Independent 10,115 / Phi

by

Having occupied the Tuesday slot last week, Phi is back in his usual Friday slot this week.

Despite there being the potential for a Nina around the perimeter of this puzzle, there doesn’t appear to be one, nor have I spotted any particular theme here. I wonder if any other solvers have identified anything, since Phi’s themes often pass me by.

I think that I have parsed the puzzle to my satisfaction. I suppose that, strictly speaking, 15 and 24 are not fully & lit. – does anyone else have a better label for them when blogging? Thanks – both now corrected to semi- & lit.

As for my favourite clues today, the definition at 5 made me smirk; I rather liked the “limits of” device in 17; and also 2 and 16, both for their surface readings.

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

Across  
   
07 ITCH Attempt to sell lacking power and desire

<p>ITCH (=attempt to sell); “lacking power (=P)” means letter “p” is dropped
   
08 READY MONEY Busy day with more Eastern currency handed over in cash

*(DAY + MORE) + NEY (YEN=Eastern currency; “handed over” indicates reversal); “busy” is anagram indicator
   
10 CHARISMA Gap filled by Royal Institution with a power to influence

{[RI (=Royal Institution)] in CHASM (=gap)} + A
   
11 APPEND Add program then stop

APP. (=program, e.g. for smartphone) + END (=stop)
   
12 TWINGE Tense footballer reduced pain

T (=tense) + WINGE<r> (=footballer; “reduced” means last letter is dropped)
   
13 HEDGEROW Be shifty and dispute rural boundary

HEDGE (=be shifty, evasive) + ROW (=dispute)
   
15 EIGHTSOME REEL Dancing, ergo this melee?

*(ERGO THIS MELEE); “dancing” is anagram indicator; semi- & lit.
   
18 LLANELLI Four lines I inscribed about an English and Welsh town

[AN + E (=English)] in [LLLL (=four lines, i.e. 4 x L=line) + I]
   
20 ENMITY Refuse to accept dismissing leader about US college discord

MIT (=US college, Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in <d>ENY (=refuse to accept; “dismissing leader” means first letter is dropped)
   
22 THRALL Hour in extended captivity

HR (=hour) in TALL (=extended, long); thrall is slavery, servitude, subjugation, hence “captivity”
   
24 IN A HURRY Tiny Arthur dashed, with no time at all – being this?

*(<t>INY AR<t>HUR); “with no time (=T) at all” means that both t’s are dropped from anagram, indicated by “dashed”; semi-& lit.
   
25 FORMIC ACID Tannery chemical account: create one group of detectives to handle that

AC (=account) in [FORM (=create) + I (=one) + CID (=group of detectives)]
   
26 SITE The sound of something seen in station

Homophone (“the sound of”) of “sight (=something seen)”; a station can be an assigned place, position, hence “site”
   
Down  
   
01 AT THE WHEEL US lawyer fell on scoundrel in a car

ATT (=US lawyer, i.e. attorney) + HEW (=fell, cut) + HEEL (=scoundrel)
   
02 CHARON Ferryman allowing anchor to drift

*(ANCHOR); “to drift” is anagram indicator; Charon was the ferryman of the Underworld in Greek mythology
   
03 CRESCENT Cold of late gripping second row of houses

S (=second) in [C (=cold) + RECENT (=of late)]
   
04 BY HAND Youth not out among group offering personal service

Y<out>H (“not out” means letters “out” are dropped”) in BAND
   
05 CODPIECE Joke newspaper article for promotion of virility?

COD (=joke, jest) + PIECE (=newspaper article); codpieces were worn by men in their breeches in the 15th and 16th centuries, to cover and accentuate the genital area, hence “for promotion of virility?”
   
06 KEEN Knowledge about energy making you enthusiastic

E (=energy) in KEN (=knowledge)
   
09 ANAPHRODISIAC Panics; a hairdo, poorly conceived, may be turning people off

*(PANICS A HAIRDO); “poorly conceived” is anagram indicator; anaphrodisiac is the opposite of aphrodisiac
   
14 OBLITERATE Erase non-studio programme dealing with reading?

OB (=non-studio programme, i.e. outside broadcast) + LITERATE (=dealing with reading, i.e. able to read)
   
16 GENDARME Policeman with information on woman catching second of crooks

GEN (=information) + [<c>R<ooks> (“second of” means second letter only) in DAME (=woman)]
   
17 EYE CANDY Detective on limits to criminality – something worth looking at?

EYE (=detective, i.e. private eye) + C and Y (“limits to criminality“, i.e. first and last letters only)
   
19 LILACS Whitman topic: endless enumeration about mostly delicate stuff

LAC<e> (=delicate stuff; “mostly” means last letter only) in LIS<t> (=enumeration; “endless” means last letter is dropped); the reference is to American poet Walt Whitman (1819-92) and to his long poem When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d
   
21 MOUSSE Computer device with one part duplicated? Capital preparation

MOUSE (=computer device); “with one part duplicated” means one letter – the “s” – is repeated; (hair) mousse is a product applied to the head, hence “capital preparation”
   
23 HOOT Successful securing love? That’s a laugh

O (=love, i.e. zero score) in HOT (=successful, as in hot property, of an actor, say)
   
   

 

7 comments on “Independent 10,115 / Phi”

  1. I enjoyed this except for 19d, which I thought was rather obscure.   9d, a great anagram, is my favourite, but plenty more came into consideration.   I was puzzled by the definition for 21d, so thanks to RR for the explanation of “capital preparation” – it’s not something I need.

    Many thanks to Phi and to RR.

    P.S. RR, all of a “semi &lit” clue defines the answer but only part of the clue provides the wordplay.

  2. Nice puzzle as always from Phi.  Also liked 9D, 17D as well as 5D.

    Couple of minor points – 10A is MI Technology, not Territory and in 20D I believe the RI should be parsed together as Royal Institution (of Great Britain), rather than separately.

    Thanks to Phi and Rakojariku.

     

  3. Quite enjoyed this one but confess to needing to check on Whitman’s topic.

    5 &17d raised a smile but my favourite was 13a – due to personal experience!

    Thanks to Phi and to RR for the blog.

  5. Thanks to Rabbit Dave for the clarification on how to differentiate between & lit. and semi- & lit. – I will try to remember that for future blogs!

    Thanks to gwep for pointing out the typo and the other minor point – these have now been corrected.

  6. In the end, 5dn defeated me and I had to do a word search.

    19dn I knew because there is a musical setting by the American composer Roger Sessions.  I wonder if Phi was at the same Prom performance I first heard it at, possibly the only London performance in the last forty years.

  7. 5dn was our LOI; we were just on the point of trawling the dictionary when it suddenly occurred to one of us and we put the dictionary away unopened, so we can claim to have finished unaided.

    19dn has a number of musical settings; the most notable being by Paul Hindemith (1895-1963) and there is a recording available conducted by the composer.

    An enjoyable puzzle, with no nina or theme that we can detect.

    Thanks, Phi (our thoughts are with you after the news from NZ) and RatkojaRiku.

     

Comments are closed.