Our regular (every other week, usually) Wednesday setter. The original puzzle is at https://puzzles.independent.co.uk/games/cryptic-crossword-independent/?puzzleDate=20260916.
Eccles often has some rather obscure entries, so perhaps I shouldn’t be too surprised at 21a and 14d, which I had to guess-and-check. A couple of rather loose anagram indicators too, but I think the intention is clear enough. Some amusing surfaces: the dodgy mate, the angry composer, and the worried landlord. I also liked the ambiguity of “scruffy beard hater”: someone who doesn’t like scruffy beards, or someone clean-shaven but otherwise untidy? Thanks Eccles as always.
Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
| ACROSS | ||
| 6 | PIN-UP |
Model youngster eating in (3-2)
|
| PUP (a young dog or seal = youngster) containing IN (from clue text).
Slang for an attractive person appearing in photos. |
||
| 9 | HELLO |
That man will start to organise welcome (5)
|
| HE’LL (that man will) + starting letter of O[rganise]. | ||
| 10 | LAYER |
Film legal professional losing weight (5)
|
| LA[w]YER (legal professional) without the W (abbreviation for weight).
Film = a thin layer on a surface, such as condensation on a window. |
||
| 11 | SLOWDOWNS |
Declines important information Nazi group has pinched (9)
|
| LOWDOWN (slang for important information, especially given by someone with inside knowledge), contained in (. . . has pinched) SS (abbreviation for Schutzstaffel = Nazi paramilitary organisation). | ||
| 12 | STEAM |
Dodgy mate’s in hot water (5)
|
| Anagram (dodgy) of MATE’S. | ||
| 13 | ROSEHIP |
Fruit with it revolted at first (7)
|
| HIP (with it = slang for fashionable), with ROSE (revolted = fought back against authority) coming first. | ||
| 15 | HEARTEN |
Boost and pick up most of football team (7)
|
| HEAR (pick up) + TEN (most of an 11-player football team). | ||
| 17 | PLAUDIT |
Approval in place before statement of account (7)
|
| PL (abbreviation for place, especially on street maps) before AUDIT (usually the process of checking accounts, but it can also mean the final checked and approved accounts). | ||
| 19 | NEPHRON |
Introduction from Nora Ephron that takes the piss (7)
|
| First letter (introduction) of N[ora] + EPHRON.
A structure within a kidney that filters blood and produces urine (piss). |
||
| 20 | BENGALI |
Language derived from English in Indonesian island (7)
|
| ENG (abbreviation for English) in BALI (Indonesian island). | ||
| 21 | ARRIAGE |
Union losing millions in old feudal system (7)
|
| [m]ARRIAGE (union) without the M (abbreviation for millions).
Historically, work carried out by tenants (usually with the help of working animals) for their feudal lord. |
||
| 23 | INDIE |
Type of music in decline (5)
|
| IN + DIE (to decline).
Music from bands associated with small independent record labels rather than the big corporations; or a general pop/rock music sound often produced by bands who work in this way. |
||
| 25 | STEERABLE |
In building for horses, always open to influence (9)
|
| E’ER (archaic or poetic form of “ever” = always) in STABLE (a building for horses). | ||
| 28 | ELGAR |
Composer left in furious state after review (5)
|
| L (abbreviation for left), inserted into RAGE (a furious state) reversed (after review). | ||
| 29 | FORTE |
Loud warning about Tesla (5)
|
| FORE (in golf, a shouted warning to spectators who may be about to get hit by a ball) around T (abbreviation for tesla, the scientific unit of magnetic flux density).
Musical term for loud (from the Italian word for strong). |
||
| 30 | NONES |
New jokes for 5th of November? (5)
|
| N (abbreviation for new) + ONES (one = joke, as in “have you heard the one about . . .?” – but this seems a bit loose).
Definition by example. In the ancient Roman calendar, Nones is one of the principal days in a month: the 5th day of some months (for example November) and the 7th day of others. It’s all a bit complicated (see Wikipedia if you really want to know) but I’m sure it made some sort of sense at the time. |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | THUS |
Shut up, therefore (4)
|
| Anagram (up?) of SHUT. | ||
| 2 | BLOODSTAIN |
Evidence of foul play from tabloids? No kidding! (10)
|
| Anagram (kidding?) of TABLOIDS NO. | ||
| 3 | DOODAH |
Thingummyjig had holes, 500, all around (6)
|
| HAD + O O (two holes) + D (Roman numeral for 500), all reversed (around).
Something for which you don’t know or can’t remember the name. |
||
| 4 | SLEW |
Lots killed (4)
|
| Double definition. “A slew of . . .” = a large number = lots; or the past tense of the verb “slay” = to kill. | ||
| 5 | MYASTHENIA |
I may bum around just like that time, getting muscle weakness (10)
|
| Anagram (bum = wrong or unpleasant, as in “a bum note”) of I MAY, around AS THEN (just like that time). | ||
| 6 | PRESTAMP |
Ratify in advance President Trump’s first meeting with a politician (8)
|
| PRES (abbreviation for president) + first letter of T[rump] + A (from clue text) + MP (Member of Parliament = politician).
I’d probably write this with a hyphen as pre-stamp (in the unlikely event of ever wanting to use the word), but hyphens seem to be going out of fashion. |
||
| 7 | NILE |
One moving between banks, somewhat penniless (4)
|
| Hidden answer (somewhat . . .) in [pen]NILE[ss].
A river, which flows between banks (and is often a “banker” in wordplay). |
||
| 8 | PERMANENCE |
Indestructibility of a neck hair on neck regularly ignored, note (10)
|
| PER (a, as in “once per day” = once a day) + MANE (neck hair on a horse) + alternate letters (regularly ignored) of N[e]C[k] + E (a note in the musical scale). | ||
| 13 | REPUBLICAN |
American right-winger concerning landlord (10)
|
| RE (concerning = on the subject of) + PUBLICAN (landlord = the manager of a drinking establishment). | ||
| 14 | PETRISSAGE |
Bit of excess gas, sir, turned up after favourite part of massage (10)
|
| First letter (a bit) of E[xcess] + GAS SIR, all reversed (turned up = upwards in a down clue), after PET (favourite, as in someone’s pet project).
A form of deep tissue massage. |
||
| 16 | THREADBARE |
Scruffy beard hater is agitated (10)
|
| Anagram (agitated) of BEARD HATER. | ||
| 18 | DIABETES |
After reflecting, made statement covering speculation on representative’s ultimate condition (8)
|
| SAID (made statement) reversed (after reflecting), containing (covering) BET (speculation = a wager) + last letter (ultimate) of [representativ]E.
A medical condition. |
||
| 22 | RAREFY |
Thin official entering shaft (6)
|
| REF (short for referee = official in a sports match) contained in RAY (shaft = sunlight passing through a narrow space).
To thin out, as in a rarefied atmosphere. |
||
| 24 | DOWN |
Blue drink (4)
|
| Double definition. Unhappy or depressed; or to swallow a drink quickly, especially as in “down in one”. | ||
| 26 | EARN |
Obtain Listener solution at last (4)
|
| EAR (what you use for listening) + last letter of [solutio]N.
To obtain by effort, as in “to earn a promotion”. |
||
| 27 | EDEN |
Garden weed endangered hosts (4)
|
| Hidden answer (. . . hosts = contains) in [we]ED EN[dangered].
Garden in the book of Genesis. |
wrt NONES, both Chambers and Collins specifically include ‘joke’ as a definition for ONE, both making that same reference to ‘the one about …’. So Eccles is on solid ground. FWIW, Chambers also includes ‘drink’ with reference to ‘a quick one’
The three unknowns to me (arriage, nones and petrissage) were so clearly clued that I can only be thankful to our setter for adding to my vocabulary.
As always from Eccles a superb puzzle.
Thanks all.
All the usual fun from Eccles, so thanks to him and to Quirister.
Today’s unknowns for me were ARRIAGE, MYASTHENIA and PETRISSAGE but all were readily derivable from the wordplay.
THUS
“Up” has been an anagrind in the sense of “amiss”.
Among those who dislike this anagrind, GDU tops the list.
BLOODSTAIN
“kidding” should be okay if “playing”, “hoaxed” and “teased”
are okay. No?
Enjoyed this, although had to research NONES, and ARRIAGE… I think I’ve spelt RAREFY with an I previously, but the official didn’t allow it… don’t get me started on anagrinds… over the years, I have compiled a short list of, what I considered, slightly bizarre(!) words, “bonking” and “casual” spring to mind, so, “up” is quite acceptable… of course, could just be me not recognising the actual anagrind…
Thanks Eccles and Quirister
Ps back in the day (1970s) I seem to recall “(anag.)”, at the end of a clue which left little doubt..
Thanks both. I’m actually not the biggest fan of new vocabulary, as I’d generally like to think I have enough….talking of which, NEPHRON struck me as lazy setting or a double-bluff given its simplicity, but I now see Nora did exist, and whilst that answer was science I didn’t know, STEAM was science I thought I did know, but my recollection is it wasn’t ‘hot water’ when I went to school, though I’ll let somebody more suited to a lab-coat decide if it’s near enough.
TFO @6. Water is the chemical compound H₂O. In its gaseous state it’s commonly called steam, particularly when it’s hot, so hot water is a pretty good definition.
Like other commenters here, I enjoyed Eccles today, limping through the new vocabulary and smiling at the surfaces.
Thanks all
Xmac@7 Thanks, though I was commenting on hot water being in the liquid state, whereas steam is in the gaseous state (AI appears to confirm ‘hot water’ is an inaccurate description of steam), not that the clue was misdirecting or difficult
People talk of ice as ‘frozen water’ and also talk of ‘liquid water’ so steam as ‘gaseous water’ doesn’t seem to be a stretch, at least to me. And it is hot.
….sorry to persist, but to the point of Hovis@9 I’d agree ice defined as ‘frozen water’ is undoubted, but would we get away with it defined as ‘cold water’? Also agree with ‘gaseous’ or ‘vaporised’ water for STEAM but the definition says ‘hot’, and my point remains around the change of state e.g. liquid to solid (ice), liquid to vapour (steam), Again, I was seeking to confirm the science, and suggesting the clue would probably be considered acceptable.
Technically, you get steam either if the temperature is hot enough OR the pressure is low enough, so I agree with the quibble. But at conditions naturally occurring on Earth’s surface, yes, steam is at least a little bit hot.
TFO @6: Nora Ephron was a very accomplished screenwriter, and later also a respected director. Most of her work is wonderful. Her best screenplay is probably When Harry Met Sally, although she worked in a wide range of styles that that one might not fully represent. But like you, even though I’ve heard of her, I hesitated for perhaps too long to put in NEPHRON, thinking “can it really be that simple?
TFO you’re overthinking it! Hot water needs to be interpreted whimsically (a gentle Cryotic Definition, if you will).
Nice puzzle, which went in rather more smoothly than your typical Eccles, for this solver. I did think that not just one but two huge surface lifts was a bit odd, and slightly detracted from an otherwise enjoyable ride. Fave was the concise SLEW.
Tx both