Independent 11364 / Filbert

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Filbert is a fairly regular setter in the Independent.  I enjoy his puzzles but I find them quite difficultt’

 

 

 

Filbert puts some well disguised definitions in the clues.  Today I liked ‘top’, ‘minor-league’, ‘bad state’ and ‘twenty you lost’ in the Acrosses, plus ‘student only just’ and ‘more little’ in the Downs

I’m not convinced that throat and LARYNX are the same thing, but clearly they are close together.

I’ve seen ATOM for the first half of the alphabet fairly frequently, but just TOM was a slightly different use of the same idea.

The ‘make cross after cross’ in the clue for MADRILEÑO was a nice construction.

Overall, a good workout – thankyou Filbert.

No Detail
Across  
1

Parisian from motorsport content to cancel challenge (8) 

DEFIANCE (challenge)

DE (French [Parisian] word for ‘from’) + F1 (Formula One motorsport) + ANCE (central letters of [content to] CANCEL)

DE FI ANCE
5

Top company that delivers fish (6) 

UPSIDE (upper side; top)

UPS (United Parcel Service [American multinational shipping & receiving and supply chain management company; company that delivers]) + IDE (fish of the same family as the carp)

UPS IDE
10

Wide awake later with the jitters (5) 

ALERT (wide awake)

Anagram of (with the jitters) LATER

ALERT*
11

Minor-league yankee on the ice hit gently (5-4) 

RINKY-DINK (American term [yankee infers an American term, although it is also doing double duty as part of the word play] for something of minor importance [minor-league])

RINK (refererence ice RINK) + Y (Yankee is the international radio communication code for the letter Y) + DINK (to hit [a ball] gently)

RINK Y DINK
12

Hitcher wanders across one road in a bad state (5,5) 

THIRD REICH (official Nazi designation for the regime in Germany from January 1933 to May 1945; bad state)

Anagram of (wanders) HITCHER containing (across) (I [Roman numeral for one] + RD [road])

TH (I RD) REICH*
13

Name in the first half of the alphabet (3) 

TOM ([man’s] name)

TOM (the first half of the alphabet could be described as all the letters TO M)

TO M
15

Poles leave American dollar bills to settle (5) 

AGREE (settle [a dispute])

A (American) + GREENS (dollar bills) excluding (leave) NS (North and South; poles)

A GREE
17

Server of course on line (6,3) 

DINING CAR (the carriage on a train where meals [courses] are served)

DINING CAR – this clue is a cryptic definition as a train runs on a line

DINING CAR
18

Tub contains eight bits, last of the twenty you lost (4,5) 

BABY TEETH (a full set of milk or BABY TEETH is 20 teeth.  These teeth are lost before the adult set come through)

BATH (tub) containing (contains) (BYTE [there are 8 bits in a BYTE] + E [final letter of [last of] THE)

BA (BY TE E) TH
20

Make hot starter of shredded duck (5) 

STEAL (if you STEAL an item it becomes known as HOT property until it is recovered)

S (first letter of [starter of] SHREDDED) + TEAL (any of several kinds of small freshwater duck)

S TEAL
22

Sort of pot (3)  

TEA (a TEA POT is an example of a POT)

TEA (marijuana; pot)  double definition

TEA
23

Ecstatic sounds from husband in despair so moving (10) 

RHAPSODIES (ecstatic utterances; ecstatic sounds)

H (husband) contained in (in) an anagram of (moving) SO DESPAIR

R (H) APSODIES*
26

Make cross after cross with no one watching at the Bernabéu? (9) 

MADRILEÑO (native or citizen of Madrid.  The Bernabéu is the home stadium of the football club Real Madrid)

MAD (cross) + RILE (make cross) + NO

MAD RILE NO
27

Old enough to finally smoke, given mate’s butt (2,3) 

OF AGE (old enough to be considered legally mature or be able to do something specific)

O (last letter of [finally] TO) + FAG (a cigarette; a smoke) + E (rear end of [butt of] MATE)

O F AG E
28

Hair regularly blocking cat’s throat (6) 

LARYNX (upper part of the windpipe; throat [?]) – Chambers Thesaurus gives both LARYNX and THROAT as synonyms for windpipe)

AR (letters 2 and 4 [regularly] of HAIR) contained in (blocking) LYNX (an animal from a genus of the cat family)

L (AR) YNX
29

Like train’s wheels, perhaps, never stopping on a track? (8) 

TYRELESS (train’s wheels do not have TYREs)

TYRELESS (sounds like [on a sound track?] TIRELESS [never stopping])

TYRELESS
Down  
1

Shot bringing play to early conclusion (4) 

DRAM (a measure, or shot of whisky)

DRAMA (play) excluding the final letter (bringing … to early conclusion) A

DRAM
2

Student only just up is not so tired (7) 

FRESHER (a student in his/her first few days at university; student only just)

FRESHER (not so tired)  double definition

FRESHER
3

Fizz right up (5) 

ASTIR (on the move; out of bed; up)

ASTI (fizzy wine; fizz) + R (right)

ASTI R
4

Fine sheets bear crest; poor fellow ain’t posh (9,5) 

CARTRIDGE PAPER (heavy sheets of drawing or printing paper; fine sheets)

CART (carry; bear) + RIDGE (crest of a hill) + PAUPER (destitute person; poor fellow) excluding (ain’t) U (upper class; posh)

CART RIDGE PAPER
6

Happy playing with my slot machines (9) 

PAYPHONES (PHONES where you PAY for the call by putting money in a slot)

Anagram of (playing) HAPPY + ONE’S (my)

PAYPH* ONES
7

Silly daughter piercing two of her ears (7) 

IDIOTIC (silly)

D (daughter) contained in (piercing) II (Roman numeral for two) + OTIC (of the ears)

I (D) I OTIC
8

Expedition’s leader quickly read over list – flipping safety procedure (6,4)

ESKIMO ROLL (a complete roll through 360°, enabling recovery after capsizing)

E (first letter of [leader] EXPEDITION) + SKIM (quickly read) + O (over) + ROLL (register; list of names)

E SKIM O ROLL
9

Barking canine the politician indicated is no longer an issue (7,7) 

ANCIENT HISTORY (something in the past that is no longer an issue)

Anagram of (barking) CANINE + THIS (something indicated) + TORY (Conservative politician)

ANCIEN* T HIS TORY
14

Small U-boat contrived something to increase air intake (10) 

SALBUTAMOL (drug, used in the treatment of bronchial asthma, emphysema etc; something to increase air intake)

Anagram of (contrived) SMALL U BOAT

SALBUTAMOL*
16

Blackmail former number one communist after revolution (9) 

EXTORTION (blackmail)

EX (former) + (NO [number] + I [Roman numeral for one] + TROT [Trotskyist; communist]) all reversed (after revolution)

EX (TORT I ON)<
19

Pig getting bloody upset, attacking sailor (7) 

BOARDER (sailors who go an to another ship with hostile intent; attacking sailors)

BOAR (male pig) + RED (colour of blood; bloody) reversed (upset)

BOAR DER<
21

European tax shelter hides uplift (7) 

ELEVATE (uplift)

E (European) + (LEE [shelter] containing [hides] VAT [Value Added Tax])

E LE (VAT) E
24

Dr No, Bertie Wooster’s clubmate? (5) 

DRONE (the fictional character Bertie Wooster was a member of the DRONEs Club)

DR (doctor) + ONE (example of a number)

DR ONE
25

More little pickles spoiling sandwiches (4)

LESS (more little)

LESS (hidden word in [sandwiches] PICKLES SPOILING)

LESS

 

16 comments on “Independent 11364 / Filbert”

  1. I always manage Filbert’s crosswords but always with a struggle. Never totally on their wavelength. Thank you Duncan

  2. Our second Filbert in only four days. I thought this was quite hard and needed to come back for a second try to get TYRELESS. I parsed it as a likely homophone but couldn’t see the indicator; as Duncan suggests, I suppose it is ‘on a track?’, which I’ve never seen before. Anatomically, the LARYNX (in plain language “voice box”) is distinct from the ‘throat’ (or “pharynx”) and the part of the throat behind the pharynx is known as the “laryngo-pharynx”. Anyway, this isn’t “Gray’s Anatomy”, so close enough.

    Favourites were the ‘bad state’ def. and DRONE.

    Thanks to Filbert and Duncan

  3. Splendid as always but, yes, somewhat of a tussle this morning. I’ll confess to revealing a letter to help me get the penultimate solution, RINKY DINK, which then allowed PAYPHONE to drop – ‘Happy’ seemed like such an unlikely word to be anagram fodder! Very neat.

    Favourites today include UPSIDE, ALERT, STEAL, MADRILENO, OF AGE, DRAM, FRESHER, PAYPHONES, IDIOTIC, ESKIMO ROLL and BOARDER.

    Thanks Filbert and duncan

  4. Very difficult. I feel like I’ve been beaten up by the entire Third Reich possibly. Liked everything on reflection especially TEA and MADRILEÑO which is new. I could see LESS was hidden but I thought less was more as we sometimes say. Thanks.

  7. Needed lots of help today but there was enough ‘accessible’ clueing to keep me motivated. And novelty too. Thanks both.
    Having spent some time years back working on payphone frauds I spotted that one at least.

  8. I thought the ‘on a track?’ homophone indicator for TYRELESS was innovative. I thought of album track rather than soundtrack, though. Showing my age, I suppose.
    ESKIMO ROLL – “360°? Can that be right?

  9. FrakieG @ 8 Yes. An Eskino roll is where a canoeist capsizes and regains normal position by continuing to roll, surfacing the other side of the canoe.

  11. Another tricky (for me) Filbert. I got there in the end, but had never heard of TEA for marijuana. I assumed it must be a synonym but was unaware.

    Didn’t parse CARTRIDGE PAPER just chucked it in from the def and crossers. I did have a brief go but didn’t even get a start, so thanks to duncan for filling in that particular blank.

    Too much time taken up on this one, but many thanks to Filbert for the word workout.

  12. Thanks both. Did an Eric Morecambe for SALBUTAMOL which I’m grateful I didn’t already know. Still can’t entirely follow the reasoning for TEA – I now see the double definition but not sure how the clue takes you there

  15. Not our day today – we couldn’t get RINKY-DINK (never heard of it anyway) or MADRILENO (couldn’t remember where the Bernabéu is, not that it would have helped). As for TEA, we thought the clue was hardly cryptic – mor the sort of thing one finds in a concise crossword. And train wheels are not TYRELESS – they have steel tyres which, like rubber tyres, also wear out and have to be replaced periodically.
    But like the curate’s egg this was good in parts; we liked BABY TEETH, RHAPSODIES, PAYPHONES and SALBUTAMOL.
    Thanks, Filbert and Duncan

  16. Thanks Filbert, I always enjoy the challenge even if it’s always a DNF. (I failed with DRONE and TYRELESS.) I liked DEFIANCE, DRAM, ASTIR, IDIOTIC, and ANCIENT HISTORY among others. Thanks Duncan for the blog.

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