Independent 8379 / Nestor

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We invariably approach the Thursday Indy crossword with some trepidation, given its reputation for being the trickiest of the week.

However, we found today’s offering from Nestor less challenging than some, but it still had us scratching our heads on several occasions.

We really enjoyed 10ac which was our second one in. It brought a smile to our faces although we weren’t sure that we we were correct until we solved a few neighbouring clues! We also liked  22ac and 28ac which we hesitate to call ‘&lits’ mainly because we don’t tend to use crossword ‘jargon’ in our blogs – we just enjoy solving puzzles!

Across
1   Restrained or very limited by slow internet access, from which we’ve all developed?
PRIMORDIAL SOUP PRIM (restrained) + OR + SO (very) in or ‘limited by’ DIAL-UP (slow internet access)
10   Turret that shows lots of arms?
TANK TOP A definition that plays on the fact that the TOP of a TANK (as in the armed vehicle) is a ‘turret’ and a TANK TOP is sleeveless, showing the arms of the wearer! A fun clue which raised a smile!
11   Non-toxic level of Italian river’s ground water?
POTABLE The (water) TABLE (level of ground water) of the river PO could be described as the PO TABLE
12   Almost uncovered horseman
NIGH kNIGHt (horseman) with the first and last letters removed, or ‘uncovered’ Thanks gwep!
13   Mythical little bird, one over in fig tree, perhaps
FICTITIOUS TIT (little bird) + I (one) + O (over) in FICUS (fig tree)
15   English person sticks around wearing ceremonial strip
SASSENACH CANES (sticks) reversed or ‘around’ in or ‘wearing’ SASH (ceremonial strip)
17   One may carry bags, ultimately destined for the cup
CADDY A play on the fact that a tea CADDY might carry tea-bags, which would be destined for the tea-cup, and (possibly) a golf CADDY carries a player’s golf bag, and he may be destined to win the trophy. Perhaps the second option is a step too far, but the first works well!
18   Information picked up from the pub, say
INTEL Sounds like (‘picked up’) INN (pub) TELL (say)
20   Subcontinental state of Sudan’s climate, reversed away from the borders
TAMIL NADU Reversed in sUDAN’s cLIMATe, without the first and last letters (‘borders’) of each word
22   Down time’s having cheek (facing both ways) against it?
PILLOWSLIP Cryptic definition – LOWS (down times) in LIP (cheek) both forwards and reversed
24   Stops leaking after loss of gallons and more
PLUS PLUgS (stops leaking) without or ‘losing’ G (gallons)
26   Knowledge principally held by reprobate expert in hiding
SKINNER K (first letter of Knowledge, or ‘principally’) in SINNER (reprobate)
27   Desire returns, making new universal French counterpart of ‘Punch’
GUIGNOL LONGInG (desire) reversed or ‘returning’ with the second N (new) replaced by U (universal)
28   Who have religious right among dull aristos, puzzlingly?
LORDS SPIRITUAL Another excellent cryptic definition – PI (religious) + R (right) in an anagram of DULL ARISTOS (anagrind is ‘puzzlingly’)
Down
2   Goes back to split fringes, ousting every duke
RENEGES RENd (split) EdGES (fringes) with the two Ds (dukes) omitted or ‘ousted’
3   Extremes of milieu that are far from best in show?
MUTT First and last letters, or ‘extremes’ of MilieU ThaT
4   Semblance of humanity in film clip, a broadcast during break
REPLICANT Anagram of CLIP A (anagrind is ‘broadcast’) in RENT (break)
5   Note first characters of password and username within computing data
INPUT N (note) + first letters of Password and Username in IT (computing)
6   Foul animals with antlers and whiskers and other things on the rise
LATE TACKLE ELK (animal with antlers) + CAT (animal with whiskers) + ET AL (and other things) all reversed or ‘on the rise’ (in a down clue)
7   Red Cross shackled by old family ties
OXBLOOD X (cross) in or ‘shackled by’ O (old) BLOOD (family ties)
8   Whatever players see, foul is wrong
PLEASE YOURSELF Anagram of PLAYERS SEE FOUL  (anagrind is ‘wrong’)
9   Makes up mounting work stopping girl I had ready for employment
AT ONES DISPOSAL ATONES (makes up) + OP (work) in or ‘stopping’ LASS (girl) I’D (I had) all reversed or ‘mounting’
14   Infernal creatures disturbed hush on dell
HELLHOUNDS Anagram of HUSH ON DELL (anagrind is ‘disturbed’)
16   Mind blown in more massive knockout
HUMDINGER Anagram of MIND (anagrind is ‘blown’) in HUGER (more massive)
19   Closer to sky around beginning of Indian summer?
TALLIER TALLER (closer to sky) around I (first letter, or ‘beginning’ of Indian)
21   Georgian location that starts around Tbilisi, lying almost next to Armenia
ATLANTA First letters, or ‘starts’ of Around Tbilisi Lying Almost Next To Armenia
23   What gives finish across edge of razor?
STROP Another &lit? – STOP (finish) around or ‘across’ R (first, or last, letter or ‘edge’ of Razor)
25   Bypassing European Commission, manage scandal
DIRT DIRecT (manage) without or ‘bypassing’ EC (European Commission)

 

21 comments on “Independent 8379 / Nestor”

  1. I particularly liked 13a, 21d, 20a, 1a, 12a, 16d & 10a (last in) and my favourites were 7d OXBLOOD, 17a CADDY, 6d LATE TACKLE, 25d DIRT.

    New words for me were PRIMORDIAL SOUP, SASSENACH, GUIGNOL, STROP, LORDS SPIRITUAL.

    Thanks Nestor and Bertandjoyce.

  2. I’m always happy when I manage to finish a Thursday puzzle without aids, although at one stage it felt like I wasn’t going to get there.

    I wasn’t overly happy with the clue for TANK TOP even though the answer was clear enough. One tank top equals two arms, and two is hardly “lots”. However, that’s a minor quibble and the puzzle contained some cracking clues. Although I saw PRIMORDIAL SOUP fairly quickly the wordplay was very cleverly put together, and as Bert and Joyce said, the clues for 22ac and 28ac were excellent. TALLIER was my LOI after I finally saw PILLOWSLIP.

  3. I’m a muppet. I didn’t read the blog properly and as I submitted my previous comment I realised what the “lots of arms” was actually referring to in 10ac.

  4. Enjoyed this very much. SKINNER was very nicely clued, I thought, and having got the answer from the wordplay I spent a while considering whether there was a famous Mr Skinner who was a renowned expert in camouflage, before the penny dropped.

    Idiot that I am.

  5. This is very good quality. It’s all totally fair, whle being very creatiev. It is the way I like it!! I think 28 is probably the best , although you might have another bview about the bisthops etc.

    Cheers
    Rowlys.

  6. I seem to have problems getting on Nestor’s wavelength these days and indeed had to ‘come out’ of the PRIMORDIAL SOUP before I could gradually work my way through the rest.

    Thanks to Nestor for challenging me greatly and to B&J for the explanations.

  7. Thanks for the blog, B&J. Much to admire and enjoy here. Solved w/o aids (15a was my LOI), but needed your help parsing 2d (I had a very suspect RENEG[ad]ES). Favorites were 6d, 10a, 23d (yes, I would say &lit), and 20a. (It is a frightening mind that can come up with “Sudan’s climate” as a reverse container for TAMIL NADU!) Also enjoyed the Blade Runner reference in 4d. I found this to be a real 16d. Thanks, Nestor!

  8. Lots to enjoy here, although I failed to parse several entries, e.g I didn’t spot the ‘lift and separate’ in 7dn, and totally missed the subtlety in TAMIL NADU, just guessing that ‘subcontinental state’ was a cryptic definition by example and finding only one Indian state with a name ending in U. My CoD was PILLOWSLIP.

    Thanks, Nestor and particularly B&J for the parsings.

  9. Thanks Nestor and B&J. Very good stuff. Andy B@3 – I’m not sure you are a muppet! I understood it as you eventually did – you could hardly show more arms than when wearing a sleeveless sweater. However, a pedant might say (not that we know any hereabouts ;-)) that “lots of arms” in this sense excludes the notion of entire arms. Or am I being too clever by half? Any thoughts, anyone?

  10. Very nice stuff from Nestor, subcontinental is an interesting word in that it contains all the vowels exactly once in the wrong order. Thanks B&J for the bloggage.

  12. Hi Jane@11 PI is in Chambers as ‘obtrusively religious or sanctimonious (informal)’ although we just just take it to be short for pious.

  13. That was a bit of a struggle! Several times I was about to give up, or at least put it aside for an hour or so, only for another answer finally come to mind.

    In the end, I needed an e-search for 26dn – just couldn’t get it – and I’m amazed at how long it took me to get 21dn. I guessed it was a place in Georgia, USA, but nowhere in that state came to mind. And I’ve not only been there, I’m very keen on the American Civil War and the role the city played in that conflict.

  15. Being pedantic I got stuck on 24 ac because I was looking for something with multiple Gs due to the gallons.

  16. G can be fairly represented by ‘gallon’ or ‘gallons’: thus what, or which, pedant would be dissatisfied with 24ac? (It could have had ‘gallon or more’ by the same token, of course.)

    Son(s) and daughter(s) are of that ilk.

  17. It is 2125 and I’ve only just finished this one. An absolute beauty – every clue totally fair but with loads of misleading ideas in the parsing. Loved PRIMORDIAL SOUP, but my best laugh was CADDY!

  19. Thanks Nestor, neither of us are golfers although now that you have explained it Bert vaguely remembers having heard it before.

  20. Wonderful and challenging crossword and only just finished after many rest breaks. B&J, I think in 10A the word “Almost” should be underlined and purpled (?).

    Much gratitude to Nestor and Bertandjoyce.

  21. Not for me…  had the distinct feeling all through the painful proces  that Nestor sits smugly, on high watching mere mortals struggle! Happy New Year!

     

     

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