Independent 8700 / Phi

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Phi on a Tuesday? Is there something special coming on Phiday?

 

 

This was an enjoyable solve, as usual, with only a couple of checks required – we’d not come across the 10ac definition before, nor the synonym for ‘clumsy person’ in 1d, and 23ac (our last one) in took a bit of thinking about.

Having completed the puzzle, we wondered whether there was a bit of a Shakespearean theme going on, with the clue to 10ac and the solution to 20ac, but we couldn’t see any other references – then we looked again and came to our senses!

Across
5   Is suspicious? Alarm less activated with time
SMELLS A RAT An anagram of ALARM LESS (anagrind is ‘activated’) + T (time)
8   Frontless lingerie item – it’ll have you whirling
EDDY tEDDY (lingerie item) with the first letter omitted, or ‘frontless’
10   Doll Tearsheet, say, Shakespeare presented in another way
DRAB BARD (Shakespeare) reversed, or ‘presented in another way’. We had to check this one – apparently a DRAB is a loose woman or prostitute and Doll Tearsheet is a prostitute in Henry IV part 2
11   Posh meal, not initially about to become dull
UPPER CRUST sUPPER (meal) with the first letter omitted or ‘not initially’ + C (about) + RUST (become dull)
12   Charles keeps parasites in cups
CHALICES CHAS (Charles) round or ‘keeping’ LICE (parasites)
14   Cheap wine? Note empties in irritation
BIN END NotE (without the middle letters, or ‘emptied’) in BIND (irritation)
15   Odd square attic with limited edition interior – it’s not for everyone
ACQUIRED TASTE An anagram of SQUARE ATTIC (anagrind is ‘odd’) with ED (limited edition) inside
17   Angle brackets in the last elaboration
FINISH FISH (angle) round or ‘bracketing’ IN
18   Dodge that is observed in autumn month?
SIDESTEP ID EST (that is – i.e.) in SEP (September – autumn month)
20   Theatrical jester’s acknowledgement of a hit about Society fashion
TOUCHSTONE TOUCHE (acknowledgement of a hit in fencing) round S (Society) TON (fashion)
22   Follower of rock subculture landed husband
GOTH GOT (landed) H (husband)
23   Legendary leader virtuous in discounting success
ODIN goOD (virtuous) IN, with ‘go’ (success) omitted or ‘discounted’
24   Church festival I started unexpectedly in middle of week
EASTERTIDE An anagram of I STARTED (anagrind is ‘unexpectedly’) in EE (middle letters of ‘week’)
Down
1   Clumsy person barging into girl all over the place
GLOBAL LOB (clumsy person) in GAL (girl)
2   OT character in the Bible – Saul?
ESAU Hidden in BiblE SAUl
3   Assigned a time and attempted to get round objection
ATTRIBUTED A + T (time) + TRIED (attempted) round BUT (objection)
4   Fellow’s arresting a group of criminals for court appearances
HEARINGS HE’S (fellow’s) round or ‘arresting’ A RING (group of criminals)
6   Blemishes and dreadful harm inflicted on one yellow flower
MARSH MARIGOLD MARS (blemishes) + an anagram of HARM (anagrind is ‘dreadful’) + I (one) + GOLD (yellow)
7   Salesman’s fetishes – disposing of book for shilling – leading to debt collector’s interventions
REPOSSESSIONS REP (salesman) + ObSESSIONS (fetishes) with the ‘b’ (book) replaced by S (shilling)
9   Expose doped steed without ulterior motive
DISINTERESTED DISINTER (expose) + an anagram of STEED – anagrind is ‘doped’
13   Yachtsman formerly from coastal city
CHICHESTER Double definition – Sir Francis Chichester, who was the first person to single-handedly circumnavigate the world from West to East in 1967
16   Fruit tree cut down, computer system dismissing one arrangement of five
QUINCUNX QUINCe (fruit tree) with the last letter omitted or ‘cut down’ + UNiX (computer system) without or ‘dismissing ‘I’ (one)
19   Source of tourists engaging in emotional responses?
SIGHTS Cryptic definition – T (first letter or ‘source’ of Tourists) in SIGHS (emotional responses) – the ‘sights’ are what tourists might get emotional about
21   Illness not beginning at all
EVER fEVER (illness) without the first letter, or ‘not beginning’

 

14 comments on “Independent 8700 / Phi”

  1. Thanks, both. Good puzzle, if slightly disconcerting for those of use who always have fish for tea on Fridays.

    I struggled with LOB – a new one on me as well – and ODIN went in on a wing and a prayer. Otherwise all clearly clued and a pleasing puzzle as always from Phi.

    I want to send the setter a cyberhug for continuing to maintain the correct usage of DISINTERESTED. If I hear one more football commentator saying ‘he’s looking really disinterested today’ when they mean ‘he can’t be arsed’ then I swear I will put my foot through the telly. You want a judge to be DISINTERESTED, but certainly not UNINTERESTED.

    Oops, I mentioned footie.

    Are you saying there is a theme, or not?

  3. Thanks to Phi and B&J,
    Hooray! First time ever I’ve spotted one of Phi’s themes though I’m sure I’ve missed some of the subtleties.
    I agree with Kathryn’s Dad – the old UNINTERESTED / DISINTERESTED chestnut really gets me going and you can be sure our football commentators will always get it wrong.
    Thanks again.

  5. Oh, and I’ve just seen B&J’s subtle reference to the theme in the preamble. I’ll now crawl back under me stone for the rest of the day.

  7. PS. Touchstone is the jester character in ‘As You Like It’. My sister ‘did’ that one a school whereas I ‘did’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream’!

  8. Great puzzle……especially now I’ve seen the theme! Clever old Phi. Though not spotted, I had a feeling – a kind of sixth sense – that something lurked!
    And thanks to B & J who surely deserve first prize in the “Most Craftily Disguised Hint to a Theme in an Excellent Blog” category.
    Also found precision of 9dn pleasing.

  9. As usual I missed the theme together with B&Js’ reference to it in their preamble, and I can’t really blame it on Phi being here on a Tuesday rather than a Friday. I didn’t know that definition of LOB in 1dn either but the answer was obvious enough. I thought that this one was towards the easier end of Phi’s spectrum but it was a pleasant enough solve.

  10. Appearing on a Tuesday? Goodness knows what that might open the door to…

    Actually, I’m told I have done something so nefarious with my next grid that it can only appear in the paper, and there’ll be a different one online. I mustn’t do it again until the site software has caught up with me.

  13. Phi – I’m intrigued, and like Trebor I wouldn’t mind knowing which date this puzzle will appear. I’ll buy the paper as I won’t be able to find it online.

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