Independent 11215 / Bluth

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Bluth puzzles don’t appear on set days as the puzzles by some other setters often do, so it’s no surprise to see Bluth today.

 

 

 

I always enjoy a Bluth crossword and this one was satisfying as well.

My favourite clue today was 7 down for IRONS.  The reference to 1 Across threw me for a while as did the fact that the letters of the entry were all present in the word ‘notorious’.  I am sure that was all deliberate misdirection by Bluth.

The clue for PARAMETER was clever with the appropriate linking of Peter Shilton and Diego Maradona to the ‘Hand of God’ goal in the Argentina World Cup Finals.

I expect LIZ will get plenty of airings in puzzle now (see 26 across) that the UK has a new Prime Minister.  No doubt CR will start to replace ER when referring to the UK monarch or just referring to king.

The seven times pruning device at 8 down was an interesting take on describing a hidden word.

I’m not sure what type of bonnet Bluth was describing in the clue for ADULTHOOD.  It could have been headwear or the bonnet of an American car (hood).

Good fun as usual from Bluth.

No Detail
Across  
1

Sport’s governing body invested in game – it ought to be playable (7) 

PICCOLO (musical instrument; something that can be played)

ICC (International Cricket Council,  the world governing body of cricket) contained in (invested in) POLO (game like hockey played on horseback using long-handled mallets)

P (ICC) OLO
5

Joking around, with sons instead of daughters, is just touching (7) 

KISSING (gently touching; [just] touching)

KIDDING (joking around) with SS ([two] sons) replacing (instead of) DD ([two] daughters)

KISSING
9

Send clock back (5) 

REMIT (send)

TIMER (clock) reversed (put back)

REMIT<
10

Exhausted and surprisingly due to perform first (6-3)

PLAYED OUT (exhausted)

PLAY (perform) + an anagram of (surprisingly) DUE TO

PLAY ED OUT*
11

Conan has book out – relish wanting central character to find the right direction (9) 

ORIENTATE (place in a definite relation to the points of the compass or other fixed or known directions)

O’BRIEN (reference Conan O’BRIEN [born 1963], American television host, comedian, writer, and producer) excluding (has … out) B (book) + TASTE (flavour; relish) excluding (wanting) the middle letter (central character) S

ORIEN TATE
12

Some wheel, silently spinning yarn (5) 

LISLE (long-stapled, hard-twisted cotton yarn)

LISLE (reversed [spinning] hidden word in [some] WHEEL SILENTLY)

LISLE
13

Using last bit of petrol for power in Biden’s car? (5) 

LOTUS (brand of car)

POTUS (President of the United States [currently Joe Biden]) with L (final letter of [last bit of] PETROL) replacing (for) P (power)

L OTUS
15

Sugar coating skin for old councillor (8) 

ALDERMAN (mostly obsolete term for superior member of an English county council; old councillor)

ALAN (reference Sir ALAN Sugar [born 1947], English businessman and television personality) containing (coating) DERM (the true skin)

AL (DERM) AN
18

Supporter‘s three and out (8) 

ADHERENT (supporter)

Anagram of (out) AND THREE

ADHERENT*
19

President hard for Republican to beat (5) 

THUMP (beat)

TRUMP (reference Donald TRUMP [born 1946], 45th President of the United States) with H (hard, as description of pencil lead) replacing (for) R (Republican)

THUMP
22

Keep turning over Dr Who missing opening with Ace at the start (5) 

HOARD (keep)

Anagram of (turning over) DR and WHO excluding the first letter (missing opening) W and A (ace)

HOARD*
24

Shilton catches Maradona’s first half cutback, revealing limitation (9) 

PARAMETER (limiting factor)

PETER (reference PETER Shilton [born 1949], English goalkeeper) containing (catches) MARA (first 4 [of 8; half] letters of MARAdona) reversed (cut back) – Diego Maradona scored the infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal for Argentina against England in the 1986 World Cup Finals when PETER Shilton was the English goalkeeper)

P (ARAM<) ETER
26

Truss getting in to class A drug – make official… (9)

FORMALIZE (make official)

LIZ (reference LIZ Truss [born 1975], current United Kingdom Prime Minister) contained in (getting in to) (FORM [class] + A + E [ecstasy; drug])

FORM A (LIZ) E
27

… suddenly rush information into court – quite the opposite (5)

SWOOP (rush suddenly)

WOO (court) contained in (into) SP (starting price; information) – the opposite to the construction stated in the clue (information into court)

S (WOO) P
28

Time’s Up movement’s momentum (7) 

IMPETUS (momentum)

Anagram of (movement) TIME’S UP

IMPETUS*
29

Go after toys, principally to play with (7) 

TWIDDLE (play with)

T (first letter of [principally] TOYS) + WIDDLE (urinate; go)

T WIDDLE
Down  
1

Cook‘s bipolar disorder (7) 

PARBOIL (part cook by boiling)

Anagram of (disorder) BIPOLAR

PARBOIL*
2

Performed slapstick for example – boxing glove not unknown (9) 

COMMITTED (performed)

(COMEDY [a form of slapstick] excluding [not] Y [letter frequently used to reference an unknown value in equations]) containing (boxing) MITT (glove)

COM (MITT) ED
3

Free newspaper replacing page frequently (5) 

OFTEN (frequently)

OPEN (free) with FT (Financial Times [newspaper]) replacing (replacing) P (page)

OFTEN
4

Oprah’s broadcast reaching new generation – it’s an institution (9) 

ORPHANAGE (institution [hopefully not a word used today] for the care of children left without parents)

Anagram of (broadcast) OPRAH + N (new) + AGE (generation)

ORPHA* N AGE
5

Jack‘s vocal part of church (5)

KNAVE (Jack in a pack of cards))

KNAVE (sounds like [vocal] NAVE [part of a church])

KNAVE
6

Suspect smack and, initially, grass (5,1,3) 

SMELL A RAT (have a suspicion; suspect)

SMELL (taste; smack) + A (first letter of [initially] AND) + RAT (inform on; grass)

SMELL A RAT
7

1 Across essentially cleared out notorious clubs (5) 

IRONS (golf clubs)

I (Roman numeral for one; 1) + RO (middle letters of [essentially] ACROSS) + NS (letters remaining in NOTORIOUS when the central letters OTORIOU are removed [cleared out])

I RO NS
8

Pick up planting at herbaceous border pruned seven times (6) 

GATHER (pick up)

GATHER (letters remaining when the outer pairs of letters [border] in PLANTING AT HERBACEOUS are successively removed one pair at a times [pruned seven times])

GATHER
14

Firm dates up quickly (9) 

STEADFAST (firm)

Anagram of (up) DATES + FAST (quickly)

STEAD* FAST
16

Soap actor loses lead after advert heard regularly (9) 

DETERGENT (cleanser; soap)

DETER (letters 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 [regularly] of ADVERT HEARD) + AGENT (one who acts for another; actor) excluding the first letter (loses lead) A

DETER GENT
17

Blue bonnet in Charlotte’s infancy? Far from it (9) 

ADULTHOOD (state of life that follows well after infancy)

ADULT (descriptive of a blue movie for example) + HOOD (head covering; bonnet; also American term for the bonnet of a car)

ADULT HOOD
20

Every now and then skeptic visits outlet to get meat dish (4,3) 

PORK PIE (meat dish)

KPI (letters 2, 4 and 6 [every now and then] of SKEPTIC) contained in (visits) PORE (outlet for sweat)

POR (K PI) E
21

Butcher’s closed – accepting fine over a little infection (6) 

SHUFTI (look; butchers)

(SHUT [closed] containing [accepting] F [fine]) + I (first letter of [a little] INFECTION)

SHU (F) T I
23

Pirate almost at sea, no longer anchored (5) 

ATRIP (descriptive of an anchor when it is just drawn out of the ground; no longer anchored)

Anagram of (at sea) PIRATE excluding the final letter (almost) E

ATRIP*
24

Every year fashionable society’s first to provide great care (5) 

PAINS (great care)

PA (per annum; every year) + IN (fashionable) + S (initial letter of [first] SOCIETY])

PA IN S
25

I must follow awards speeches, initially in mother tongue (5) 

MASAI (language of an African people; tongue)

(AS [first letters {initially} of each of AWARDS and SPEECHES] contained in [in] MA [mother]) + I

M (AS) A I

 

15 comments on “Independent 11215 / Bluth”

  1. Very enjoyable. Took me a while to realise Charlotte in 17d was a reference to the place in America. Don’t think there is any need to use ‘anagram’ in the parsing for HOARD.

  2. Good fun as ever from Bluth with some challenging parsing to unravel. PARAMETER was my favourite, but plenty of other clues came into contention.

    My only question – isn’t Charlotte surface padding in 17d?

    Many thangks to Bluth and to Duncan.

  3. Thanks Duncanshiell and Bluth.
    Excellent puzzle.
    I had unparsed PERIMETER at 24a, my bad.
    LOTUS, HOARD, FORMALIZE, IMPETUS, GATHER and MASAI are favs.

  6. Lots to enjoy as usual – my favourite was 13a and I had no problem with Charlotte in 17d

    Thanks very much to Bluth and Duncan

  7. Thanks both. Enjoyable throughout. Was pleased to remember SP for information, as it defeated me recently. ORIENTATE went in unparsed, not knowing Conan Whatshisface, and also thought Charlotte was superfluous but now agree it provides additional clueing

  8. Thanks Duncan. Thanks all.

    Hovis is right about my intended parsing for HOARD (which KVa describes perfectly)

    And Hovis is right that my use of Charlotte was a reference to the American city – in America a (car) bonnet is a hood.

    Cheers!

  9. PARAMETER was my favourite. It is always nice to deduce a fact from some wordplay. Today’s was that Conor O’Brien is famous for some. I suppose James is too common a name and Dara uses a different spelling for the surname.

  11. Like ilippu @3, I had an unparsed “perimeter” for 24a which was a pity because it was such a good clue. Missed the significance of the ‘Charlotte’ reference in 17d, again very apt as Charlotte NC is one of the headquarters of NASCAR racing.

    With the new UK PM, looks like we may be in for some more OED – lize spelling.

    Thanks to Bluth and Duncan

  12. I always enjoy this setter’s puzzles in The Telegraph, where I suspect he’s subject to slightly tighter rules than here? I’d be interested to know.
    Anyway lots to like as ever, with some typically imaginary and humorous clueing.
    I’ve awarded the biggest ticks to 1,13&19a plus 20&21d.
    Many thanks to Bluth, great fun and Duncan, I may need you for a couple I’ve yet to parse.

  13. Thanks Bluth, most enjoyable – agree with our esteemed blogger that IRONS is particularly clever. Also LOTUS, ALDERMAN, THUMP and others…

    Didn’t get what Charlotte was doing and thought the clue would have worked fine without her.

  14. Not a regular solver of the Indy crossword, but glad I had a look today. Pleased to fill in the grid, but had no understanding of 7d. IRONS and the ORIEN part of 11a. So many thanks to Bluth, and to Duncanshiell for the amazingly painstaking blog.

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