Independent 9095 / Radian – Fifteensquared

A puzzle from Radian today that doesn’t have any obscure entries, but does have one entry that I have great difficulty spelling

The theme in this crossword developed gradually but then became clearly apparent in both the clues ands the entries. The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference is currently taking place in France and a good many key words and ideas being used and aired at the conference appear in the puzzle. This is a Conference which RECONVENEs [9 across] on a regular basis and SLIPPAGE [17 down] of implementation of recommendations from previous Conferences is criticised by many observers of the process.

I started off thinking we might be focusing on oceans with ANTARCTIC [A] [14 across] and ATLANTIC [18 down] but that idea went nowhere.

There were many potential flooding allusions – the flatness of EAST ANGLIA [19 across] and its FENLANDS [4 down], melting ice FLOEs [22 across] in ANTARCTICA which could increase sea levels in the oceans [ATLANTIC]. Global warming also took centre stage with GREENHOUSE GASES [1 down] and DESICCATE [6 down that was my last one in and the one I struggle to spell. Not many words have the C doubled once you get past the second and third letters]. We also have references to the contrast of fossil fuels [GUSHER 21 down], something we should USE LESS [16 across] and RENEWABLE ENERGY at 8 down].

This was a good puzzle for the geography fans with [Cape] HORN [of Africa] at 13 across, SOMALI[a] at 7 down, MERCIA [5 down] and Penzance all getting an entry or a reference

I enjoyed the puzzle.

Across
No.	Clue	Wordplay	Entry
9	Meet again in English priory briefly about borders (9)	RE (about) contains (borders) (E [English] + CONVENT [priory] excluding the final letter [briefly] T) R (E CONVEN) E	RECONVENE (meet again)
10	Weather lady who rules lines (5)	ER (Elizabeth Regina; Queen; lady who rules) + ODE (poem; lines [of verse])	ERODE (become discoloured, disintegrated, etc, by exposure; weather)
11	Comic learnt to control his first entrance (7)	Anagram of (comic) LEARNT containing (control) H (first letter of [first] HIS) ENT (H) RAL*	ENTHRAL (hold spellbound; entrance)
12 / 20	Writer’s opening muscatel, working with German in event this week (7,6)	(I’M [I am; writer is] contained in [opening] an anagram of [working] MUSCATEL) + MIT (German for ‘with’) CL (IM) ATE SUM* MIT	CLIMATE SUMMIT (The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference is being held in Le Bourget, Paris from 30th November to 11th December)
13	One’s cut from wounded rhino (4)	Anagram of (wounded) RHINO excluding [cut] I [one] HORN*	HORN (something that may be cut from a RHINOceros after it is wounded)
14	Worker gets cold in lorry at a place near 13 (10)	ANT (worker) + (C [cold] contained in [in] ARTIC [articulated lorry]) ANT AR (C) TIC	ANTARCTICA (continent near Cape HORN [13 across])
16	Futile advice on how to reduce waste (7)	USE LESS (do not consume so much; reduce waste)	USELESS (futile)
17	Sheets he put out in top condition and left? Yes (3,4)	SHEETS excluding (put out) HE + AI (A one; in top condition) + L (left) SET S AI L	SET SAIL (Sheets are SAILs in nautical terminology, so the whole clue indicate that we are putting out to sea)
19	A fly’s back biting lamb in flattish area (4,6)	(A + GNAT’S [fly] reversed (back) contained in (biting) ELIA (a pen name of Charles Lamb [1775 – 1834] English author and essayist) E (A ST ANG<) LIA	EAST ANGLIA (a flattish area of England)
22	Avoiding even bits, fell over piece of 14? (4)	FLOE (letters 1, 3, 5 and 7 [odd numbered letters, avoiding even bits]) of FELL OVER)	FLOE (field of floating ice; common in ANTARCTICA [14 down])
24	Redcaps occupying islands – they might get hot and sweaty (7)	RMP (Royal Military Police; redcaps) contained in (occupying) AITS (small islands) A (RMP) ITS	ARMPITS (parts of the body that might get hot and sweaty)
25	Last letter sent from SW town in atonement (7)	PENZANCE (town in Cornwall, South West town) excluding (sent from) Z (last letter of the alphabet)	PENANCE (atonement)
26	Order some draught cider on return journey (5)	EDICT (hidden word reversed [on return] in [in] DRAUGHT CIDER) EDICT<	EDICT (order)
27	Swallowing English wild fungi, about 50 (9)	(ENG [English] + an anagram of [wild] FUNGI) containing* (about) L (Roman numeral for 50) ENG U (L) FING	ENGULFING (swallowing)
Down
No.	Clue	Wordplay	Entry
1	Surgeon has geese doctored to lower such emissions? (10,5)	Anagram of (doctored) SURGEON HAS GEESE GREENHOUSE GASES*	GREENHOUSE GASES (the GREENHOUSE effect helps to keep Earth warm but excessive emission of GREENHOUSE GASES can increase this warming effect to a level that creates problems)
2	Buy drug, skirting the fuzz, initially getting away with it (4-4)	(SCORE [to obtain something desired; buy] + E [ecstasy; drug]) containing (skirting) TF (first letters of [initially] each of THE and FUZZ) SCO (T F) RE E	SCOT-FREE (entirely free from expense, injury, penalty, punishment, etc. getting away with it)
3	Turn over, not keeping very still (5)	INVERT (turn over) excluding (not keeping) V (very)	INERT (still)
4	After first of floods, England’s losing good part of 19 … (8)	F (first letter of [first of] FLOODS) + ENGLAND’S excluding (losing) G (good)	FENLANDS (part of EAST ANGLIA [19 across])
5	.. thanks to French kingdom once (6)	MERCI (‘thanks’ in French) + A (‘to’ in French)	MERCIA (old [once] Kingdom in Southern England)
6	Dry unhealthy docked pet soaked in river (9)	(SICK [unhealthy] excluding the last letter [docked] K + CAT [pet]) contained in [soaked in] DEE (name of a river of which there are a number in the UK) DE (SIC CAT) E	DESICCATE (dry)
7	He’s from 13 of Africa or really another part of it (6)	SO (very; really) + MALI (Country; another part of Africa)	SOMALI (a native of the HORN of Africa which covers the land mass of Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and Djibouti)
8	Lean green byre we designed as source of this? (,6)	Anagram of (designed) LEAN GREEN BYRE WE RENEWABLE ENERGY*	RENEWABLE ENERGY (an alternative source of energy, such as waves, wind or sun, that can be considered inexhaustible Perhaps the byre in the clue has been fitted with solar panels or a windmill)
15	Retired boxer had some food and hit back (9)	RET (retired) + ALI (reference Muhammad Ali, heavyweight boxer) + ATE (had some food)	RETALIATE (hit back)
17	Surreptitiously pass paper showing extent of shortfall (8)	SLIP (pass surreptitiously) + PAGE (paper)	SLIPPAGE (extent of failure to reach a set target; extent of shortfall))
18	Main‘s nearly all intact having burst (8)	Anagram of (having burst) (ALL excluding the final letter [almost] L and INTACT) ATLANTIC*	ATLANTIC (ocean; main)
21	German guide well drilled under pressure (6)	G (German) + USHER (guide)	GUSHER (oil well that does not have to be pumped; well drilled under pressure)
23	King and his mistress’s late ding-dong? (5)	K (king) + NELL (reference NELL Gwyn, mistress of King Charles II)	KNELL (the sound [ding-dong]of a bell, esp at a death [late] or funeral; late ding-dong)

Across

No.

Clue

Wordplay

Entry

Meet again in English priory briefly about borders (9)

RE (about) contains (borders) (E [English] + CONVENT [priory] excluding the final letter [briefly] T)

R (E CONVEN) E

RECONVENE (meet again)

Weather lady who rules lines (5)

ER (Elizabeth Regina; Queen; lady who rules) + ODE (poem; lines [of verse])

ERODE (become discoloured, disintegrated, etc, by exposure; weather)

Comic learnt to control his first entrance (7)

Anagram of (comic) LEARNT containing (control) H (first letter of [first] HIS)

ENT (H) RAL*

ENTHRAL (hold spellbound; entrance)

12 / 20

Writer’s opening muscatel, working with German in event this week (7,6)

(I’M [I am; writer is] contained in [opening] an anagram of [working] MUSCATEL) + MIT (German for ‘with’)

CL (IM) ATE SUM* MIT

CLIMATE SUMMIT (The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference is being held in Le Bourget, Paris from 30th November to 11th December)

One’s cut from wounded rhino (4)

Anagram of (wounded) RHINO excluding [cut] I [one]

HORN*

HORN (something that may be cut from a RHINOceros after it is wounded)

Worker gets cold in lorry at a place near 13 (10)

ANT (worker) + (C [cold] contained in [in] ARTIC [articulated lorry])

ANT AR (C) TIC

ANTARCTICA (continent near Cape HORN [13 across])

Futile advice on how to reduce waste (7)

USE LESS (do not consume so much; reduce waste)

USELESS (futile)

Sheets he put out in top condition and left? Yes (3,4)

SHEETS excluding (put out) HE + AI (A one; in top condition) + L (left)

SET S AI L

SET SAIL (Sheets are SAILs in nautical terminology, so the whole clue indicate that we are putting out to sea)

A fly’s back biting lamb in flattish area (4,6)

(A + GNAT’S [fly] reversed (back) contained in (biting) ELIA (a pen name of Charles Lamb [1775 – 1834] English author and essayist)

E (A ST ANG<) LIA

EAST ANGLIA (a flattish area of England)

Avoiding even bits, fell over piece of 14? (4)

FLOE (letters 1, 3, 5 and 7 [odd numbered letters, avoiding even bits]) of FELL OVER)

FLOE (field of floating ice; common in ANTARCTICA [14 down])

Redcaps occupying islands – they might get hot and sweaty (7)

RMP (Royal Military Police; redcaps) contained in (occupying) AITS (small islands)

A (RMP) ITS

ARMPITS (parts of the body that might get hot and sweaty)

Last letter sent from SW town in atonement (7)

PENZANCE (town in Cornwall, South West town) excluding (sent from) Z (last letter of the alphabet)

PENANCE (atonement)

Order some draught cider on return journey (5)

EDICT (hidden word reversed [on return] in [in] DRAUGHT CIDER)

EDICT<

EDICT (order)

Swallowing English wild fungi, about 50 (9)

(ENG [English] + an anagram of [wild] FUNGI*) containing (about) L (Roman numeral for 50)

ENG U (L) FING

ENGULFING (swallowing)

Down

No.

Clue

Wordplay

Entry

Surgeon has geese doctored to lower such emissions? (10,5)

Anagram of (doctored) SURGEON HAS GEESE

GREENHOUSE GASES*

GREENHOUSE GASES (the GREENHOUSE effect helps to keep Earth warm but excessive emission of GREENHOUSE GASES can increase this warming effect to a level that creates problems)

Buy drug, skirting the fuzz, initially getting away with it (4-4)

(SCORE [to obtain something desired; buy] + E [ecstasy; drug]) containing (skirting) TF (first letters of [initially] each of THE and FUZZ)

SCO (T F) RE E

SCOT-FREE (entirely free from expense, injury, penalty, punishment, etc. getting away with it)

Turn over, not keeping very still (5)

INVERT (turn over) excluding (not keeping) V (very)

INERT (still)

After first of floods, England’s losing good part of 19 … (8)

F (first letter of [first of] FLOODS) + ENGLAND’S excluding (losing) G (good)

FENLANDS (part of EAST ANGLIA [19 across])

.. thanks to French kingdom once (6)

MERCI (‘thanks’ in French) + A (‘to’ in French)

MERCIA (old [once] Kingdom in Southern England)

Dry unhealthy docked pet soaked in river (9)

(SICK [unhealthy] excluding the last letter [docked] K + CAT [pet]) contained in [soaked in] DEE (name of a river of which there are a number in the UK)

DE (SIC CAT) E

DESICCATE (dry)

He’s from 13 of Africa or really another part of it (6)

SO (very; really) + MALI (Country; another part of Africa)

SOMALI (a native of the HORN of Africa which covers the land mass of Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia and Djibouti)

Lean green byre we designed as source of this? (,6)

Anagram of (designed) LEAN GREEN BYRE WE

RENEWABLE ENERGY*

RENEWABLE ENERGY (an alternative source of energy, such as waves, wind or sun, that can be considered inexhaustible Perhaps the byre in the clue has been fitted with solar panels or a windmill)

Retired boxer had some food and hit back (9)

RET (retired) + ALI (reference Muhammad Ali, heavyweight boxer) + ATE (had some food)

RETALIATE (hit back)

Surreptitiously pass paper showing extent of shortfall (8)

SLIP (pass surreptitiously) + PAGE (paper)

SLIPPAGE (extent of failure to reach a set target; extent of shortfall))

Main‘s nearly all intact having burst (8)

Anagram of (having burst) (ALL excluding the final letter [almost] L and INTACT)

ATLANTIC*

ATLANTIC (ocean; main)

German guide well drilled under pressure (6)

G (German) + USHER (guide)

GUSHER (oil well that does not have to be pumped; well drilled under pressure)

King and his mistress’s late ding-dong? (5)

K (king) + NELL (reference NELL Gwyn, mistress of King Charles II)

KNELL (the sound [ding-dong]of a bell, esp at a death [late] or funeral; late ding-dong)

20 comments on “Independent 9095 / Radian”

This was a delightful, thoughtful and contemporary puzzle, which I really enjoyed. The theme gradually gave itself away, and if this isn’t a subject close to your heart, then it certainly should be. Think climate change deniers like Donald Trump (if you can bear to).

No favourites; all good.

[The reason we have DESICCATE, Duncan, is that it comes from the Latin ‘to dry’, SICCARE. But that’s not a lot of help to you, is it? Mebbes just write it out ten times.]

Thanks to S&B.

A topical puzzle themed around the environment and geography – great stuff. 1dn was a bit of a write-in, with ’emissions’ giving the game away so there was no real need to examine the anagram fodder in detail. That confirmed the nature of the emerging theme, led to 8dn being a write-in and then the rest was plain sailing. I needed the blog, though, to parse 2dn.

And how many chemistry students, I wonder, have spelt ‘desiccator’ wrongly?

Well done, Radian, and the usual painstaking blog from Duncan. Thanks to both.

‘Desiccate’ is a tinker, isn’t it? Even with etym. it just Looks Wrong. I have the same problem with the word ‘weird’. Even typing that felt wierd. Er, anyone else have spelling blind spots?

When I worked in laboratories we called them desiccators but wrote about driers.

Thanks, Duncan.

I totally agree with K’s D’s first sentence – certainly a subject close to my heart: it has had me marching round London a couple of times, though not on the latest occasion – and Radian couldn’t have known how much more topical it would be for some of our readers today. Heartfelt condolences to them.

I agree about favourites, too.

I met DESICCATE early on from desiccated coconut packets [I used to be able to recite the French side of HP sauce bottle labels, too] and particularly remembered it, because it looked odd. I didn’t learn the Latin derivation until much later.

Many thanks to Radian for a most enjoyable puzzle.

Thanks, Eileen, for a reminder of the “melange de fruits orientaux.. “. We have got well off the theme of this excellent puzzle that I managed to complete before my coffee was completely cold.
Thanks, Duncan and Radian

Nice puzzle, only stuck on two (10a & 3d). Thanks to both!

Grant @3. I don’t have many, but Massachusetts and Liechtenstein are two, and they have been known to come up in cryptics from time to time.

As for ‘weird’, just remember the rule: ‘I before E, except after C; except when it isn’t’. Whoever came up with that spelling rule in the first place needs a slap. And the barrier across a river is always going to be a WEIR rather than a WIER. Unless of course you’re referring to the river that circles the Stadium of Light, the River WEAR. Where you’d have to WEAR something warm during the winter months watching The Lads.

English spelling and pronunciation (rather than pronounciation) is a basket case.

It’s the short ‘e’ in DESICCATE that leads some non-Latinists to expect a double S: in most words beginning DE + a single consonant the first syllable is pronounced DI (short I) or DEE. (‘Cette sauce de haute qualité…’ featured in my youth as well, and I’ve always had fun seeing how film posters abroad translate familiar English titles. At the risk of outing myself as an incurable word nerd, whenever I buy a piece of equipment with instructions in several languages I take a delight in observing the differing degrees of bossiness in them.)

Finished with few problems. Although I too have trouble spelling DESICCATE, the word play at least made it obvious.

I was rather expecting a Sibelius themed puzzle for today’s 150th anniversary – lots of reference to the Kalevala, etc. (And also Martinu’s 125th today. Two of my favourite composers. Torn as to what to listen to.)

Eileen and Leon.W

I have a DVD od the great Marty Feldman which includes him doing the French HP sauce label as Jacques Brel. Wonderful.

You don’t have to visit my cinema room to see it (although you are welcome to do so -especially if you arrive with a bottle of Highland malt!) because it is on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIJnP5W_fF8

Sorry Polly, I should have included you as well.

And of course I meant ‘of’ not ‘od’. Not sure what to blame the goof on. Can’t be the (Scottish) sauce, now, can it?

Magnifique, Conrad – I can’t thank you enough. (It’s Aznavour, btw, not Brel, and he even gets the angle of the eyebrows.)

Polly I owe you, and humbly stand corrected.

Very good crossword but one thing that I thought was a hanging offence: perhaps it isn’t but it looks terribly wrong to me. In 19dn lamb is mentioned. Elia wasn’t lamb; he was Lamb.

And I bet you thought I was going to moan about the 40% checking at 3dn and 23dn. Not the best, but a small point in comparison.