Atrica has set the Independent Tuesday puzzle this week.
It’s Tuesday, so we can expect a theme. This one is fairly obvious with the Seven Deadly Sins (Vices) – ENVY, LUSTs, SLOTH, GREED, GLUTTONY, PRIDE and ANGER – appearing in the Down entries along with the word VICES. In the Across entries, we have the Three Theological Virtues – HOPE, FAITH and LOVE (Charity) as well as the word VIRTUES.
Atrica packed a lot into this puzzle with 38 entries, significantly more than usually found in a typical blocked crossword.
The spelling DIDJERIDU for the musical instrument at 23 across can be found in Collins English Dictionary.
The parsing I had most diffculty with was for ENVY at 1 down. I think I got there in the end.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 | Fish died after net unfortunately snarled (9)
ENTANGLED (snarled) Anagram of (unfortunately) NET + ANGLE (to fish) + D (died) ENT* ANGLE D |
| 6 | Prepares to fire helmsman, from the sound of it (5)
COCKS (prepares a gun for firing; prepares to fire) COCKS (sounds like [from the sound of it] COX [COXswain; helmsman of a lifeboat]) COCKS |
| 9 | The last couple leaving servitude arranged benefits (7)
VIRTUES (benefits) Anagram of (arranged) SERVITUde excluding the final two letters [the last couple leaving) DE VIRTUES* |
| 10 | Ban flipping setter then take over (7)
EMBARGO (ban) ME (setter) and GRAB (take) each reversed individually (flipping) + O (over) EM< BARG< O |
| 11 | Optimistically expecting hard work and energy (4)
HOPE (belief in the possibility of something beneficial happening; optimistically expecting) H (hard, usually seen in description of pencil lead) + OP (OPus; work) + E (energy) H OP E |
| 12 | Burst of energy? Possibly, shrugs au pair evenly (5,4)
SUGAR RUSH (sudden feeling of stimulation and enhanced energy experienced after consuming foods that have a high SUGAR content; burst of energy) Anagram of (possibly) SHRUGS and UAR (letters 2, 4 and 6 [evenly] of aU pAiR) SUGAR RUSH |
| 15 | One with authority to kill legally inserting IV (9)
EXECUTIVE (person with authority) EXECUTE (kill legally) containing (inserting) IV EXECUT (IV) E |
| 18 | It’s a small thing to put on the song Cockney chap’s forgotten (5)
THONG (garment, e.g. or wear on the beach, consisting of a narrow band of material running between the legs and attached to a cord round the waist; it’s a small thing) THe sONG excluding (forgotten) ‘ES [cockney expression for man’s [hE’S] excluding the H that Cockneys drop when speaking) THONG |
| 21 | Trust answer entertained by suitable husband (5)
FAITH (trust or confidence) (A [answer] contained in [entertained by] FIT [suitable]) + H (husband) F (A) IT H |
| 23 | Producer of music performed badly injured, missing note (9)
DIDJERIDU (alternative spelling [in Collins Dictionary] of DIDGERIDOO [Australian Aboriginal musical instrument, consisting of a very long tube producing a low-pitched resonant sound]) DID (performed) + an anagram of (badly) InJURED excluding (missing) N (note) DID JERIDU* |
| 25 | Stupidly still pays for sequences of numbers (9)
PLAYLISTS (sequence of musical numbers [self-contained pieces of music]) Anagram of (stupidly) STILL PAYS PLAYLISTS* |
| 28 | Duck or ducks from Slovenia (4)
LOVE (zero score in tennis; DUCK is a zero score for a batter in cricket) LOVE (DUCKS is a term of affection for one LOVEd in parts of England) double definition LOVE (hidden word in [from] sLOVEnia LOVE |
| 31 | Working at home before entering office (7)
INGOING (entering office) IN (at home) + GOING (working, of a clock or watch for example) IN GOING |
| 33 | Regularly ignored – I’m sorry – once cool African country (7)
MOROCCO (African country) MOROCCO (letters remaining in i’M sOrRy OnCe CoOl when characters 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15 [regularly] are excluded [ignored]) MOROCCO |
| 34 | Avoiding time, dread what might follow trial (5)
ERROR (a word that often follows [what might follow] TRIAL & ERROR) tERROR (dread) excluding (avoiding) T (time) ERROR |
| 35 | Practise economy, extremely likely without effect (9)
USELESSLY (without effect) USE LESS (practise economy) + LY (outer letters of [extremely] LikelY) USE LESS LY |
| Down | |
| 1 | Resentment of another Nobel Venezuelan originally received (4)
ENVY (resentment) EN (the letter N [first letter of [originally] Nobel) + VY [this pair of letters is pronounced VEE [the letter V, first letter {originally} of Venezuelan] in the word ENVY) – together EN and VY are pronounced and received by the ears as ENVY. In less complicated terms ENVY is pronounced the same as NV (the first letters [originally] of each of Nobel and Venezuelan) EN VY |
| 2 | What’s covered by casual shirt, approximately (5)
TORSO (a casual shirt will cover part of [approximately] the TORSO) T (T-shirt; casual shirt) + OR SO (approximately) T OR SO |
| 3 | What you hope to see through sunglasses? Water in Cannes, having just arrived there (7)
NOUVEAU (modern or up-to-date; just arrived) NO UV (no ultra violet light; good sunglasses are supposed to eliminate or block ultra-violet rays) + EAU (French [Cannes] for water) NO UV EAU |
| 4 | Case of lascivious American with Epstein essentially filling cravings (5)
LUSTS (passionate desires; cravings) (US [United States; American] + T [central letter of {essentially} EpsTein]) contained in (filling) LS (outer letters of [case of] LasciviouS) L (US T) S |
| 5 | Outstanding leader of Denmark uplifting continental bloc (3)
DUE (still to be paid; outstanding) D (first letter of [leader of] Denmark) + EU (European Union [continental bloc]) reversed (uplifting; down entry) D UE< |
| 6 | Jazz fan bored by nude club (7)
CABARET (nightclub providing entertainment) CAT (jazz fan) containing (bored by) BARE (naked) CA (BARE) T |
| 7 | Cuba on top of uprising from briefly united island (5)
CORFU (Greek island) C (International Vehicle Registration for Cuba) + FROm excluding the final letter M (breifly) reversed (uprising; down entry) + U (United) C ORF< U – as this is a down entry, the letter C is entered into the grid above [on top of] all the other letters ORFU |
| 8 | Disinclination to move hotel supporting small fortune (5)
SLOTH (reluctance to work or exert oneself; disinclination to move) S (small) + LOT (fortune) + H (hotel is the international radio communication codeword for the letter H) S LOT H – as this is a down entry, the H in the grid supports the letters SLOT above |
| 13 | Desire to acquire Greenland without at first notifying loyal allied nations (5)
GREED (eager desire for more than one’s share; desire to acquire) GREEnlanD excluding (without) the initial (at first) letters of each of Notifying, Loyal, Allied and Nations GREED |
| 14 | Muscle complaint (4)
BEEF (human flesh, especially when muscular; muscle) BEEF (a complaint) double definition BEEF |
| 16 | Priest restricted by piles coming back (3)
ELI (In the Old Testament, the name of the highest priest at Shiloh, and teacher of Samuel) ELI (reversed [coming back] hidden word in [restricted by] pILEs) ELI< |
| 17 | River plants etc. go missing (5)
INDUS (a transboundary river of Asia) INDUStry (factories or manufacturing plants) excluding (missing) TRY INDUS |
| 19 | Band bird missing its wings (3)
OBI (a broad sash or band worn with a Japanese kimono) rOBIn (a bird) excluding (missing) the outer letters (its wings) R and N OBI |
| 20/30 | Overindulgence? Belly filled with large superfluity in the end underlying weight? (8)
GLUTTONY (excess in eating; overindulgence) (GUT [stomach; belly] containing [filled with] L [large]) + TON (a weight) + Y (last letter of [in the end] superfluitY) G (L) UT TON Y – as this is a down entry, the letter Y is entered in the grid below [underlying] the letters TON [weight] Entered as GLUT [TONY] |
| 22 | Hurry to contain hostile Right with increasing relief (7)
HILLIER (with more HILLs; with a greater number of changes of relief) (HIE [hurry] containing [to contain] ILL [hostile]) + R (right) H (ILL) IE R |
| 24 | Add to general unravelling (7)
ENLARGE (add to) Anagram of (unravelling) GENERAL ENLARGE* |
| 25 | Assuming high opinion of own self, exerted leverage in speech (5)
PRIDE (excessive self-esteem; assuming high opinion of own self) PRIDE (sounds like [in speech] PRIED [exerted leverage]) PRIDE |
| 26 | Perhaps Yellowstone employee top Republican axed might be upset? (5)
ANGER (upset) rANGER (Yellowstone National Park will employ Rangers) excluding the first [top] letter R (Republican) ANGER |
| 27 | Where thousands died a few pocketing millions (5)
SOMME (reference the First World War Battle of the SOMME where thousands died) SOME (a few) containing (pocketing) M (millions) SOM (M) E – either M could be the one contained |
| 29 | Against US immigration agents’ singular failings (5)
VICES (immoral habits; sins; failings) V (versus; against) + ICE (American Immigration and Customs Enforcement [ICE] agents) + S (singular) V ICE S |
| 30 |
See 20 [GLUT] TONY |
| 32 | Emptied firearm and its contents thus missing antelope (3)
GNU (either of two sturdy antelopes) GuN (firearm) excluding the central letter (emptied) U + U (that same central letter [contents of the three-letter word gUn) GN U |
I thought this was very solid, with a lot of clever constructions and several excellent surfaces telling a story (GREED, NOUVEAU) and a lovely concise &lit in TORSO. Favourite PDM was HILLIER.
I failed to parse INDUS as I couldn’t get the right hold on “plants” so thanks to Pierre for clearing that up!
The theme was blatant and yet it failed to register, other than “emotions” and suchlike; and so it didn’t help at all with the solving – which I’m glad about, in fact, as I enjoyed doing it all from scratch and it would have been easy to predict at least a few answers if I’d seen it. That’s what comes of doing the puzzle piecemeal during a night of insomnia, and of forgetting that that night led to a Tuesday 😉.
Thanks both
*semi-&lit
NOUVEAU. TORSO and HILLIER were my favourites in a very well constructed puzzle.
Another theme seen before finishing, actually helped with GLUT n TONY. Then spent too long trying to fit CHARITY in… liked this a lot, unexpected defs such as HILLIER, the homophone NV (thanks Pierre), 13d made me laugh, with its political acuity… all in all, thanks Atrica and Pierre
PS Tiny detail… 17dn, GO is highlighted instead of TRY? Or am I just reading the blog wrong? It’s pretty clear anyway.. 👌
Oops! Sorry duncansheill!! Got my bloggers crossed … apologies
Comment #6
Undrell @ 4
Thanks for spotting the error in the wordplay for INDUS. I have updated the blog
Superb crossword.
Undrell@5, duncanshiell, oops and apologies, that was my bad @1, I got mixed up with the blogger of the other crossword that I was also doing in the middle of the night!
I think the def in ENVY includes the words ‘.. of another’ which makes the four word wordplay easier to spot.
Ap#1, Ap#9 🙏
For once, I saw a theme on Tuesday early enough for it to actually be of assistance. (With GLUTTONY and PRIDE in particular.) There was a lot of good stuff in this crossword. I did want to mention that the clue for GNU was an interesting way to sneak in an indirect anagram without breaking the rules on the subject (because the clue tells you exactly what order the letters go in).
[Pierre and duncanshiell both have highly distinctive, and very different, blogging styles. I’d recognize either of them without a byline.]