Re note below, thanks, Eimi, for confirming it is indeed nonsense and thats it’s a Indy début. I’ve a theory about that too, but after one failed flyer will confine myself to saying simply “bienvenue”.
I’ll take a total flyer at this, which I hope is not taken as an early sign of 1 across. Having finished the puzzle, which I found quite on the easy side (solving time, 20 mins), had a look at the grid and pseudonym, remembered a puzzle or two from the past. And then wondered if it was themed on martial arts (and in particular Bruce Lee) – a subject with which this blogger is very unfamiliar indeed. A Google or two reveals the DEMILE in the central column may have a Bruce Lee connection and the title could be a homophone for KATO (a Bruce Lee role apparently). So I’ll put my head above the parapet and suggest it might be setter Tees with a new name for the day to suit the theme, rather than an Indy debutant setter.
This may all be total nonsense and any enlightening info would be very much appreciated.
* = anagram
ACROSS
1 SENILE DEMENTIA (Aliens need time)*
10 ADULTERER (trade rule)*
11 TRAIT Hidden reversal.
12 Esoteric YE WAS H Nice change from those two trees you tend to see when this grid-friendly word is clued.
15 FR(O)G Federal Republic of Germany – that’s still the title in unified Germany now, but it tends to be used more, as signalled in the clue, for West Germany, when the country was divided (up to 1990).
18 OVERT A KING
20 CEDE “Seed”
22 DOES MY BUM LOOK BIG IN THIS Cryptic definition – seeing this early on was a big help.
23 A GAIN S T (first letters)
26 OBESE Ditto
27 GLISSANDO (sang O slid)*
28 ESTUARY ENGLISH (Erase unsightly)*
DOWN
2 ET (in Paris and) hUrDlE i.e. ETUDE
3 IN-TRAY Hidden
4 (L) EAR TH (QUA K)E
5 EZRA Pound (author) – also Old Testament Book
6 EAT INTO (Note tai)*
7 T (EACH) ABLE
8 AUTOSUGGESTION Presenter of TV programme re motoring.
9 C APE OF GOOD HOPE ‘scaled down on its own’ means ‘make it singular, not plural’ , I think.
14 PLAN Jacques TATI ON
16 OV (ERE) XERT (Vortex)*
19 TEMP ERA
21 DA (MS) EL (deal)*
22 N (ONE) S Church office
25 E.G. GenteellY
I’m lost as to why the theme might be Bruce Lee?
There were some nice clues in here, I liked the breakdowns of OVERTAKING and OVEREXERT. I didn’t like 22. I’m no fan of CDs but this one didn’t even seem like a CD. Surely more could have been made of this?
Hmm, sorry about that nmsindy. I read your preamble but seemed to skip an entire sentence—the crucial one!
It is indeed a débutante, rather than Tees in one of his disguises, to be pronounced as nmsindy suggests. There is no theme or Nina, as far as I can make out.
Thanks, eimi. Just spent some time googling and it does seem that James DeMile worked with Bruce Lee many years ago. It is just serendipity that he makes an appearance in “Kato”‘s first puzzle.
Thanks, Eimi, I’ve noted original blog – the person mentioned by Colin in 4 was what I found – not the first non-existent Nina I’ve spotted, there was one with Phi a while back.
Bum and dementia — welcome to the polite drawing-roon world of the Indy, Quaiteaux!
And better watch out for 10 across…
Nice wordplay + good surface readings + some very nice anagrams = a fine debut.
I enjoyed this one a lot. Welcome aboard Q.
Welcome Q, and thanks for a great debut.
The confusion may not have been helped by a certain kung-fu flavoured submission to the Indy, which contained some loose brie.
I enjoyed this very much. (Like NMS, I did wonder for a while if it was Tees in disguise.)
Surely more to this?
I could see nms’s point (a coincidence?)
DeMile was Bruce Lee(Kato in the “Green Hornet”)’s mentor; started 1959 (an anniversary?)
And as for Tees’s comments: Loose Brie?
OK. Maybe a conspiracy theory gone too far (just like the Bruce Lee ones).
IanN14
“And as for Tees’s comments: Loose Brie?”
Think of a Spoonerism.
Oh, yes.
Congratulations Quaiteaux, a nice start. I liked 9 down, as well as those mentioned above.
sale and england rugby player marc cueto moonlighting?
Might we not also consider the great Burt Kwouk? Another wild guess …
Email just in from 15/2 admin suggests I ought to clear this one up: Burt Kwouk played Cato in the Pink Panther series of films.
Sounds a bit like Quaiteaux? No? Sorry.