Phi has provided the last of this week’s mid-week puzzles.
I found this to be at the easier end of the Phi/Indy spectrum, a light solve to ease me gently into the weekend. The grid was in itself rather kind to the solver in that a large number of initial letters were checked.
15 was a fairly new word to me: I remember having had it before and that it began with “e” but simply couldn’t bring it to mind – third time lucky! I enjoyed the three two-word solutions that Phi has split across two grid entries in each case. I also appreciated the “X and Y”-technique that he has used in the wordplay at both 18 and 23. Overall, my favourite clues today were the cryptic definition at 26/27 and the & lit. at 2.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01/08 | COMMERCIAL TRAVELLER | Spot bank employee detaining short party representative
COMMERCIAL (=spot, i.e. advert) + [RAV<e> (=party; “short” means last letter dropped) in TELLER (=bank employee)] |
| 09 | MOVE | Stir the writer to pen ordinary verse
[O (=ordinary) + V (=verse)] in ME (=me, i.e. Phi!); to move is to arouse emotion, stir, as in I was moved by his account of events |
| 10 | PATINA | Old man securing a metal covering
[A + TIN (=metal)] in PA (=old man, i.e. father) |
| 11 | CHECK OFF | American payment inappropriate in tally
CHECK (=American payment, i.e. US spelling of cheque) + OFF (=inappropriate, e.g. of remark) |
| 13 | ADROIT | A medic gets over it with skill
A + DR (=medic, i.e. doctor) + O (=over, in cricket) + IT |
| 14/17 | INTERIOR DESIGNER | Agonised trendies I ignore, bringing in right advisor on decor
R (=right) in *(TRENDIES I IGNORE); “agonised” is anagram indicator |
| 19 | SCULPT | Recalled extra time limiting club’s initial form
C<lub> (“initial” means first letter only) in [SULP (PLUS=extra; “recalled” indicates reversal) + T (=time)]; to sculpt is to form, shape |
| 21 | RANKNESS | Men suppressing most of home’s foul smell
NES<t> (=home; “most of” means last letter is dropped) in RANKS (=men, soldiers) |
| 23 | GANDHI | Indian politician in middle of rights issue at the outset
G AND H (“middle of riGHts” means middle letters only) + I<ssue> (“at the outset” means first letter only); the reference is to leader of the Indian independence movement Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) |
| 25 | T-BAR | Transport on mountain heading for top tavern
T<op> (“heading for” means first letter only) + BAR (=tavern); a T-bar is a kind of ski-lift |
| 26/27 | NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE | It’s the last thing you’ll be denied here
Cryptic definition: “death” (=last thing) is what is denied to someone who survives a near-death experience |
| Down | ||
| 01 | CLEANSING | Catholic inclination to confess, as purification
C (=Catholic, as in RC) + LEAN (=inclination) + SING (=confess, colloquially) |
| 02 | MALT | Some normal Talisker?
Hidden (“some”) in “norMAL Talisker”; & lit., since a Talisker is a Scotch malt whisky |
| 03 | EARPHONE | Hear piano vaguely with a receiver
*(HEAR + P (=piano, i.e. softly in music) + ONE (=a); “vaguely” is anagram indicator |
| 04 | COMIC | Humorist‘s absolutely huge, not small
CO<s>MIC (=absolutely huge); “not small (=S)” means letter “s” is dropped |
| 05 | ALVEOLI | Beer and cooking oil surrounding very small depressions
V (=very) in [ALE (=beer) + *(OIL)]; “cooking” is anagram indicator; alveoli are small depressions, pits, tooth sockets |
| 06 | STEPLADDER | Run after climbing cats, say? You might need this!
STEP (PETS=cats, say; “climbing” indicates vertical reversal) + LADDER (=run, e.g. in tights) |
| 07 | BATTER | Stuff for pudding making? // One receiving deliveries
Double definition: a batter is a batsmen, in e.g. cricket |
| 12 | FIRST LIGHT | Stir agitatedly, boarding air journey early in the morning
*(STIR) in FLIGHT (=air journey); “agitatedly” is anagram indicator |
| 15 | ESCLANDRE | Ends with clear failing, displaying notoriety
*(ENDS + CLEAR); “failing” is anagram indicator |
| 16 | HELSINKI | City to decline in endless spiral
SINK (=to decline) in HELI<x> (=spiral; “endless” means last letter dropped) |
| 18 | SANDBOX | Pit with farm animal beyond limits of suburb
S AND B (“limits of” means first and last letters only) + OX (=farm animal) |
| 20 | LAD MAG | Female upset about distribution of mad source of girlie pics
*(MAD) in LAG (GAL=female; “upset” indicates vertical reversal); “distribution of” is anagram indicator |
| 22 | NURSE | Cuddle to hurry up a lot of lovemaking
NUR (RUN=to hurry; “up” indicates vertical reversal) + SE<x> (=lovemaking; “a lot of” means last letter dropped) |
| 24 | GAIN | Secure article in trap
A (=article, in grammar) in GIN (=trap) |
I found this harder than a normal Phi, but today’s temperature isn’t helping. Didn’t know ESCLANDRE and will probably say so again if and when it next appears. Also ALVEOLI was new to me but easy to get. Lots of nice clues: my favourites being STEPLADDER, NURSES, GANDHI and LAD MAG. Thanks to Phi and RR.
Did most of this over lunch at the local beer festival. I started off OK then came to a halt with about half a dozen left near the bottom of the grid as I couldn’t work out ESCALANDRE despite the obvious anagram fodder. Once I got within range of an anagram solver the rest fell into place and with the second word of 26/27 confirmed as DEATH the whole of the expression became clear. SANDBOX took longer than it should because I wasn’t expecting the ‘X AND Y’ device twice in the same crossword.
Favourites were SCULPT, ALVEOLI and FIRST LIGHT.
Can’t see any theme/nina although the group of blocked squares in the SW corner forms a letter F, with the other corners correspondingly rotated – but I doubt if that has any significance.
Thanks, Phi and RatkojaRiku
Got most of this fairly quickly. I didn’t know 15dn, but from the crossing letters and the anagram fodder, I was able to make a guess at a plausible word and typing it into Google confirmed it.
Then I got stuck on the bottom left corner. I went and did something else for a couple of hours and when I came back the remaining answer soon suggested themselves to me.
Another not knowing 15D, despite having reasonable knowledge of the language and huge French dictionary, consulted in vain; persisted with the various combinations until solved.
13A Can “adroit” be interchanged with either “skill” (adroitness) or “with skill” (adroitly)?
Thanks to Phi and RatkojaRiku.
gwep @ 4
An adroit person = a person with skill?