A good way to end the week; spend time solving a Phi Indie puzzle
There’s a famous man named down the central column. He died 499 years and 2 days ago. Either we’re getting the tribute in 363 days early for the 500th anniversary of his death or it’s just coincidence. I can’t find any other links to DA VINCI in the grid, but I’ve frequently missed things before.
I was a little bit puzzled by the juxtaposition of ‘ancient’ and ‘computer software’ in the clue for 3 down, FORTRAN. FORTRAN has been around a long time but it’s not ancient. Is FORT now considered to be an ancient form of defence?
DENATURE at 19 down is not a word I have come across before.
I took a while to solve GOLF BALL and EYE-OPENER so I, for one succumbed to the misdirection in the clue.
I liked the wordplay in COMPETITION and TOMCATS
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
Left scientific operation to sell back object of course (4,4)
|
(L [left] + LAB [laboratory; scientific operation] + FLOG [sell[) all reversed (back) (GOLF BAL L)< |
GOLF BALL (an object found on a GOLF course)
|
|
6
|
Get annoyed after study’s coming out? (6)
|
CON (study) + VEX ([get ]annoyed) CON VEX |
CONVEX (rising into a round form on the outside, coming out)
|
|
9
|
Fill ward (6)
|
CHARGE (fill completely) CHARGE |
CHARGE (custody; ward) double definition
|
|
10
|
Nothing more elegant about college stage production (3-5)
|
O (zero; nothing) + (NEATER [more elegant] containing [about] C [college]) O NE A (C) TER |
ONE-ACTER (ONE-ACT play; stage production)
|
|
11
|
Express disapproval of keeping one in decline (10)
|
DEPRECATE (express disapproval of) containing (keeping) I (Roman numeral for one) DEPREC (I) ATE |
DEPRECIATE (lower the value of; decline)
|
|
13
|
Kind hearts not evident in tacky people (4)
|
TY (letters remaining when the central letters [heart] ACK of TACKY are removed [not evident]) + PE (letters remaining when the central letters EOPL of PEOPLE are removed [not evident]) TY PE |
TYPE (sort; kind
|
|
14
|
Is isle recalled in sea identified wrongly? (8)
|
(IS + MAN [reference the Isle of MAN] reversed [recalled]) contained in (in) MED (MEDiterranean Sea) M (IS NAM<) ED |
MISNAMED (identified wrongly)
|
|
16
|
Limit minister to restraining ambassador (3,3)
|
TEND (minister to) containing (restraining) HE (His / Her Excellency, form of address for an ambassador /dress) T (HE) END |
THE END (limit)
|
|
17
|
Instinctive and simple to control time (6)
|
NAIVE (simple) containing (to control) T (time) NA (T) IVE |
NATIVE (instinctive)
|
|
19
|
Make undrinkable tea, ruined in brewing? Not I (8)
|
Anagram of (in brewing) TEA RUINED excluding (not) I DENATURE* |
DENATURE (to render [alcohol, etc] unfit for human consumption)
|
|
21
|
Family avoiding gambling male (4)
|
STAKING (gambling) excluding (avoiding) KIN (family) STAG |
STAG (male)
|
|
22
|
Speculation, perhaps, one will get new clothing (10)
|
I (Roman numeral for one) + N (new) + VESTMENT (clothing) I N VESTMENT |
INVESTMENT (speculation; the value of your INVESTMENT may go up or down)
|
|
24
|
No place to overlook special symbols (8)
|
NO + STATION (place) excluding (overlook) S (special) NO TATION |
NOTATION (system of specialized signs or symbols)
|
|
25
|
Stud possibly staying in place (6) |
STABLE (a STUD is a horse-breeding establishment; possibly located at a STABLE) STABLE |
STABLE (standing firm; staying in place) double definition
|
|
26
|
Worried sailors about section aft (6)
|
(ATE [worried] + RN [Royal Navy; sailors]) containing (about) S (section) A (S) TE RN |
ASTERN (behind; aft)
|
|
27
|
Big mischief-maker failing to dislodge leader (8)
|
IMP (mischief maker) + LOSING (failing) excluding (to dislodge) the first letter (leader) L IMP OSING |
IMPOSING (commanding; impressive; big)
|
|
Down |
|||
|
2
|
Material excavated around church provides pigment (5)
|
ORE (solid, naturally-occurring mineral aggregate; material excavated) containing (around) CH (church) O (CH) RE |
OCHRE (native pigment composed of fine clay and an iron oxide)
|
|
3
|
Defence establishment operated ancient computer software (7) |
FORT (defence establishment) + RAN (operated) Does ‘ancient’ apply to FORT as descriptive of an ancient [old] style of defence establishment? FORT RAN |
FORTRAN (problem-orientated computer language widely used in scientific work; I’m not sure where the word ‘ancient’ is being used. FORTRAN is still used as a computer language today. I have a FORTRAN compiler on my PC. |
|
4
|
Test cut – produced by swinging this tool? (3)
|
EXAM (test) excluding the final letter (cut) and reversed (swinging) AXE< |
AXE (a tool that can cut)
|
| 5 | Artist identified by Cardinal on video broadcast (8,2,5) |
Anagram of (broadcast) CARDINAL ON VIDEO LEONARDO DA VINCI* |
LEONARDO DA VINCI ( Italian Renaissance polymath whose areas of interest included invention, painting, sculpting, architecture born 1452, died 2nd May 1519) |
|
6
|
Pleasant trees offloading top fruit (11)
|
CLEMENT (kind, especially of weather) + PINE (types of tree; trees) excluding (offloading) the first letter (top) P CLEMENT INE |
CLEMENTINE (fruit)
|
|
7
|
Accessory distinguishing close finish over dead-heat? (7)
|
NECK (length of a horse’s head and NECK used to measure its lead or short winning margin in a race) + TIE (dead-heat) NECK TIE |
NECKTIE (fashion accessory)
|
|
8
|
E, it seems, is a source of wonder (3-6)
|
EYE-OPENER (E is the first letter of [OPENER] of EYE) EYE-OPENER |
EYE-OPENER (startling enlightenment; source of wonder)
|
|
12
|
Cheat about to overlook one throttling favourite in race? (11)
|
CON (cheat) containing ([OMIT {overlook} + I {Roman numeral for one}] containing [to throttle] PET [favourite]) C (OM (PET ) IT I) ON |
COMPETITION (a RACE is a COMPETITION)
|
|
15
|
Periods of idleness in making arrangement for Toscanini (9)
|
Anagram of (making arrangement for) TOSCANINI INACTIONS* |
INACTIONS (periods of idleness)
|
|
18
|
No good interrupting angry person without courtesy (7)
|
NG (no good) contained in (interrupting) IRATE (angry) I (NG) RATE |
INGRATE (ungrateful person; person without courtesy)
|
|
20
|
Kids besieging mother about beginning to choose pets? (7)
|
TOTS (small children; kids) containing (besieging) (MA [mother] containing [about] C [first letter of {beginning to} CHOOSE]) TO (M (C) A) TS |
TOMCATS (male cats; pets)
|
|
23
|
Name only concocted to identify material (5)
|
(N [name] + an anagram of (concocted) ONLY) N YLON* |
NYLON (a material)
|
|
25
|
Very positive concession (3)
|
SO (very) + P (positive) SO P |
SOP (concession)
|
Cant remember that Toscanini anag before-rather good.
I liked STAG too.
Thanks Phi and duncanshiell
Don’t remember ever seeing ONE-ACTER or DENATURE before. Thought ‘control’ for an inclusion indicator in 17a was strange. Failed to parse STAG, which seems obvious on hindsight. Agree that defining Fortran as ancient seems wrong. Thanks to Phi and Duncan.
Such a relief to get the IT one out of the way that I couldn’t have cared less whether or not FORTRAN was ancient!
Agree that the wordplay of 12d was clever but my favourite was CONVEX – took a long time for the penny to drop.
Thanks to Phi and to Duncan for the blog.
Several clues required a bit of puzzling over and even then we couldn’t parse the answers we got. But we did complete, apart from needing a wordfinder for CONVEX (and a facepalm moment when we got it). In fact the NE corner held out the longest. By contrast GOLF BALL was our first one in.
We hadn’t encountered INACTIONS before – we’d always assumed ‘inaction’ to be one of those nouns that refers to a state of something and therefore doesn’t have a plural form; but Chambers just lists it without comment.
A good challenge, though. Thanks, Phi and Duncan.
Was bang on wavelength for this, my biggest problem being to getting ONE-ACTER which was last in.
I agree that COMPETITION was clever but I can’t not favour TOMCATS.
Thanks to Phi and Duncan, and Happy Star Wars Day to all.
(My second biggest problem being to writing comments that making sense it seems … )
As a boy, I had a little toy steam engine that ran on denatured alcohol, but I was having too mcuh fun with it to wonder what that meant. Thanks, Phi and Duncan.
Enjoyable puzzle that went in quite smoothly. I am not sure that l would classify all my investments as speculation. Thanks both!
I’m currently feeling fairly ancient at the re-emergence of a puzzle from 35 years ago, and that postdates my learning Fortran. Certainly among the IT crowd I encounter through work any mention of Fortran is greeted with “But that’s aaaaaaaancient!’.
There’s a sort of Nina here around split personalities (CHAR-ACTER and so on) but I didn’t take it very far!