Independent 10,761 / Phi

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As tradition dictates, Phi is bringing another suite of mid-week puzzles to an end.

In what was for me a medium-difficulty puzzle, he has managed to produce a grid which abounds with letter “a”s (every other letter of the second and fourteenth rows and the second and fourteenth columns is an “a”!), but which when completed is nonetheless a pangram!

I am happy with my parsing with the exception of 2 – please advise! – although it took me a long time to see what was happening at 1. The word “hackle” at 18 was new to me in this sense. My favourite clues today were 7, 12, 14A and 22, all for smoothness of surface.

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

Across    
     
07 PANAMA A chap apparently back in the country

A + MAN (=chap) + AP. (=apparently); “back” indicates reversal
     
08 AGAR-AGAR Repeatedly stove’s beginning to ruin jelly

AGA (=stove) + R<uin> (“beginning to”) means first letter only; “repeatedly” here means x 2
     
09 JACK Rating // bowler’s target        

Double definition: a jack is a sailor AND a small white ball aimed at in bowls
     
10 HORIZONTAL TV science programme leading discussion mostly on the level

HORIZON (=TV science programme, on BBC2) + TAL<k> (=discussion; “mostly” means last letter is dropped)
     
11 CAROTENE Colouring agent is something recalled in bamboo?

ROTE (=something recalled, as in learning by rote) in CANE (=bamboo)
     
12 EXTRAS Minor performers no longer rubbish? Not entirely

EX- (=no longer, as in ex-wife) + TRAS<h> (=rubbish; “not entirely” means last letter is dropped)
     
14 AZALEA Flower, one found is US state meadow

A (=one) in [AZ (=US state, i.e. Arizona) + LEA (=meadow)]
     
15 PESETA Nuisance besetting European with a dated currency

[E (=European) in PEST (=nuisance)] + A
     
18 HACKLE Restraint removing front feather from cockerel

<s>HACKLE (=restraint); “removing front” means first letter is dropped; a hackle is a cock’s neck feather
     
20 EVENTUAL Ultimate issue: gold brought back in clutches of the Spanish

[VENT (=issue, discharge, let out) + UA (AU=gold, i.e. chemical formula; “brought back” indicates reversal] in EL (=the Spanish, i.e. a Spanish word for the)
     
22 SANCTIMONY On a mystic bent, adopting new expression of holiness

N (=new) in *(ON A MYSTIC); “bent” is anagram indicator
     
24 IRAQ Country air damaged court card

*(AIR) + Q (=court card, i.e. a queen); “damaged” is anagram indicator
     
25 MAHARAJA Prince recalled a cheering cry in a fix

[A + RAH (=cheering cry, from hurrah)] in [A + JAM (=fix, scrape)]; “recalled” indicates reversal
     
26 AVATAR Cheers, after bringing about a change: ditching unknown gaming figure

TA (=cheers, i.e. thank you, colloquially) in [A + VAR<y> (=change; “ditching unknown (=y, in algebra)” means letter “y” is dropped)]; an avatar is a name, character assumed in a computer game
     
Down    
     
01 CANADA Openings in Commonwealth area involving a Commonwealth state

A in [C AND A (=openings, i.e. first letters in C<ommonwealth> A<rea>)]
     
02 BACK-TO-BACK Sequential description of discussions in defence?

Cryptic definition; back-to-back events are held sequentially; to back someone is to defend, stand up for
     
03 CASHMERE Fabric Queen twice displayed in legal action

[HM (=Queen, Her Majesty) + ER (=Queen, Elizabeth Regina)] in CASE (=legal action)
     
04 DAZZLE Put on a show for father instead of turning up for crossword?

pu<ZZLE (=crossword); “father (=DA) instead of turning up (=PU, i.e. vertical reversal of up)” means letters “pu” are replaced by “da”
     
05 FAUN Amusing to be around a pastoral deity

A in FUN (=amusing); a faun is a rural deity, similar to a satyr, a protector of shepherds
     
06 RAMAYANA A South American once enthralled by Egyptian god in religious epic

[A + MAYAN (=South American once, i.e. member of ancient civilisation)] in RA (=Egyptian god); the Ramayana is the Sanskrit epic of Rama
     
08 AGREED Getting on, having provided billet for soldiers? Certainly

RE (=soldiers, i.e. Royal Engineers) in AGED (=getting on, old)
     
13 THEATRICAL Exaggerated consequence of chewing that eclair

*(THAT ECLAIR); “chewing” is anagram indicator
     
14 ALABAMAN A research centre: graduate brought on board by an American resident

A + LAB + [MA (=graduate) in AN]
     
16 EVERYMAN Elevated title capturing most suitable figure in morality

VERY (=most, as in e.g. I am most impressed) in EMAN (NAME=title; “elevated” indicates reversal); Everyman is the hero of an old morality play, representing mankind
     
17 FEDORA Supplied golden colour on a hat

FED (=supplied) + OR (=golden colour, in heraldry) + A
     
19 ELIJAH Oratorio, I judge, with sound rising around

[I + J (=judge, i.e. abbreviation)] in ELAH (HALE=sound, of body; “rising around” indicates vertical reversal); Elijah is an 1846 oratorio by Mendelssohn
     
21 ARARAT A river? Skill needed to secure a landing-point

A + R (=river) + [A in ART (=skill)]; in the Bible, Noah’s ark landed on Mount Ararat
     
23 CLAW Grasp lead item in constitutional legislation

C<law> (“lead item” means first letter only) + LAW (=legislation); to claw is to seize, grab hold of
     
     

15 comments on “Independent 10,761 / Phi”

  1. I noticed that every solution contains at least one A with 7a, 8a, 9a, 25a, 26a, 1d, 6d, 14d, 21d, 23d having this as the only vowel.

    I parsed 2d as two members of defence (in football) talking to each other (back to back).

  2. I think I will be seeing -A-A-A-A- in my sleep tonight! I looked for a theme as it’s Phi and, unless the preponderance of a’s is it, I can’t see one. A few countries, a couple of references to US states. And it’s only a couple of letters short of being a double pangram.

    I failed on JACK as I had a plausible MARK, being both a rating/measurement and a bowler’s mark in cricket (either the mark from which they bowl or simply mark/target synonyms).

    My ticks today go to FAUN – so simple, EVERYMAN and SANCTIMONY for the surfaces, HACKLE which I’ve always associated with dogs (and people) rather than cockerels and HORIZONTAL which is very smooth. Lovely clueing as always with even the unknown RAMAYANA gettable from the instructions.

    Thanks Phi and RR

  3. Hmm I also had MARK not JACK, as well as the As and pangram I noticed there were also no As on the perimeter, could be a coincidence, but probably not

  5. I guess, if you ignore the extra A’s in AZALEA (apart from the first), the symmetry just amounts to what RR said in his intro. I hadn’t spotted that these A’s cover all the solutions until now. It also sort of covers flashling’s point in that these A’s go around the inner perimeter.

  6. I set off assuming there’d be a message round the outside, but no: it was all the As around the inside. A good trick. Favourites were extras, sanctimony, everyman and maharaja. Faun was very neat, but I hadn’t realised a faun was an actual deity – more of a walk on extra, I thought – so now I know about Silenus, thanks to Phi. Failed to parse dazzle, my last one in, so thanks to RatkojaRiku for that, and the rest of the blog.

  7. There’s a ring of Es nearer the middle as well. Es harder to put in the outer slot, I think. The pangram was an afterthought when I could see it looming.

  8. Congratulations to Phi on this tour de force. I’m in the MARK instead of JACK camp, though I agree the latter is better, and shame on me for not seeing it as my parents were and my brother is keen bowlers. Surely the Mayans were Central not South Americans? Thanks Phi and RatkojaRiku.

  9. Again over 60 comments on the G puzzle and so few elsewhere
    This was one of three fine puzzles -I might have seen the pangram if I hadnt been puzzling over
    the printer not cooperating.
    Thanks

  10. WOW! Phi at his best today. We were so impressed with the As (which we noticed early on) and the pangram, that we missed the ring of Es.

    We also had MARK at one point although were not that happy with it.

    Thanks to RatkojaRiku. Many thanks to Phi – hope all is well in NZ.

  11. Thanks both.
    Only held up with the Maya which to me are Central Americans. Unless one regards as anything south of the USA as South American.

  12. Interestingly, Chambers has Mayan as South American people of Central America so maybe Dicho is correct.

  13. A rare occasion when seeing the device (not a theme, as such) helped with the solution. Do you think the setters union have secretly agreed to reference each other this week? (Just Teesing)

  14. Another Team Tombs outing, I might change my nickname accordingly, I think I have my son interested in something more taxing than the Xbox!

    We did ok today, a few new words to us and a few aha’s (agar’s?) realised it was a pangram post Iraq which helped although a lot of Zs and Js which is impressive but not half as impressive as the A’s rotation and the E ring etc – no idea how long (and frustrating?!) this must have been to compile

    Thanks Phi for all the entertainment and to RR for the explanations

    Tombsy^2

  15. Another fab puzzle from my favourite setter.

    I guessed jack from the “bowler’s target”, but do not understand why jack means rating. Can sometime enlighten please?

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