Independent 11,425 by Filbert

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Filbert provides our Thursday challenge today.

I found this a bit tricky, partly because of the grid – which has more degrees of symmetry than usual, but very few connections between the four corners so it’s almost four separate puzzles. There are also some rather vague definitions – including 15a which alludes to the solution rather than actually defining it, and 23a which took some searching to find an explanation (at least for the first part).

Plenty to enjoy, though: I liked the clue-as-definition of 14a, the long anagram of 6/13/29 (along with its ingenious definition), and the misdirection of Thatchers Gold in 8d and Ritz Crackers in 21d. I noticed that three out of the four three-letter across entries are clued with reference to “seven” in the wordplay; I can’t help wondering whether our setter tried to get a “seven seas” reference into 25a but couldn’t make it work. Thanks Filbert for an enjoyable puzzle.

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

ACROSS
1 SPLODGE
Spot spades and policeman by empty grave (7)
S (abbreviation for spades, in card games) + PLOD (slang for a policeman) + G[rav]E (empty = iner letters removed).
5 INTEGER
Counting number teeing off, as round starts (7)
Anagram (off) of TEEING + starting letter of R[ound].

In mathematics, a whole number as in 1, 2, 3 . . .
9/10 FINDERS KEEPERS
Rule of possession if nerds playing footballers (7,7)
Anagram (playing) of IF NERDS, then KEEPERS (short for goalkeepers in football).
11 TIE
Couple, seven of them in Abba’s day? (3)
Abba’s height of fame was in the [seven]TIE[s].

Tie, as a verb = couple = link together.
12 ALLHEAL
Every prince receives introduction to emperor Valerian (7)
ALL (every) + HAL (short name of the prince who later became King Henry V), containing (receiving) the first letter (introduction) of E[mperor].

Flowering plant used as a cure-all in traditional medicine, hence its common name.
14 SIN
Of seven, Eve evicted for the first? (3)
S[eve]N with EVE removed (evicted) and replaced by I (one in Roman numerals, or “the first” as a suffix to distinguish between successive people with the same name).

Clue-as-definition, referring to the seven deadly sins and to Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden as the human race’s first sin.
15 PONTOON
No point twisting, swapping one for nothing? (7)
Anagram (twisting) of NO PO[i]NT with the I (one in Roman numerals) swapped for O (zero = nothing).

Clue-as-definition: in the game of pontoon, “twist” is the request for an extra card, but if it only adds one to your score it’s unlikely to improve your chances of winning. At least, I think that’s what’s intended, but please let me know if you have a better idea.
16 LOWERED
Old darts champion on 500 looked cross (7)
LOWE (John Lowe, former world no. 1 darts player) + RE (on = on the subject of) + D (500 in Roman numerals).

Lower, as a verb (to rhyme with power) = to frown or scowl.
17 CAMPHOR
Insect repellent affected nearly half of hornets (7)
CAMP (affected = effeminate or exaggerated) + nearly half of HOR[nets].

Strong-smelling substance used as an insect repellent.
20 ASSIZES
American’s behind measures to merge old court (7)
ASS (US slang for buttocks = behind) + SIZES (measures), “merged” by overlapping the letter S between the two.
23 OAK
Robin’s nest, one of seven in town? (3)
Double definition. I think the first refers to the ancient tree in Sherwood Forest known as the Major Oak, a shelter for Robin Hood according to legend; the second refers to the town of Sevenoaks in Kent, though it’s not clear whether the town or its signature row of trees came first. (The original trees have been replaced many times, notably after the Great Storm in 1987 which left only one of them standing.)
24 RAMADAN
Sprinted collecting a cross – fast, Salah observes? (7)
RAN (sprinted), containing (collecting) A + MAD (cross = angry).

The month-long period of daytime fasting in Islam, observed for example by Mohamed Salah (Egyptian footballer who plays for Liverpool FC). As it happens, “salah” is also a word for Islamic prayers.
25 SEA
Lake in winter, perhaps, child must avoid (3)
SEA[son] (winter, perhaps) without SON (male child).

A lake (inland body of water) may be called a sea when it’s a very large one, such as the Caspian Sea.
26/28 INSIDER TRADING
Ingrid tries and develops informed investment strategy (7,7)
Anagram (. . . develops = changes) of INGRID TRIES AND.

Financial trading using inside (non-public) knowledge of the companies involved: generally illegal if it provides an unfair advantage.
30 ECOTYPE
Italian writer printed letters showing local variety (7)
ECO (Italian writer Umberto Eco) + TYPE (printed letters).

A variant of a plant or animal species that is adapted for the conditions in a particular geographical area.
31 RESERVE
Cool attempt to start rally after failure (7)
In tennis, a successful serve may start a rally (a sequence of hits between the players); a failed one may lead to a RE-SERVE (second serve). Though you could argue that serving is an attempt to play a ball that the opponent can’t return, not an attempt to start a rally.

Cool, as a noun = reserve = lack of engagement with others.
DOWN
1 SOFT TOP
Lenient head driving improvement in the summer (4,3)
SOFT (lenient) + TOP (head = first in a hierarchy).

A flexible roof for a car that can be removed if the weather allows.
2 LANTERN
Light before fleet after heading for Longships (7)
ANTE (Latin-derived word for before, as in a.m. = ante meridiem = before noon) + RN (abbreviation for Royal Navy = fleet of ships), after the first letter (heading) of L[ongships].
3/12/27 DIE ANOTHER DAY
Cast absent, unlucky time for her film (3,7,3)
DIE (cast?) + A (abbreviation for “absent” in attendance registers) + NOT HER DAY (an unlucky time for her). I’m not sure why die = cast; “cast” could mean a throw of a die (plural dice) in games, or “die” as a verb can mean the act of die-casting metal, but either seems a bit obscure.

The 2002 James Bond film.
4 EPSILON
Foreign character raised no difficulty enunciating English (7)
NO LISP (no difficulty enunciating) + E (abbreviation for English), all reversed (raised = upwards in a down clue).

Greek letter corresponding to a short E.
5 INKWELL
Family cycling by healthy reservoir for dips (7)
KIN (family), with the letters “cycling” round to put the K at the end, then WELL (healthy).
6/13/29 THE LAW IS AN ASS
Strangely, Taiwan has less contempt of court (3,3,2,2,3)
Anagram (strangely) of TAIWAN HAS LESS.

Cryptic definition: proverbial phrase used to indicate that, in a specific situation, the letter of the law is not consistent with common sense = perhaps contempt for a decision made by a court. (The phrase seems to have been popularised by Dickens but it’s older than that.)
7 GREASER
Feminist hides sex appeal around car mechanic (7)
GREER (Germaine Greer, Australian feminist writer), containing SA (short for sex appeal) reversed (around).

Slang for a motor mechanic.
8 ROSINED
Other half of Thatchers Gold upended – sticky (7)
DENIS (Denis Thatcher, the “other half” of former PM Margaret Thatcher) + OR (heraldic term for the colour gold), all reversed (upended = upwards in a down clue). For the surface, Thatchers Gold is a brand of cider.

Rosin, as a verb = to coat a string instrument bow with a sticky substance (rosin or resin), which increases friction on the strings for a better sound.
12
See 3
13
See 6
17 CHOPINE
Old platform in church to offer view (7)
CH (abbreviation for church) + OPINE (to express an opinion = offer a view).

A historic type of shoe with a very thick sole (to lift the wearer’s dress above the level of street dirt), so perhaps an early version of platform shoes.
18 MAKES DO
With desk moved in, Chairman gets by (5,2)
MAO (Chairman Mao, former Chinese Communist Party leader) containing (with . . . in) an anagram (moved) of DESK.

Make do = get by = manage with limited resources.
19 REMORSE
Swath of countries Rome ruled recalled shame (7)
Hidden answer (a swath of . . .) in [countri]ES ROME R[uled], reversed (recalled).
20 AUDITOR
Examiner with A4 perhaps ripped, missing name (7)
AUDI (A4 perhaps: A4 here is not the paper size, but a model of car made by Audi) + TOR[n] (ripped) without the N (abbreviation for name).
21 ZESTIER
See Ritz crackers with more tangy bits (7)
Anagram (crackers) of SEE RITZ (with a clever bit of misdirection using the name of a brand of savoury biscuits).

Zest = citrus rind used as a flavouring in food.
22 SPANGLE
Shiny flake that’s sharp externally on fish (7)
Outer letters (externally) of S[har]P, then ANGLE (as a verb = fish = to catch fish).

A shiny ornament on fabric, similar to a sequin.
27
See 3
29
See 6

22 comments on “Independent 11,425 by Filbert”

  2. I had zero idea about PONTOON apart from thinking it was probably something to do with the card game and I missed the (easier) parsing of TIE. The ALLHEAL name for ‘Valerian’ was new, though made sense. I think KVa is correct about DIE and ‘Cast’.

    I spent a while on my last in, the ‘Old platform’ at 17d, staring at the empty non-checked letters without any inspiration until I decided to bung in CHOPINE as one interpretation of the word play. It seemed an unlikely word, but what do you know; a true jorum and a nice def.

    Thanks to Quirister and Filbert

  3. Enjoyed all the tricks. Great fun.
    Took OAK as just an example of a tree where a bird, say a robin, might make its nest.
    Took DIE as KVa@1
    Last One In – CHOPINE – a jorum. Wiktionary says it’s also a 1/3 bottle of wine.
    As a shoe it appears in Hamlet and Joyce’s Ulysses, the latter quoting the former: “nearer heaven… by the altitude of a chopine”.
    Thanks F&Q

  4. KVa @1 and others: I see what you mean about die = cast = mould as a noun, but I think this requires two slightly differerent meanings of “mould”. Die = mould = the tool you use to create a shape; cast = mould = the shape you create from it. To me that means the two aren’t quite the same thing – but maybe I’m over-thinking it.

  5. Some of Filbert’s clues seem to get more arcane with every appearance, but for cryptic cruciverbalists this should add to the challenge and enjoyment. So thanks Filbert and Quirister.

  6. Thoroughly enjoyed this, although parsing TIE was beyond me (isn’t ABBA always capitalised?). Wikipedia informs me that John Lowe’s last World Championship was 30 years ago, so perhaps a bit on the obscure side for this youngster.

    Especially liked the appearance of Germaine, as well as THE LAW IS AN ASS and INSIDER TRADING.

    Thanks Filbert and Quirister.

  7. For PONTOON: the winning hand (Ace + picture card) is called a Pontoon; if you were to twist on that (which would elicit a raised eyebrow from surely everybody) you would go bust and end up with nothing. So, there’s no point twisting if you have Pontoon as you would swap it (“one”) for nothing (“bust”). A bit laboured for me, but I agree with Quirister that some of the definitions today were a little vague. Thanks nonetheless to Filbert and Quirister.

  8. Strewth! Congrats to anyone who divined the parse for TIE. Thank Goodness for Quirister; I would never have seen that in a month of Independent on Sundays! I do enjoy Filbert’s invention – I think Tatrasman is right – the level of quizzicality is increasing with each passing puzzle.

    Amoeba @6: ABBA appears capitalised in nearly all the references turned up by Google searches with one significant and consistent exception. All news reports – BBC, newspapers etc – appear to default to ‘Abba’. Strange. Given that the official websites, the merchandising, the fan club, the movie etc etc all use capitals – and the name derives from initial letters of surnames – capitalisation would seem to be the natural way to go.

    Thanks Filbert and Quirister

  9. Thanks, Filbert and Quirister. So many smiles while solving, impossible to pick a favourite, but maybe I would opt for SIN or MAKES DO if pushed.

    The grid is certainly unusual, but I rather like it. Aesthetically pleasing. It has clearly been designed with the sevens theme in mind – all the lights are seven letters except a few threes to avoid long strings of unches. And as to the corners not being well linked, I think the long multi-light solutions compensate for that.

    I interpreted PONTOON exactly the same way as per postmortes @7.

    Capitalisation is a house style thing. Groups and brands (eg adidas) can insist on styling themselves a particular way but sub-editors scoff at such affectations. Acronyms usually take initial caps only according to most newspaper style guides, hence Abba.

  10. I struggled to make sense of the surface for PONTOON but postmortes’ interpretation makes perfect sense. By a fluke, I had the tv on when John Lowe scored the first televised 9 dart finish. I did parse TIE and was pleased when I got it. Unfortunately, I did use a word fit to get the unknown CHOPINE, so I hang my head in shame over that.

  12. Huh, thanks Widderbel. Can’t say I like it for acronyms! And I can think of other examples that do appear to take all-caps (NASA, NATO), although all the examples that spring to mind are some form of government/state-related body, which perhaps explains it.

  13. Amoeba – the Indy style Nato and Nasa with initial caps only.

    This is what the BBC say on the matter in their news style guide:
    Where you would normally pronounce the abbreviation as a string of letters – an initialism – use all capitals with no full stops or spaces (eg FA, UNHCR). However, our style is to use lower case with an initial cap for acronyms where you would normally pronounce the set of letters as a word (eg Sars, Mers, Aids, Nafta, Nasa, Opec, Apec).

  14. Further to the discussion about capitalisation, there was also a bit of toing and froing about this yesterday on the Times for The Times site which you can find here if you’re interested. This is in two separate discussion threads, the first started by Paul.in.London about ten posts from the top and the second (as a separate thread) started by Guy du Sable a bit further down.

  16. Thanks both. Persistence paid off after a long time feeling I was facing abject defeat. Arguably too clever for me, and a couple of unknowns. I did successfully parse TIE but surely there are better examples of seventies acts, given the career and legacy of the Waterloo four survived beyond the decade and to this day? Re ASIZES my understanding previously was the English definition would be ‘courts’ i.e. plural, whereas the Belgian court of Assizes still exists

  17. Not a darts expert but pretty obvious what the answer was
    I liked the the three 7 clues(I believe thats the highest in Pontoon)
    Thanks Filbert & Q

  18. I haven’t posted here for ages but couldn’t resist doing so to see if anyone else got tangled with trying shoehorn WED in for 11a? Something to do with days of the week and Abba’s sWEDish origins that I couldn’t quite see. I then decided TIE must be Swedish for Tuesday before the penny dropped with a clang.

    Big thanks to Filbert and Q. All lovely stuff.

  20. I suspect that this is highly unlikely to be read or get response but I will comment on the off chance.
    Tatrasman @ 5 hit the nail on the head in that Filbert is getting more obscure by the puzzle but for me in a really amusing, witty, challenging way.
    There is a but however in today’s puzzle. Though I got it because I am interested in the car industry I thought A4 was rather unfair.
    Finally, I gave up on chopine which I should have guessed from the clue but never got that the definition was “old platform” .

  21. gsolphotog – maybe for some, but I am particularly allergic to car references (can’t even drive) but didn’t object to this. Maybe it’s from adverts on TV, but the Audi A4 is comfortably within my frame of reference

  22. Amoeba @ 21.. fair enough. I guess if you know it it’s an easy enough clue….and thanks for replying. I didn’t think anyone would still be accessing the blog.

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