Independent on Sunday 1,586 by Poins

The puzzle can be found here.

 

Hello everyone.  Thanks to Poins for today’s crossword which kept me occupied for rather longer than most of the Indy puzzles I’ve blogged lately.  I found it educational and entertaining.  How was it for you?

 

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    Animal trade’s underhand dealings (6,8)
MONKEY BUSINESS
MONKEY (animal) + BUSINESS (trade)

10a   Set aside letter looking into article 50 (5)
ANNUL
NU (letter, Greek letter) going inside (looking into) AN (article, grammatical article) and L (fifty, Roman numeral).  I was surprised at the definition, but one of the meanings of “set aside” given in Chambers is to quash (a judgement), and Collins has “to discard, dismiss, or quash”

11a   First class piece torn apart (9)
RECEPTION
PIECE TORN, anagrammed (apart).  First class at school, not the A1 that I was trying for too long to put into the wordplay

12a   Raids oddly neglected story to penetrate Dickens’ character (7)
STRIKES
Even letters only of (oddly neglected) sToRy inside (to penetrate) SIKES (Dickens’ character, Bill Sikes)

13a   Best time to get cover for winger (7)
PLUMAGE
PLUM (best, choice) + AGE (time)

14a   Pasty‘s burnt remains discovered by penniless writer (5)
ASHEN
ASH (burnt remains) is found next to (discovered by) [p]EN (writer) without P (penniless …)

16a   Direct current (9)
IMMEDIATE
A double definition.  I might wonder whether the two definitions are a bit close for comfort, but it’s such a perfect surface I couldn’t possibly quibble

19a   Bird speaks and Curt almost freaks out (9)
SAPSUCKER
The combination of SPEAKS and CURt without its last letter (almost) is anagrammed (freaks out).  A new bird for me, but one whose name makes it clear what it does

20a   Haggard to choose at random Quatermain’s end (5)
DRAWN
DRAW (to choose at random) + QuatermaiN’s last letter (end)

22a   Clearly described heartless fellow stabbing German in charge (7)
GRAPHIC
RA[l]PH (fellow) missing his middle letter (heartless …) inside (stabbing) G (German) and IC (in charge)

25a   Legendary rock band oddly ignored by American books on the origins of alternative metal (7)
ADAMANT
bAnD without odd letters (oddly ignored) next to (by) A (American) and NT (books) following (on) the first letters of (origins of) Alternative Metal.  It’s probable I’ve previously encountered the legendary rock, but I needed to build it from the wordplay

27a   Remembers involving the Queen’s servants (9)
RETAINERS
RETAINS (remembers) containing (involving) ER (the Queen)

28a   Flexible and carefree? Not at first (5)
LITHE
bLITHE (carefree) without the first letter (not at first)

29a   Biased policeman misconstrued racism in Conservative supporter (14)
DISCRIMINATORY
DI (policeman), an anagram of (misconstrued) RACISM IN, and TORY (Conservative supporter)

 

Down

2d    Admits going around briefly before getting joint right of possession (9)
OWNERSHIP
OWNS (admits) containing (going around) all but the last letter of (briefly) ERe (before), then HIP (joint)

3d    Russian peasant finding success in short supply by the sound of it (5)
KULAK
Homophones of (… by the sound of it) COUP (success) + LACK (short supply).  This wealthy Russian peasant was new to me and, not thinking of COUP, I had to hunt in the dictionary

4d    Standard used for comparison of 100 arty kids reviewed (9)
YARDSTICK
An anagram of (… reviewed) C (100) + ARTY KIDS

5d    Remove cover from explosive device found by peacekeepers (5)
UNCAP
CAP (explosive device) is next to (found by) UN (peacekeepers)

6d    Liam regularly beaten and shut up (9)
IMPOUNDED
Alternate letters of (… regularly) LIaM + POUNDED (beaten)

7d    Letters from Frederic Austin’s girl (5)
ERICA
The girl is contained in letters from FredERIC Austin’s

8d    Not hypocritical with regard to seeing that earlier (7)
SINCERE
RE (with regard to) preceded by (… earlier) SINCE (seeing that)

9d    Plant spies to trap Wally (6)
CASSIA
CIA (spies) containing (to trap) ASS (wally)

15d   Literary failure almost leads to row becoming worse (9)
NAUGHTIER
NAUGHt (literary failure) without the last letter (almost) goes before (leads to) TIER (row)

17d   People concerned with murder perhaps (6,3)
MORTAL SIN
MORTALS (people) + IN (concerned with)

18d   Ornate altar base made from variety of gypsum (9)
ALABASTER
An anagram of (ornate) ALTAR BASE can be made from the answer

19d   Last of critics getting extremely excited after sauce served up is sweetened (7)
SUGARED
The last letter of criticS is followed by the outer letters of (extremely) ExciteD after RAGU (sauce) reversed (served up, in a down answer)

21d   Lower in number after noon (6)
NETHER
ETHER (number, anaesthetic) after N (noon)

23d   Serve the purpose of pretence for instance (3,2)
ACT AS
ACT (pretence) + AS (for instance)

24d   Thrash about in river (5)
CREAM
RE (about, concerning) in CAM (river)

26d   Distribute everything before coming back (5)
ALLOT
ALL (everything) + TO (before) reversed (coming back)