Nepeta starts the puzzling week.
Here’s a new setter to me and, I believe, to the Independent. A quick search of the 225 archives suggests this is indeed their first outing, so welcome Nepeta and congratulations on a very solid debut.
It’s always interesting to tackle a new setter, as you can have no preconceptions about their cluing style, which can be quite a test for a solver. That said, I don’t think there was anything too tricky here, as one would expect from a Monday puzzle. That doesn’t mean there wasn’t plenty to enjoy, though, with some very smoothly worked surfaces throughout.
I especially liked the European wanting a new beginning (something many of us can relate to, I’m sure), the raunchy naked threesome for RIBALD, Jack Nicklaus’s slice and the alarming mental picture conjured by the clue for ANALGESIC. But for my top favourite I’m going for “Republican in denial about Atlantic territory”. A very tidy clue indeed. Who on earth could Nepeta have been alluding to? Thanks to them for a very pleasant morning workout.
Moh’s cruciverbal hardnesss scale rating: Gypsum
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | MUESLI |
Almost complete abstainer from pork eating English breakfast (6)
|
| MUSLI[m] (abstainer from pork, almost complete) around (eating) E (English) | ||
| 5 | COACHMAN |
Teach chap to be a driver (8)
|
| COACH + MAN | ||
| 9 | HUNTRESS |
Doctor turns – he’s pursuing woman (8)
|
| Anagram (doctor) of TURNS HES | ||
| 10 | STREAM |
Brook starts to take risks, tucking into bowling (6)
|
| First letters of Take Risks inside SEAM (seam bowling in cricket) | ||
| 11 | PLANTATION |
Criticise rubbish newspaper working to secure closure of council estate (10)
|
| PAN (criticise) + TAT (rubbish) + I (the newspaper formerly known simply as i, now renamed The i Paper) + ON (working) around (to secure) L (final letter – closure – of council) | ||
| 12 | ARGO |
Ship‘s freight not constant (4)
|
| [c]ARGO (freight minus C) | ||
| 13 | OFFENDER |
Fate accepted by tender criminal (8)
|
| END (fate) inside (accepted by) OFFER | ||
| 16 | LATEST |
Final article in Paris Match (6)
|
| LA (definite article in French, so article in Paris) + TEST (test match) | ||
| 17 | FORCES |
Makes for church with son (6)
|
| FOR (from surface) + CE (Church of England) + S | ||
| 19 | TAP DANCE |
Exclamation by magician hiding penny and nickel alternately in rapid performance (3,5)
|
| TA-DA (exclamation by magician) around (hiding) P + alternate letters of N[i]C[k]E[l] | ||
| 21 | GERM |
European wanting a new beginning (4)
|
| GERM[an] minus A N (a new) | ||
| 22 | IMPLEMENTS |
Carries out topless constituents backing independent politician (10)
|
| [e]LEMENTS (topless constituents) after (backing) I + MP | ||
| 25 | RIBALD |
Raunchy trio stripped naked (6)
|
| [t]RI[o] (trio stripped) + BALD (naked) | ||
| 26 | OMISSION |
Something lacking from introduction to overseas job (8)
|
| O (introduction to Overseas) + MISSION | ||
| 27 | EGGSHELL |
Lightweight packaging for swift delivery? (8)
|
| Cryptic definition, swift here referring to the bird | ||
| 28 | GADGET |
Government to receive inspiring promotion for appliance (6)
|
| G (government) + GET (receive) around (inspiring) AD (promotion) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | USUAL |
Slice from Nicklaus unexpectedly returning par (5)
|
| Hidden (slice from) reversal (returning) in nickLAUS Unexpectedly | ||
| 3 | SATIN |
Posed wearing shiny fabric (5)
|
| SAT (posed, as in sat for a portrait) + IN (wearing) | ||
| 4 | IRELAND |
Republican in denial about Atlantic territory (7)
|
| R inside an anagram (about) of DENIAL | ||
| 5 | CASHIER |
Sack race reorganised to protect stunted bone (7)
|
| Anagram (reorganised) of RACE around (to protect) SHI[n] (stunted bone) | ||
| 6 | ARSENAL |
Side roads backed up after abattoir evacuated (7)
|
| Reversal (backed up) of LANES after A[bbatoi]R (evacuated) | ||
| 7 | HERBAL TEA |
Hear table’s prepared for a drink (6,3)
|
| Anagram (is prepared) of HEAR TABLE | ||
| 8 | ANALGESIC |
Something for pain in bottom, for example, pushed up like this (9)
|
| ANAL (in bottom) + reversal (pushed up) of EG (for example) + SIC (like this) | ||
| 14 | FLOWERING |
10-4, good buddy? (9)
|
| FLOW (from 10ac STREAM) + ERIN (from 4dn IRELAND) + G. A flowering plant may perhaps be said to be buddy. | ||
| 15 | ENCOMPASS |
Cover corrupt cops’ names (9)
|
| Anagram (corrupt) of COPS NAMES | ||
| 18 | SWINDLE |
Cheat manipulated sled to bag victory (7)
|
| Anagram (manipulated) of SLED around (to bag) WIN | ||
| 19 | TOPSOIL |
Organic coating beats fossil fuel (7)
|
| TOPS + OIL | ||
| 20 | PEEKING |
Looking to go over monarch’s head? (7)
|
| PEE (to go) above KING (monarch’s head – though why ‘head’ is needed is unclear to me, other than to improve the surface reading. Monarchy’s head might perhaps have worked better) | ||
| 23 | EASED |
Annoyed, not starting to get relaxed (5)
|
| [t]EASED (annoyed not starting) | ||
| 24 | TROVE |
Some treasure time to wander (5)
|
| T + ROVE |
Welcome, Nepeta, and on this performance, don’t be a stranger.
Quite solver-friendly, and great fun. I particularly enjoyed 27(ac), for its novel approach to the EGGSHELL trope.
Frankly, it’s all super stuff, best in show, for me – FLOWERING, 14(d): economic, smooth and crafty.
A great start to a Monday, hats off, N & moh
I think moh and E.N.Boll& have covered everything I was going to say. FLOWERING also my pick and EGGSHELL a rare example, imo, of a good cryptic definition clue. Look forward to more from this setter.
Congratulations on the debut, Nepeta. This is a setter I have encountered elsewhere so I am not surprised at the tight surfaces. All very nice. Another tick for FLOWERING here with MUESLI and IRELAND making up the rest of the podium.
Thanks both
My faves: RIBALD, EGGSHELL, ANALGESIC, FLOWERING and TAP DANCE.
PEEKING
Agree with the blogger’s observation. That said, I have seen many down clues
like this: A on top of B, A standing on B, A resting on the head of B etc.,
Thanks Nepeta and moh.
Started off thinking 10 4 as in something you hear on The Bill, but then twigged plant-buddy (like octopus army).
Nice puzzle Nepeta and welcome, and thanks moh.
Nice start to the week… I saw 20d as PEE(K)ING, altho I first had PEE(R)ING, thinking “to go” could be
the gerund here…
Thanks Nepeta and MOH
Worth it for the penny drop moment of 14d alone!
Took ages to get on the wavelength of our new setter but the puzzle did yield slowly with everything solved and parsed.
An excellent start to the Indy solving week.
Thanks all.
Whilst FLOWERING is, quite rightly, getting universal applause, I belatedly cottoned-on that NEPETAs, ( Spring’s lavender-blue flowers), are indeed just showing their lovely sharp heads. Coincidence? I don’t believe in them!
Yes, a definite spring-like feel with GERM, FLOWERING, TOPSOIL, and the swifts hatching. A nice puzzle. Thanks to setter and blogger.
E.N.Boll& @8 – Pure coincidence. The name was inspired by my other pseudonym of Catnip.
Hovis @2 – I share your feelings on CDs. I use them very rarely these days, because they’re so unforgiving if something doesn’t quite land. So I’m glad this hit the spot.
Thank you everyone for the warm welcome. I hope this will prove to be the first of many.
Thanks for dropping by, Nepeta @10, much appreciated. Having read through the comments just now, I realise I myself forgot to single out the excellent clue for FLOWERING in the blog, which I’d meant to do. So, add another to the plaudits for that one. Thanks again Nepeta, we shall look forward to seeing more of you.
Welcome Nepeta. I particularly enjoyed FLOWERING and EGGSHELL.
So, CATNIP, you fell into my trap and carelessly revealed your alter-ego. Now, we shall dance with devil!
Or I could’ve just asked PostMark.
Ta-Da!
Ian b
PS did I mention? great puzzle
@13: !
Strong debut from Nepeta.
Agree with others with FLOWERING being my pick.
Thought this was very solver friendly until I hit the SW quadrant.
Thanks MOH and Nepeta. Look forward to the next one.
I too got stuck on the bottom left. Mind went completely blank for 21ac.
I associate 10-4 with fifties US cop show, probably the first TV show I remember watching.
Just got round to doing this, much enjoyed, particularly the reference to the immortal hit Convoy by CW McCall in 14D….ten-four good buddy mercy’s sakes alive look like we got us a convoy.
Marvellous.