Independent 8705/Phi – paper version

Phi on a Monday?  And we have a note in the paper saying that the online version is different ‘for technical reasons’.  What’s occurring?

 

Well, what’s occurring is another fine crossword from Phi – not too hard once you got into it.  The odd thing is that 12ac is used three times: ON THE SPUR OF THE MOMENT, HAMMER OF THE SCOTS and MASTER OF THE HORSE.  This seems a fairly random thing to do, so knowing Phi there’ll be something that I’m missing.  No doubt the ‘technical reason’ for it not being online is that the software can’t cope with a light being used more than once.

Armed with pen rather than keyboard, I managed it all apart from one clue.  The redoubtable Gaufrid came to my rescue.  I love him in a special way.

Abbreviations

cd  cryptic definition
dd  double definition
(xxxx)*  anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x]  letter(s) removed

definitions are underlined

Across
1 European person adopting form of football – not American, to be blunt
BRUSQUE
Phi’s inviting you to take A out of BASQUE and replace it with RU, for rugby union ‘football’.

5/12/9 Equerry that’s here for some, unexpectedly
MASTER OF THE HORSE
(THAT’S HERE FOR SOME)*  Some royal position where you have to ride a horse and wear a stupid hat.

10 Sex? No time after editing large paper
SIXTEENMO
(SEX NO TIME)*  A new one on me.  It’s another term for sextodecimo.  Which was also a new one on me.

11 Audible agreement when son moves without daughter
ASSONANCE
A charade of AS, SON and [D]ANCE.  You’d have to consider DANCE as a series of ‘moves’, I suppose.  ASSONANCE is a repetition of vowel sounds, particularly in verse; hence ‘audible agreement’.

12 See 5 Across, 16 Down or 18 Down
OF THE
This is part of the solution for the three clues mentioned.

13 Numbers a turn-off for some?
NO-NO
A dd cum cd.

14 Footwear that is an advantage when meeting supply of water?
WELLIE-BOOT
A charade of WELL, IE and BOOT.  BOOT does mean ‘advantage’, but my Collins marks it as obsolete.

18 When Holmes gave up the violin?
HIS LAST BOW
A cd.  I had to look this up in a list of Sherlock Holmes works.  It’s a collection of seven previously published Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle and first appeared in 1917.  I presume that the BOW in the title rhymes with COW, although the surface reflects the fact that it can also rhyme with SOW.  English spelling and pronunciation is a complete Weston Super.

21 Threatening mountain making advance section of 26 retreat
ETNA
26 is ANTEATERS, so it’s the first four letters of that reversed.

24 Microphone capturing our group’s tunes
MUSIC
An insertion of US in MIC.

26 More than one insectivore moves easily, heading off to bag meal
ANTEATERS
An insertion of TEA in [C]ANTERS.

27 Advisory Board avoiding enlarging upon 5 Across’s standing?
ELO RATING
This is where Gaufrid came to my rescue – thank you.  I could only see ECO RATING, which made no sense.  It’s EL[AB]ORATING and ELO RATING is a system for ranking chess players, named after Arped ELO, a Hungarian-born professor of physics.  I might criticise this clue for being pretty obscure; or that could be just sour grapes.  Whatevs, it’s referring to MASTER in 5ac, as in GRANDMASTER.  Wil Ransome is our chess expert, so he can probably explain it better than I have if he drops in.

28 Cause one million to run short
IMPEL
A charade of I, M and PEL[T]

29 English run into Northerner’s bodyguard
ESCORT
An insertion of R into E SCOT.  They may well be independent Northerners in a couple of weeks’ time.

30 Not encountering holy man taking booze cure
NOSTRUM
An insertion of S for saint or ‘holy man’ in NOT, followed by RUM for ‘booze’.

Down

1 Intelligence about a hot country
BAHRAIN
An insertion of A and H in BRAIN.

2 Rebellious moves gaining leverage in America
UPRISINGS
Another insertion: of PRISING in US.

3 Part of US city’s in pieces
QUEENS
The chess pieces are a district of New York City.  Queens’ famous sons include Simon and Garfunkel, and Martin Scorsese.

4 Not beginning to reduce church’s core quality
ESSENCE
[L]ESSEN plus CE.

5 Successfully following top Victorian scientist
MAXWELL
A charade of MAX and WELL.  James Clark MAXWELL, best known for his theory of electromagnetic radiation.

6 Constricted valves finally tightened, letting nothing in
STENOSED
The last letter of ‘valves’ followed by O in TENSED.

7 Artist at the heart of modern stuff
ERNST
Hidden in modERN STuff.

8 See 16 Down

15 Cut run up for delivery of ball?
LOB
Nice cricketing surface (although let’s not mention the one-day cricket)  A reversal (‘UP’) of BOL[T].

16/12/8 Over fourteen months working with them to seize power, acting impulsively
ON THE SPUR OF THE MOMENT
I think this is O for ‘over’ and an insertion of P and THEM in (FOURTEEN MONTHS)*

17 I stuff up, taking on an old, old boxer
MARCIANO
A reversal of I CRAM and AN O.

18/12/25 Historic royal sledge seen at Aviemore?
HAMMER OF THE SCOTS
The last of the clues to use the OF THE at 12ac.  The ‘historic royal’ is Edward I, known as the HAMMER OF THE SCOTS because he roughed up our friends in the North.  Phi is suggesting that if a sledgehammer were to be found in Aviemore, it would be a HAMMER OF THE SCOTS.

19 Old Russian dresses tucked into middle of settee
TSARIST
An insertion of SARIS in TT, the middle letters of ‘settee’.

20 A month since hitting new regular form
OCTAGON
A charade of OCT, AGO and N.

22 Rebellious son, sailor, with exotic dancer, getting end away
ABSALOM
Let’s have a bit of decorum in the cluing, please.  A charade of AB and SALOM[E].  Two biblical references: ABSALOM was the third son of David, and rebelled against him; SALOME is the ‘exotic dancer’ who did for John the Baptist.

23 Former English swimmer contends after upturn in promotion
DAVIES
A reversal of AD and VIES.  Sharron DAVIES, who won silver at the Moscow Olympics in 1980.  My niece’s husband threw up over her at a swimming dinner once.

25 See 18 Down

Many thanks to Phi for today’s puzzle.