Independent 12,214 by Italicus

I found this a little easier than some Italicus puzzles I've done.

There were lots of nice clues and special kudos for getting kerfuffles (an awkward word with a lot of Fs) into the grid. I liked 14D as well for being a clue I had to think hard about.

 picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1 CUBIST
Foxy young thing is model for painter (6)

Cub(=young fox) + is + T(=Model T)

4 PRESAGED
Foreshadowed detailed papers with article, say, about Germany (8)

Pres[s](={news}papers "detailed" i.e. tail removed) + a(=indefinite article) + e.g.< + D(=Deutschland)

9 AVOWAL
A sound, spoken declaration (6)

Hom of "a vowel"

10 STALWART
Steadfast initiate defends barbaric law (8)

Start(=initiate) around law*

12 AUDACITY
Air-conditioning in car starts to tickle your cheek (8)

(A{ir} C{onditioning} in Audi(=car)) + t[ickle] y[our]

13 ADHERE
Stick poster in this spot (6)

Ad(=poster i.e. advertisement) + here(=in this spot)

15 IMAM
Italicus’s hounded by morning prayer leader (4)

I'm(=Italicus') + AM(=morning)

16 KERFUFFLES
Fellow wearing sleek ruff incited ructions (10)

F{ellow} in (sleek ruff)*

19 NITPICKERS
They find flaws in Spooner’s hollow drawers (10)

Spoonerism of pit(=hollow) knickers(=drawers)

20 USER
Run after American drug addict (4)

R{un} after (US(=American) + e{cstasy})

23 EXHUME
Dig up former philosopher (6)

Ex(=former) + Hume(=philosopher John Hume)

25 ENFORCED
Obligatory conclusion about enemy sheltering Catholic (8)

End around (Foe(=enemy) around R{oman} C{atholic})

27 LAMENTED
Regretted placing trust in feeble journalist (8)

NT(=National Trust) in (lame(=feeble) + ed{itor}(=journalist))

28 SEQUEL
Follow-up question stops evasive character pursuing point (6)

(Qu{estion} in eel(=evasive character)) after S{outh}(=point)

29 DERISORY
Absurdly small Irish county hosts Italy’s foremost soprano on vacation (8)

Derry(=Irish county) around (I[taly] s[opran]o)

30 ATTEND
Serve dinner to team coming round regularly (6)

Reversed alternate letters of dinner to team"

DOWN
1 CHAPATI
In such a patisserie you’ll find bread (7)

Hidden in "such a patisserie"

2 BROADCAST
Bad actors ruined show (9)

(Bad actors)*

3 SNATCH
Seize heroin containers heading north across Thailand (6)

(H{eroin} + cans)< around T{hailand}

5 RITE
Author laid bare religious practice (4)

[W]rite[r]

6 SOLIDIFY
Set of grotesque idols guarding island extremely ferociously (8)

(Idols* around i{sland}) + f[erociousl]y

7 GRAZE
Kiss skin (5)

DD. Both parts of the def are verbs and the second is used in the sense of "skin a knee".

8 DITHERS
Detective on the periphery of riots hesitates (7)

DI(=Detective Inspector) + the + r[iot]s

11 STREAKS
Cuts around arm exposed veins (7)

Steaks(=cuts of meat) around [a]r[m]. The def is in the sense of veins of ore in a mine, for example.

14 I FOR ONE
Prime example of Roman numeral, personally speaking? (1,3,3)

CD/DD. I representing one would be the prime(first) example of a Roman numeral. The other def is in the sense of "I for one believe this".

17 LOST CAUSE
Outclass refined European? One hasn’t a hope! (4,5)

Outclass* + E{uropean}

18 DIAMONDS
Shiny suit? (8)

CD

19 NEEDLED
Required to keep line baited (7)

Needed around l{ine}

21 RIDDLED
Perforated kitchen utensil without lid finally exploded (7)

[G]riddle + [explode]d

22 FOREST
Stronghold breached by English close to enormous plantation (6)

Fort(=stronghold) around (E{nglish} [enormou]s)

24 HOMER
He wrote epics set in obscure Mohican uprising (5)

Hidden, rev in "obscure Mohican"

26 JEER
Heckle old-time entertainer heartlessly (4)

Je(=old-time) + e[ntertain]r. I'm not sure of the sense in which je is old-time. The only thing I can find is that Je has been used as an abbrev for June.

2 comments on “Independent 12,214 by Italicus”

  1. Simon S

    Thanks Italicus and NealH

    In 26 the wordplay is ‘old time entertainer’ ie a JESTER, from which the central two letters are removed.

    The puzzle is also a pangram.

  2. Undrell

    Not too tricky, altho I liked GLAZE, but GRAZE makes sense of both defs… I had JE(ST)ER also… enjoyed the anagrams.. didn’t spot the panagram…
    Thanks Italicus n NealH

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