Independent on Sunday 1,288 by Raich

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A straightforward and enjoyable puzzle from Raich.

The Independent on Sunday crosswords I have blogged all seem to be very straightforward – no linked clues, themes, obscure words, ninas or other funny stuff.  The clues seem to be predominantly definitions+charade or anagram.  I wonder if this is editorial policy or just the puzzles I happened to have blogged so far?

completed grid
Thank you Raich.
Across
1 CHAD
Tea at start of day here in Africa (4)
CHA (tea) Day (start, first letter of)
3 IGNORANT
Uninformed tirade after soldier returns with refusal (8)
RANT (tirade) after GI (soldier) reversed (returns) with No (refusal)
10 NIGHTWEAR
Close, be quick to embrace wife as this brings bed to mind? (9)
NIGH (close) TEAR (be quick) contains (embraces) W (wife)
11 EXTRA
More involved in next race (5)
found insode (involved in) nEXT RAce
12 INTELLIGENTSIA
Guys having cultivated learning – elitist? Not right! (14)
(LEArNING ELITIST)* anagram=cultivated missing R=right – I can’t quite identify the definition, perhaps it is &lit?
13 UPSET
Leading group unexpectedly beaten? (5)
UP (leading) SET (group)
15 NACREOUS
Like mother-of-pearl source sadly not available to begin with (8)
SOURCE* anagram=sadly following (with…to begin with) NA (not available)
18 ARMRESTS
Supports for Members? (8)
cryptic definition – without the crossers it could have been LEGRESTS too.
19 OMEGA
End of series, old, very good (5)
O (old) MEGA (very good) – the last letter of the Greek alphabet
20 UNEARNED INCOME
Interest maybe of mine under ocean, mysterious (8,6)
(MINE UNDER OCEAN)* anagram=mysterious
24 SOLTI
Conductor reversing some exit losses (5)
found reversed inside (reversing some) exIT LOSses – Sir Georg Solti
25 WESTERNER
One from San Francisco, say, our group finds more demanding (9)
WE (our group) STERNER (more demanding)
26 ON REMAND
Working staff in debt awaiting court’s decision? (2,6)
ON (working) MAN (staff) in RED (debt=in the red)
27 DEEP
Leading elements of dissertation, extremely esoteric paper, hard to follow (4)
first (leading) letters of Dissertation Extremely Esoteric Paper
Down
1 CONTINUE
Persist in opposing money European Union raised (8)
CON (opposing) TIN (money) EU (Eropean Union) reversed (raised)
2 ARGOT
Specialised language upcoming artist understood (5)
RA (artist) reversed (upcoming) GOT (understood)
4 GORSE
US vice-president once nursing small shrub (5)
GORE (Al Gore) containing (nursing) S (small)
5 OVER THE COUNTER
Upfront ambassador to oppose such a sale system (4-3-7)
OVERT (upfront) HE (His Excellency, ambassador) COUNTER (to oppose)
6 ATTRIBUTE
Distinctive quality, trait, unusual – objection by English follows (9)
TRAIT* anagram=unusual BUT (objection) E (English)
7 THAW
Actor John to become relaxed (4)
double definition
8 UTILITARIANISM
Sit-in ritual with aim to change doctrine (14)
anagram (to change) of (SIT-IN RITUAL) with AIM
9 DEVIANTS
Non-conformists begin to depart spa town at first travelling South (8)
Depart (begin to, first letter of) EVIAN (spa town) with Travelling (first letter of, at first…) then S (south)
14 STRANGLER
Newcomer shelters ultimately evil killer (9)
STRANGER (newcomer) contains (shelters) eviL (last letter of)
16 CASH DESK
Till sacked, she’s endlessly messing about (4,4)
anagram (messing about) of SACKED SHe (is endlessly, not finished)
17 NAME-DROP
Seek to impress. Learn, turning to Lear perhaps? (4-4)
to turn learn into lear you need to drop N (name)
21 NO-WIN
Currently popular but without hope of success (2-3)
NOW (currently) IN (popular)
22 OUNCE
Nightclub security man uncovered small portion (5)
bOUNCEr (nightclub security man) missing covering letters
23 OSLO
Very large plot to exclude outsiders in City (4)
OS (out-size, very large)  pLOt (excluding outside letters)
*anagram
definitions are underlined

10 comments on “Independent on Sunday 1,288 by Raich”

  1. Thanks PD, since Quixote left for the main paper the IOS level of difficulty has been turned up several notches in general, although Raich here was as amenable as you get in the Indy stable. I did this on the train back from York last week and solved it all rather quickly despite the beers with Nimrod and others before we left.

    I think 12a is just one of those “it’s not quite an &lit but that is what I’m aiming for but can’t quite get it to work
    but you know what I mean clues” 🙂

  2. I also found this towards the easier end of the IoS spectrum but it was an enjoyable solve nonetheless. I saw 12ac as an extended definition clue. THAW was my LOI.

  4. A relaxing solve, thought wordplay for NIGHTWEAR was rather good. Filled in NAME-DROP without parsing, couldn’t see it.

    PeeDee, 4D I don’t think “small” should be underlined in the solution.

    Thanks to Raich and PeeDee.

  6. Bill @5
    Please note that, on this site, we do not discuss prize puzzles until after the closing date for entries and then only when the relevant blog has been posted.

    For this reason I have had to remove your subsequent answer to yourself which contained a spoiler for those who have yet to attempt today’s IoS.

  7. PeeDee@3 – I would have got back to you earlier but I’ve been out all day. I class an extended definition clue as one in which there is an identifiable definition in the clue, in the case of 12ac “guys having cultivated learning”, and the surface reading of the whole clue gives an extended definition. It isn’t the same as a true &lit clue because one of those has no identifiable definition within the surface reading; instead the whole clue is the definition as well as the wordplay. Some people refer to extended definition clues as semi-&lit.

  8. Thank you for blogging, PeeDee.

    Pleasing puzzle from Raich – as usual, all clearly clued and accessible. I liked THAW for no other reason than it brought to mind his acting in the hugely enjoyable Morse series.

    Thanks to to Andy B for the ‘extended definition’ definition. Some folk get exercised by this sort of clue, but it’s fine by me: it leads me to the solution in a fair way. End of.

    As for the IoS being straightforward, I think this is editorial policy. ‘Giving less experienced solvers a chance to win the prize’ is how the editor put it once, if I remember well.

  9. Thanks for the explanation of extended definition but I’m afraid the subtlety is lost on me. I struggle to see the difference between Andy B’s elegant definition and plain old “wordplay that overlaps the definition”.

    Flashling @1 sums it up for me.

    In case anyone interprets this as a “this shouldn’t be allowed” sort of comment – it isn’t. As far as I am concerned if Raich likes the clue and chooses to include it then that is enough reason for it to be there. There are no official rules: what works for one person isn’t necessarily going to work for another.

  10. It’s nice to have a puzzle which is not solely for the intelligentsia. More of Raich please.

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