Independent 6,982 by Monk – Fifteensquared

*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition.

I’ve never blogged a Monk before, so didn’t know what to expect. It turned out to be a fairly quick solve with some top-notch surfaces, although sadly I can’t justify all of my answers yet. No doubt you lot will be able to set me straight!

There was a funny sort of “triangle” theme going on, with four of the answers being anagrams of that word, plus a couple of other references of a trilateral nature.

Across
1	ALERTING – TRIANGLE*.
5	SPIDER – REDIPS<. “Web designer” is quite a nice definition here.
10	OCCUR – “Get round company check, almost by chance”?.
11	ROYAL MAIL – MORALLY* “about” AI.
12	TANGERINE – (ANGER “in” TIN) + E[-asy].
13	CHEAT – CHAT “about” E.
14	BREECH – R “hiding in” BEECH.
15	FICTION – F[-r]ICTION.
18	LICKING – dd.
20	PUNISH – I guess one would describe this as a dd. It’s “punnish” really, as in “relating to a pun”.
22	EXTRA – EX + ART<.
24	GUEST BEER – Spoonerism of “best gear”.
25	INTROVERT – IN + T + ROVER + T.
26	BATHE – BATH + E[-stuary].
27	GYRATE – GRATE “around” Y.
28	INTEGRAL – TRIANGLE*.

Down
1	AGOUTI – [-schoolb]AG OUT I[-mmediately].
2	ECCENTRIC – “Loony left of centre, perhaps”. I see CENTRE* in there but don’t follow the rest.
3	THREE MEN IN A BOAT – dd. This may be stretching the “triangle” idea a bit far, but it dropped in pretty quickly so I shan’t complain.
4	NORWICH – NOW RICH with the R and W “exchanged”.
6	POLICE CONSTABLE – (The) POLICE + (John) CONSTABLE.
7	DRAPE – [-on]E PARD[-on]<. Clever – the “no”s are ignored.
7	RELATING – TRIANGLE*.
9	MYSELF – Monk being the setter. M[-a]Y S[-e]E + LIFE which “ie” has left.
16	INSPECTOR – CO[-d]E PRINTS*. Nice clue.
17	ALTERING – TRIANGLE*.
19	GAGMEN – GAG + MEN. My last one to go in, as I haven’t head the term used.
20	PRESTON – PON[-y] “to tour” REST. I assume a “pony” is one of those animals that some folks use to denote an amount of money.
21	ORDEAL – OR + DEAL.
23	TATER – TATE + R, informal “potato”.

12 comments on “Independent 6,982 by Monk”

C.G. Rishikesh

#1 - Tue 3rd Mar 09, 10:34

10ac: OC<,CUR[b]

C.G. Rishikesh

#2 - Tue 3rd Mar 09, 10:54

2dn: My explanation may be deemed loony; anyway, here it is:

left of centre – outside of centre – ex-centric – eccentric.

conradcork

#3 - Tue 3rd Mar 09, 11:03

20 down. A pony is £25.

Mick h

#4 - Tue 3rd Mar 09, 11:35

Very nice. As well as ‘web designer’, I liked ‘non-regular in pub’ for GUEST BEER.
Surely 11ac (‘Morally corrupt about excellent national service’) is a comment on the government’s planned part-privatisation of ROYAL MAIL. I do hope so.

nmsindy

#5 - Tue 3rd Mar 09, 11:36

The ‘triangle’ anagrams were symmetrically placed and that made it quite an easy puzzle. Some excellent clues e.g. CHEAT, ROYAL MAIL, TATER.

A little puzzled on ECCENTRIC too. Thought it might be left = ex centric = of centre, but this gives the much less familiar EXCENTRIC and the site says ECCENTRIC which I plumped for.