Independent 8898 / Dac

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It’s mid month, it’s a Wednesday, it’s going to be a puzzle from Dac.

 

 

 

There were a couple of clues today where I had to go beyond three colours when indicating the word play.  PAMELA at 12 across had four component parts while ARMAGEDDON at 15 across had five.  I’m always impressed by setters who can take four or more constituent parts and write a sensible sounding clue that involves all the parts and the definition.

There were a couple of references to fairly elderly pop groups – The Spice Girls in the clue at 12 across and CREAM (the entry at 23 down).  I suspect that the demographic of Independent crossword solvers meant that these pop music references did not cause too much trouble.

I liked the clue at 18 across for HITCHHIKER where the clue referred to two different forms of transport (horse [even if the horse in question was heroin] and bike) while the answer gave us yet another form of travel.  The use of ‘helter-skelter’ as the anagram indicator at 4 down together with the seemingly innocuous ‘straight on’ as a anagram fodder for another fairground ride brought a smile to my face.  There was good misdirection at 16 down for DOUBLETON.  I solved that clue towrds the end when I had quite a few crossing letters and that helped enormously.

Overall, I thought this was one of Dac’s gentler puzzles.  I will be interested to read what other solvers say.

Across
No. Clue Wordplay Entry

1

 

Endangering king during rebellion (7)

 

K (king) contained in RISING (rebellion)

RIS (K) ING

RISKING (endangering)

 

5

 

Taken captive by male thug, daughter put up resistance (4,3)

 

D (daughter) contained in (taken captive by) (HE [male] + LOUT [thug])

HE L (D) OUT

HELD OUT (put up resistance)

 

9

 

German bread served with hot soup (5)

 

BROT (German for bread) + H (hot)

 

BROTH (soup)

 

10

 

You perched in a canoe, tossed about on river occasionally (4,1,4)

 

(YE [you] contained in [perched in] an anagram of [tossed about] A CANOE) + R (river)

ONCE A (YE) A* R

ONCE A YEAR (descriptive of something that happens only occasionally)

 

11

 

In London, maybe, a strike is something disastrous (8)

 

(A + LAM [strike]) contained in (in) CITY (London is an example of a city)

C (A LAM) ITY

CALAMITY (something disastrous)

 

12

 

Girl Power article a Spice Girl’s penned (6)

 

(A + MEL [reference MEL B or MEL C, members of The Spice Girls pop group) contained in [penned] (P [power] + A [indefinite article])

P (A MEL) A

PAMELA (girl’s name)

 

14

 

Extract from programme recalled ship of old (4)

 

ARGO (hidden word  [extract from] reversed [recalled] in PROGRAMME)

ARGO<

ARGO (In Greek mythology, ARGO was the ship on which Jason and the ARGOnauts sailed from Iolcos to retrieve the Golden Fleece)

 

15

 

In a way, magazine editor’s against conflict ultimately (10)

 

([MAG {magazine} + ED {editor}] contained in [in] [A + RD [road; way]) + ON (against)

A R (MAG ED) D ON

ARMAGEDDON (the great symbolical battlefield of the Apocalypse, scene of the final struggle between the powers of good and evil in the Bible; a great, or especially the ultimate, war or battle of nations)

 

18

 

Problem with horse rider snubbing British traveller (10)

 

HITCH (problem) + H (heroin [horse]) + (BIKER [rider] excluding [snubbing] B [British])

 

HITCHHIKER (traveller)

 

19

 

Result of awful parking? (4)

 

BUM (despicable; awful) + P (Parking)

 

BUMP (a BUMP may result from bad parking)

 

22

 

Perform ceremony, introducing leaders of Evangelical Church (6)

 

RITE (ceremony) containing (including) (EC [first letter of {leaders of} each of EVANGELICAL and CHURCH)

R (EC) ITE

RECITE (perform)

 

24

 

White wine: half litres available (9)

 

SEMI (half) + (L [litre] + L [litre] to give litres) + ON (available)

 

SEMILLON (a grape used to produce various types of white wine, including an eponymous one)

 

26

 

Almost clear outside, between now and tomorrow morning (9)

 

OVERT (clear) containing (outside) NIGH (nearly; almost)

OVER (NIGH) T

OVERNIGHT (part of the period between now and tomorrow morning)

 

27

 

Person of great importance that regularly is in the money (5)

 

(TA [letters 1 and 3 {regularly} of THAT) contained in (in) TIN (money)

TI (TA) N

TITAN (person of great importance)

 

28

 

Hurried to consume nuts before a fast (7)

 

RAN (hurried) containing (to consume) (MAD [nuts] + A])

RA (MAD A) N

RAMADAN (ninth month of the Muslim calendar observed as a month of fasting from dawn to dusk)

 

29

 

Lie spun by Cameron (7)

 

Anagram of (spun) CAMERON

ROMANCE*

ROMANCE (imaginative lie)

 
Down
No. Clue Wordplay Entry

1

 

Film about former tennis player discussed (7)

 

RE (about) + BECCA (sounds like [discussed] BECKER [reference former tennis player Boris BECKER)

 

REBECCA (1940 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock)

 

2

 

Direct attention to offence involving cannabis (9)

 

SLIGHT (offence) containing (involving) POT (cannabis)

S (POT) LIGHT

SPOTLIGHT (direct attention to)

 

3

 

Bury much-loved Scottish philosopher (6)

 

IN (fashionable; much loved) + HUME (reference David HUME [1711 – 1776], Scottish philosopher)

 

INHUME (bury in the earth)

 

4

 

Helter-skelter straight on? A different fairground ride (5,5)

 

Anagram of (helter-skelter) STRAIGHT ON

GHOST TRAIN*

GHOST TRAIN (fairground ride)

 

5

 

Not top in examination? Gosh (4)

 

CHECK (examination) excluding (not) the first letter (top) C

 

HECK (gosh!)

 

6

 

Seek a lag that’s arranged more than one escape (8)

 

Anagram of (that’s arranged) SEEK A LAG

LEAKAGES*

LEAKAGES (more than one escape)

 

7

 

Old worker consuming principally saturated fat (5)

 

(O (old) + (BEE [worker] containing [consuming] S [first letter of {principally] SATURATED)

O BE (S) E

OBESE (abnormally fat)

 

8

 

What could be soaked in winter rainstorm? (7)

 

TERRAIN (hidden word in [in] WINTER RAINSTORM)

 

TERRAIN (ground, something that could be soaked in any kind of rainstorm of which a winter one is a good example)

 

13

 

Runner – first in pentathlon – top dog, kind of (10)

 

P (first letter of [first in] PENTATHLON) + ACE (top) + SETTER (breed of [kind of] dog)

 

PACESETTER (a runner who is at the front of the field, at least initially)

 

16

 

King and queen, say, having old-fashioned garment on (9)

 

DOUBLET (a close-fitting garment for the upper part of the body with hose, the typical masculine dress during the 14th to 17th centuries; old-fashioned garment) + ON

 

DOUBLETON (two cards of a suit in a hand, e.g. King and Queen)

 

17

 

Became paler when tide turned (8)

 

Anagram of (turned) WHEN TIDE

WHITENED*

WHITENED (became paler)

 

18

 

Nurse in shady area near hospital (7)

 

H (hospital) + ARBOUR (shady area)

 

HARBOUR (nurse)

 

20

 

Last character expelled from Cornish town as punishment (7)

 

PENZANCE (Cornish town) excluding (expelled from) Z (last character of the alphabet)

 

PENANCE (punishment)

 

21

 

Six brought before court: I’m the injured party (6)

 

VI (Roman numerals for six) + CT (court) + I’M

 

VICTIM (injured party)

 

23

 

60s rock group: most of band’s American (5)

 

CREW (band) excluding the final letter (most of) W + AM (American)

 

CREAM (1960s rock [super] group)

 

25

 

Up north, say, a town noted for it’s prunes (4)

 

(N [north] + EG [for example, say] + A) reversed (up; down clue)

(A GE N)<

AGEN (French town famous for its prunes)

 

9 comments on “Independent 8898 / Dac”

  1. Another very precisely clued puzzle. I thought there was a mistake in the clue for 10A until I realised that I was supposed to substitue “ye” for “you”. I didn’t know Agen, which is not surprising because I don’t like prunes. I had never heard of a “doubleton” either, but it’s a very reasonable word.

    I was surprised to see hitchhiker unhyphenated, and thought that it was unusual in having two aitches adjacent. However, a word search shows this is routine. Ranchhouse, fleshhooks and witchhazel are all 10-letter words with the double h in the same place as hitchhiker. Or Phtahhotpu, watchhound, coachhorse. Or Kirchhofer. Or… maybe it’s not so unusual after all!

    All praise to Dac and to duncanshiell. Thanks!

  2. Thanks, Duncan. I found this hard! Could just be me, but I struggled with DOUBLETON (I don’t do bridge and became obsessed with chess pieces), PACESETTER (I don’t do dogs) and SEMILLON (which is stupidity on my behalf, because I definitely do do wine).

    INHUME I did get early doors, mainly because it came up in a puzzle in Another Place recently and I learned that it is the opposite of EXHUME. GHOST TRAIN was excellent.

    Thanks to Dac.

  3. I managed most of it myself and finished with the aid of my favourite ‘helper’ ojohaven.
    My favourite clues were ‘ghost train’ and ‘romance’.
    NIce ones, Dac! Thanks to Duncan also for cheery and clear blog.

  4. Another excellent Dac puzzle IMHO. I’ve probably come across AGEN before but I’d forgotten it so I’m glad the wordplay was so helpful. PACESETTER was my LOI after ARMAGEDDON.

  6. As a member of the demographic for whom the Spice Girls are dangerously avant garde (I feel on much firmer ground with REBECCA) I still enjoyed this after finding things hard going for a start. Yes, PACESETTER was my LOI too, and DOUBLETON and AGEN were only solved by the helpful wordplay.

    Thanks to Duncan and to Dac for, as usual, giving me something to look forward to on Wednesday evening.

  7. Not too challenging, favourite was ARMAGEDDON. If I were a setter I’d try to forge a clue with six component parts to see if duncanshiell has another colour.

    Whichever “horse” was intended in 18A, “h” is also used in all horseracing guides to describe a horse – an entire of four years or over (c for colt, g for gelding, f for filly, m for mare, r for rig).

    16D For non-bridge players, doubleton is used only when the two (any two) cards are the only two held by the player in a suit – eg “I had doubleton KQ” means they are the only cards you held in the suit.

    Thanks to Dac and duncanshiell.

  8. Thanks Duncan.

    SEMILLON was our LOI which is, like Katgryn’s Dad somewhat surprising for us!

    Clear clueing as expected – thanks Dac.

  9. Semillon was cold solved for me even if I’ve never knowingly drunk it. Funny how it goes, a mild Dac after the morning guardian blog which stretched me a bit in places. Thanks Duncan for the blogging and Dac as ever for the superb surfaces and construction

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