Independent 8912 / Phi

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If you are still awake after staying up all night to watch the Election results, Phi has given us a good sound Friday crossword.

 

 

 

I can’t see any obvious theme.  JELLY ROLL MORTON (4 down) is an INSTRUMENTALIST (5 down) but that’s about the only link I can see.

The last three down clues seem to major on believe and belief, but that’s not really a theme either.

I hadn’t come across the word MOXIE (28 across) before, but every other entry was a word or phrase I had seen in the past.

There were some good long anagrams today, my favourite being the one for SEE NAPLES AND DIE with it’s use of esplanade and coast in the clue.

Overall an enjoyable solve.

Across
No. Clue Wordplay Entry
1

 

 Row produced by fellow losing heart in dark (5)

 

 DIN (noise; row) + (GUY [fellow] excluding (losing) the middle letter [heart]) U

 

 DINGY (dark)

 
4

 

 Trouble – being taken to Judge – may lead to this? (4)

 

 J (judge) + AIL (trouble)

 

 JAIL (where you may end up if you are in trouble before a Judge)

 
6

 

 Shell helping to teach us knowledge (4)

 

 HUSK (hidden word [helping] in TEACH US KNOWLEDGE)

 

 HUSK (shell)

 
10

 

 Enthusiastic comment about coastal resort denies esplanade is ruined (3,6,3,3)

 

 Anagram of (is ruined) DENIES ESPLANADE

SEE NAPLES AND DIE*

 SEE NAPLES AND DIE (enthusiastic comment about [Italian] coast resort)

 
11

 

 Childhood dreaming? (7)

 

 IN FANCY (in a dreamy state; dreaming)

 

 INFANCY (childhood) double definition

 
12

 

 Put down most of rusty iron (7)

 

 RED (rusty) excluding the final letter (most of) D + PRESS (iron)

 

 REPRESS (put down)

 
13

 

 Senior politician coming round not quite after time for speaking venue (8)

 

 PM (Prime Minister; senior politician) containing (coming round) ([LATE {after time} excluding the final letter {not quite} E] + FOR)

P (LAT FOR) M

 PLATFORM (raised floor for speakers; speaking venue)

 
15

 

 Fool covering recipe in cream (5)

 

 PICK (best; cream) containing (covering) R (recipe [Latin])

P (R) ICK

 PRICK (fool)

 
18

 

 Distinctly gutted overwhelmed by awful poem (5)

 

 DY (letters remaining in DISTINCTLY after all but the first and last are removed [gutted]) contained in (overwhelmed by) ILL (bad; evil; awful)

I (DY) LL

 IDYLL (short pictorial poem)

 
19

 

 Recalled list of runners occupying street?  Trotters more relevant here (8)

 

 (CARD [list of runners usually at a horse race meeting] reversed [recalled]) contained in (occupying) LANE (street)

LAN (DRAC<) E

 LANDRACE (Danish breed of pig [reference trotters [feet of pigs])

 
21

 

 Note iron amongst molten ditto – hot place (7)

 

 (N [note] + FE (chemical symbol for iron]) contained in (amongst) an anagram of (molten) IRON [ditto, given that IRON was mentioned earlier in the clue)

I (N FE) RNO*

 INFERNO (hell; hot place)

 
23

 

 A black mound, new, will do for stomach (7)

 

 A + B (black [describing the lead in a pencil]) + DOME (mound) + N (new)

 

 ABDOMEN (stomach)

 
25

 

 Politician strangely reminiscent?  A bit (7,8)

 

 Anagram of (strangely) REMINISCENT A BIT

CABINET MINISTER*

 CABINET MINISTER (example of a politician)

 
26

 

 Action taken is severe, halving supply of energy (4)

 

 STEEP (severe) excluding (halving supply of) one of the two (halving) Es (energy)

 

 STEP (action taken)

 
27

 

 Kilo in no way a measure of speed (4)

 

 K (kilo) + NOT (in no way)

 

 KNOT (nautical measure of speed)

 
28

 

 Courage that is shown by male farm animal (5)

 

 M (male) + OX (farm animal) + IE (id est; that is)

 

 MOXIE (courage in North American slang)

 
Down
No. Clue Wordplay Entry
1

 

 Extract – it is filling cap when overturned (6)

 

 (LID [cap] containing IT’S [it is]) all reversed (when overturned)

(DI (STI) L)<

 DISTIL (extract)

 
2

 

 Born without any commotion, receiving food initially as a necessity (9)

 

 NÉE ([of a woman] born, used in stating a woman’s maiden name) + (DULLY [without any commotion] containing [receiving] F [first letter of {initially} FOOD])

NEE D (F) ULLY

 NEEDFULLY (as a necessity)

 
3

 

 Long run’s central section cut after expression of acquiescence (5)

 

 YEA (yes; expression of acquiescence) + (RUN excluding [cut] the middle letter [central section] U)

YEA RN

 YEARN (long)

 
4

 

 Jazz pianist‘s explosive pitch and endlessly increased sound quality (endlessly) (5,4,6)

 

 JELLY (gelignite; explosive) + ROLL (pitch) + (MORE [increased] excluding the final letter [endlessly] E) + (TONE [sound quality] excluding the final letter [also endlessly] E)

JELLY ROLL MOR TON

 JELLY ROLL MORTON (American jazz pianist [1890 – 1941])

 
5

 

 Unrest militants organised?  One plays along (15)

 

 Anagram of (organised) UNREST MILITANTS

INSTRUMENTALIST*

 INSTRUMENTALIST (one who plays a musical instrument often as accompanist to others [one plays along])

 
7

 

 Inappropriate nude frolics around university (5)

 

 Anagram of (frolics) NUDE containing (around) U (university)

UND (U) E*

 UNDUE (inappropriate)

 
8

 

 Fortress post, timeless memorial (8)

 

 KEEP (fortress) + (STAKE [post] excluding [less] T [time])

 

 KEEPSAKE (something given, or kept, as a reminder of the giver, or a certain event, time, etc; memorial)

 
9

 

 Page in pad pen defaced about to be taken up (8)

 

 Anagram of (defaced) PAD PEN + (RE [about] reversed [taken up; down clue])

ENDPAP* ER<

 ENDPAPER (a paper at the beginning or end of a book, pasted to the binding and leaving an additional flyleaf; page)

 
14

 

 Sign from landlord – hurried in, inclined to indulge (8)

 

 RAN (hurried) contained in (in) TO LET (sign that may be put by a landlord)

TO LE (RAN) T

 TOLERANT (inclined to indulge)

 
16

 

 Government funds?  I note a sign of affection about old plane (6,3)

 

 (I + N [note] + A + X [symbol for kiss {sign of affection}]) containing (about) COMET (an old type of plane)

I N (COME T) A X

 INCOME TAX (a source of government funds)

 
17

 

 Flowering plant caught invading ragged bush is one? (8)

 

 C (caught in cricket scoring notation) contained in (invading) an anagram of (ragged) (BUSH IS and I [one])

HIBIS (C) US*

 HIBISCUS (a genus of malvaceous plants, mostly tropical trees or shrubs with large colourful flowers)

 
20

 

 Pursuit heading off with regret?  Not to be believed (6)

 

 HUNT (pursue) excluding the first letter (heading off) H + RUE (regret)

 

 UNTRUE (not to be believed)

 
22

 

 Fine and fit?  I wouldn’t believe it (5)

 

 F (fine) + ABLE (fit)

 

 FABLE (fiction or myth; I wouldn’t believe it)

 
24

 

 Religious belief is restricted by endless protest (5)

 

 IS contained in (restricted by) (DEMO [demonstration; protest) excluding the final letter [endless] O)

DE (IS) M

 DEISM (religious belief)

 

11 comments on “Independent 8912 / Phi”

  1. Very sound stuff indeed from Phi, thanks. 13A “platform” was my last answer, and I thought that very skilfully clued.

    I was unfamiliar with “landrace” and with this meaning of “moxie”, but both of those were very fairly clued and presented no problems.

    Thanks to duncanshiell for explaining everything, especially reminding us that “x” is a sign of affection.

    I saw the poll result prediction last night and took a large glass of single malt to bed with the crossword. The crossword was entertaining, the scotch comforting, but the poll result still heartbreaking. My politics lie well to the left.

  2. This one may be a bit obscure, but I’m sure Duncan can find it, if anyone can.

    I can’t say the UK result encourages me even to broach my Lagavulin, but unless the papers have kept things really quiet, at least you don’t have a PM who thinks tugging a waitress’ ponytail is a jolly jape.

  3. It may be just coincidence but I can see quite a few US state abbreviations hidden in the answers: IN in 1ac, IL in 4ac, ND in 10ac, NC in 11ac and so on. If Canadian provinces/territories are included there’s SK in 6ac and maybe others.

    A nice gentle stroll for a Friday morning. Thanks, Phi and Duncan

  4. I did this last night while listening to the election coverage. I was fairly tired and not really concentrating, so it took longer than it should have done. Having said that, I think the couple of obscure answers (moxie and landrace) did make it slightly harder.

    Spent a couple of hours hoping against hope that the Exit polls were wrong, but sadly they weren’t.

  5. I enjoyed this puzzle, although I found it towards the easier end of Phi’s spectrum. That was probably because I had the required GK to biff a couple of the long crossing answers (SEE NAPLES AND DIE and JELLY ROLL MORTON) with only a few checkers in place. I had the most trouble with the PRICK/ENDPAPER/LANDRACE and DINGY/YEARN/DISTIL trios, but nothing that held me up for too long. Whatever the theme is I can’t see it, but that’s not unusual for a Phi puzzle.

    Phi – I saw a piece on either The Daily Show or Last Week Tonight about your PM’s ponytail-tugging shenanigans. You have my sympathy.

  6. I agree with so much above: the crossword (stuck only at 26a), the helpfulness of the blog, the expressed sadness and the ingested whisky! It seems that, in this country, the ‘haves’ must really not care at all about the ‘have-nots’!! Hurrah for Scotland where everybody matters!! Also, it seems that both Facebook and this site present views similar to mine. Thanks to ALL!

  7. Further to 3, I think it must be just a coincidence; a lot of the two-letter combinations occur more than once, and a similar observation can be made about yesterday’s solution. Shucks! – I thought I’d found a theme before anyone else. Anyway, the exercise lifted me out of post-election gloom for a few minutes.

  8. Fine puzzle and blog.

    I am going to risk Gaufrid’s wrath by going completely off-topic and quoting Neil Kinnock:

    “I warn you not to be ordinary, I warn you not to be young, I warn you not to fall ill, and I warn you not to grow old”

    See everyone tomorrow.

  10. Phi @ 9

    Well, after your nudges @ 2 and 9 I thought I’d better have a go.

    The second nudge of course was considerably less subtle than the first.

    Each of DINGY TAIL HUSK can be defined as DUN CAN [in terms of buttocks] and SHIEL [L]

    Thank you Phi – immortalised in a crossword at last!

    In terms of words based on my surname, SHIELING is the one I know most about with my father coming from sheep farming stock. I don’t think I’ve come across SHIEL for husk before.

    Given the number of ways people try to spell my surname there are a number of other words that could be associated.

  11. [Hi Duncan –
    I know it’s late in the day!
    I feel you may have slightly missed the elegance of Phi’s Nina. You may have misread your own writing…?
    The top line is not DINGY TAIL HUSK as you state above, but DINGY JAIL HUSK so the charade of your name is not dependent on buttocks at all!
    Found the puzzle in an old briefcase this morning….thought you should know!
    W]

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