Independent 8802 / Quixote

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I have been blogging on Fifteensquared for over 7 years with nearly 350 blogs, but I think this is the first time I have blogged a puzzle set by Don Manley.

 

 

 

I can’t see any messages or theme in this puzzle for Hogmanay.  It is simply a good crossword puzzle with elegant cluing leading to words that most solvers have probably come across at some time. The only obscure word to me was GLANCE at 1 down in respect of the definition used.

I made fairly steady progress through this starting with 1 across and 9 across.  I have no musical talent whatsoever but I do remember having drummed into me that doh, me, so doh is an AR PEGG I O

Initially I wanted to put some variant of  DECONTAMINATE in the grid at 17 across but soon realised that I didn’t have the right letters in the anagram fodder.

My last one in was REVERSED at 27 across.

I liked the anagrams for SCHOLAR’S MATE and STAYED, both of which led to very good surfaces in their clues at 11 down and 20 down respectively.

Across
No. Clue Wordplay Entry

1

 

Criminal bunch and courageous man in a group of cells (8)

 

GANG (band of criminals; criminal bunch) + LION (courageous man)

 

GANGLION (collection of nerve cells)

 

5

 

Supporting evil is prohibited (6)

 

FOR (in favour of; supporting) + BAD (evil)

 

FORBAD (prohibited)

 

9

 

Musical sequence Georgia played, having got hold of piano (8)

 

Anagram of (played) GEORGIA containing (having got hold of) P (piano)

AR (P) EGGIO*

ARPEGGIO (a chord of which the notes are performed, not simultaneously, but in rapid [normally upward] succession)

 

10

 

The woman who does is a goddess (6)

 

CHAR (CHARwoman; a woman who does) + IS

 

CHARIS (any one of the three Charites, the Graces [Aglaia, Euphrosyne and Thalia], Greek goddesses of all that imparts graciousness to life)

 

12

 

Tom maybe needs a medicine being in a sort of stupor

 

CAT (reference a tomCAT, male cat.  Tom can refer to the male of many species, but is particularly associated with cats) + A + TONIC (medicine that invigorates))

 

CATATONIC (descriptive of a type of schizophrenia characterized by periodic states of rigidity or immobility; being in a sort of stupor))

 

13

 

Starter for dinner — excellent fish (4)

 

D (first letter of [starter for] DINNER) + ACE (outstanding; excellent)

 

DACE (small river fish)

 

15

 

One with pulling power to attract folk to church? (13)

 

CAMPANOLOGIST (in one instance of bellringing, a person who pulls on ropes to ring bells)

 

CAMPANOLOGIST (bellringer, often associated with the ringing of Church bells to inform the congregation that a service is about to start).  Taken together the two definitions fit the whole clue.

17

 

OTT comedian is somehow making change to remove wild element (13)

 

Anagram of (somehow) OTT COMEDIAN IS

DOMESTICATION*

DOMESTICATION (the act of taming; change to remove wild element)

 

21

 

Mathematical function — plus or minus we hear? (4)

 

SINE (sounds like [we hear] SIGN [plus and minus are examples of SIGNs)

 

SINE (one of the six trigonometrical functions of an angle)

 

22

 

Trial gets word of approval with initial appearance of this legal document (9)

 

TEST (trial) + AMEN (an expression of assent; a word of approval) + T (first letter of [initial appearance of] THIS)

 

TESTAMENT (legal document)

 

24

 

Each person with a ticket gets to enjoy a restaurant? (3,3)

 

EA (each) + TOUT (reference ticket TOUTs)

EAT OUT

EAT OUT (enjoy a restaurant)

 

25

 

A girl in meeting getting away from the focal point? (8)

 

(A + DI [Diana; girl’s name]) contained in (in) RALLY (meeting)

R (A DI) ALLY

RADIALLY (away from the centre; away from the focal point)

 

26

 

The man entertained by a religious believer is a ruler (6)

 

HE (the man) contained in (entertained by) SIKH (an adherent of a monotheistic religion established in the 16th century by those former Hindus who rejected the authority of the Vedas, taking the Granth as their scripture; religious believer)

S (HE) IKH

SHEIKH (an Arab chief; a Muslim leader;ruler)

 

27

 

Deed that is such leads to no change (8)

 

REVERSED (In the legal terms, REVERSED can be applied to a transaction (deed) that has been overturned)

 

REVERSED (changed back to what it was such that there is no change)

 
Down
No. Clue Wordplay Entry

1

 

Grand weapon — there might be some lead in it (6)

 

G (grand [1000 dollars]) + LANCE (weapon)

 

GLANCE (a less well known meaning of GLANCE is a black or grey mineral with metallic lustre, usually a sulphide, selenide or telluride, e.g. redruthite or copper-glance, galena or LEAD–GLANCE, argentite)

 

2

 

Notice crooked President coming in looking after buddies? (7)

 

P (President) contained in (coming in) an anagram of (crooked) NOTICE

NE (P) OTIC*

NEPOTIC (showing undue favouritism to one’s relations and close friends; looking after buddies)

 

3

 

Permit?  Member needs it, one type reluctant to pay mostly? (10)

 

LEG (member) + IT + I (one) + (MISER [type reluctant to pay] excluding the final letter [mostly] R)

 

LEGITIMISE (make lawful; permit)

 

4

 

Maybe people who know about China listen as riot gets out of hand (12)

 

Anagram of (gets out of hand) LISTEN AS RIOT

ORIENTALISTS*

ORIENTALISTS (experts in Eastern languages who would almost certainly know about China)

 

6

 

Sort of barrier constructed by old guerilla fighter (4)

 

O (old) + CHE (reference CHE Guevara, guerilla fighter)

 

OCHE (the line, groove or ridge behind which a player must stand to throw in darts; barrier  Very topical at the moment with wall to wall coverage of the PDC World Darts Championship on Sky, soon to be followed by the BDO Championships on BBC in the New Year)

 

7

 

One bit of meat served up in a revolutionary dish (7)

 

(I [one] + RIB [bit of meat]) all reversed (served up; down clue) + (IN A all reversed [revolutionary])

(BIR I)<  (A NI)<

BIRIANI (a spicy rice dish)

 

8

 

Drops of perfume introduced by some Parisian (8)

 

SCENT (perfume) contained in (in) DES (some in French)

DE (SCENT) S

DESCENTS (drops)

 

11

 

Manoeuvre of chess to alarm! (8,4)

 

Anagram of (manoeuvre) CHESS TO ALARM

SCHOLAR’S MATE*

SCHOLAR’S MATE (in chess, a simple mate accomplished in four moves; manoeuvre)  I think this is an &Lit clue where the whole clue can be considered the definition.  To lose by the chess manoeuvre known as SCHOLAR’S MATE would surely cause alarm or despair in the loser

 

14

 

Refusal to have motorway — someone living in the country makes a case (10)

 

NO (refusal) + M1 (motorway) + NATIVE (belonging to the people originally or at the time of discovery inhabiting the country)

 

NOMINATIVE (a case in grammar)

 

16

 

Guy dosses here and there — no good being a traveller (8)

 

Anagram of (here and there) GUY DOSSES excluding (no) G (good)

ODYSSEUS*

ODYSSEUS (a wanderer in the Greek epic poem, ODYSSEY, ascribed to Homer)

 

18

 

Fellow consumed tail of the mammal (7)

 

MAN (fellow) + ATE (consumed) + E (last letter of [tail of] THE)

 

MANATEE (a large aquatic herbivorous mammal)

 

19

 

They have eyes — they are almost unnecessary (7)

 

NEEDLESS (unnecessary) excluding the final letter (almost) S

 

NEEDLES (reference the eye of the NEEDLE or, perhaps more simply NEEDLES have eyes))

 

20

 

Remained steady after being shaken (6)

 

Anagram of (after being shaken) STEADY

STAYED*

STAYED (remained)

 

23

 

Rubbish food — prime requirement for kebab (4)

 

BUN (kind of sweet roll or cake; food) + K (first letter of [prime requirement for] KEBAB)

 

BUNK (rubbish)

 

`

 

11 comments on “Independent 8802 / Quixote”

  1. Unlike you Duncan I found a good few words here on the obscure side, and thus the overall effect was of a certain ‘density’! FORBAD is odd, CHARIS, yes GLANCE in that sense, NEPOTIC, SCHOLAR’S MATE I didn’t know, and things like BUNK, DACE and OCHE all contributing to a kind of strangeness. I found the style quite old-hat, but there were no grammar problems for me in a well-clued puzzle. Like you, I found it pleasant.

  2. Scholar’s mate defeated me and I am ashamed to admit how long it took me to get 15a, especially as I am one!!

    Thanks to Duncan and Quixote.

  3. Thanks Quixote and Duncan

    25ac: Small typo in the parsing here, I think: (A + DI) in RALLY.

    27ac: Is not the point here that the clue-word “Deed” is a palindrome?

  4. Pelham Barton @ 3

    Thanks for pointing out the error at 25ac. The blog has now been corrected.

    When I solved 27 across, I felt rather dissatisfied with my interpretation, so thanks for suggesting a better parsing of the clue.

  5. I overcomplicated 21a with sine (latin for without) but it did not lead me astray. I also thought the past tens of forbid was forbade but went for the short form because of the clue. Thanks to both!

  6. A pleasant solve for New Year’s Eve, tho’ I had to use a word finder for 15ac and it was a facepalm moment when I got it.

    Heather @5: Chambers gives ‘forbade’ and ‘forbad’ (in that order) as alternatives for the past tense of ‘forbid’.

    Thanks, Quixote and Duncan

  7. All good, I agree. Put GLANCE in from the wordplay but didn’t know the substance it referred to. I had RELEASED for 27A which doesn’t really work but I somehow convinced myself that’s what it had to be. It was my LOI and I paid the price for rushing it! SCHOLAR’S MATE new too, but easy enough to guess from the clue.

  9. Quite enjoyed this – there are some good things in there. I liked the confusing two separate reversals in BIRIANI.

    I do have a pet hate of unhelpful “synonyms” like ‘food’ = BUN. But I suppose you get there in the end.

    Now that the palindromic angle of REVERSED has been pointed out, I think that is my favourite.

    Thanks D&D

  10. I had always been thought that a campanologist wasn’t so much a bell-ringer as someone who studies the mathematics of bell-ringing. Perhaps this was once the case, but the use as a bell-ringer is now so widespread that the dictionaries seem to have caught up with it.

    The usual very satisfactory Quixote offering. I enjoyed scholar’s mate, and was under the impression that there was a y somewhere in biriani, but evidently you can spell it this way as well.

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