Independent 9,412 / Alchemi

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Alchemi’s latest puzzle awaited solvers this Tuesday morning.

If I look back at my previous blogs of Alchemi puzzles, they all talk about struggling to get started and needing to chip away at the puzzle bit by bit. This time, however, the puzzle proved to be a quicker solve for me, although there was something in every quadrant of the puzzle that gave rise to some head-scratching.

I haven’t spotted a theme as such, but the fact there are a number of given names amongst the solutions made me wonder if this was some kind of personal tribute, perhaps to some family members of the setter? I cannot believe that those names appeared in the grid by chance.

I had never heard of the place at 1A. My favourite clue by far today was 10, for smoothness of surface. Although actually quite a simple clue, for a long time I misread the cryptic to mean that some first letters would be cut (=”executed”) from the wordplay, and I only solved the clue and realised how it worked once all three available crossing letters were in the grid. The mental image conjured up by the clue at 1D also made me smile.

*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues

Across    
     
01 PLAISTOW Part of London law I stop breaking

*(LAW I STOP); “breaking” is anagram indicator; Plaistow is an urban area in the London Borough of Newham
     
05/23 PUBLIC SCHOOL Cool hip clubs around St Paul’s?

*(COOL HIP CLUBS); “around” is anagram indicator; St Paul’s is an independent school for boys in Barnes, London
     
09 TEA PARTY Internally split, still backing US right-wingers

APART (=split, separate) in TEY (YET=still; “backing” indicates reversal); the Tea Party movement is a right-wing political movement in the US
     
10 DICKIE Bow down in case Kim is executing leaders

D<own> I<n> C<ase> K<im> I<s> E<xecuting>; “leaders” means first letters only are used; a dickie bow is a bow tie
     
11 IN CREDIT Having funds incorporated with resistance to change

INC (=incorporated) + R (=resistance) + EDIT (=to change)
     
12 PAWNEE Between Portugal and Spain, find a strange new tribe

[A + *(NEW)] in [P (=Portugal) + E (=Spain)]; “strange” is an anagram indicator; the Pawnee tribe is a Native American tribe, originally from Nebraska
     
14 IDOL Party held by the Italian star

DO (=party, function) in IL (=the Italian, i.e. the Italian word for the)
     
15 STIPENDS Rejecting mines, finishes making allowances

STIP (PITS=mines; “rejecting” indicates reversal) + ENDS (=finishes)
     
18 EVENTUAL Leave nut to get cracked later

*(LEAVE NUT); “to get cracked” is anagram indicator
     
20/19 GENE VINCENT City where I’ve left carrot for a singer

GENEV<a> + INCENT<ive> (=carrot); “I’ve left” means letters “ive” are dropped, with remainder of word replacing the “a” in Geneva; the reference is to the American musician Gene Vincent (1935-71), who pioneered the rock ‘n’ roll and rockabilly styles
     
24 HUNGER Great king welcomes new famine

N (=new) in [HUGE (=great) + R (=king, i.e. rex)]
     
25 TRICKIER Row about Astley possibly gets more complicated

RICK (=Astley possibly, i.e. English singer-songwriter) in TIER (=row)
     
26 TREVOR Bloke‘s planetary explorer comes back on time

T (=time) + REVOR (ROVER=planetary explorer, i.e. remote-controlled vehicle for exploring the surface of e.g. the moon; “comes back” indicates reversal)
     
27 SCOOTING Pain keep’s Bill’s partner moving quickly

COO (=Bill’s partner, from to bill and coo) in STING (=pain)
     
28 MITRES Doctor finally break’s children’s joints

<docto>R (“finally” means last letter only) in MITES (=children)
     
29 MY OLD MAN Father irritated many keeping Liberal Democrat in order

[LD (=Liberal Democrat)] in OM (=order, i.e. Order of Merit)] in *(MANY); “irritated” is anagram indicator
     
Down    
     
01 PATRICIA Tapir running around spies female

*(TAPIR) + CIA (=spies, in US); “running around” is anagram indicator
     
02 AJACCIO American ensign leaves base with company going round independent island capital

A (=American) + JAC<k> (=ensign; “leaves base” means last letter dropped) + [I (=independent) in CO (=company)]
     
03/16 SEALED ENVELOPE This probably contains letter run off after lead evens out

*(LEAD AVENS) + ELOPE (=run off); “out” is anagram indicator
     
04 OXTAIL SOUP A pious lot cross about liquid lunch?

*(A PIOUS LOT + X (=cross, on ballot paper)); “about” is anagram indicator
     
06 URINATED Went under it – a mess

*(UNDER IT A); “mess” is anagram indicator; urinated is went (to the toilet, for a wee)
     
07 LIKENED Russell possibly told stories about having drawn comparisons

KEN (=Russell possibly, i.e. English film director) in LIED (=told stories)
     
08 CLEVER Intelligent third party suffering reverse

C (=third, after a and b) + LEVER (REVEL=party, rave; “suffering reverse” indicates reversal)
     
13 BILLERICAY Essex town goat eats heather

ERICA (=heather) in BILLY (=goat)
     
17 TETRAGON Monster’s head replaced by offensive figure

<d>RAGON (=monster); “head replaced by offensive (=TET, during Vietnam War)” means letter “d” is replaced by letters “tet”
     
21 ELITISM Hat being the wrong way up is mark of snobbery

ELIT (TILE=hat; “being wrong way up” indicates vertical reversal) + IS + M (=mark, i.e. former German currency)
     
22 RHYTHM Beat marines surrounding Cinque Port pointlessly

HYTH<e> (=Cinque Port; “point-lessly” means last letter – E for East (=point) – is dropped) in RM (=marines, i.e. Royal Marines)
     
     

 

14 comments on “Independent 9,412 / Alchemi”

  1. Morning RR, and thanks for the review.

    There is a ghost theme. PLAISTOW PATRICIA, BILLERICAY DICKIE, CLEVER TREVOR, GENE VINCENT and MY OLD MAN are persons featured in the titles of Ian Dury songs. (Although the title of one is spelt Clevor Trever). Since you seem to have had a reasonably pleasant solve without spotting it, that would be mission accomplished from my point of view.

  2. Glad they’ve sorted the website out. When I printed “today’s” puzzle earlier it gave me a Poins from January 21 2016.

  3. I liked the Ian Dury theme here. Couldn’t help looking for a “Sweet” or a “Stick” to complete the GV & Rhythm answers but it brightened up a rainy morning for me nonetheless.

    Thanks to Alchemi.

  4. @Killswarm

    I had hoped to get the SWEET in when I set out, but I ended up with a grid with no 5-letter lights, so it wouldn’t fit. But since there were a lot of 6-letter ones, I thought I might as well chuck the RHYTHM in for those who were spotting the theme and presumably singing along.

  6. @Alchemi

    The RHYTHM was actually a nice blind ~ PATRICIA & DICKIE were naturals after PLAISTOW & BILLERICAY, hence scanning the grid for a possibly missed STICK certainly pushed my time back. Anyway, great to have a puzzle with such a theme.

    Once again, thanks. Gratitude also to RR for the blog, and to Geebs, for writing the words that I couldn’t bring myself to write….

  8. In complete contrast to RatkojaRiku, I entered Plaistow at 1ac and immediately guessed that 1dn would be Patricia! The blog even unconsciously echoes the theme by noting the number of ‘given names’ – the wonderful song at 13, 10 begins “My given name is Dickie, I come from Billericay…”
    Loved the puzzle and theme, thanks Alchemi – Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll!

  9. By the way, it has been observed before, but not for a while, that among the prophetic Reasons to be Cheerful (the song released in 1979) are “Dimitri and Pasquale”. So while his Old Man did the crossword in the Standard, Ian Dury was clearly anticipating more advanced fare.

  10. Goujeers@2: The same thing happened to me on Friday but another commenter on this site put me right. The Indy website seems to be a bit erratic at present, so to be sure of getting the right puzzle first time ignore the solid orange “solve now” button and scroll down a little to the “more puzzles” panel and click on the tab for the current month (if it’s not already shown) and then click on the outline “solve now” for whichever day it is.

  12. DMT @11
    Both ‘ensign’ and ‘jack’ are synonyms for a naval flag, unlike admiral. I think you have been confused by navy rankings (easily done!).

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