Independent 11004 / Skinny

15 comments on “Independent 11004 / Skinny”

1. I’ve certainly come across PRO BONO here in the UK and in exactly the same context. Perhaps slightly less formal so more likely to be stated than written. I agree with the observation about MB – although it could be argued that it is, and has always been, a large amount of data; it’s just that now we are quite accustomed to very large (giga) and enormous (tera) amounts.

   Lots to like today – including and probably topped by – BAGGAGE RECLAIM which had me wondering for a while where I was going to fit all those G’s. Particular favourites included CURRY FAVOUR for the allusion to MULLIGATAWNY, TORN TO SHREDS for the clever assembly, EVANGELIC for the delightful surface, AGONY AUNT for the inclusions of ‘skinny’ and the semi-hidden definition, ATREMBLE – just a lovely word but with another lovely surface and SCENIC for its succinctness and a homophone with which no one can argue! Finally a nod to the surfaces throughout which read really well.

   Thanks Skinny and Duncan

2. Enjoyable, particularly working out the not always easy parsing. I first heard of the term PRO BONO in the TV series “LA Law”, now more than a generation ago. I’d never heard of EMBRACER, in “LA Law” or anywhere else, but there it is in the usual places and it’s not noted as being a colloquialism.

   Among others I liked the surface for what sounds like the much loved TEDDY BEAR and the idea of the ‘Missionary’ in ‘lace pants’ at 21a.

   Thanks to Skinny and Duncan

3. There was quite a range of difficulty to negotiate from easy to hard, but it was all good fun. I think it’s the first time I’ve come across a partial Spoonerism but 11/24 works well.

   Try as I may, and even given Duncan’s definition, I can’t make BREAKAGE synonymous with CRACKING.

   SCENIC was my favourite.

   Many thanks to Skinny and to Duncan.

4. I really enjoyed this, despite being a slow starter. All the clues were smooth and what started out hard became easier as breakfast was consumed. I especially liked MULLIGATAWNY, tawny port being one of my favourite tipples; apparently it’s from the Tamil ‘milakutanni’ meaning peppered water. Thanks Skinny and Duncan.

5. Nice Spooner

6. I liked the MULLIGATAWNY CURRY FAVOUR combination and the Spoonerism. In fact, with the possible exception of BREAKAGE, it was all excellent.

7. Enjoyed the mulligatawny/ curry favour combo. And the Skinnies. Like RD @3 I haven’t seen a partial spoonerism before, and it was a good one: very funny. Great surfaces, among which I’d give a mention to 6d: not difficult, but really very neat. Embracer in this sense was unknown to me, so thanks to Duncan and thanks to Skinny

8. Another Indy contributor whom we don’t see sufficiently often, such a shame.
   Much to enjoy in this one and my personal favourites were IMPACT, HELLO &SHUTDOWN.

   Thanks to Skinny – good to see you – and to Duncan for the review.

9. I enjoyed this, starting off with the great surface for 1A. Never heard of EMBRACER, though.

10. Crosswords didn’t download for us today. How come others had it?

11. Thanks so much to all who commented and especially to Duncanshiell for the illuminating and informative colour-coded excellent blogging

    I’m pleased you all like it and to Jane @8 I very much hope to be a more regular contributor

    Regarding the comments on BREAKAGE – I was thinking of perhaps a skater saying ‘there’s a cracking in the ice’ and that’s how I rationalised it

    Best wishes to all

12. Ivan @10. I guess that, like us you use the real paid for Independent. And for some reason, there was no crossword there today. Does anyone have a hotline to the paper to complain? But we found it by searching online which takes you to a strange ad-laden site where you can get the same crossword free apparently (which I guess is what others refer to when they talk about the app on here).

13. Ivan@10

    You can always access the Independent puzzle by clicking on the link towards the top left hand corner of any Fifteensquared page. Under the heading Today’s Cryptics there are links to Financial Times, Guardian and Independent puzzles.

14. Much to enjoy; we particularly liked BAGGAGE RECLAIM and TEDDY BEAR.
    Thanks, Skinny and Duncan.

15. Thanks Duncanshiell, I agree with the setter that this colourful blog is excellent and the colours really help clarify wordplay especially on those longer anagrams.
    But most of all appreciate you confirming the definition of EMBRACER, and I didn’t know the ME part of REME.
    Enjoyed plenty, especially the TEDDY BEAR and the neatly linked MULLIGATAWNY/CURRY FAVOUR. Thanks Skinny.

    One question remaining if anyone sees this – are treble and soprano voices exactly equivalent or is one a subset of the other? (could anything other than a soprano, eg castrato, be called a treble?) Wikipedia is a little unclear as it suggests the treble part is just the highest in a given work, which implies that a soprano is the most common but still only an example of such, and there is no “definition by example” indicator. But in a different entry it also lists the frequencies of a treble part and only the soprano seems to hit these. Any informed musical opinion welcome.

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