Independent 11436 / Bluth

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Eccles appears every second Wednesday, but between his puzzles we never know who we are going to find.  This Wednesday we have a puzzle from Bluth.

 

 

 

Bluth often gives us clues with lots of word which give an excellent surface and more often than not lead to some quite complex wordplay.   As a result, I always enjoy blogging a Bluth crossword.

Bluth also has a habit of keeping old fogeys like me up-to-date with new words and  phrases, as well as new meanings of old words.  Today’s entry in that vein is MIC DROP, a phrase I haven’t come across before.

We have only 26 entries today because of the number of 10,11, 12 and 15 letter entries  These long entries give plenty of scope for Bluth to construct the wordplay from many parts.  I am not sure of my parsing of COST OF LIVING.  I am also not sure whether ‘managing’ in the clue is a link word or part of the definition.  I have taken it as part of the definition ‘managing expenses’.

No. Detail
Across  
8

Hoardings for advertising game showing box office for second international (10) 

BILLBOARDS (chiefly American term for large BOARDS on which large advertising posters are displayed)

BILLIARDS (game) with B.O. (Box Office) replacing (showing for) the second I (international)

BILLBOARDS
9

Diplomat dropping round for something sinful (4)

ENVY (one of the seven deadly sins; something sinful)

ENVOY (diplomat) excluding (dropping) O (round-shaped character)

ENVY
10

North American icon renouncing a court’s dereliction of duty (7)

NEGLECT (omission by carelessness; dereliction of duty)

N (North) + EAGLE (bird regarded as an American icon) excluding (renouncing) A + CT (Court), in postal addresses for example)

N EGLE CT
11

Triumphant gesture of motorway policeman restraining vacuous driver (3,4)

MIC DROP (an emphatic and declarative gesture signifying the conclusion of a performance of note, often literally dropping a microphone.  This is apparently an action favoured by hip-hop musicians)

(MI [M1 motorway] + COP [policeman]) containing (restraining) DR (letters remaining in DRIVER after the central letters RIVE are removed [vacuous])

MI C (DR) OP
13

Allow bad service (3) 

LET (allow)

LET (a faulty serve in tennis where the ball clips the net on the way to the receiver)  double definition

LET
14

Acts to tune up – entertaining label’s principal A&R person? (6,5)

TALENT SCOUT (one who seeks out new performers with potential star quality.  An A&R man can be described as either an artists and recording manager or an artists and repertoire.manager for a record label)

Anagram of (up) ACTS TO TUNE containing (entertaining) L (first letter of [principal] LABEL)

TA (L) ENT SCOUT*
15

Very loud, piercing love song not being broadcast (3-3) 

OFF-AIR (not being broadcast)

FF (fortissimo; very loud) contained in (piercing) (O [character representing zero {love score in tennis}] + AIR [song])

O (FF) AIR
17

Locks can be set by this fuel company when carrying uranium miles from east to west (6)

MOUSSE (cosmetic preparation dispensed from an aerosol as a foam, used especially to style or set hair [locks])

([ESSO {fuel company} containing {when carrying} U [chemical symbol for uranium}] + M [miles]) all  reversed (from east to west)

(M O (U) SSE)<
20

Uncivilised deal then ran out (11)

NEANDERTHAL (primitive or uncivilised person)

Anagram of (out) DEAL THEN RAN

NEANDERTHAL*
21

Runner eats pak choi last of all (3)

SKI (a runner fastened to a shoe or boot to enable the wearer to slide across snow)

SKI (final letter of each of [last of all] EATS, PAK and CHOI)

SKI
22

Developed bar to take in German and English (7)

ROUNDED (developed to perfection)

ROD (bar) containing (take in [UND  {German for ‘and’] + E [English])

RO (UND E) D
23

Work cutting out half of Last Christmas’s first absorbing verse (7)

NOVELLA (tale; short story; work of fiction)

NOEL (Christmas) containing (absorbing) V (verse) + LAST excluding half of the letters ST to leave the other half LA)

NO (V) EL LA
24

Pitcher threw erratically in parts (4)

EWER ( large water jug or pitcher)

EWER (hidden word in [in parts] THREW ERRATICALLY)

EWER
25

Ultimately warn Kevin Bacon about every shot (10)

CANNONBALL (large projectile; shot)

Anagram of (about) (N  and N [last letters of {ultimately} each of WARN and KEVIN] together with  BACON) + ALL (every)

CANNONB* ALL
Down  
1

Resort even do funerals – with bishop becoming anxious (1,6,2,6) 

A BUNDLE OF NERVES (very timid, anxious)

Anagram of (resort [re-sort]) EVEN DO FUNERALS and B

A BUNDLE OF NERVES*
 2

Trouble putting book on Kindle (6)

BLIGHT (trouble)

B (book) + LIGHT (kindle)

B LIGHT
 3

Forgetful man’s indebted unfortunately (6-6) 

ABSENT-MINDED (forgetful)

Anagram of (unfortunately) MAN’S INDEBTED

ABSENT-MINDED*
 4

Roofing material under thatch, occasionally can be felt (7)

TACTILE (perceptible by touch; can be felt)

TAC (letters 1, 3 and 5 [occasionally) of THATCH) + TILE (roofing material)

TAC TILE
 5

Worker holding up a block is determined (7) 

ADAMANT (determined)

A + DAM (block) + ANT (worker) – this being a down entry, the letters ANT are holding up the letters ADAM

A DAM ANT
 6

Giant rodent discovered by nurse (8)

ENORMOUS (giant)

EN (Enrolled Nurse) + DORMOUSE (rodent) excluding the outer letters (dis-covered) D and E

EN ORMOUS
 7

Husband captured by a little spycam dancing with unknown consolingly (15) 

SYMPATHETICALLY (consolingly)

H (husband)  contained in (captured by) an anagram of (dancing) A LITTLE SPYCAM + Y (letter frequently used to indicate an unknown value in an equation)

SYMPAT (H) ETICALL* Y
 12

Damage caused by operative managing expenses (4,2,6)

COST OF LIVING (expenses for managing life)

COST (damage, as in What;s the damage’? when asking for the bill) + OF (by) + LIVING (operative)

COST OF LIVING
16

Iron Age male’s missing daughter played an important part (8)

FEATURED (played an important part)

FE (chemical symbol for iron) + MATURE (age) excluding (missing) M (male) + D (daughter)

FE ATURE D
18

Measured Greek F1 driver once reversing (7)

GRADUAL (measured)

GR (Greek) + LAUDA (reference Niki LAUDA [1949-2019], Austrian Formula 1 racing driver) reversed (reversing)

GR ADUAL<
19

Working in good pub – at the start, it’s buzzing (7) 

PHONING (buzzing [making a telephone call])

PH (public house; pub) + ON (working) + IN + G (good)

PH ON IN G
21

Ruler – perhaps something acquired free on holiday – making a new line (6)

SULTAN (Muslim ruler)

SUN TAN (something acquired free on holiday) with the first N (a N [new]) being replaced by (making a .. [into something else]) L (line)

SULTAN

 

24 comments on “Independent 11436 / Bluth”

  1. Thanks, Bluth and duncanshiell!
    Liked CANNON BALL, TACTILE and SULTAN.

    COST OF LIVING (managing expenses seems fine as the def-the expenses of managing one’s life)
    I parsed it exactly as you did. I feel our parsing is all right.

  3. Thanks, Bluth and Duncan. Splendid fun as ever. Re COST OF LIVING – KVa has it right – managing is a gerund here.

    No complaints from me!

  4. I meant a gerundive, obviously – a verb functioning as an adjective (modifying the noun expenses).

  5. Excellent. Entertaining with the long entries. Couldn’t parse MOUSSE (obvious now) or COST OF LIVING so thanks Duncan. ‘Cost’ for ‘damage’ okay but ‘operative’ as ‘living’ is new. Makes perfect sense. Liked MIC DROP and PHONING. Thanks Bluth.

  6. Apart from never having heard of MIC DROP (what a ghastly phrase), this was great fun with the usual complex parsing to unravel.

    Many thanks to Bluth and to Duncan.

  7. Surprise that anybody hasn’t heard of MIC DROP. Not sure why RD finds it “ghastly”. May well have started with hip-hop musicians but everybody (well, obviously not everybody) mimics the action these days.

  9. If anything on the gentle side for a Bluth puzzle though I’d never heard of MIC DROP and didn’t know what the ‘A&R’ referred to in 14a. Good to see Niki LAUDA crack a mention at 18d and it was satisfying to finally work out the def and parsing of COST OF LIVING.

    Thanks to Duncan and Bluth

  10. However, I am not surprised at anyone not hearing about it. When among the youngsters, I keep hearing a lot of new words and new usages. In such a company, can’t have my own mic drop moment! 🙂

  12. What was the mame of that Austrian F1 driver, Niki something…
    Lauda?
    WHAT WAS THE NAME OF THAT AUSTRIAN F1 DRIVER?

  14. Very enjoyable brain exercise as we expect from Bluth. Never heard of 11a but it was very helpfully clued

    Thanks to Bluth and Duncan

  15. Very enjoyable as is usually the case with this setter….and not overly tough
    In a quality field I’ll mention CANNON BALL, TACTILE and GRADUAL and the very clever SULTAN.
    Many thanks Bluth and DS

  16. The usual riot of fun from Bluth. Loads of imagination and plenty of laughs. Lots I liked and I can’t tick ’em all: highlights include ENVY, TALENT SCOUT, NEANDERTHAL, BLIGHT, ABSENT MINDED, TACTILE, FEATURED, GRADUAL, PHONING, SUNTAN. Even the highlights is a long list!

    Thanks Bluth and duncan

  17. I was looking up the blog for an old Bluth puzzle this morning (for reasons related to something he mentioned in his show which I saw last night but I’ll say no more about that) and I was interested to re-read my own comment: “That X for Y replacement device always sails right over my head.” Clearly I’m getting used to Bluth’s style because it didn’t trouble me at all today when it cropped up in 21d. Excellent! Go me!

    FrankieG @12 – Ha! Haven’t heard that one since I was a schoolboy. Classic.

  18. “Iron Age” was a nice lift-and-separate to get FE [m]ATURE.
    Liked BILL[i/BO]ARDS & SU[n/L]TAN too.
    Thanks B&d

  19. FrankieG @12 You shouldn’t tell that sort of joke here. Someone with a rhotic accent might read it and feel excluded.

  23. Thanks Bluth for your consistent excellence. I found this gentle by Bluth/Fed standards but no less rewarding. Favourite was ENORMOUS with its discovered rodent. Thanks Duncan for your meticulous blog.

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