Hoskins fills the Wednesday slot in the Independent, in the week we learn that the series itself is likely to end at the end of October
If October 31st is the last day, the series will just have broken the 12,500 barrier. I shall certainly miss blogging the puzzles and hope that we can generate a change of heart within the Independent’s management. Like many others, I would be happy to pay a subscription to keep the series running.
Hoskins maintains his trademark sauciness in a few clues today, which adds to the fun of solving his puzzles.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 | Bespoke old wine served with rump (8)
TAILORED (designed to the client’s measurements; bespoke) TAIL (rump) + O (old) + RED (wine) TAIL O RED |
| 5 | A way to catch Becker primarily out in The Open? (6)
ABROAD (out of doors; out in the open) (A + ROAD [way]) containing (to catch) B (first letter of [primarily] Becker) A (B) ROAD |
| 10 | End of labour? Finally the iron is put down! (7)
REPRESS (put down) R (last letter of [end of] labouR) + E (last letter of [finally] thE) + PRESS (iron) R E PRESS |
| 11 | Insensitive member so set on revolution (4,3)
DEAD LEG (temporary loss of sensation [DEAD] in the LEG [member]) DEAD (as an adverb, DEAD is an intensifier [so], as in DEAD easy; DEAD on etc) + GEL (congeal; set) reversed (on revolution) DEAD LEG< |
| 12 | Copper slapped about puritan? Time to act! (7-2)
CURTAIN UP (the last action before the play begins; time to act) CU (chemical symbol for copper) + an anagram of (slapped about) PURITAN CU RTAIN UP* |
| 13 | Get out of work, having to take part in strike (3,2)
HOP IT (go away!; get out!) OP (OPus; work) contained in (having to take part in) HIT (strike) H (OP) IT |
| 15 | Leaders of Accord left incensed by inane excuse (5)
ALIBI (excuse) ALIBI (first letters [leaders of] each of Accord, Left, Incensed, By and Inane) A L I B I |
| 16 | Petitioning for quiet at the front (8)
PLEADING (petitioning) P (piano; quiet) + LEADING (at the front) P LEADING |
| 19 | Without energy, masseur massaged hands and feet, say (8)
MEASURES (a hand is a MEASURE of the height of a horse, a foot is a general MEASURE of length) Anagram of (massaged) MASSEUR containing (without [outside]) E (energy) MEASUR (E) S* |
| 20 | A manuscript written on old sets of questions (5)
EXAMS (sets of questions) EX– (former, old) + A + MS (manuscript) EX A MS |
| 21 | Masculine set making a bit of unrest (5)
BUTCH (aggressively masculine) BaTCH (set) with A replaced by [making] U (first letter of [bit of] Unrest to form BUTCH BUTCH |
| 23 | I’ve an idea cooking with a wok takes nitrogen (1,4,4)
I KNOW WHAT (I have an idea) Anagram of (cooking) WITH A WOK containing (takes) N (chemical symbol for nitrogen) I K (N) OW WHAT* |
| 25 | Bent at an angle? (7)
LEANING (tendency; fondness; bent) LEANING (at an angle) double definition LEANING |
| 27 | Sexy European Spooner said is a hazard in a way (7)
POTHOLE (hazard in a road or way) Revered Spooner would pronounce POTHOLE as HOT (sexy) POLE (a European) POTHOLE |
| 28 | Bag of nuts drunk earl opened by the King (6)
SCROTE (scrotum, sac [bag] storing the testicles [nuts being slang for testicles]) (SOT [a drunk] + E [earl]) containing (opened by) CR (Charles Rex; King Charles, the current UK monarch) S (CR) OT E |
| 29 | City put out close to whistle in game (8)
LACROSSE (a team sport or game) LA (Los Angeles; a city) + CROSS (annoyed; put out) + E (last letter of [close to] whistlE) LA CROSS E |
| Down | |
| 1 | Deserter company found in resort by Bath’s centre (8)
TURNCOAT (a renegade to one’s principles or party; deserter) CO (company) contained in (found in) (TURN [have recourse; resort] + AT [middle two letters of [centre] bATh) TURN (CO) AT |
| 2 | Enter with pint and I’m getting rowdy and cheeky (11)
IMPERTINENT (cheeky) Anagram of (getting rowdy) ENTER and PINT and I’M IMPERTINENT* |
| 3 | Old jerks ringing a theatre about performances (9)
OPERATICS (histrionics; performances) (O [old] + TICS [jerks]) containing (ringing) (A + REP [REPertory theatre]) reversed (about) O (PER A)< TICS |
| 4 | Foreign city duchesse nightly goes around (5)
ESSEN (city in Germany; foreign city) ESSEN (hidden word in [goes around] duchESSE Nightly) ESSEN |
| 6 | Party embracing Republican like Trump? (5)
BRASH (a term that could be used to describe Donald Trump) BASH (party) containing (embracing) R (Republican) B (R) ASH |
| 7 | Perhaps crude and dirty, but not salacious ultimately (3)
OIL (reference crude OIL) sOIL (dirty) excluding (but not) S (last letter of [ultimately] salaciouS) OIL |
| 8 | Mostly stupid dirty dog or little piggy? (5)
DIGIT (the little toe [piggy is a child’s name for the little toe] is a DIGIT) DIm (stupid) excluding the final letter (mostly) M + GIT (contemptible person; dirty dog) DI GIT |
| 9 | We assume star with dope needs treatment (8)
ADOPTERS (people who take in or assume; we assume) Anagram of (needs treatment) STAR and DOPE ADOPTERS* |
| 14 | Len involved with hot pants contests (11)
PENTATHLONS (sporting contests) Anagram of (involved) LEN and HOT PANTS PENTATHLONS* |
| 16 | Item you might see during Breakfast Time (8)
PORRIDGE (a food item that you might see at breakfast) PORRIDGE (slang term for a jail sentence; time is also a term for a jail sentence) double definition PORRIDGE |
| 17 | Rich chap bringing drinks avoids one in serious trouble (4,5)
DEEP WATER (if you are in DEEP WATER, you are said to be in a tricky position; in serious trouble) DEEP (rich, especially when describing colour) + WAiTER (someone who may bring drinks you have ordered) excluding (avoids) I (Roman numeral for one) DEEP WATER |
| 18 | In a way, like sex in which husband leaves (2,2,4)
AS IT WERE (in a kind of way) AS (like) + IT (sex) + WhERE (in which) excluding (leaves) H (husband) AS IT WERE |
| 21 | Band with foremost of soul hits (5)
BELTS (hits) BELT (band) + S (initial letter of [foremost of] Soul) BELT S |
| 22 | Job in hotel first filled by European (5)
HEIST (robbery; job) (H [Hotel is the international radio communication code for the letter H] + IST [first]) containing (filled by) E (European) H (E) IST |
| 24 | Sleep for a bit with secretary in leather (5)
NAPPA (a soft leather) NAP (sleep for a bit) + PA (personal assistant; secretary) NAP PA |
| 26 | Wind and indigestion ruined starters (3)
AIR (breeze; wind) AIR (first letter of [starters] of each of And, Indigestion and Ruined) A I R |
What a shame that the Independent is going to stop publishing crosswords in October. I hope that Hoskins and Eccles, who are two of my favourite setters, pop up somewhere else.
Today’s puzzle was typical Hoskins- great fun and a bit spicy as usual. Many thanks to him and to Duncan.