Independent 9214 / Hob

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Hob takes us back in time with the offering today.

 

 

 

The theme is clear, but solvers didn’t need to know anything about it to complete the puzzle.  The down clues and entries, in particular, contain a number of references to leading characters, organisations and locations related to the EASTER RISING [2 down / 5 down] of 24-29 April 1916, which began 100 years ago almost to the day.  We have the IRISH REPUBLICAN BROTHERHOOD [7 down, 1 down and 8 down] who established their headquarters in the GENERAL POST OFFICE [24 across, 4 down and 19 down] on O’Connell Street [clue at 4 down], DUBLIN [16 down].  The clues also reference Patrick PEARSE [4 down] , a leader of the rising and Michael COLLINS [3 down] aide de camp at that time to one of the other leaders.  The entry at 20 across [COUP] , the clue at 9 across [descriptive of the event?] and the clue at 22 down [revolutionary, rebel] could also be associated with the theme.

Often with themes, there has to be a compromise within the grid.  This time I think there were an unusually high number of blocked squares and consequently slightly fewer clues than normal.

There were a few clues where Hob gave us three ways to derive the answer – 5 across had two wordplays and a definition, 24 across had two definitions and one word play while 25 across had three definitions.

Across
No. Clue Wordplay Entry

5

 

Showing some true valour, regret needing toilet when going over remote Scottish hill (6)

 

Two different wordplays here:

1. RUEVAL (hidden word [showing some] in TRUE VALOUR}

2. RUE (regret) + LAV [lavatory; toilet] reversed (going over)

RUE VAL<

 RUEVAL (There appear be two hills named RUEVAL in the Outer Hebrides, one on South Uist and one on Benbecula.  Either one qualifies as a remote Scottish hill)

6

 

Stupid doctor, chap in charge (7)

 

MO (Medical Officer; doctor) + RON (man’s name; chap) + IC (in charge)

 

MORONIC (stupid)

 

9

 

Daring exploit, then arrest?  Untrue, for some characters involved (5)

 

STUNT (hidden word [some characters involved] in ARREST UNTRUE)

 

STUNT (difficult often showy performance; daring exploit)

 

10

 

Get back home after silly bit of eroticism with a tart (8)

 

Anagram of (silly) (E [first letter of; bit of] EROTICISM and A TART) + IN (home)

REATTA* IN

REATTAIN (regain by effort; get back)

 

11

 

A back passage, in short description of it? (4)

 

A + (LANE [passage] excluding the last letter [short] E reversed [back])

A NAL<

ANAL (relating to the opening of the alimentary canal [back passage])

 

12

 

Relationship with informer by satellite (5)

 

RAT (turncoat; informer) + IO (a moon [satellite] of Jupiter)

 

RATIO (relation of one thing to another of which the quotient is the measure)

 

13

 

Poisonous substance horse found in wood (3)

 

AS (chemical symbol for arsenic [poisonous substance]) + H (heroin; also known as horse)

 

ASH (tree or wood of the same tree)

 

14

 

Head of Catholic church in April, on vacation before 2’s revolution gathers speed (11)

 

(C [first letter of [head of] CATHOLIC + CE [Church {of England}] contained in [in] AL {[outer letters remaining in APRIL after all the other letters PRI are removed [vacated}]) + an anagram of (revolution) EASTER (entry at 2 down)

A (C CE) L ERATES*

ACCELERATES (gathers speed)

 

17

 

Reportedly win the 13As here? (3)

URN (sounds like [reportedly] EARN [win])

 

URN (where the ASHes are kept – reference Test match cricket England v Australia.  The entry at 13 across is ASH)

 

18

 

Lout with a house in York postcode area (5)

 

(A + HO [house]) contained in (in) YO (first part of the postcode for the York area)

Y (A HO) O

YAHOO (brutal or boorish lout)

 

20

 

Violent, subversive action from officer in uniform?  On the contrary (4)

 

U (the international radio communication code word for the letter U is uniform) contained in (in) COP (police officer) – ‘uniform in officer’, opposite of ‘officer in uniform’

CO (U) P

COUP (COUP d’etat [violent or subversive action resulting in a change of government or state policy])

 

21

 

Time in toilets, waving a weapon (9)

 

T (time) contained in (in) an anagram of (waving) TOILETS

S (T) ILETTO*  Any one of the Ts could be the one contained

STILETTO (dagger with a narrow blade; weapon)

 

23

 

Undomesticated fellow, age 50 (5)

F (fellow) + ERA (age) + L (Roman numeral for 50)

 

FERAL (untamed; undomesticated)

 

24

 

Dope beheaded 23 officer in public (7)

 

GEN (information; dope) + FERAL (entry at 23 across) excluding the first letter (beheaded) F

 

GENERAL (officer)

GENERAL (public)  one wordplay and two definitions

 
25 Cover broadcast by vet (6)

SCREEN (cover)

SCREEN (broadcast)

 SCREEN (check; vet)  triple definition
Down
No. Clue Wordplay Entry

1

 

US politician writing note to landlord (10)

 

RE (note of the tonic sol-fa) + PUBLICAN (landlord)

 

REPUBLICAN (US politician)

 

2 / 5

 

Quarter given to 7 briefly – strange, when involved in rebellion (24 4 1916) (6,6)

 

E (East, quarter, one of the cardinal points of the compass) + an anagram of (when involved) (STRANGE and [IRISH {entry at 7 down} excluding the final letter {briefly} H])

EASTER RISING*

EASTER RISING (Irish rebellion that took place from 24th to 29th April 1916)

 

3

 

Drink champagne (or coffee) as Collins officially leads army’s leaders (4-4)

 

COCA COLA (first letters [leaders] of each of CHAMPAGNE OR COFFEE AS COLLINS OFFICIALS LEADS ARMY’S)

 

COCA COLA (soft drink)

 

4

 

Position of Pearse, initially at top of O’Connell Street (4)

 

P (first letter of [initially] PEARSE) + O (first letter of [at top of] O‘CONNELL) + ST (street)

 

POST (position)  Patrick PEARSE was one of the key figures in the EASTER RISING [2 / 5 down] during which action was seen in O’CONNELL STREET in DUBLIN (16 down)

 

7

 

European flag on hotel (5)

 

IRIS (flag) + H (hotel)

 

IRISH (example of a European)

 

8

 

Fraternity has trouble catching right gangster (11)

 

BOTHER (trouble) containing (catching) R (right) + HOOD (hoodlum, gangster)

B (R) OTHER HOOD

BROTHERHOOD (fraternity)

 

13

 

Group agreed on hole being part of golf course (4,6)

 

AMEN (expression of assent, often expressed by a group; group agreed) + CORNER (difficulty; hole)

 

AMEN CORNER (The second shot at the 11th, all of the 12th, and the first two shots at the 13th hole at Augusta National Golf Course, the home of the US Masters golf tournament)  I blogged a Independent puzzle by Nestor recently (17th March) which was themed on CORNERs, one of which was AMEN CORNER which I referenced with the golfing allusion used here)

 

15

 

"African revolutionary" a typing error, originally (8)

 

Anagram of (revolutionary) (A TYPING and E [first letter of {initially} ERROR])

EGYPTIAN*

EGYPTIAN (native of EGYPT, an African country)

 

16

 

We hear Cockney’s making twice the amount of capital (6)

 

DUBLIN (sounds like [we hear] DOUBLIN’G [making twice the amount] which a Cockney would pronounce without the final G

 

DUBLIN (capital of the Republic of Ireland))

 

17

 

Loose woman, relatively topless? (5)

 

AUNTIE (female relative) excluding the first letter (topless) A

 

UNTIE (loose)

 

19

 

Job in toilet, euphemistically (6)

 

OFFICE (euphemism for lavatory; toilet)

 

OFFICE (occupation; job)  double definition

 

22

 

Sly look from 5D revolutionary that’s lost heart (4)

 

REBEL (revolutionary) excluding (lost) the middle letter (heart) B and then reversed (RISING [entry at 5 down]; down clue)

LEER<

LEER (sly look)

 

11 comments on “Independent 9214 / Hob”

  1. Thanks, Duncan, for blogging.

    Enjoyed this one: not too tricky and the theme was evident. The centenary also had a decent amount of coverage in the media, so the details came to mind easily enough. Nicely constructed and well-clued puzzle – well done, Hob.

    13dn may well have something to do with g*** – I care less – but the ‘group’ bit is referencing the 1960s’ rock band AMEN CORNER, I fancy. So it’s a kind of triple definition, I suppose.

  2. The construction of 5a and 24a was interesting – belt and braces when I’d twigged to it, but confusing for a start. Good to have a theme which obviously wasn’t too hard to spot, especially as there’s been a similarly themed crossword recently at another place. Favourites were AMEN CORNER (though missed the rock band reference), which played such a big part in this year’s Masters and the triple def for SCREEN.

    Thank you to Hob and Duncan

    PS Sorry to be picky, but v. minor typo (Rueval repeated as Reuval) in Entry for 5.

  3. K’s D@ 1

    You’re right – I wasn’t too happy with my bit of waffle about group assent, but as you imply I’m more likely to think about golf before pop groups!

  5. An unusually high number of triple defs/constructions made this puzzle a little different to normal. I don’t know too much about the Easter Rising, so was glad no knowledge was required – the only clue which appeared to need some knowledge (22) actually didn’t. I spent quite a while over Ruevel, even though it was staring me in the face that it must be the answer, mainly because I’m always loth to write in words I’ve never heard of.

  7. Nice puzzle, which I thought I recognised as the work of Hob with the lavatorial references. Alimentary really, despite the cloak of anonymity currently thrown over the setter’s name in the new, bright, shiny, ungrammatical and misspelt Daily Edition.
    Btw K’s D, Andy Fairweather Low is still touring with Amen Corner material, but without hair. He’s still good.
    Thanks to setter and blogger.

  8. After getting 2/5 I saw some of the thematic references but certainly not all of them. Quite a tour de force altogether from both setter and blogger.

    Regarding RUEVAL, I’m open to correction but I think the S Uist one is actually Roneval. Descriptions of both can be found here and here.

    Thanks, Hob and Duncan

  10. At the risk of complete topic hijack … Andy F-L is also a full time member of Roger Waters’s (Pink Floyd) touring band, having also done the same job for Mr Clapton for many years.

    Enjoyed puzzle and blog, many thanks to both. And glad I’m not the only one to have noticed the drop in editorial stds since the move online (GG@7). I suspect the sub-eds didn’t survive the move. Twice the letters page has referenced a South American country called ‘Chilli’. I despair.

  11. Thanks for the blog Duncan. We used the online app tonight as the one we normally use does not cope well when there are linked clues. It was difficult to see the whole puzzle at the end so we missed some of the thematic entries – that’s our excuse anyway.

    We’ve also noticed the errors and typos in the online Indy. We can perhaps forgive the odd typo but Joyce used to teach Key Skills and many of the news items would have been returned if they had been submitted to her.

    Anyway, back to the puzzle – thanks Hob.

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