Independent 11,324 by Phi

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Our regular Phiday puzzle.

As we’ve come to expect in Phi puzzles, there are a couple of unfamiliar entries (15a and 31a) and rather loose definitions (10a), but with clear wordplay. I liked the neat construction of 18d and the end-of-a-Friday-afternoon surface image of 29d.

The other thing we’ve come to expect in Phi puzzles is some sort of a theme or hidden message – and the unchecked letters on the outer edge of today’s grid suggest it’ll be the latter. I started to see something coming together, and it resolved itself just in time to help confirm the last couple of awkward entries. If you haven’t found it, start at the top right and go leftwards around the edge, for a self-explanatory comment. Thanks Phi for the fun.

Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.

ACROSS
8 NILE BLUE
Nothing sad about Emin’s initial pale shade (4,4)
NIL (nothing) + BLUE (sad) around the initial letter of E[min] (the artist Tracey Emin, for the surface, but we don’t need to know that).

A pale turquoise-blue colour.
9 HOOPOE
Ring individual example, releasing Northern bird (6)
HOOP (ring) + O[n]E (an individual example) without the N (northern).

Hoopoe
10 ATOP
Looking down on sixteen characters (4)
The first sixteen letters in the alphabet are A TO P (or perhaps A through P, in US English).

A rather old-fashioned word for “at the top of” – perhaps closer to “looking down from“?
11 VISIT
See reduced view when touring Italy (5)
VIST[a] (a view) without its last letter (reduced), around (touring) I (abbreviation for Italy).

As in “We’re off to see the Wizard . . .”.
12 SUNG
G&S taken aback about a Parisian that’s performed in G&S? (4)
G + S reversed (taken aback) around UN (a form of the indefinite article “a” in French, so Parisian).

G&S = Gilbert and Sullivan operettas = sung performances.
13 NAUSEATE
Note Australian all but consumed in disgust (8)
N (abbreviation for note) + AUS (abbreviation for Australian) + EATE[n] (consumed) without the last letter (all but = almost).

Disgust as a verb, as in “they disgust me” = nauseate.
15 THECLA
Butterflies fluttering in chalet (6)
Anagram (fluttering) of CHALET.

Scientific name for the genus of butterflies otherwise known as “hairstreak”. No, me neither: I had to make up a plausible-sounding word to fit the crossers and then ask Wikipedia to confirm it.
17 TREETOP
Harry Potter, around fifth in series, achieving elevated position (7)
Anagram (harry, as a verb = hassle) of POTTER around the fifth letter of [seri]E[s]. I’ve seen the “Harry Potter” device before so it didn’t take me long to see the anagram.
19 BEDAUBS
Is throwing paint on book, terribly abused (7)
B (abbreviation for book) + anagram (terribly) of ABUSED.
22 ISOLDE
Operatic heroine is from history? Not entirely (6)
IS + OLDE[n] (from history, as in “the olden days”) without the last letter (not entirely).

As in Wagner’s opera Tristan und Isolde.
24 RATTLERS
Sources of gas blowing head off snakes (8)
[p]RATTLERS (people who talk too much; gas = excessive talk) without the first letter (head).

Short for rattlesnakes.
26 CUTE
Clever switch in energy economy? (4)
E (abbreviation for energy) + CUT (economy = cost reduction), but with E after CUT (switch = swap).

Cute = clever isn’t the most common usage, but perhaps in the sense of a footballer’s “cute footwork” = admirably adept.
28 TUTTI
Orchestral passage: sound of annoyance with it backfiring (5)
TUT (a non-verbal sound expressing annoyance), then IT reversed (backfiring).

Tutti = musical term for a passage where all the instruments play together, not just the soloists; from the Italian word for “all”.
29 THEE
Last letter of Bible you found in it? (4)
The last letter of the word [bibl]E is THE E.

Extended definition: thee = old word for “you” in the singular, used in some older English translations of the Bible = “you” as found in the Bible.
30 LIMITS
Motorway surrounded by illuminated hint of speed restrictions (6)
MI (M1 = major UK motorway between London and Leeds), surrounded by LIT (illuminated), then the first letter (a hint) of S[peed].
31 AGERATUM
A good, mature, flourishing plant with purple flowers (8)
A + G (good) + anagram (flourishing, in the sense of “waving around” perhaps?) of MATURE.

A plant with fluffy purplish-blue flowers. Another make-it-up-and-then-ask-Wikipedia entry.
DOWN
1 AIR-TO-AIR
Broadcast a trio playing, not from a ground network (3-2-3)
AIR (broadcast, as a verb) + anagram (playing) of A TRIO.

Perhaps more common in the sense of “air-to-air missiles” (fired from one aircraft to attack another), but it can also be used of direct radio communications between two aircraft.
2 REAP
Get charge after importing drug (4)
RAP (slang for a criminal charge, as in “rap sheet”) with E (slang for the drug ecstasy or MDMA) inserted (after importing . . .).
3 OLIVIA
Shakespearean heroine: Viola, I fancy (6)
Anagram (fancy) of VIOLA I.

Viola and Olivia are both characters in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.
4 FEASTED
Celebrated seat unexpectedly being held by Iron Duke (7)
Anagram (unexpectedly) of SEAT, contained in (held by) FE (chemical symbol for iron, from Latin ferrum) + D (abbreviation for duke).
5 WHITE TIE
We are equal, adopting very successful formal dress (5,3)
WE + TIE (are equal = have scored the same number of points), containing (adopting) HIT (as in a hit record = very successful).

Short for “white tie and tail coat” = formal dress for men.
6 OOPS
Deigns to drop stone? That was an accident! (4)
[st]OOPS (deigns), without ST (abbreviation for stone = imperial measure of weight).
7 NOUNAL
University involved in European veto over a lecturer regarding part of speech (6)
U (abbreviation for university) in NON (French for “no” = European veto), before (over, in a down clue) A + L (abbreviation for lecturer).
14 SMELL
Deception involving money producing stink (5)
SELL (slang for a deception) containing M (economists’ abbreviation for money).
16 E-MAIL
I will block upturn in poor-quality communication (1-4)
LAME (poor-quality, as in “a lame excuse”), reversed (upturn = upwards in a down clue), with I inserted (. . . will block).
18 OVERTASK
Blatant request to work too hard? (8)
OVERT (blatant) + ASK (as a noun, as in “that’s a big ask” = request).

Work as in “you’re working them too hard”; overtask = to give someone too much work to do.
20 BARBECUE
Stop copper interrupting gathering, a gathering to eat (8)
BAR (as a verb = stop), then CU (Cu = chemical symbol for copper, from Latin cuprum) inserted into BEE (as in a sewing bee = a gathering of people to do a specific task).
21 FRETSAW
Agitation is no longer rising with appearance of tool (7)
FRET (as a noun = agitation = worry), then WAS (is no longer) reversed (rising = upwards in a down clue).
23 STUDIO
Workroom is out for working – decorator’s beginning inside (6)
Anagram (working) of IS OUT, with the beginning letter of D[ecorator] inside it.
25 TAIPEI
Capital that is mine getting a lift with investment from America (6)
IE (i.e. = Latin id est = that is) + PIT (coal mine), all reversed (getting a lift = upwards in a down clue), with A (America) inserted (with investment from . . .).

Capital city of Taiwan.
27 EPIC
Big movie – not entirely dramatic, I perceive, after being upset (4)
Hidden answer (not entirely . . .), reversed (after being upset = upwards in a down clue), in [dramati]C I PE[rceive].
29 TEAS
Millions abandoning videoconferencing system for drinks (4)
TEA[m]S (Microsoft Teams videoconferencing software) without the M (abbreviation for millions).

16 comments on “Independent 11,324 by Phi”

  1. I made the wrong call on the R or T order coin toss for 31a and not even the Nina could save me, though with the help of the Nina THECLA wasn’t as hard. I also had trouble with some other clues down in the SE corner, trying to fit “Zoom” without the M for 29d, thinking the ‘Last letter’ for 29a might indicate a Z.

    Interesting that there is also a “Nile green” which has appeared as an answer somewhere in the last few weeks.

    Thanks to Phi and Quirister

  2. Like today’s blogger, I needed to confirm Thecla and Ageratum online, though had vaguely heard of the latter. In doing so, I learned that Thecla was also a 1st century saint, who had her own book in the Apocrypha. I only saw the nina after completion. Thanks Phi for the education and Quirister for the blog.

  3. Another good challenge from Phi on a difficult grid.
    Two Never Heard Ofs: THECLA and AGERATUM.
    Cute meaning clever (acute) is widely used in Ireland.
    The (1-4) word length for E-MAIL makes the answer very obvious.
    I notice that most online dictionaries are dropping the hyphen. (Hyphens have a short shelf life).
    Guardian and Observer style guide: “ebook, email but e-cigarette, e-commerce, e-learning, e-petition, e-reader”
    I didn’t see the Nina till I’d completed the grid, so no help there. but it was very cute.

    Thanks P & Q

  4. I’m another who needed the nina to complete. THECLA was a ‘jorum’ for me, using a bit of 15^2 parlance. AGERATUM another nho. Found the LHS pretty much a write-in but the RHS was a bit of a beast.

  5. Definitely a harder Phi for me today and the same two nho’s as everyone else. As I didn’t spot the nina, it ended up 1-1 – got AGERATUM but not THECLA. Silly me. I have no problem with equating CUTE and clever – it’s the second def in Chambers. I’d say used in an admiring way or sometimes in a sarcastic one – ‘don’t get cute with me’.

    Favourites include NILE BLUE, VISIT, ISOLDE, RATTLERS, NOUNAL, BARBECUE and, COTD, THEE.

    Thanks Phi and Quirister

  6. Another highly satisfying Phiday treat – learned some new words but in the end was able to parse everything, and for what may be the first time in my solving career saw the nina in time for it to help me get my last couple entries. Many thanks to Phi and Quirster.

  7. For some reason I found this harder than usual. I share PostMark’s favourites, though. I didn’t feel that “fluttering in chalet” quite worked. It felt like it should be an anagram of “in chalet”.

  8. Nothing to add to what’s been said above, but could someone please explain what ‘jorum’ means? I keep coming across it here and have tried to work it out and I’ve tried Googling it, but I can’t get it..

  9. Sourdough @8: it means a word that you make up to fit the clue, then look up and find it really exists. As I had to do in 15a and 31a. (The word Jorum is often used in this sense by my fellow blogger Eileen.)

  10. Thank you so much for clarifying that. Does it have an etymology? It’s something I quite often do as today with the 2 you mentioned.

  11. Sourdough @10: it appears to go back to a 2015 puzzle that Eileen blogged, where JORUM was one of the solutions (it means a drinking bowl), and she solved it by the method we’re discussing. One of the commenters agreed with her that this is a delightful way of extending one’s vocabulary, and they decided to use “jorum” in future to mean a solution found in this way.

  12. Most of this solved over a pub lunch, leaving only the SE corner, where fortunately the nina helped to limit the possibilities and we were able to check AGERATUM in Chambers (and also THECLA but there wasn’t much doubt about that).
    Thanks, Phi and Quirister.
    Btw, a typo in the blog – it should be TEA[m]S for 29dn.

  14. I was sure that the first letter of 29a/d was going to be Z from “last letter” of the across clue and Zoom for the videoconferencing sofware. Couldn’t make zoos equal drinks no matter how far I stretched boundaries though. So scrapped it and got there in the end. Failed by entering an unparsed OVERTEST in at 18d.

    Didn’t check for a theme or nina, but the grid obviously lent itself to it with every peripheral square being unchecked like that, and I do think I’ll check every grid of that nature before I start, but never remember to.

    Got nowhere near parsing TAIPEI but I had it in as it was the first capital I thought of that matched the 3 crossers.

    Thanks for the Friday fun Phi and filling in the blanks where I didn’t get it Quirister.

  15. Thanks, Phi & Quirister. Same two nhos as everyone else, same method of solving them. Completely oblivious to the Nina, as usual! ISOLDE was my favourite today.

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