Have we got a Phi puzzle without a theme or a message today?
Regular readers of fifteensquared Independent pages will know that Phi regularly sets puzzles with a theme or message, but I’ve tried to see one today and failed. I thought the Japanese writer might be the source of a theme but no. Bonus marks to anyone who can see a relation between some of the thirty-two entries in today’s grid
There is one clue, 21 down, for SCIENCE that I can’t parse to my satisfaction. I think I can see how the wordplay should be built up, but I can’t get it to work properly. Am I alone and missing something or is there something odd about the clue?
I liked the clues for COSMOLOGIST (10 across) and SULTANA (7 down) for their surfaces.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
US politician‘s annoyed comment about rebuffed advance (8) |
DRAT (word used to express annoyance) containing (about) (COME [advance] reversed [rebuffed]) D (EMOC<) RAT |
DEMOCRAT (a member of one of the major political parties in the United States of America)
|
|
5
|
Some recommendation is sensible for military designer (6)
|
NISSEN (hidden word in [some] RECOMMENDATION IS SENSIBLE)
|
NISSEN (reference Major Peter NISSEN, designer of the NISSEN hut [a prefabricated steel structure from a half cylindrical skin of corrugated steel]. Originally designed during World War 1, it was used extensively in World War 2)
|
|
10
|
Universal expert is confounded with gloom, beset by expense (11
|
(Anagram of [confounded with] IS and GLOOM) contained in (beset by) COST (expense) COS (MOLOGIS*) T |
COSMOLOGIST (one who studies the COSMOS [universe]; universal expert)
|
|
11
|
Underhand punch, knocking head off (3)
|
BLOW (punch) excluding (knocking off) the first letter (head) B
|
LOW (underhand)
|
|
12
|
Hot food? Safer with ices, possibly (9)
|
Anagram of (possibly) SAFER and ICES FRICASSEE* |
FRICASSEE (dish of fowl, rabbit, etc cut into pieces and served in sauce, served hot)
|
|
13
|
Mirror left amidst vapour (sulphur) (5)
|
(L [left] contained in [among] GAS [vapour]) + S [chemical symbol for sulphur) G (L) AS S |
GLASS (mirror)
|
|
14
|
One brought in by rigged constituency (4)
|
A [one] contained in (brought in by) SET (rigged) SE (A) T |
SEAT (parliamentary or local government constituency)
|
|
15
|
Vegetable, i.e. a bit of broccoli between furrow and stove (8)
|
(A + B [first letter of {a bit of} BROCCOLI]) contained in (between) (RUT [furrow] + AGA [brand name of a type of stove]) RUT (A B) AGA |
RUTABAGA (swede; root vegetable)
|
|
18
|
Find voucher in possession of the writer? Just the reverse (4,4)
|
ME (the writer) contained in (in possession of) COUPON (voucher) – i.e the opposite [just the reverse] of the clue CO (ME) UPON |
COME UPON (find)
|
|
20
|
Hackneyed thought millions ignored (4)
|
MUSED (thought) excluding (ignored) M (millions)
|
USED (hackneyed [dulled by excessive USE])
|
|
24
|
Class and so on backed accepting a school’s head (5)
|
ETC (et cetera [and so on]) reversed (backed) containing (accepting) (A + S [first letter of {head} SCHOOL]) C (A S) TE< |
CASTE (social class)
|
|
25
|
Underworld attack with gun mostly shocked nation (9)
|
PLUG (shoot; attack with gun) excluding the last letter (mostly) G + an anagram of (shocked) NATION PLU TONIAN* |
PLUTONIAN (of the underworld)
|
|
27
|
Poetic form and style not initially mastered (3)
|
MODE (style) excluding (not) M (first letter of [initially] MASTERED)
|
ODE (poetic form)
|
|
28
|
Great influence? I cope not with men, sadly (11)
|
Anagram of (sadly) I COPE NOT and MEN OMNIPOTENCE* |
OMNIPOTENCE (unlimited power; great influence)
|
|
29
|
Woman’s particular individuals, nameless objects of reverence (6)
|
HER (descriptive of a woman) + ONES (individuals) excluding (less) N (name)
|
HEROES (objects of reverence)
|
|
30
|
Dishes Capability’s first element of garden design (8)
|
C (first letter of [first] CAPABILITY) + ROCKERY (element of garden design) The clue alludes to Capability Brown [1716 – 1783], English garden designer)
|
CROCKERY (dishes)
|
| Down | |||
|
1
|
Met up, getting less potent drink (5)
|
FACED (met) reversed (up; down clue) DECAF< |
DECAF (less potent drink of coffee or tea for instance)
|
|
2
|
Japanese writer, male – his aim is astray (7)
|
Anagram of (is astray) M [male] and HIS AIM Could also be interpreted as M (male) + an anagram of (is astray) HIS AIM MISHIMA* or M ISHIMA* |
MISHIMA (reference Yukio MISHIMA [1925 – 1970], Japanese writer)
|
|
3
|
Beethoven work? Tough work, almost (not quite entirely) (6)
|
CHORE (tough work) excluding the final letter (almost) E + ALL (entirely) excluding the last letter (not quite) L
|
CHORAL (reference Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. The CHORAL)
|
|
4
|
What erotica may do in a ploy securing love (6)
|
(A + RUSE [ploy]) containing (securing) O (zero; love score in tennis) A R (O) USE |
AROUSE (what erotica may do)
|
|
6
|
Mathematical quantity: some number in it turning huge (8)
|
IN + ‘T (shortened form of IT) + LARGE reversed (turning) IN T EGRAL< |
INTEGRAL (the value of the function of a variable whose differential coefficient is known; mathematical quantity) Oh, memories of the joys of INTEGRAL calculus which I did actually understand a long time ago.
|
|
7
|
Nut, alas, misrepresents this form of fruit (7)
|
Anagram of (misrepresented) NUT ALAS SULTANA* |
SULTANA (small, pale, seedless raisin; a form of dried grape [fruit])
|
|
8
|
Was sent abroad – Midwest state – for source of information (4-5)
|
Anagram of (abroad) WAS SENT + ND (North Dakota, the least populous of the Midwest states in America) NEWS-STA* ND |
NEWS-STAND (source of information)
|
|
9
|
Awful time getting away from secure locations (7)
|
HIDE OUTS (retreats; secure locations) excluding (getting away from) T (time)
|
HIDEOUS (awful)
|
|
14
|
Dismiss clergy making show of repentance? (9)
|
SACK (dismiss) + CLOTH (clergy)
|
SACKCLOTH (coarse material, formerly worn in mourning or penance; show of repentance)
|
|
16
|
Flowering plant, a symbol of love aboard the Underground (8)
|
EROS (symbol of love) contained in (aboard) TUBE (London Underground) TUB (EROS) E |
TUBEROSE (Mexican amaryllid [Polianthes tuberosa] grown for its fragrant creamy-white flowers, propagated by tubers.
|
|
17
|
Politician, one investing in evasive business (7)
|
(MP [Member of Parliament; politician] + AN [one]) contained in (in) COY (evasive) CO (MP AN) Y |
COMPANY (business)
|
|
19
|
Worker in health club post mostly regrets turning up (7)
|
MAST (post) excluding the final letter (mostly) T + (RUES [regrets] reversed [turning up; down clue]) MAS SEUR< |
MASSEUR (someone who may work in a health club)
|
| 21 | Intellectual discipline that is presented in different ways – note church following (7) |
I can’t make the wordplay work here. It seems to me that it should be (IE [id est; that is] contained in [between] two directions (S [South] and N [North]) + note, normally N, but the N has been used as a direction + CE (Church [of England]) Also, we have a C missing from the wordplay. We have got CI between two directions (S [South and E [East]) + N + CE but I can’t relate CI to the clue Am I missing some thing obvious? It wouldn’t be the first time. |
SCIENCE (an intellectual discipline) |
|
22
|
Substantial protection against collisions (6)
|
BUMPER (anything large or generous in measure; substantial)
|
BUMPER (protection against the effect of collisions) double definition
|
|
23
|
Old Mexican almost informed Private Eye (6)
|
TOLD (informed) excluding the final letter (almost) D + TEC (detective; private eye)
|
TOLTEC (a member of a central Native American people who lived in Mexico until overrun by the Aztecs) We had AZTEC in Crosophile’s puzzle on Monday.
|
|
26
|
Poor of Parisian, gripped by desire, to pop up (5)
|
(DE [‘of’ in French {Paris}] contained in [gripped by] YEN [desire]) all reversed (to pop up; down clue) (NE (ED) Y)< |
NEEDY (poor)
|
Thanks for blogging, Duncan.
I enjoyed this a lot. Bit of science, bit of music. Must be Phi. No special favourites today: it was all good.
SCIENCE is SC for ‘scilicet’ and IE for ‘id est’ (both abbreviations for ‘that is’) plus N plus CE.
Thanks to Phi and good weekend to all.
K’s D @ 1
Thanks, that makes sense now. I was fixated on ‘ways’ being directions such East, South and North rather than thinking of two different methods os showing that is / namely.
It’s usually something I’ve missed.
Where’s Dormouse when you need him?
All i could see was LOW and HEROES.Enjoyable as usual.
Dormouse could now be hibernating…
Horrible thought, he could have been fricasseed..
… or drowned in the teapot…
Thank you Phi and duncanshiell.
The crossword was most enjoyable, still having fun trying to find a theme – COSMOLOGY ties in with the TOLTECS, SCIENCE and the cosmologist P.E. NISSEN, and with MISHIMA’s cosmology and cosmic nihilism, and the canopy of stars in Beethoven’s CHORAL Symphony…
Well, if it’s Dormouse who’s got the call, it’ll be something to do with astronomy or astrophysics. I can see Pluto in there, but that’s probably got naff all to do with it.
You may well be right about the theme, Cookie. PLUTONIAN ties in with it as well – Chambers defines it as relating to Pluto without specifying a particular meaning of Pluto (and my copy predates Pluto’s demotion, still referring to it as a planet).
An enjoyable solve, with some less usual words, e.g. RUTABAGA. A slight sense of déja vu with SACKCLOTH at 14dn – it was 14dn in Anglio’s offering on Wednesday, but a totally different clue of course. And I parsed 16dn differently; I saw it as TUBE + ROSE, with a rose as a symbol of love (My love is like a red, red rose – Burns) but no doubt your parsing is the correct one.
Thanks, Phi and Duncan
Allan @ 10
If you ever studied the ingredients of things like Branston Pickle (as I did as a lad – well you have to have a hobby) you would have met, and probably been puzzled by ‘rutabaga’. It was years later that I found they only used the term to disguise the fact that it was simply swede.
Conrad @ 11
Hmm… They probably call it rutabaga now to be politically correct and not offend certain Scandinavians. But I call a swede a swede – except on Burns Night when it’s ‘neeps’ to go with the haggis, ‘tatties’ and single malt.
Well, I have to admit that the first three clues I got were MISHIMA, LOW and GLASS, which immediately suggested the theme. Then I got HEROES. And I suppose the COSMOLOGIST could be Einstein (on or off the beach). And there’s a COMPANY string quartet (based on incidental music for a play based on a book by Beckett called Company). I don’t think there’s a Decaf symphony or a Rutabaga quartet.
Incidentally, on the whole swede/rutabaga theme, what’s called a swede in the south of England is called a turnip in the north, and vice versa, as I recall.
Rutabaga is the general American name for it, and Kurt Weill’s Lost in the Stars has a song which includes the word “rutabaga”.
There are also Philip Glass symphonies called Choral, Toltec, and Plutonian Ode. Though I never did get round buying the boxed set.
And, confusingly, there was also a Danish composer Louis Glass, who wrote a Swastika symphony in 1921.
Never managed 9dn. I looked at it for ages and finally put in DIREFUL with a shrug of the shoulders and expectation that the blog would explain what I couldn’t. Is it coincidence that the clue that defeated me was one of the only two with less than 50% checking?
6D is simply N (number) in IT then LARGE reversed.