWBROW
A charade of LO, WB for Warner Brothers and ROW.
9 Continue to probe a journalist under the table
PLASTERED
An insertion of LAST in PER and ED. The insertion indicator is ‘to probe’. ‘The King Edwards are 90p per/a kilo.’
10 Played together to express annoyance at tagger retreating
TUTTI
A charade of TUT and IT reversed. Referring to the children’s game of tag: ‘You’re it!’
11 Provoke Gregorian at the outset with year missing from their calendar?
GOAD
A charade of G for the initial letter of ‘Gregorian’ and O AD. The year zero does not exist in the AD calendar; its first year was AD1. Which a while ago led to long and fruitless discussions about whether the new millennium started on January 1st 2000 or January 1st 2001. There are more important things to worry about.
12 Misleading diversion on circular route overwhelms cycling crowd
RED HERRING
An insertion of DHER in RE and RING. DHER is HERD, for ‘crowd’, cycling: in other words, with the last letter cycled back to the beginning.
15 Success in later life of mathematician from South Asia?
INDIAN SUMMER
Whimsically, an INDIAN SUMMER could be the mathematician in question. The phrase is a weather term, but can also be used metaphorically to reference, for example, success in the latter part of a career.
18 Supplying food for virgin mixed with poison
PROVISIONING
(VIRGIN POISON)* with ‘mixed with’ as the anagrind.
21 Outings with classmates I fled as described?
FIELD TRIPS
A reverse anagram thingy. I FLED could be anagrammed as FIELD, and TRIPS is a potential anagrind.
22 Soldiers finish off seconds here?
MESS
A cd.
Edit: there is wordplay involved here too, which Hovis explains at comment #1. This makes it a cad and not a cd.
24 Middle Eastern character drops first Oscar for sound recording
AUDIO
A charade of S[AUDI] and O for Oscar from the phonetic alphabet.
25 Tee at this place, watch out for golfer accordingly
THEREFORE
A charade of T, HERE and FORE.
26 Sporadically train delivery person forgetting international return quickly
RIPOSTE
A charade of RI for the even letters of tRaIn and POST[I]E.
27 Spinning throw breaks dish
SPAG BOL
A reversal of LOB and GAPS.
Down
1 Broken chord spoilt opera gig
ARPEGGIO
(OPERA GIG)*
2 Leaves can stop train early with total closure to railway
TEA CADDY
Great surface. It’s a charade of TEAC[H], ADD and Y for the last letter of ‘railway’.
3 Tale of god and outline of truth?
MYTH
A charade of MY and TH for the outside letters of ‘truth’. MY! and GOD! are both mild expletives.
4 Computer program checks background of a rejected priest
SCREENSAVER
A charade of SCREENS, A and REV reversed.
5 Liberal to ask for proof of age providing protection for viewer
LID
A charade of L and ID. The ‘viewer’ is the eye.
6 Complex MOT renewal in plant
WATERMELON
(MOT RENEWAL)* with ‘complex’ as the anagrind.
7 Fixed rate home secure for future
RETAIN
A charade of (RATE)* and IN. The anagrind is ‘fixed’.
8 Grumble with swinger’s joint
WHINGE
A charade of W and HINGE.
13 Fighting has mainly imposed on US?
HOMO SAPIENS
(HAS IMPOSE[D] ON)* with ‘fighting’ as the anagrind.
14 Those escaping criticism pocket wages at banks to acquire wine business
SACRED COWS
An insertion of RED and CO in SAC and W[AGE]S. The insertion indicator is ‘to acquire’.
16 Dumb mob evidently upset conceals attack from above
DIVE BOMB
Hidden reversed in DumB MOB EVIDently.
17 Fragile comic actor’s quietly dropped mild expletive
EGGSHELL
A charade of [P]EGGS and HELL. The ‘comic actor’ is Simon Pegg, of Shaun of the Dead fame.
19 Episode not being broadcast replacing lead with American
AFFAIR
Major is inviting you to replace the first letter of OFF AIR with A.
20 Lampoon sweet individuals wanting love in retirement
SEND UP
A reversal of PUD [O]NES.
23 Picked up kitchen tool second in series
BETA
Aural wordplay (‘picked up’) of BEATER.
25 Digit before irrational number
TOE
A charade of TO and E. e is a mathematical constant, an irrational number, and the base of natural logarithms.
Many thanks to Major for today’s puzzle.
I think there is wordplay for MESS. ME(n) (soldiers finish off) + SS (seconds).
Good workout. Pleased to complete.
That is a good call as always, Hovis. Thank you – blog amended.
My faves: AT TIMES, GOAD, FIELD TRIPS, MESS, TEA CADDY and AFFAIR.
Thanks Major and Pierre.
Even though the combination of a not ever so famous actor, and a slightly stretchy definition made EGGSHELL a bit tricky, this was worth it for TEA CADDY alone.
I don’t usually do the Indy but with the Times and Guardian being on the friendly side I had a bit of time free. This was the most challenging of the three.
Liked TEA CADDY, HOMO SAPIENS, SCREENSAVER and PLASTERED.
Didnt understand GOAD so thanks for the blog.
Thanks Major and Pierre
Thanks both. All completed unaided, however it felt like an exercise in reverse engineering at times, more than solving such was the forensic composition of some clues. WB for filmmakers and the decapitated Pegg in LOWBROW and EGGSHELL serve as examples. INDIAN SUMMER was far more straightforward, though I suspect it’s too late to hope for one.