Independent on Sunday 1,582 by Nitsy

by

The puzzle can be found here.

 

Hi all, I hope you are well.  I always enjoy puzzles by Nitsy but, as seems to be the case a lot recently, I can’t think of much to say.  Sorry – or, to those who like concise blogs, you’re welcome!  Anyway, thanks to Nitsy, and on to the clues …

 

Definitions are underlined in the clues below.  In the explanations, quoted indicators are in italics and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER.

 

Across

1a    Morse perhaps starts to criticise other detectives’ evidence (4)
CODE
The first letters of (starts to) Criticise Other Detectives’ Evidence

3a    A dish – vindaloo? (3,5)
HOT STUFF
Two definitions, dish in the first having its informal meaning of an attractive person

10a   Dali carved onion – surreal artist (8,2,5)
LEONARDO DA VINCI
An anagram of (… surreal) DALI CARVED ONION

11a   She might display attitude in Romeo and Juliet (9)
BALLERINA
A cryptic definition; attitude is a ballet position.  When solving I had assumed attitude to be a general term, but have now learned that it refers to a specific type of position, inspired by the Flying Mercury by Giambologna:

12a   Acorns, perhaps, out of one’s tree (4)
NUTS
A double definition

13a   Marry groom and fashionable bride, finally (7)
COMBINE
COMB (groom) and IN (fashionable) plus the last letter of (… finally) bridE

15a   Fancy gentleman wearing flower (6)
DESIRE
SIR (gentleman) inside (wearing) DEE (flower, something which flows)

17a   The woman traps animal, reflecting need for food (6)
HUNGER
HER (the woman) contains (traps) the reversal of (… reflecting) GNU animal

19a   Lay awake initially beset by terrible ulcers (7)
SECULAR
The first letter of (.. initially) Awake surrounded by (beset by) an anagram of (terrible) ULCERS

20a   Go with Liberal Prime Minister (4)
PEEL
PEE (go) with L (Liberal)

21a   I soon gasp fighting this? (6,3)
POISON GAS
An anagram of (… fighting) I SOON GASP

24a   BBC head maybe recreating older broadcast (8-7)
DIRECTOR-GENERAL
RECREATING OLDER anagrammed (broadcast)

25a   Suitable place to carry parrot? On the contrary (8)
APPOSITE
POSIT (place) going inside (to carry … on the contrary) APE (parrot, as a verb)

26a   Does perhaps run after girl (4)
DEER
R (run) after DEE (girl).  A second appearance for Dee, but she’s blossomed into a real girl

 

Down

1d    A bicycle’s broken – no riding in this state (8)
CELIBACY
A BICYCLE’s anagrammed (broken)

2d    Whimsical nobleman upset by lake (5)
DROLL
LORD (nobleman) reversed (upset) next to (by) L (lake)

4d    Someone experienced and supporting former husband (3,4)
OLD HAND
AND (from the clue) following (supporting, in a down answer) OLD (former) and H (husband)

5d    Place for rhino attracting interest? (7,7)
SAVINGS ACCOUNT
A cryptic definition.  Rhino is old slang for money

6d    Tuna swimming around northern river? Weird (9)
UNNATURAL
An anagram of (… swimming) TUNA around N (northern), then URAL (river)

7d    Break from female trouble (4)
FAIL
F (female) + AIL (trouble)

8d    Replacing waste ground for health resorts (8,6)
WATERING PLACES
An anagram of (… ground) REPLACING WASTE

9d    Help father to get over bad habit (6)
ADVICE
DA (father) reversed (to get over) + VICE (bad habit)

14d   Quiet person chops Cheddar cheese (9)
MOUSETRAP
MOUSE (quiet person) + TRAP (chops, mouth)

16d   One who fights with the French king after all others (8)
WRESTLER
W (with), then LE (the, French) and R (king) after REST (all others)

18d   Bond hit right in belly (7)
RAPPORT
RAP (hit) + R (right) in POT (belly)

19d   Mean pop star – my money is missing (6)
STINGY
STING (pop star) + [M]Y (my) without M (money is missing)

22d   Booze thrown up, with European revealing stomach contents (5)
GORGE
GROG (booze) reversed (thrown up, in a down answer) with E (European)

23d   View model scratching bottom (4)
IDEA
IDEAL (model) without the last letter (scratching bottom)

 

11 comments on “Independent on Sunday 1,582 by Nitsy”

  1. All very straightforward and pleasant. I thought there might be a Da Vinci Code theme developing after solving 1A and 10A but can’t see anything else.  I didn’t know the clue’s definition of Gorge at 22D so pleased to learn that. Thanks Nitsy and Kitty (especially the entertaining mages.

  2. I enjoyed this and learnt two new things: the phrase WATERING PLACES and the specific meaning of GORGE as a noun.

    I couldn’t find any justification for DA = Father in either Chambers or Collins. PA, PAPA, DAD, DAD but not DA!

    1a was my favourite.

    Thanks to Nitsy and to Kitty.

  6. A very pleasant solve, our only complaint being that it was over so quickly.  Thanks, Nitsy and Kitty.

     

     

  7. Possibly the first Nitsy I’ve solved although I’m quite familiar with this setter’s work elsewhere.   Obviously a few nods to the Indy’s leniency in this one but I quite enjoyed working through it.

    Top three for me were HOT STUFF, OLD HAND and WRESTLER.

    Thanks to Nitsy and to Miss Kitty for the review – always love your feline pics but today it was the ‘guy in blue’ who took my prize!

     

     

  8. First time tackling a Nitsy puzzle and what a delight it was. Only one parsing missed in full – thanks to Kitty (and others) for clearing up 9d. Favourite was 1d for tongue in cheek, and 14d for reminding of my Nan, whose still-warm home-baked rolls filled with mousetrap, as she called it, are still unsurpassed on this planet some 30 years on.

  9. Thanks very much Nitsy, very pleasant throughout

    I thought 1d was absolutely brilliant, a beautifully disguised and unexpected punchline. Clue of the month for me, surprised no-one else has commented.

    Thanks Kitty as always

  11. Just want to echo Dutch’s praise for 1d – clue of the week for me, top notch.

    Thanks to Nitsy and Kitty

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.