Independent 9084 by Quixote

by

Quixote’s monthly appearance as a sub for Dac and as usual not lowering the standard at all; everything elegantly and efficiently clued. I sped through this but spent twenty minutes on 12/14 before giving up. It’s a phrase I had never heard and I felt a bit guilty not knowing it as it’s probably quite well-known.

So, for me at any rate, the unusual word or phrase was there, a trademark of Quixote’s puzzles.

Across
1 SPARTACUS
Primarily servile role taken by Bill, American slave (9)

s{ervile} part ac. US
9 RINGLET
Bit of hair in phone — hindrance (7)

ring [= phone] let [= hindrance]
10 MUSTANG
Horse ‘as to be executed (7)

“must hang” said dropping the h
11 DAHL
Author had set about novel finally (4)

(had)* {nove}l
12/14 BOOTS ON THE GROUND
Men in action in Old Trafford pharmacy? (5,2,3,6)

‘Old Trafford pharmacy’ could be regarded as Boots the chemist on the Old Trafford ground — this explains the origin of the term
15 REGIONAL
Territorial lion bursting with rage (8)

(lion rage)*
18 PROBABLE
Infant only briefly to be kept by poor labourer? It’s likely (8)

pro(bab{y})le — the word ‘labourer’ made me think of an agricultural labourer, not really for any good reason, so I was unnecessarily doubtful about ‘prole’
19 DESPOT
Remove blemish, as you might think, from nasty ruler? (6)

de-spot, to remove the spot from; not original for me, so almost certainly not original for Quixote
21 PROFOUNDER
No amateur person starting an organisation could be more sincere (10)

pro founder [= person starting an organisation]
22 OSLO
City that’s old and in no hurry for the most part (4)

o slo{w}
24 ELITISM
Smile wryly about the thing that characterises some snobs? (7)

(Smile)* round it — ‘that’ a demonstrative pronoun
25 ARIZONA
Unknown character performing in operatic song somewhere in America (7)

ari(z on)a
26 TWEENAGER
Youngster went, eager to have a change of direction (9)

(went eager)*
Down
1 SILK
Society type in fine material (4)

s ilk
2 AUTHOR
A superior god seen as creator (6)

a U Thor
3 TOMATOES
Male piggies eating ace food items (8)

Tom (A) toes
4 CUSTOMISED
Specially-made domestic screws, useless for insertion (10)

(domestic)* round u/s — the anagram indicated by the verb ‘screws’
5 STARTING PISTOL
It may help to get sporting event off with a bang (8,6)

CD
6 TRADE GAP
See servant dash up to provide a bit of business information (5,3)

(page dart)rev.
7 ANTHROPOLOGIST
Scientist‘s introduction to rare work included by one making literary selection (14)

anth(r{are} op)ologist
8 AGUE
Complaint from a visitor, not good person (4)

a gue{st}
13 ANTAGONISE
A son eating badly generates anger (10)

(A son eating)* — ‘anger’ a verb
16 LITTORAL
Winding trail to lake in sandy area? (8)

(trail to l)*
17 CLANSMAN
Member of tribe maybe sweeps English off isle (8)

cl{E}ans Man — as in IOM
20 PENANG
State measure that brings pain all around (6)

p(en)ang
21 PHEW
Exclamation of relief not many heard (4)

“few”
23 BIRR
British embracing Irish somewhere in Offaly (4)

B(Ir)r — had never heard of it, but easily checkable and the wordplay meant that it could hardly be anything else
*anagram

17 comments on “Independent 9084 by Quixote”

  2. A quick solve, though BOOTS ON THE GROUND last in.

    Minor quibble, 11A is simply had< ("set about").

    Major quibble, the use of "ilk" in this way in 1D. To quote my 1912 Chambers, "of that name, used in connection with a man whose name is the same as that of his ancestral estate [think "MacDonald of that ilk"] – often use erroneously for 'of that kind'". Now, one could say, virtually always used erroneously.

    I'm sure nobody is going to say that language is a living, breathing, changing etc etc.

    Thanks to Quixote and John.

  3. Pleasant enough puzzle. Didn’t know useless was represented by US – anyone know the basis for this?

    Thought BIRR was a bit obscure but apologies to those who know it (or live there) and I agree the wordplay was very straightforward.

    I liked BOOTS ON THE GROUND; it’d be a funny world if we were all the same, wouldn’t it?

  5. Pedants’ Corner:
    Re the ‘let’ component in 9a; where legal right of way is established by use ‘without let or hindrance’ for a given period, ‘let’ means ‘licence’ (i.e. a formal agrreement) rather than its opposite, hindrance, which wd otherwise be tautologous.

  6. When DAHL and OSLO were among my first few in I wondered if there was going to be a Scandi theme – except that Quixote doesn’t do themes. I was doubtful about BIRR but it was quickly confirmed via Google. BOOTS ON THE GROUND was one of my later entries; the lightbulb moment was when 2dn and 3dn gave me the crossing letters for BOOTS.

    gwep @2: Chambers 1998 says almost the same for ILK. Collins (2006) says the erroneous usage “is nevertheless well established and generally acceptable” – no doubt to the dismay of purists.

    Thanks, Quixote and John

  7. Grant @5: Chambers has LET meaning ‘hindrance’ as a separate word with a different derivation. It does, though, mark it as ‘archaic’.

  8. To Alan:
    You are quite right but the English version of the Common Law is a translation of the Latin ‘Nec vi, nec clam, nec precario’ (neither by force, nor in secret, nor by licence, as I’m sure you knew). Fun this, isn’t it?

  9. Grant@5: My wife, always the expert, says that let and hindrance IS a deliberate tautology. Let and hindrance are both from Old English.

  10. I thought ‘let’ in the ‘hindrance’ sense referred to a ‘let’ in tennis where the obstruction of a ball or player in certain ways means the ball has to be served again.

  12. To Allan, Cookie, Leon et al:
    This has probably gone on long enough but it’s sort of interesting…
    My own view of a ‘let’ in tennis is that it is a sort of compromise, an allowance if you will, a sporting second chance for both parties and in that sense a bit of officially recognised ‘licence’ and not an ‘obstruction’. The two meanings couldn’t be more different and yet we all sort of get ’em…

  13. What is also interesting is that ‘let’ is not the only word in English that can have two opposite meanings: ‘cleave’ (split apart, stick together) and ‘sanction’ (permission, prohibition) come to mind. No doubt there are others. Incidentally, Chambers has two separate entries for ‘cleave’, but only one for ‘sanction’.

  14. @10, a ‘let’ is from a Germanic word meaning ‘late’, while a ‘hindrance’ is from a Germanic word meaning ‘impede, delay, prevent’. A ‘let’ service would be one that was ‘after the due or usual time’ as the result of an ‘obstruction’.

    The OCED gives:
    let² n. 1 (in tennis, squash, etc.) an obstruction of a ball or a player in certain ways, requiring the ball to be served again.
    2 archaic (except in without let or hindrance) obstruction, hindrance.

  15. “Let and hindrance” I know as a legal phrase. Lease agreements might mention that the tenant, as long as he pays the rent during the pendency of the agreement, must be allowed to live without let or hindrance from the landowner.

  16. allan_c @13 – I find these Janus words interesting. I keep a list but unable to lay hands thereon. From the top of my head I recall (as well as sanction and cleave which you mention):
    “nervy” (frightened or courageous)
    “owlish” (wise-looking or foolish-looking)
    “dust” (add a covering of or remove a covering of)
    “weather(ed)” (smooth(ed) or rough(ened)
    “hysterical” (frightened or happy)
    “avaunt” ([arch.] advance or depart)
    – the last two are more tenuous I realise, the final one relying on a sophistic ignoring of place, but still strictly Janian one could argue.
    There are more, of course, lost to my recollection as is my list’s location….

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