Comments on: Independent 7,697 / Phi

By: Phi

Phi — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 20:51:52 +0000

Nothing hidden in this one, at least not consciously. I think it was one where, to alleviate the dread of starting a blank grid, and to avoid coming up with a ‘theme’ I seeded it with an entry in a list of ‘interesting words to clue’ that I maintain. Sadly, they often turn out to be interesting only as in the ‘may you live in interesting times’ definition, but in this case it was PLACKET, which I knew of as the strip down the front of a shirt where the buttons sit, which is nearer the ODE definition than Chambers’. I was concerned about LOCAL AUTHORITY where the cryptic elements remain etymologically close to the defined elements (LOCAL/LOCALITY in particular) but I think it just about works.

By: flashling

flashling — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 00:30:21 +0000

Thanks R and Phi, first run through did very badly, second it went very quickly. Can’t see a theme but no doubt Phi knows better

By: ele

ele — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 14:54:14 +0000

Re placket – it’s still in use in dressmaking, for the side slit you put a zip in a skirt. More common perhaps in the US, which is where all the dressmaking patterns came from when I used to make clothes.

By: Mustyx

Mustyx — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 14:46:43 +0000

Straightforward, but with all the usual elegance from Phi. LOI was Opposite Prompt, of which I hadn’t previously heard and which doesn’t appear in Chambers but, strangely, is in the electronic New Oxford American (marked as a ‘British’ word) that came with my Mac computer.

By: Conrad Cork

Conrad Cork — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 14:39:36 +0000

Fortunately The Bard came to my aid over placket. In King Lear, Edgar, disguised as a madman says (amongst other things)

” keep thy foot
out of brothels, thy hand out of plackets, thy pen
from lenders’ books, and defy the foul fiend.”

Still good advice, even today IMHO.

By: lenny

lenny — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:39:13 +0000

This was a quick solve for me with only Opposite Prompt and Placket being unfamiliar. I, too, liked the clue for Local Authority. The clues for Impasto and Unfair were hardy annuals but the Impasto joke, in particular, bears repetition.

By: nmsindy

nmsindy — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:27:09 +0000

In the light of those comments I might have been lucky today as I solved this quite fast. I think, K’s D, you might see IMPASTO again, a word the meaning of which I learnt from puzzles. Thanks, RatkojaRiku, for the blog and Phi for the puzzle.

By: ele

ele — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:01:09 +0000

I found this more difficult than usual too. OPPOSITE PROMPT was the last one in as I got distracted early on by ‘stalls’ for ‘delay’ – probably a clever misdirection by Phi. 9dn was my favourite clue as well. Thanks to Ali for the blog and Phi for the puzzle.

By: RatkojaRiku

RatkojaRiku — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:00:04 +0000

Thanks very much, Kathryn’s Dad, for 9 – I have adapted the blog accordingly. If I had managed to solve this clue, it would doubtless have been a favourite of mine too!

This was a good example of how one just can’t see the wood for the trees once one has got an idea into one’s head. I just couldn’t get away from the idea of authority and wordsmith both being experts of sorts.

By: Kathryn's Dad

Kathryn's Dad — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 08:36:09 +0000

PS I took ‘parties’ to be the anagrind in 27ac. In the sense that when you go to a party, you ‘shake it all about’. Or something like that.