Independent 8553 / Phi

by

I knew all but one of the words and phrases in today’s puzzle b y Phi

 

 

 

The only one I hadn’t come across before was GODEL’S THEOREM at 26 across.  NETSUKE at 7 doiwn is a bit obscure but I have met the word in crossword puzzles before.

Even after writing the blog, I am still not sure of the actual definition in  the clue for APRON STAGE at 17 across.  In one interpretation it could be the whole clue, making it an &Lit, or it could just be ‘theatrical area’.  Consequently, I have not underlined a definition.  I will be interested to see what other solvers think.

Staying on the difificulties I had, I am not sure what the second ‘capital’ is doing in the clue to 9 across – URBAN.  It may be there just to match the first ‘capital’, and I accept that a ‘capital city’ is obviously just as URBAN as a ‘city’.

My favourite clue today was the one for LOGARITHM at 15 downwith it’s clever wordplay.  I took a while to realise that we has an anagram of THI[S]‘ in there.  I also liked the clue for CALL SIGN at 6 down.

Given that GODEL’S THEOREM will not be known to many, I do wonder if there is some related Nina in the grid.  However, if there is, I cannot see it.

Across
No. Clue Wordplay Entry
1

 

 Continental resident, charmer, with nation that’s extroverted? (5,8

 

 Anagram of (extroverted) CHARMER NATION

 

 NORTH AMERICAN (continental resident)

 
9

 

 Capital gear not initially suited to capital city? (5)

 

 TURBAN (head covering; capital [placed at the head] gear) excluding (not) the first letter (initially) T

 

 URBAN (related to a city, which may well be a capital city) I’m not sure I have explained the second ‘capital’ properly

 
10

 

 Short story, note, almost finished by Australian writer (9)

 

 N (note) + (OVER [finished] excluding the final letter [almost] R) + LETTE (reference Kathy LETTE [1958 – date],  Australian writer)

 

 NOVELETTE (short story)

 
11

 

 Where French engaged in a search, endlessly watery (7)

 

 OÙ (French for ‘where’) contained in (engaged in) (A + QUEST excluding the final letter [endless] T)

A QUE (OU) S

 AQUEOUS (watery)

 
12

 

 Left is to show ardour in Irish town (7)

 

 L (left) + IS + BURN (show ardour)

 

 LISBURN (Irish town)

 
13

 

 French writer‘s instructor abandoning university (4)

 

 GUIDE (instructor) excluding (abandoning) U (university)

 

 GIDE (reference André GIDE [1869 – 1951], French writer)

 
14

 

 No opening of property book in valley one goes down (6,4)

 

 (LIVING [property] excluding the first letter [no opening of] L + B [book]) contained in (in) DELL (small valley)

D (IVING B) ELL

 DIVING BELL (a hollow vessel or chamber, originally bell-shaped, open at the bottom and supplied with air by a tube from above, in which one may descend into and work under water; one goes down)

 
17

 

 Article supporting activity of agents in theatrical area (5,5)

 

 A (indefinite article) + PR (press release) + ON STAGE (theatrical area) – the whole could describe material published by an agent representing any element of the theatrical world.

 

 APRON STAGE (a STAGE or part of STAGE in front of the proscenium arch, projecting to a greater or lesser extent into the auditorium; a physical object [article] that supports actors [agents?])

 
19

 

 Cut quantity heartlessly causing pain (4)

 

 PARING [a piece which is pared [cut] off; a cut quantity) excluding the two middle letters (heartlessly) RI

 

 PANG (pain)

 
22

 

 Germs: one turned unwell after reduced support (7)

 

 BACK [support] excluding the final letter [reduced] K  + I (one) + (ILL [unwell] reversed [turned])

BAC I LLI<

 BACILLI (germs)

 
23

 

 Walker better heading off after runner’s beginning (7)

 

 R (first letter of [beginning] RUNNER) + (GAMBLER [better] excluding the first letter [heading off] G)

 

 RAMBLER (walker)

 
24

 

 Attempted to suppress doubtful sound, and succeeded (9)

 

 TRIED (attempted) containing (suppress) UMPH (expressive of reserved doubt or dissatisfaction.)

TRI (UMPH) ED

 TRIUMPHED (succeeded)

 
25

 

 Quantity of earth I see filling spot (5)

 

 (I + V [vide, Latin for see;]) contained in (filling) DOT (spot)

D (I V) OT

 DIVOT (a thin sod; quantity of earth)

 
26 Smoother edge and line possibly available?  This suggests you can’t be sure (6,7) Anagram of (possibly) SMOOTHER EDGE and L (line) GODEL’S THEOREM (the THEOREM first demonstrated by the mathematician Kurt GODEL in 1931, that in logic and mathematics there must be true statements that cannot be proved or disproved within the system, and also that there can be no proof of the consistency of such a system from within itself. available? – this suggests you can’t be sure)  ‘available’ may just be an extension of the anagram indicator as ‘possible available’.
Down
1

 

 Again cruel suffering – no end to chronic pain (9)

 

 Anagram of (suffering) AGAIN CRUEL excluding (no) C (last letter of [end to] CHRONIC)

 

 NEURALGIA (paroxysmal intermittent pain along the course of a nerve; pain of a purely nervous character.)

 
2

 

 Be turning up, having tucked into drinks, in aftermath of affair? (7)

 

 (BE reversed [turning up; down clue]) contained in (having tucked into) ROUND (reference a ROUND of drinks)

R (EB<) OUND

 REBOUND (spring back, often with unexpected results; possible description of the aftermath of an affair)

 
3

 

 Workers ousting Director, overturning second carriage (6)

 

 HANDS (workers) excluding  (ousting) D (director) + (MO [moment; second] reversed [overturning])

HANS OM<

 HANSOM (a light two-wheeled horse-drawn cab with the driver’s seat raised behind)

 
4

 

 French island men into this calm at sea (4,5-6)

 

 Anagram of (at sea) MEN INTO THIS CALM

 

 MONT SAINT-MICHEL (French island)
5

 

 Republican developing belief in funding arrangement (9,6)

 

 R (Republican) + EVOLVING (developing) + CREDIT (belief)

 

 REVOLVING CREDIT (credit which is automatically renewed as the sum previously borrowed is paid back, so allowing the borrower to make repeated use of the credit so long as the agreed maximum sum is not exceeded; funding arrangement)

 
6

 

 Conservative: “Everyone’s wrong about government approach to identification” (4,4)

 

 C (Conservative) + ALL (everyone) + (SIN [wrong] containing [about] G [government])

C ALL SI (G) N

 CALL SIGN (a combination of letters and numbers, identifying a particular ship, aircraft or transmitter)

 
7

 

 Captures instrument in carved ornament (7)

 

 NETS (captures) + UKE (ukulele; instrument)

 

 NETSUKE (a small Japanese carved ornament,)

 
8

 

 US composer‘s range of knowledge covering introduction of ragtime (4)

 

 KEN (range of knowledge) containing (covering) R (first letter of [introduction of] RAGTIME)

KE (R) N

 KERN (reference Jerome KERN [1885 – 1945], American composer)

 
15

 

 “Record power” encapsulates most of this curious mathematical quantity (9)

 

 LOG (record) + (ARM [power] containing [encapsulates] [an anagram of {curious} THIS excluding the final letter {most of} S])

LOG AR (ITH*) M

 LOGARITHM (mathematical quantity)

 
16

 

 Find injured, including hobbling and sore (8)

 

 Anagram of (injured) FIND containing (including) LAME (hobbling)

INF (LAME) D*

 INFLAMED (sore)

 
18

 

 Playing loud music or a lullaby? (7)

 

 ROCKING (playing loud music)

 

 ROCKING (possibly playing a lullaby whilst ROCKING the cradle) double definition

 
20

 

 Very into paramour after couple beginning alienation (3,4)

 

 AL (first two letters of [couple beginning] ALIENATION) + LOVER (paramour)

 

 ALL OVER (overly attentive towards; very into)

 
21

 

 Pundit, one covered by slander, shows blemish (6)

 

 SAGE (pundit) with the A replaced by (covered by) MUD (slander)

S (MUD) GE

 SMUDGE (blemish)

 
22

 

 Those striking cracked (4)

 

 BATS (objects used for striking; those striking)

 

 BATS (mad; cracked)  double definition

 

8 comments on “Independent 8553 / Phi”

  1. Thanks Duncan
    I parsed 17ac as A (article) PRO (supporting) anagram of (activity of) AGENTS with the definition being ‘theatrical area’.

  2. Duncan, I had the same parsing as Gaufrid for APRON STAGE. The only answer I didn’t parse was my LOI, PANG, which went in with fingers crossed from the assumed “pain” definition, so thanks for that.

    GODEL’S THEOREM was unknown and NETSUKE only vaguely known, but both were gettable from the wordplay.

    No, I can’t see a theme or a nina either. An enjoyable puzzle.

  3. I didn’t know NETSUKE but I was familiar with GODEL’S THEOREM having studied mathematics at university. I was in high hopes of at last discovering a Nina and searched the grid for any famous unsolved problems (e.g. Goldbach’s conjecture) but could find nothing. Perhaps Phi was having a joke at our expense in that we can’t be sure that there isn’t a Nina.

    I too parsed 17a as Gaufrid did.

  4. Thanks, Duncan.

    Is this the third vanilla Phi puzzle in a row? Perhaps he’s teasing us. Whatever, it was a pleasing offering, with a nice range of topics and devices. No special favourites today. I did know NETSUKE (but, like ADIT, EWER, and CON for ‘study’ only through crosswords). Needed e-help to get GODEL’S THEOREM though.

    Thanks to Phi and a good weekend to all.

  5. Let me just drop in from Amsterdam to confirm another Nina-less week. This surely cannot continue…let’s see if my appearance back on UK soil next week will force a change.

  6. Thanks for all the comments pointing out the correct way to parse APRON STAGE.

    I’ve just got back into Keswick Camp Site after climbing Skiddaw today so this is the first chance to look at the comments. Wonderful weather in the early stages of the climb – but hit the cloud at 750 metres and could hardly stand up or see more than 5 metres on the top. Went from shirt sleeves near the bottom to the full fleece, anorak, hats and gloves by the top.

  7. Netsuke and Gödel’s theorem I had no problem with, but I’d never heard of Revolving Credit and had to look that up to check it.

  8. Thanks Duncan – we needed your help to parse PANG and SMUDGE plus confirmi our parsing of DIVING BELL.

    We’re a bit late to the party again trying to catch up on missed crosswords whilst we are away!

    We didn’t enjoy this one as much as we normally enjoy Phi’s puzzles – not quite sure why though.

    Thanks anyway Phi and welcome back to the UK – not sure how long you are staying!

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