Independent 6837/Phi
Posted by neildubya on September 19th, 2008
I wonder if Phi was deliberately targeting the Saturday puzzle by including words and phrases like 11,12,17a and 6d?
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 6 | STO(I)C[-k] |
| 9 | SLOP,E – I did wonder at first whether “movement of water” was “flow” but I couldn’t do much with that. I have to admit that I don’t think I would ever have considered SLOP but it’s a reasonable enough definition. |
| 11 | (REASSERT A NATION)* – SAORSTAT EIREANN. From the definition I guessed that the second word could well be EIREANN but didn’t know what the first word might be. Googling EIREANN didn’t really help so I had to wait for all the checking letters and then try out all the possible combos. Apparently it’s Gaelic for “Irish Free State”. |
| 12 | RE(B)BE[-l] – guessed this from the wordplay and on the basis that it might have been another word for “rabbi” (which indeed it is). |
| 14 | K,ER,CHIEFS |
| 15 | WHISK,AMY<,C – a WHISKY MAC is a drink made with whisky (oddly enough) and ginger wine. |
| 16 | hidden reversed in “secRET ACtivity”. |
| 17 | (YOU CAN H)* – a CHANOYU is a Japanese tea ceremony. |
| 18 | AI(R)M,AN |
| 20 | (INTENSE DAYLIGHT)* – DENTAL HYGIENIST. |
| 21 | AID<,NO G<,ALLY – DIAGONALLY. |
| 22 | H[-ast]Y P[-hot]O |
| Down | |
| 1 | LAST,WARTS (going up) |
| 2 | F(ROD)O – a character in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. |
| 3 | BEEFS,TEAK TO(MAT)O |
| 4 | A CRIC[-k] (going up) |
| 5 | (MY CRIMES T)* – SYMMETRIC |
| 6 | (HIS RUM G)* – SIMURGH is a modern Persian name for a fabulous flying creature. I didn’t know this so again I had to wait for crossing letters and then Google the combinations. |
| 8 | SA in (CARTOONS)* – COSA NOSTRA. “It” is Sex Appeal or SA – quite how that become a well-known abbreviation I’ll never know. |
| 14 | CH in (MAKE UP)*,A – KAMPUCHEA is now known as Cambodia. |
| 17 | CEDED – sounds like “seeded”. |
| 18 | ANGE[L for R] |
| 19 | OTTO – an indirect hidden clue I think as “base” could be bOTTOm. |
September 19th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Bit surprised to see 11 across in – I got it only after I had a lot of crossing letters – good that it was clued with an anagram.
It’s the Irish language version of the historical IRISH FREE STATE. saor = free stat = state Eireann = Irish (literally – of Ireland, the genitive case of Eire = Ireland). Forgive absence of accents. This was the name of the State from 1922 to 1937 when following legislative and constitutional changes both in Ireland and Westminster, it was no longer a Free State, but became Ireland (Republic in 1949).
September 19th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Very unusual grid, with which Phi supplied the answer ‘Oh yes it is!’ before I’d got around to asking the question.
September 19th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Thanks, Eimi, I see this now, I think, but certainly did not when solving.
September 19th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
It is, as he says, 21A (or 16A/16D) 5D.