Tack appears a few times a year in the Independent, but hasn’t landed in my blogging rota slot until now. The original puzzle is at https://puzzles.independent.co.uk/games/cryptic-crossword-independent/?puzzleDate=20260910.
I found this a bit tricky, especially with an unfriendly grid in which there’s only one connection into each corner. There are a few obscure definitions, particularly 14a (though I did like the amusing and clear wordplay here), and in 18a I felt the wordplay was a bit too similar to the definition. On the plus side, I liked the “bendy pens” and the fishy misdirection for “chippy”. Favourite is probably the very neat 5a, where I took ages to see the definition. (Note to self: remember that a two-letter word at the start of a clue might well be a chemical element.) Thanks Tack for a fun challenge.
Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | DOORPOST |
One stands by swinger cross over something seen on X (8)
|
| ROOD (cross = crucifix), reversed (over), then POST (a message on X or a similar online platform).
A vertical post next to a (swinging) door. |
||
| 5 | HELIUM |
He‘s “Hot Priest”? I’m not so sure (6)
|
| H (abbreviation for hot) + ELI (Old Testament priest) + UM (sound indicating uncertainty or hesitation = I’m not so sure). For the surface, “Hot Priest” is a character in the TV series Fleabag.
He = chemical symbol for helium. |
||
| 9 | GRANULAR |
Gritty queen and spare king finally moving forward (8)
|
| R (abbreviation for Latin Regina = Queen, as in the late Elizabeth R) + ANGULAR (spare = thin and bony), with the G, which is the last letter of [kin]G, moving to the front. | ||
| 10 | CASSIS |
Erica’s sister nurses fruit drink (6)
|
| Hidden answer (. . . nurses, as a verb = holds) in [eri]CAS SIS[ter].
Blackcurrant liqueur or blackcurrant syrup. |
||
| 11 | A BIT MUCH |
Hard to tolerate rather dirty husband squeezing out KY (1,3,4)
|
| A BIT MUC[ky] (rather dirty) + H (abbreviation for husband), without KY.
A bit much = slang for beyond the limits of acceptability. |
||
| 12 | BEIRUT |
Capital tour ruined by regularly being knocked back (6)
|
| Alternate letters (regularly) of T[o]U[r] R[u]I[n]E[d] B[y], reversed (being knocked back).
Capital city of Lebanon. |
||
| 14 | MISSEL TREE |
Large plant third son leaves film studio’s beauty queen? (6,4)
|
| MISS EL[s]TREE might fancifully be a beauty queen associated with a group of film studios in Hertfordshire; we need to remove the third S (abbreviation for son).
Chambers says it’s a South American tree. I hadn’t heard of it, and neither had Wikipedia or the online Collins. |
||
| 18 | AS PER USUAL |
Like a drink just like always? (2,3,5)
|
| AS (like = in a similar way) + PER (as in once per day = once a day) + USUAL (the usual = someone’s customary drink). | ||
| 22 | HANG ON |
Listen very carefully to Remain (4,2)
|
| Double definition. To hang on someone’s every word = to pay attention to everything they say; or hang on = stay longer than might be expected = remain. | ||
| 23 | PASADENA |
City pad Sean organised close to LA (8)
|
| Anagram (organised) of PAD SEAN + last letter (close) of [l]A.
City in California, which is indeed very close to Los Angeles. (There are other places called Pasadena elsewhere in the US, but this is probably the best known.) |
||
| 24 | RENOIR |
Where one might find better Irish impressionist (6)
|
| RENO (city in Nevada known for its casinos, so people interested in betting might well go there) + IR (abbreviation for Irish).
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, French Impressionist painter. |
||
| 25 | DIALOGUE |
Europeans try laid back conversation (8)
|
| EU (abbreviation for European Union) + GO (try = an attempt, as in “have a go”) + LAID (from clue text), all reversed (back). | ||
| 26 | ENSIGN |
Tennis big guns periodically flag (6)
|
| Alternate letters (periodically) from [t]E[n]N[i]S [b]I[g] G[u]N[s].
A flag flown on a ship to indicate its nationality. |
||
| 27 | INFANTRY |
Abrupt Iberian princess readily discharged soldiers (8)
|
| INFANT[a] (Spanish and Portuguese title for a daughter of the reigning monarch = Iberian princess), without the last letter (abrupt), then R[eadil]Y (discharged = emptied out = inner letters removed).
Soldiers on foot, as distinct from cavalry who fight on horseback. |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | DOG-EAR |
Turn back and take drugs (3-3)
|
| GEAR = slang for illegal drugs; someone who takes them might be said to DO coke, heroin etc. I’m not sure that DO GEAR really makes sense in this context, but I’m definitely not an expert on the topic.
Dog-ear = to fold over the corner of a page in a book. |
||
| 2 | OKAPIS |
American power is supporting fine residents of DRC (6)
|
| A (abbreviation for American) + P (abbreviation for power) + IS (from clue text), after (below, in a down clue = supporting) OK (fine = acceptable).
Animals native to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in central Africa. |
||
| 3 | PLUMMY |
First-class setter’s rich! (6)
|
| PLUM (first-class = excellent, as in “a plum job” = a very desirable one) + MY (belonging to the setter of this crossword).
A plummy voice is a rich, deep voice; or it can be a disparaging term for one that sounds upper-class. It’s all a matter of context. |
||
| 4 | STARCHIEST |
Most prim actress hit drunk (10)
|
| Anagram (drunk) of ACTRESS HIT. | ||
| 6 | ELATEDLY |
Bishop departs behind schedule in a joyful manner (8)
|
| [b]ELATEDLY (behind schedule) without the B (abbreviation for bishop). | ||
| 7 | INSURERS |
Those covering popular and confident Republican succeeded (8)
|
| IN (popular = fashionable) + SURE (confident) + R (abbreviation for Republican) + S (abbreviation for succeeded, for example in lists of monarchs).
Cover = to provide insurance for a specified risk. |
||
| 8 | MUSETTES |
Dances with character like M on film locations back to back (8)
|
| MU (a Greek character equivalent to the letter M) + SET (a film location) + another SET reversed (back to back).
Musette = a French baroque dance style, or music associated with it. |
||
| 13 | ESCALATION |
Build-up of lactose in athlete’s initial runs (10)
|
| Anagram (. . . runs, as a verb = flows as a liquid) of LACTOSE IN + initial letter of A[thlete]. | ||
| 15 | SAWHORSE |
One helps the chippy wash cod or skate’s wings (8)
|
| Anagram (cod = slang for fake or nonsense) of WASH, then OR (from clue text) + outer letters (wings) of S[kat]E.
Chippy = slang for a carpenter; sawhorse = a frame to hold wood while sawing it into pieces. |
||
| 16 | OPENINGS |
Bendy pens go in holes (8)
|
| Anagram (bendy) of PENS GO IN. | ||
| 17 | GROOMING |
First to grab opportunity in golf cleaning up (8)
|
| First letter of G[rab] + ROOM (opportunity, as in “room to move”) + IN (from clue text) + G (Golf in the radio alphabet). | ||
| 19 | DAHLIA |
One’s blooming trouble had returned (6)
|
| AIL (trouble) + HAD (from clue text), all reversed (returned).
A flowering plant = something that blooms. |
||
| 20 | HEIGHT |
Elevated position where one of four rooks sits (6)
|
| In chess notation, the squares on the board are identified as files (columns) a-h and ranks (rows) 1-8. The four rooks start in the four corners of the board: one of these is h8, or H EIGHT. | ||
| 21 | JAPERY |
Judge Judy ultimately accepts mimic runs pranks (6)
|
| J (abbreviation for judge) + last letter (ultimately) of [jud]Y, containing (accepting) APE (as a verb = mimic = imitate) + R (abbreviation for runs, in cricket scoring). For the surface, Judge Judy is a US reality TV show that deals with small-claims court cases. |
14a obscure, I agree. Not only have I not heard of the tree, neither have I heard of Miss Elstree. I know it will be a UK actress but I cant be bothered to look her up on Google. Joan? Otherwise fine. A few offbeat anagrinds – cod, bendy and runs and a couple of nice hidden clues. Liked GRANULAR and HELIUM which also took me some time to spot. Thanks.
Sofamore. Miss Elstree is just whimsical. A beauty queen from Elmstree film studios. I agree on the obscurity.
Hmm, mixed bag, with a couple of nhos — the tree and the dance — and a slightly, er, tacky subtext to 11ac. Nothing serious tho, enjoyed it, ta Tack and Quirister.
Urghh. Another toughie – two in a row. Managed to fill in LHS but needed mucho help elsewhere. Pleased to decode (then check) MUSETTES and favourite was SAWBRIDGE.
Thanks both
Thanks both. Tough once more, but only in parts, and an even contest particularly compared to yesterday’s solver-unfriendly experience. Needed help with PLUMMY having become obsessed with creamy whilst realising there was unjustified double-duty for the construction cream + my. HEIGHT went in but unparsed as I’d read rooks as rocks, but only about 6 times.
Having never heard of either the film studio or the tree, I was unsure if I needed a MISSEL tree or a MISSAL one. And it was obscure enough that Google was no help. Unfair!
In general, I found this crossword A BIT MUCH; I struggled quite a bit in several places, notably the upper left. But there was still a lot to enjoy, and quite a bit of cleverness. Favorite was HELIUM. Thanks to Tack for the workout.
Thanks Tack. Though this was more approachable than yesterday’s Nimrod there was still quite a bit to tax my brain. I missed a couple and couldn’t parse a few more but I kept at it because of clues like HELIUM, A BIT MUCH, RENOIR, DIALOGUE, SAWHORSE, and DAHLIA. Thanks Quirister for the blog.
So, er, can we… retire this grid? Permanently? For everyone? I want to do one big puzzle, not four smaller ones. Combined with clues that were plenty tricky enough, I found this crossword much more annoying than the Nimrod, even if it was easier.
Thanks to Tack for the clues, if not for their setting (HEIGHT a favourite); and to Quirister for the blog.
DNF by rather a lot. Tricky; only solved one in the NW corner. Was pleased with getting 14a – never heard of the tree but Elstree did spring to mind.