Independent 12,451 by Bluejacket

Bluejacket provides the cruciverbial challenge today.

Thankfully not too much of a challenge. There were a couple that needed checking although the answers were clearly clued. We had never come across YOGH (4d) or GYM RAT (3d) before.

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS

8. Dog-sit for Spooner and give too many treats? (11)

MOLLYCODDLE

A Spoonerism of COLLIE (dog) MODEL (sit)

10. Colour of uniform that man adopts (3)

HUE

U (uniform) inside (‘adopted by’) HE (that man)

11. Other ranks visibly embarrassed about group of knights (5)

ORDER

OR (other ranks) + a reversal (‘about’) of RED (visibly embarrassed)

12. One often inflexible doctor reversing course to plug new inhaler (9)

HARDLINER

A reversal (‘reversed course’) of DR (doctor) inside (‘plugging’) an anagram (‘new’) of INHALER

13. Electrician finally wiring to ground – disaster narrowly avoided (4,5)

NEAR THING

N (last of ‘final’ letter in electrician) EARTHING (wiring to ground)

16. Manifest completed before time (5)

OVERT

OVER (completed) T (time)

17. Increasingly rush through half-forgotten speeches at party (5,2)

SPEED UP

SPEE~~ches~~ (missing half or ‘half forgotten’) DUP (‘party’ – Democratic Unionist Party)

19. Merseyside town, origin of grisly pirate (7)

BOOTLEG

BOOTLE (Merseyside town) G (first letter or ‘origin’ of grisly)

21. Wrong answer written by teacher (5)

AMISS

A (answer) MISS (teacher)

22. Become suspicious of cryptic master holding everything back (5,1,3)

SMELL A RAT

An anagram (‘cryptic’) of MASTER around (‘holding’) ALL (everything) reversed (‘back’)

24. Round of game after pawn’s lost by Charlie (9)

CARTRIDGE

pARTRIDGE (game) without (‘lost’) ‘p’ (pawn) after (‘by’) C (Charlie – in the phonetic alphabet)

26. Lower visibility of marshland traps leader of expeditionary force (5)

BEFOG

BOG (marshland) around (‘trapping’) E (first letter or ‘leader’ of expeditionary) F force)

28. Drunkard takes Coke product half-heartedly (3)

SOT

SoOT (product of coke) missing one of the middle two letters (‘half-heartedly’)

29. Commonwealth citizen accommodated in urban glade’s high-rise (11)

BANGLADESHI

Hidden (‘accommodated’) in urBAN GLADE’S HIgh rise

DOWN

1. Seizes one million quid (8)

IMPOUNDS

I (one) M (million) POUNDS (quid)

2. Policeman‘s tips for potential overdose (4)

PLOD

First and last letters (‘tips’) of P~~otentia~~L + OD (overdose)

3. Athletic person climbing in tight army gear (3,3)

GYM RAT

Hidden (‘in’) and reversed (‘climbing’) in tighT ARMY Gear – a new phrase for us

4. Chaucerian character in Canterbury who sang Hallelujah, ultimately (4)

YOGH

Last (‘ultimate’) letters in CanterburY whO sanG hallelujaH – a letter from Middle English

5. Flush is source of water agitation (4-2-2)

WELL-TO-DO

WELL (source of water) TO-DO (agitation)

6. Risk regressive revolution as German leader (10)

CHANCELLOR

CHANCE (risk) + a reversal (‘regressive’) of ROLL (revolution)

7. Studied Shakespearean role at National Theatre (6)

LEARNT

LEAR (Shakespearean role) NT (National Theatre)

9. Airship left large current, free to go north then east (9)

DIRIGIBLE

A reversal (‘going north’) of L (left) BIG (large) I (current) RID (free) + E (east)

14. E-mail edited to speechify better (10)

AMELIORATE

An anagram (‘edited’) of E MAIL + ORATE (to speechify)

15. Put out sea-god’s declaration exiling setter (7,2)

IMPOSED ON

I’M POSEiDON (sea god’s declaration) missing (‘exiling’) I (setter)

18. Give an account of Chester river, including top of stony bed (8)

DESCRIBE

DEE (Chester river) around (‘including’) S (first letter or ‘top’ of stony) and CRIB (bed)

20. Calm down, perhaps uplifted by signature expression of condolences (3,1,4)

GET A GRIP

A reversal (‘uplifted’) of EG (perhaps) + TAG (signature) RIP (expression of condolences)

21. Admission in court’s beginning to crack criminal cases (6)

ACCESS

C (first letter or ‘beginning’ of court) inside (‘cracking’) an anagram (‘criminal’) of CASES

23. Swimming pool inspires non-heterosexual desire (6)

LIBIDO

LIDO (swimming pool) around (‘inspiring’) BI (non-heterosexual)

25. Beautiful women not covered in fashion magazine (4)

ELLE

bELLEs (beautiful women) missing first and last letters (‘not covered’)

27. Rapid foxtrot by topless performers (4)

FAST

F (foxtrot in the phonetic alphabet) cAST (performers) missing first letter (‘topless’)

2 comments on “Independent 12,451 by Bluejacket”

Stamp

#1 - Thu 3rd Sep 26, 09:43

Elegantly put together. YOGH unknown to me as well but clearly clued. A smile for MOLLYCODDLE, a laugh at WELL-TO-DO and a gasp of admiration at the deletion spot in IMPOSED ON.

Thanks both
Petert

#2 - Thu 3rd Sep 26, 10:25

Yes I’m Poseidon was inspired. DIRIGIBLE nicely assembled and the YOGH very clearly clued.

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2 comments on “Independent 12,451 by Bluejacket”

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