Independent 9307 / Phi

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Well, this really has us puzzled!

 

As it’s a Phi, we’re sure there is something going on here, but we have no idea what it is.

There is a very well-known composer (even to us, with our limited knowledge of classical music) identified in the nina in the bottom row. With Phi, we would expect a connected nina in the top row. Before we managed to solve 2d (our last but one in) it looked as though the top row was a series of notes, perhaps the opening of one of the composer’s works? Bert even downloaded an app to play the notes to see if he recognised anything (some hope, as his knowledge of the composer is so limited that he thought the theme to ‘The Apprentice’ was by him!) This theory was dashed when 2d went in, so we are now totally baffled.

We really hope that there is a theme, otherwise the number of unusual words in the grid seem to represent a rather wilful means of making the puzzle more difficult than it needs to be. We always look forward to tackling challenging puzzles, and to trying to unearth Phi’s well-hidden (and sometimes obscure) themes, but we did not really enjoy this as much as we normally do, largely because of the obscure words. We still can’t figure out the wordplay for 7ac – does anyone have any ideas out there?

Across
7   Girl with hope offering father a piano in total? (7)
PANDORA We can only guess at this one – our LOI – we think it must be PANDORA from the crossing letters, and the connection with ‘Hope’ – apparently the only thing left in her box when she closed it. As to the wordplay? Could it be P AND / OR A? – the two letters needed to make ‘pa’ (father) or ‘a p’ (a piano) – if so, why the ‘or’?
8   Love lessened by accepting nothing of threats? (7)
OMINOUS O (love) MINUS (lessened) round or ‘accepting’ O (nothing)
10   Choir leader showing heart in crowd (11)
PRECENTRESS CENTRE (heart) in PRESS (crowd) – a new word for us
11   Englishman disregarded English in verse (3)
POM POeM (verse) ‘disregarding’ ‘e’ (English)
12   Increased economy regarding preparation of diamonds? (4-3)
ROSE-CUT ROSE (increased) CUT (economy)
15   Satisfied returning a touch of paint with time – this paint? (7)
TEMPERA MET (satisfied) reversed or ‘returning’ + P (first letter or ‘a touch of’ paint) ERA (time)
16   Empty racket about Tracey Emin, say (5)
DRAIN DIN (racket) round RA (Artist, such as Tracey Emin, although some would argue with that title for her!)
18   One dismissed from principal staff (3)
MAN MAiN (principle) with the ‘I’ (one) omitted or ‘dismissed’
20   Recalled desire to embrace short fellow, clinging (5)
NEEDY YEN (desire) reversed or ‘recalled’ round or ‘embracing’ ED (‘short fellow’)
22   Force lessens in spray? (7)
FLOWERS F (force) LOWERS (lessens)
24   Part of window-frame majority rotated and revolved internally (7)
TRANSOM MOST (majority) reversed or ‘rotated’ with RAN (revolved) inside
27   Note return of 50% cut (3)
LAH HALf (50%) without the last letter or ‘cut’
28   Marriage celebrations? Essence captured in a meal, cooked and given to one and all at the outset (11)
EPITHALAMIA PITH (essence) ‘captured’ in an anagram of A MEAL (anagrind is ‘cooked’) + I (one) and A (first letter or ‘outset’ of ‘all’) – another new word for us
30   Article endlessly cold – cold and sweet (7)
ANGELIC AN (article) + GELId (cold) without the last letter or ‘endless’ + C (cold)
31   Wary about church offering focus on sex? (7)
LECHERY LEERY (wary) about CH ( church)
Down
1   Theatrical backers? One goes over sets (6)
ANGELS AN (one) GELS (sets) – surprising to find two entries so similar (see 30d) with similar wordplay in the same puzzle – What is Phi playing at? What are we missing?
2   Nothing that’s revolutionary in revolution? (4)
LOVE Hidden (‘in’) and reversed (‘revolutionary’) in ‘rEVOLution’
3   Busy employee reduced information given to corporation (8)
FACTOTUM FACt (information) without the last letter or ‘reduced’ TO TUM (corporation)
4   Stop losing everybody in the wood (6)
FOREST FORESTall (stop) without or ‘losing’ ‘all’ (everybody)
5   Excessive drinking decreases, Arab accepted (10)
DIPSOMANIA DIPS (decreases) OMANI (Arab) A (accepted)
6   Swimmer encounters a little attachment to hose (8)
CODPIECE COD (swimmer) + PIECE (a little)
7   Musician in support group finally allowed in (5)
PIPER PIER (support) with P (last or ‘final’ letter of ‘group’) ‘allowed in’
9   Girl following a lot of wrestling in a 19 (7)
SUMMARY MARY (girl) following SUMo (wrestling) without the last letter or ‘a lot of’
13   Propeller: article cast in gold (3)
OAR A (article) ‘cast’ in OR (gold)
14   Woman receiving elevation through astute use of footwear? (10)
CINDERELLA Cryptic definition – referring to CINDERELLA’s ‘elevation’ from a servant to a princess because the glass slipper fitted
16   Composer, mostly unable to appreciate music, about to collapse (2,5)
DE FALLA DEAf (unable to appreciate music) without the last letter or ‘mostly’ around FALL (collapse). We’d never heard of this Spanish composer, but we’re not up on classical music, so we have learnt something today.
17   Short statement cut short disruption in business meeting (8)
APOTHEGM POTHEr (disruption) without the last letter or ‘cut short’ in AGM (business meeting) – yet another new word for us
19   Invalid to capture article about Society in so small a place? (8)
NUTSHELL NULL (invalid) round or ‘capturing’ THE (article) round S (society)
21   Chamber group, not piano, not keeping line up (3)
DUO lOUD (‘not piano’ ie not quiet) without the ‘l’ (line) reversed or ‘up’
23   Intelligence in school? That’s a change (6)
SWITCH WIT (intelligence) in SCH (school)
25   Everything simply reduced by 50% for the season (6)
SUMMER SUM (everything) MERely (simply) ‘reduced’ by 50%
26   Offering a lot? The writer’s about to dine (5)
MEATY MY (the writer’s) around EAT (dine)
29   Line one in Conran novel (4)
LACE L (line) ACE (one) – referring to the bonkbuster by Shirley Conran

 

12 comments on “Independent 9307 / Phi”

  1. Thanks Bert and Joyce, and Phi.
    As for a theme, the bottom row spells MAHLER, if that’s any help to you (it doesn’t to me, I’m afraid). (And Phi likes his music.)

  3. Is there a wedding happening somewhere?
    We have the ingredients: love, flowers, diamonds, a piper, nuptial celebrations, angelic lace and of course the obligatory Mahler wedding march from a (Mid)Summer Night’s dream.
    Best wishes to all if so…

  4. Re 7ac, you’re almost there, B&J. What the clue is saying is that the combinations PA, A and P constitute the full range of possibilities for P and/or A. Clever.

    People who dismiss Tracey Emin as talentless shouldn’t be so quick to judge. You never know, she might one day reveal a talent for something…

  5. Grant@3 – the MND wedding march is Mendelssohn, not Mahler: the latter brings to mind ‘Death in Venice’, but that doesn’t seem to have anything to suggest a possible theme.
    Richard@4 – I’m sure you’ve nailed it for 7ac. Tracy Emin does have a talent for getting up people’s noses if nothing else!

  7. Edo de Waart started his first season with the NZSO earlier this year with a performance of Mahler’s Third Symphony, the movements of which have rather wordy titles, some of which have made it into the puzzle. And I was there. Next week’s locale is rather different.

    Emin: had to find an RA who was still stirring it a bit. I mean, I have an Anthony Gormley T-shirt, so he’s clearly mainstream now.

  9. I got on better with the lower half of the puzzle so spotted MAHLER in the bottom unches before I had any down answers in the top half and was confidently expecting the top unches to reveal GUSTAV, so was surprised to find it wasn’t so. But some of the other answers did ring a bell regarding some of Mahler’s titles. The complete list for the six movements of the 3rd symphony is: Summer Marches In; What the Flowers in the Meadow Tell Me; What the Animals in the Forest Tell Me; What Man Tells Me; What the Angels Tell Me; What Love Tells Me.

    Wil @8: It may be stretching things a bit, but if something that rotates is actually rotating (= revolving) it can be said to be running.

    Thanks, Phi and B&J

  10. I’m fine with Tracey Emin as she’s successful-and gets around in puzzles.

    But De Falla…..??

    I love Mahler but the 3rd symphony lasts for about two weeks.

  11. Fine clues as always from Phi, but I can’t help wondering if a Nina/theme that very people will have got really justifies such obscurities in a daily puzzle. I always thought that hidden extras weren’t supposed to affect the solving process (not adversely, anyway) for those who are unaware of or don’t look for them. Perhaps this is no longer the case?

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