As the old year comes to an end a last Saturday crossword of the year from Klingsor.
And a special puzzle for Klingsor with the first 4 across answers showing “Fiftieth Puzzle for Independent”. Congratulations on your half century Mr K.
Not sure whether it’s intentional or not but I suspect it might be – the name Helen Ord displays down the middle of the completed grid.
Anyway as usual some fun clues – just about the right level for the Christmas break too. 22ac made me chuckle doubly so for its topicality with the fiasco of the London rail workings over Christmas. 5dn was actually the first one I solved – I tend to approach clues in a random order – but was also a nice traditional cryptic clue.
Many thanks Klingsor and a happy new year to all – may 2015 deliver happiness to more people than 2014 has.
Key;
* anagram; rev. reverse; Underline – definition
ACROSS
1. Golden retriever’s heart is captured by the fit fellow exercising (8)
(the+fit+f+ I(retriever’s heart))* = FIFTIETH
5 Remove half of tree stump (6)
monkey-puzzle (tree) – half = PUZZLE
8 First of all in favour of? Right (3)
Favour Of Right = FOR
9 Unbiased and popular editor backs writer to make an impression (11)
In (popular) + rev (ed(editor)) + pen (writer) + dent (make an impression) = INDEPENDENT
10 A large animal: one’s found in Nepal and in the wild (6, 8)
(I(one) + Nepal and in the)* = INDIAN ELEPHANT
11 Young French worker finishes off part of crossword by Klingsor? (8)
Grid (part of crossword) + setter (Klingsor) – d – s [finishes off] = GRISETTE
13 I put in claims for items bought at florists (6)
poses (claims) around I = POSIES
15 Girl’s last to start making cake (6)
Claire (girl) – last to beginning = ECLAIR
18 It has shore at Norway anyhow (5, 3)
(shore at + N)* = NORTH SEA
22 Train to run only twice around end of June? No way! (3, 2, 4, 5)
(to run only only + e (end of June))* = NOT ON YOUR NELLY
23 Put off by talk by institute’s decline (11)
deter (put off) + I (institute) + orate = DETERIORATE
24 I like gourmet sandwiches (3)
Hidden I likE GOurmet = EGO
25 New call to import speed – she wants a lot of it (6)
N (new) + yo (call) around mph (speed) = NYMPHO
26 Religiously performing duty with love (8)
(duty + love)* + DEVOUTLY
DOWN
1 Raised stink, having cigarette around? That’s making undue fuss (7)
Fag (cigarette) around raised niff (stink) = FAFFING
2 Dismiss sick besieging doctor’s practice for safety (4, 5)
Fire (dismiss) + dr (doctor) + ill 9sick) = FIRE DRILL
3 One with German partner regularly going ape (7)
I (one) + mit (with German) + pArTnEr (regularly) = IMITATE
4 It’s about what you eat, keeping front of stomach extremely trim (7)
Rev. it + diet (what you eat) around s (front of stomach) = TIDIEST
5 He took issue when he wasn’t paid (4, 5)
Cryptic definition PIED PIPER
6 About one dozen wheels sold originally as sets of 12 (7)
Rev ca + I + doz (one dozen) (indicated by wheels) + s (sold orinally) = ZODIACS
7 Crescent-shaped ornament let in stringed instrument (7)
net (let) in lute (stringed instrument) = LUNETTE
12 Cheers and ravin’ over Oscar for film director (9)
Ta (cheers) + rantin’ (ravin’) + o (Oscar) = TARANTINO
14 Bust of Lenin, Soviet that is forgotten, surprisingly (9)
(Lenin + Soviet – ie(that is))* = INSOLVENT
16 Be visibly upset about queen’s place getting preservation orders? (7)
Cry (be visibly upset) about Anne (queen) = CANNERY
17 Respond quietly with “Time for special port” (7)
answer (respond) + p (queitly) swapping t for s = ANTWERP
19 We hear of you getting behind schedule, having to supply eggs (7)
Ov u (Homonym of of u) + late (getting behind schedule) = OVULATE
20 Nurse takes temperature first, old fruit (7)
angel (nurse) after t (temperature) + o (old) = TANGELO
21 A lad from Brooklyn maybe secures date, being a single person (7)
A NY (new York) boy around d (date) = ANYBODY
Nice end to the year. Particularly amused by NYMPHO.
Few minor typos – 9A pen; 1D FFIN “raised stink”; 4D IT is not around DIET, but “about” ie reversed to TI at the beginning.
Thanks to Klingsor and twencelas.
Can this be a Klingsor puzzle without a Wagner reference?
Thanks twenceslas and Klingsor – as gwep says, a very enjoyable end to the year.
My favourites were INDIAN ELEPHANT, GRISETTE and the perfectly formed DEVOUTLY.
gwep’s final comment set me off googling for a possible connection and I was amused to find this quotation from the Diaries of Richard Fricke 1875-1876: “…a scholar offered Wagner the oldest manuscript of ‘The Pied Piper of Hamelin’, several hundred years old, wanting him to compose an opera from this legend. Wagner threw it into the waste-basket…”
Thanks gwep – I enjoyed nympho myself. I have corrected my typos etc. I’m no Wagner expert but I didn’t spot any.
@2Eileen – well done! I should have known.
Another very good puzzle by Klingsor.
Worthy of a 50th!
(in my perception he had written a lot more than 50 crosswords for the Independent but apparently not)
I failed on one clue (6d) and, perhaps, I am a bit pedantic when I ask: is there more than one Zodiac possible? In other words: does the plural ZODIACS make sense?
Happy New Year to all.
Sil has reminded me that I forgot to add congratulations to Klinsgor. Like him, I’d have expected it to be more.
Sil – we’re in Crosswordland, where ZODIACS exist for me. 😉 x
A thoroughly enjoyable puzzle. Well done on the half century, n.o.
Re 6dn, “wheels” is a slang expression for a car, which made me think of Ford ZODIACS. Anyone else remember them?