Independent 10,833 / Phi – Fifteensquared

Another working week draws to a close with a grid by Phi.

I found this puzzle to be towards the easier end of the Phi spectrum. I made steady progress through the crossword and was eventually left with one unsolved clue at 3, which I needed to search Google to find. I could see how the clue worked, but I wrongly assumed that “height” would be rendered by “h” and not by “ht”.

I haven’t spotted any particular theme here or indeed a Nina.

My favourite clues today were 16D and 23, both for surface; 8, for including both “hackneyed” and “old hat” in the clue; and above all the semi- & lit. at 26.

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

Across

07	REFRESHEN	Perhaps add water to ferns here, wilting *(FERNS HERE); “wilting” is anagram indicator

09	OTHER	Different person subject to order, abandoned by British <br>OTHER (=person subject to order, i.e. monk); “abandoned by British (=BR)” means letters “br” is dropped

11	ANY MORE	US city enveloped in love for Little Italy in the future NY (=US city, i.e. New York) in AMORE (=love for Little Italy, i.e. the Italian word for love)

12	LIP-SYNC	Head off bits of film by Young Conservatives adopting new dubbing technique <c>LIPS (=bits of film; “head off” means first letter is dropped) + [N (=new) in YC (=Young Conservatives)]

13	TANGIBLES	Began list laying out these assets? *(BEGAN LIST); “laying out” is anagram indicator

14	STAIR	Commotion surrounding American element of flight A (=American) in STIR (=commotion); the “flight” of the definition is a flight of stairs

15	HASTE	Restrained but losing head in hurry <c>HASTE (=restrained, plain, simple); “losing head” means first letter is dropped

16	BUS	Vehicle not working? Not quite BUS<t> (=not working, kaput); “not quite” means last letter is dropped

17	LIDOS	Line is circling party venues for swimming DO (=party, function) in [L (=line) + IS]

18	ROUGH	Severe depression doing head in <t>ROUGH (=depression, low point); “doing head in” means first letter is dropped

20	SPACESHIP	Setter accommodating pilots aboard special flying machine [ACES (=pilots, aviators) in PHI (=setter, of this puzzle)] in SP. (=special)

23	PRETZEL	French ready with enthusiasm to dismiss a German cracker PRÊT (=French ready, i.e. the French word for ready, prepared) + ZE<a>L (=enthusiasm; “to dismiss a” means letter “a” is dropped)

24	ITERATE	Learned to ignore first repeat <l>ITERATE (=learned, educated); “to ignore first” means first letter is dropped

25	POSER	Increasingly aristocratic, avoiding hard question POS<h>ER (=increasingly aristocratic); “avoiding hard (=H, as in HB)” means letter “h” is dropped

26	SUNBATHER	Unusual heat burns – me? *(HEAT BURNS); “unusual” is anagram indicator

Down

01	BREAST	French port receiving a quantity of chicken A in BREST (=French port, in Brittany)

02	PEROXIDE	Wasting time, I exported nasty bleach (I EXPOR<t>ED); “wasting time* (=T)” means letter “t” is dropped from anagram, indicated by “nasty”

03	SHTETL	Fixed line limiting height for Jewish settlement HT (=height) in [SET (=fixed) + L (=line)]; a shtetl is a Jewish settlement in an East European town or village

04	ANALYSIS	Obsessive year is involving special research ANAL (=obsessive, fixated) + {S (=special) in [Y (=year) + IS]}

05	COOPTS	Elects Conservative – I’m sorry about that ultimately C (=Conservative) + [<tha>T (“ultimately” means last letter only) in OOPS (=I’m sorry)]

06	TRICORNS	Unusual stir about hackneyed items, things in the ‘old hat’ category? CORN (=hackneyed items) in *(STIR); “unusual” is anagram indicator

08	FLYING SAUCERS	Evidence of an out-of-this-world domestic bust-up? Cryptic definition: flying saucers suggest crockery being hurled during a domestic, while “out-of-this-world” suggests an extraterrestrial element

10	HAYWARDS HEATH	Grass needing protection with snug covering in Sussex town HAY (=grass) + WARD (=protection, care) + SHEATH (=snug covering, for e.g. sword)

15	HORNPIPE	Corner resident nearly securing spot for dance PIP (=spot, dot) in HORNE<r> (=corner resident, i.e. Little Jack Horner, in the nursery rhyme; “nearly” means last letter is dropped)

16	BASILISK	Lizard I left is found in lounge [I + L (=left) + IS] in BASK (=lounge, relax)

17	LIEGEMAN	Position King overlooked in a certain European subject LIE (=position) + GE<r>MAN (=a certain European; “King (=R, i.e. Rex) overlooked” means letter “r” is dropped)

19	HAZARD	A lot of mist on a road is a concern for drivers HAZ<e> (=mist; “a lot of” means last letter is dropped) + A + RD (=road, in addresses)

21	ALIENS	Foreigners giving misinformation in answer LIE (=misinformation) in ANS (=answer, i.e. abbreviation)

22	POETRY	Carefully examine including old film as example of literature [O (=old) + E.T. (=film, by Steven Spielberg)] in PRY (=carefully examine)

12 comments on “Independent 10,833 / Phi”

PostMark

#1 - Fri 2nd Jul 21, 07:50

There’s a faint theme of extraterrestrial travel today with SPACESHIP, FLYING SAUCERS and ALIEN but I can’t see anything else connected – unless the residents of HAYWARDS HEATH are somehow designated OTHER wordly. I loved the way Phi worked his own name into SPACESHIP

I was surprised to learn that COOPTing can mean electing. I always thought the whole point was that people who were co-opted, say onto a committee or council (as I once was in a Parish Council sense) can bypass the election process. I certainly did. But elect is in the dictionary so it’s the thing I learn today.

Thanks Phi and RR

Andrew

#2 - Fri 2nd Jul 21, 08:13

The fifth row contains SIXTY TWO, which I believe is Phi’s age – is today his birthday?

Hovis

#3 - Fri 2nd Jul 21, 08:31

I noticed that. It is indeed Phi’s 62 nd birthday today so many happy returns to our setter.

Hovis

#4 - Fri 2nd Jul 21, 08:34

My attempt to do the “nd” as a superscript evidently failed. Anybody know what I should have done? (I typed “sup” inside angled brackets then nd then “/sup” inside angled brackets.)

Phi

#5 - Fri 2nd Jul 21, 10:11

Yes, today is my 62nd birthday, and also International UFO Day, hence the various things flying around the grid.

PostMark

#6 - Fri 2nd Jul 21, 11:07

Birthday congratulations Phi. International UFO Day – does that mean we’re going to see CEO’s and HRD’s of big companies posting all over social media about their respect for aliens, the need to give aliens a voice, the importance of inclusivity of aliens… Maybe little spaceship logos in rainbow colours?

Undrell

#7 - Fri 2nd Jul 21, 12:26

Another Phi landmark! Happy birthday indeed… I failed to spot it obviously… so thanks Andrew@2… wouldn’t say this was the easiest Phi puzzle I’ve done but the usual enjoyment certainly… had to resort to pen n paper to work a few of them out… BASILISK seemed to be new to me.. but maybe not.. defo SHTETL was.. needed pen, paper, n Google to get that.! Was expecting a hyphen in CO-OPTS… for no particular reason it seems..
Thanks Phi n RatkojaRiku

allan_c

#8 - Fri 2nd Jul 21, 13:23

We too found this puzzle to be towards the easier end of the Phi spectrum. SHTETL we got from wordplay and crossers and confirmed in Chambers; the rest was straightforward. We liked PRETZEL for ‘ready’ not meaning ‘money’ for once, and HORNPIPE for the ‘corner resident’.
Thanks, Phi and RatkojaRiku.
And Happy Birthday, Phi – though a bit belated by now in NZ we guess.

Hoskins

#9 - Fri 2nd Jul 21, 15:17

Hippy Burpday, Phi! And who’d thunk the forgettable town I once lived in would get a mention in crossworld! 🙂

Petert

#10 - Fri 2nd Jul 21, 15:23

And there was me guessing that some iconic UFO sighting had taken place in 1962. Happy Birthday PHI. [Postmark @6 no doubt these will be followed by culture warriors asking what was wrong with a proper National UFO day]