Independent 11023 / Tees

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Tees is currently one of the most prolific setters of Independent cryptics.

 

 

 

There was a clear theme today, but in relation to a subject I know very little about.  However, I was able to solve all but one of the clues from the wordplay and a very vague recollection of the word or place THERMOPYLAE.

The theme relates to battle during the second Persian invasion of Greece in 480BCE.  There are plenty references to the battle on line, but the key elements included in the grid are the location THERMOPYLAE, the Kings leading each side, LEONIDAS (leading the Spartans) and XERXES leading the Persians.  At one point LEONIDAS‘s forces were reduced to THREE HUNDRED men.

The one thematic entry that needed some research was HOT GATES (which refers to English meaning of THERMOPYLAE).  I could see that the clue required an anagram and EGO was clearly part of it as well as H, T and A which were three of the crossing letters that I had in place, but I did not know the term HOT GATES.

Tees often goes back in time for his allusions, so the entries PUNIC, HERA and ATHENIAN were no surprise.

I am not sure of the definition used for BEWITCH at 5 across, but I suppose it all depends on an interpretation of ‘intoxication’

The facts I learned today whilst solving the puzzle included ‘Charles Dickens had a pet raven’, ‘Desmond Morris is still alive’

I liked the use of other entries to form part of the wordplay for a couple of clues, particularly the use of IN DESPAIR in the clue for LEONIDAS.

I wondered a bit about whether a RECORD TIME could ever be bettered, but I realised that if a RECORD was broken, the new achievement would still be termed a RECORD TIME.  It’s a bit like ‘tomorrow never comes’.

Despite my lack of knowledge of the subject, I enjoyed this, but it will remain the case in our family that whenever anyone mentions LEONIDAS, we will think of Belgian chocolates rather than a Spartan king.

No Detail
Across  
1

See 23 Down 

[THREE] HUNDRED
5

Induce intoxication long after beer has run out? (7) 

BEWITCH (fascinate or charm. induce intoxication [state of high excitement or drunkenness])

BREW (beer) excluding (has … out] R (run) + ITCH (desire; long)

BEW ITCH
9

Treacherous Greek character retreats, shot outside (5) 

PUNIC (treacherous)

PIC (picture [snap]shot) containing (outside) NU (character of the Greek alphabet) reversed (retreat)

P (UN<) IC
10

Hedonist tense following exam in German city (3,6) 

BON VIVANT (a person who lives well, especially one who enjoys fine food; hedonist [ one who has a lifestyle devoted to pleasure-seeking])

(VIVA [an oral examination] contained in [in] BONN [German city]) + T (tense)

BON (VIVA) N T
11

Trained bear helping to show eccentricity (10) 

ABERRATION (deviation from the usual, normal or right course, direction or behaviour;  eccentricity)

Anagram of (trained) BEAR + RATION (helping [of food, for instance])

ABER* RATION
12

Olympian queen and husband are returning (4) 

HERA (Greek goddess, queen and one of the twelve Olympians)

H (husband) + ARE reversed (returning)

H ERA<
14

Book at that time peaked — a novel (3,5,3)

THE NAKED APE (title of a book by Desmond Morris, [born 1928], English zoologist, first published in 1967)

THEN (at that time) + an anagram of (novel) PEAKED A

THE N AKED APE*
18

Complex play on Rome lost in the battle (11) 

THERMOPYLAE (reference the Battle of THERMOPYLAE fought in 480BCE)

(Anagram of [lost] ROME + an anagram of [complex] PLAY) all contained in (in) THE

TH (ERMO* PYLA*) E
21

Find sea eagle in another nest (4) 

ERNE (sea eagle)

ERNE (hidden word in [found in] ANOTHER NEST)

ERNE
22

Fail to observe pet Dickens kept in foreign tale (10) 

CONTRAVENE (infringe; fail to observe [the rules])

RAVEN (Charles Dickens kept a RAVEN as a pet) contained in (kept in) CONTE (French  [foreign] word for a short story [tale]; foreign tale)

CONT (RAVEN) E
25

Cool couple needs some in 2 to dress down (2,7) 

IN DESPAIR (without hope; very sad; down)

IN (trendy; cool) + DES (French {NANTES, entry at 2 down} word for some) + PAIR (couple)

IN DES PAIR
26

Region round Colchester sees desperate times (5) 

ESSEX (Colchester is a town in the English County of ESSEX)

Anagram of (desperate) SEES + X (multiplication sign; times)

ESSE* X
27

Saints at last to probe lacking heart for nil-nil? (2,5) 

NO SCORE (nil-nil in a sports match is another way of saying there is NO SCORE)

S (final letter of [at last]SAINTS) contained in (to probe) NO CORE (lacking a heart)

NO (S) CORE
28

English indeed catching the French unsighted (7) 

EYELESS (with no EYES [unsighted])

E (English) + (YES [indeed] containing [catching] LES [one of the French forms of ‘the’)

E YE (LES) S
Down  
1

G7 perhaps needs intelligence to grasp point (6) 

HEPTAD (a group of seven, like the G7 [an inter-governmental political forum consisting of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States])

HEAD (aptitude, intelligence and emotions as in the phrase ‘he/she has a head for this topic’) containing (to grasp) PT (point)

HE (PT) AD
2

Port‘s name engraved in seat (6) 

NANTES (port city of Western France)

N (name) contained in (engraved in) NATES (the buttocks; seat)

NA (N) TES
3

Put down to the occasion, can it ever be bettered? (6,4) 

RECORD TIME (the current best performance  [can it ever be bettered? – I think, ‘probably’ is the answer, most RECORDs are bettered although I accept that the new value will now be known as the ‘RECORD TIME‘).  I suppose it’s all a bit like ‘tomorrow never comes’]

RECORD (put down) + TIME (occasion)

RECORD TIME
4

Start university getting into arrears (5) 

DEBUT (beginning or first attempt)

U (university) contained in (getting into) DEBT (arrears in the payment of money owing)

DEB (U) T
5

Swine upset everyone after scrap where house calls made (5,4) 

BINGO HALL (a venue where ‘house’ [another name for BINGO] is played and numbers are called)

BIN (throw away; scrap) + HOG (pig; swine) reversed (upset; down entry) + ALL (everyone)

BIN GO H< ALL
6

Scent carried almost overcomes one abandoned child (4) 

WAIF (neglected, abandoned or orphaned child)

WAFT (a scent or sound, or puff of smoke or vapour carried by the air) excluding the final letter (almost) T containing (overcomes) I (Roman numeral for one)

WA (I) F
7

Call for missile to tip unfavourable balance (5,3) 

TRADE GAP (the amount by which a country’s visible imports exceed its visible exports in value; unfavourable balance)

(PAGE [seek or summon; call] + DART [an example of a missile]) all reversed (to tip)

(TRAD E GAP)<
8

Alter ego Tees announces setting 23 1 Across — for starters — in 18 (3,5) 

HOT GATES (THERMOPYLAE (entry at 18 across) means HOT GATES. The name is derived from its hot sulphur springs. In Greek mythology the HOT GATES is one of the entrances to Hades)

I think this is an anagram of (alter) EGO and TS (sounds like [announces] TEES) and THA (first letters of each of [for starters] THREE HUNDRED [entry at 23 down 1 across] and ACROSS)

HOT GATES*
13

One from Dakar seen buffeted by winds close to village (10) 

SENEGALESE (DAKAR is the capital city of Senegal)

Anagram of (buffeted) SEEN + GALES (winds) + E (last letter of [close to] VILLAGE)

SENE* GALES E
15

Eastern guru coming round very good on secret assignments? (9)

ESPIONAGE (spying; secret assignments)

E (Eastern) + (SAGE [a guru] containing [coming round] [PI {sanctimonious; very good]} + ON])

E S (PI ON) AGE
16

23 articles about six counties — in Greek! (8) 

ATHENIAN (a native of ATHENs; a Greek)

(A [indefinite article] + THE [definite article] + AN [indefinite article]) all containing (about) NI (Northern Ireland, a region with has six counties)

A THE (NI) AN
17

King at 18 25 one Christmas needing boost (8)

LEONIDAS (King of the city state of Sparta, one of the Kings involved at the battle of THERMOPYLAE [entry at 18 across])

(SAD [IN DESPAIR [entry at 25 across] + I (Roman numeral for one] + NOEL [Christmas]) all reversed (needing boost; down entry)

(LEON I DAS)<
19

Lower entrance on the outside for tenant (6) 

LESSEE (person to whom a lease is granted; tenant)

LESS (lower) + EE (first and last letters [on the outside] of ENTRANCE)

LESS EE
20

King at 18 the other king sent north (6) 

XERXES (King of the Persians leading the opposition to Sparta at the battle of THERMOPYLAE [entry at 18 across])

(SEX [the other] + REX (king]) all reversed (sent north; down entry)

(XER XES)<
23

Article to include on barbarian terror wasting a number under 17 at 18 (5,7)

THREE [HUNDRED] (numbers of Spartans under the command of LEONIDAS [entry at 17 down]) towards the end of the battle of THERMOPYLAE [entry at 18 across])

(THE [definite article] containing [about] RE [with reference to; on]) + HUN (barbarian) + DREAD (terror) excluding (wasting) A

TH (RE) E HUN DRED
24

Nothing to check wife leaving European city (4) 

OSLO (Capital city of Norway)

O (character representing zero; nothing) + SLOW (reduce speed; check) excluding (leaving) W (wife)

O SLO

 

22 comments on “Independent 11023 / Tees”

  1. I didn’t realise how much I knew about the theme until I solved the crossword – the only one I had to check was 8d

    Thanks to Duncan for the blog and Tees for the history lesson

  2. Some rather convoluted clues here but gettable eventually. Like many others, I suspect, I couldn’t see 7D at all, never thought of translating 18A. Ashamed to say I looked for a novel called ‘The Naked Pea’ before the penny dropped – well it was 5.30 this morning. Thanks Tees and Duncan

  3. This looks more complicated than it really is, I’m thinking, as themed puzzles can sometimes do that with all the added numbering. The only truly convoluted one for me is 8 down, which for me, Duncan, seems to be an anagram of EGO with T, A, S, T and H. When that one is written out longhand, it looks to me like a Tees tercentenary. Congrats if so, and thanks to Duncan for areally detailed blog.

  4. As Duncan says Tees is an extraordinarily prolific setter. His output tends to be quirky and great fun, and I usually enjoy his puzzles a lot. Very occasionally however, he manages to produce one which I find disappointing, and I am sorry to say that this was one of those. The unusual theme (which I did have some knowledge of) together with some clunky cross-refencing, doubtless played a part. 8d was my last one in and the last straw – an extremely convoluted clue leading to a very obscure answer.

    Hey-ho. Sorry to be so negative but onwards and upwards. I feel sure the next one in the production line will be back to normal, and I am looking forward to that.

    Thanks to Tees and to Duncan.

  5. My first entry was THERMOPYLAE, which I enjoyed building up from the wordplay, and then was delighted to realise that it led to a theme which was right up my street – beautifully executed throughout, making the rest of the solve a real treat. (Sorry, Rabbit Dave!)

    So many great clues: I had ticks for all the themed ones and also BON VIVANT, THE NAKED APE, CONTRAVENE, ESSEX, HEPTAD, NANTES and ATHENIAN.

    Initially, I had pondered Sinon (the Greek who was left behind to trick the Trojans into taking the horse into the city) for 9ac, although I knew that ‘Greek character’ almost invariably indicates a letter, and, after getting the correct answer, and identifying the theme, I think there’s a nod here to the treacherous Greek, Ephialtes, who led the Persians by a path through the mountains behind the Greek lines.

    (I was reminded of an earlier clue by Tees (ten years ago, I’ve discovered) for the scene of XERXES’ defeat, later in 480BC: ‘Where Greeks gave Persians beans and sausages (7)’, which I entered in my little book of classic clues, storing up the new, for me, expression ‘to give (someone) beans’. I’ve never met it again.)

    Huge thanks to Tees for a brilliant puzzle and to Duncan for a well-researched blog.

  6. I’m the opposite of crypticsue @1. I didn’t realise how little I knew about the theme until I started doing this crossword! Couldn’t parse HEPTAD, failed on 8d, despite sleeping on it, and many other thematic clues went in from wordplay and crossers. Interesting to hear about Dickens and his pet RAVEN; I thought the clue was referring to “Barnaby Rudge”.

    Nothing to do with his view of the crossword, but well done to Rabbit Dave @4 on his prescience, even if the spelling is different.

    Quite a work-out and the first of a batch of hard ones today. Thanks to Tees and Duncan (both) for educating me.

  7. I’m tending towards Eileen’s take on this one, as there are many nice things among the clues. I’m not always the most ardent admirer of themed puzzles, although I note that for today there are no cross-references that relate to the theme in the across clues, and but four in the downs.

    If LGG is correct at #3, congratulations to the compiler. He is, as Duncan says, very prolific, and so a milestone such as this would not be a surprise. Thanks Duncan for your excellent blog.

  8. I have just (doh!) deciphered lady gewgaw’s comment and am lost in wonder. This puzzle goes beyond brilliant.
    Many congratulations, Tees. 🙂

  9. Ah, I’ve finally got it! Very clever of you to have put everything together, lady gewgaw @3 and makes the puzzle even better – a real tour de force.

    Congrats to Tees on the puzzle and on his milestone

  10. Definitely a ‘two sittings’ puzzle for me but the sight of inter-connected clues puts the same fear into me as the Rev Spooner!
    Finally defeated by HOT GATES for which I should obviously have done more homework.

    Thanks to Tees and also to Duncan who apparently did do all his homework!

  11. Thanks both. Thankfully realised early much of this was beyond me, as had no knowledge of the theme; thereafter too many non English words to form. At least with the passing of Bamber G, a whiff of intellectual arrogance prevails

  12. Can’t help it I s’pose, TFO. Sad about old Bamber, sort of, though he led an incredibly long and insanely privileged life. Even the food banks are run by Coutts & Co where he came from.

    Yes it is my 300th puzzle for The Indy, so thanks to MH for putting up with so much of it. And similarly thanks to 15/2. Thanks to Duncs and all for commenting.

    Themes eh? Bah. I was trying to find something that could be the vehicle for this message, so I thought to myself, ah, three hundred eh: what about using that film, erm, called Three Hundred about all those blokes squeezing through a little hole in the er, dunno, near the, erm, Malian Gulf thingy?

    Nothing too obvious mind.

  14. Tees, if you revisit this comment thread, can I ask whether at 8D, you were incorporating an oblique allusion to ‘Tee Ess’ Eliot, in whose poem, ‘Gerontion’ the phrase ‘the HOT GATES’ features as an allusion to Thermopylae?:

    I was neither at the hot gates
    Nor fought in the warm rain
    Nor knee deep in the salt marsh, heaving a cutlass,
    Bitten by flies, fought.

  15. No, it’s an anagram as parsed up the thread. No (intentional) TSes.

    I’m always sad though, whenever I revisit this poem, to read of the protagonist’s windy knob.

  16. Like others, I tried to complete this with a very sketchy memory of the battle. (So sketchy that I wondered whether HOT GATES was a genuine alter ego Has enough time passed to forgive the slur on Carthaginians in 9ac???

  19. Congratulations Tees. Despite a few klunky surfaces I rather enjoyed this. I surprised myself with my knowledge of the theme — much of it came from films on the battle but somehow I recalled it. I had to reveal HOT GATES but I could parse or guess everything else. Favourite was BEWITCH. Thanks Duncan for the blog.

  20. Many thanks for the link, Petert @18. I didn’t know the poem and didn’t know of Eliot’s (not surprising) fascination with crosswords but I’m now left wondering and seeking enlightenment from fellow solvers about the significance of the quotation: ‘The appeal to my vanity is as great as that of finding a reference to myself and my works in The Times crossword puzzle’.

    I’m familiar with the Times crossword ‘rule’ that living people should not appear as the answers to clues – see here https://times-xwd-times.livejournal.com/174088.html, so I’m left wondering whether Eliot was referring to an actual reference or just expressing wishful thinking – a rhetorical question, really, but it would be really interesting to know if anyone has a reference to an actual clue.

  21. Total defeat for me. Got maybe half a dozen answers all day, and didn’t get enough to spot the theme. I did get XERXES but that because I know the Handel opera (he called it Serse) which is frothy romantic comedy about jilted lovers.

  22. This theme was right up my street. In fact, I have a statue of Leonidas on a shelf at the side of my bed (where I am now) which I bought in Athens on my first visit to Greece almost 50 years ago.

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