Independent 11,504 / Phi – Fifteensquared

Friday is Phi-day once again this week.

I found this to be a medium difficulty puzzle by Phi and Indy standards. I made steady progress before needing to cheat to get 16D, which was a new word for me. I am fairly confident about my parsings this week.

True to form, I have spotted no theme, but maybe others have?

My favourite clues today were 12, for the humour around “Scottish runt”; and 15D and 24, both for smoothness of surface.

*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues

Across

09	IMPIOUSLY	Merely heading off, pocketing amounts owed, without respect IOUs (=amounts owed, debts) in <s>IMPLY (=merely; “heading off” means that first letter is dropped)

10	DROSS	Conservative nonsense leaving Democrat angry C (=Conservative) + <d>ROSS (=nonsense; “leaving Democrat (=D)” means letter “d” is dropped)

11	LAPIS LAZULI WARE	Plaza wall I sure designed to contain one blue-gold material I (=one) in *(PLAZA WALL I SURE); “designed” is anagram indicator

12	WEEPING	Scottish runt, say, brought about new expression of grief N (=new) in WEE PIG (=Scottish runt, say, since “wee” means small in Scotland!)

13	NABUCCO	Backing a certain Caribbean company to produce Verdi opera NABUC (CUBAN=a certain Caribbean; “backing” indicates reversal) + CO (=company); Nabucco is an opera by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi, first performed in 1842

15	CUT	Slice, retaining odd bits of crust C<r>U<s>T; “retaining odd bits” means odd letters only are used

16	CUTICLE	Copper with headgear covering cold skin CU (=copper, i.e. chemical symbol) + [C (=cold, as on tap) in TILE (=headgear, colloquially)]

18	LAD	Name stolen from country boy LA<n>D (=country); “name (=N) stolen from” means letter “n” is dropped

19	ANCIENT	Old American note and coin has one investing A (=American) + N (=note) + [I (=one) in CENT (=coin)]

21	LYRICAL	Imaginative rally rearranged to accommodate one car’s debut [I (=one) + C<ar> (“debut” means first letter only)] in (RALLY); “rearranged” is anagram indicator; according to Chambers*, lyrical can mean expressive or imaginative

24	NUMBER-CRUNCHING	Hesitation before crucial moment in stunning data analysis [ER (=hesitation) + CRUNCH (=crucial moment)] in NUMBING (=stunning, removing sensation)

26	ABUZZ	Excited sailor pursued by police, dodging force AB (=sailor, i.e. able-bodied seaman) + <f>UZZ (=police, colloquially; “dodging force (=F, as in Royal Air Force)” means letter “f” is dropped))

27	EJECTMENT	Court workers blocking English plane, leading to dispossession [CT (=court, in addresses) + MEN (=workers)] in [E (=English) + JET (=plane)]

Down

01	BILLOW	Wave badly infiltrating prow ILL (=badly) in BOW (=prow, of vessel); a billow is a great wave or cloud

02	APOPLECTIC	Very angry revision of Police Act enshrines power P (=power, in physics) in *(POLICE ACT); “revision of” is anagram indicator

03	BONSAI	A lot of spare canvas left incomplete – it shows limited growth BON<y> (=spare, thin; “a lot of” means last letter is dropped) + SAI<l> (=canvas; “a lot of” means last letter is dropped)

04	ESCARGOT	Freight carried by Parisian is a delicacy in Paris CARGO (=freight) in EST (=Parisian is, i.e. the French word for is)

05	TYBURN	Times, after upset, interrupting opportunity to show place of execution YB (BY=times, as in 6 x 4; “after upset” indicates vertical reversal) in TURN (=opportunity, go); Tyburn in Middlesex was the site of gallows, used as the main site for executions in the London area in the 16^th-18^th centuries

06	SCRIBBLE	Writing openings of six chapters, getting upset about books S<ix> C<hapters> (“openings of” means first letters only) + [BB (=books) in RILE (=upset, annoy)]

07	SOFA	Furniture item not quite up to date SO FA<r> (=up to date, as in the story so far); “not quite” means last letter is dropped

08	ASTEROID	Vitamin D, say, supplied by a marine creature A + STEROID (=Vitamin D, say, i.e. a type of steroid hormone); an asteroid is a starfish, hence “a marine creature”

14	COLD CHISEL	Various clichés about historic resource for sculptor OLD (=historic) in *(CLICHÉS); “various” is anagram indicator; a cold chisel is a tool used with a heavy hammer by a sculptor

15	CHAINSAW	Source of cuts many shops observed CHAIN (=many shops) + SAW (=observed)

16	CREDENZA	Curious craze about home office furniture item DEN (=home office, i.e. private domestic room for work or pleasure, colloquially) in *(CRAZE); “curious” is anagram indicator; a credenza is a bookcase, especially if without legs

17	CULTURED	Refined university study dismissing one following religion CULT (=religion) + U (=university) + RE<a>D (=study, at university; “dismissing one (=A)” means letter “a” is dropped)

20	TICKET	It may allow you to see second visitor from space TICK (=second, jiffy) + E.T. (=visitor from space, in 1982 Spielberg film); a ticket may allow you to see (=attend) e.g. a show, concert

22	RECITE	Declaim it in church after instruction in religious matters R.E. (=instruction in religious matters, i.e. Religious Education, in schools) + [IT in CE (=church, i.e. Church of England)]

23	LIGHTS	Difficulties after overlooking initial grid entries <p>LIGHTS (=difficulties, predicaments); “overlooking initial” means first letter is dropped

25	MAUL	Ponder endlessly about a feature of rugby game A in MUL<l> (=ponder, muse; “endlessly” means last letter is dropped)

13 comments on “Independent 11,504 / Phi”

Decidedly chewy today, resulting in a DNF – couldn’t see either BONY or SAIL for 3d, so that just wasn’t happening. I had IRA(n) instead of LA(n)D (just me?) and, despite seeing C??? CHISEL, couldn’t quite accept the fact that I had a wrong answer in, which meant I couldn’t get ASTEROID either (sea creature – very sneaky!)

Some delightful vocab – LAPIS LAZULI is just one of the loveliest things to say, and BILLOW/APOPLECTIC/BONSAI/ESCARGOT makes for a nice run at the start of the downs, and let’s not forget CREDENZA. Interesting words is an underrated feature of a good crossword, IMO.

WEE PIG made me smile, and – despite the failures described above – a very enjoyable and educational half hour, thanks Phi and RR.

p.s. The notes for 3d aren’t quite right – it should end SAI (=canvas; “left incomplete” means last letter is dropped)

Outright tops is CHAINSAW (droll) followed by ABUZZ, and ESCARGOT with the frieght aptly in a container. Enjoyed this puzzle a lot. Thanks both.

Very nice set of constructions today. I was delighted to recall the blue-gold, smiled at the wee pig and I learned something about starfish. Faves included IMPIOUSLY, WEEPING, LAD, ANCIENT, BONSAI, CHAINSAW and CREDENZA. (wrt CREDENZA, it’s possible that home is simply ‘den’ and the definition ‘office furniture item’: credenzas are most often seen these days as the small units that sit beneath desks, occasionally on rollers, and often with a combination of drawers, sliders and hanging files. Just a thought).

Thanks Phi and RR

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credenza
‘Not to be confused with credenza desk. A credenza is a dining room sideboard … In restaurant kitchens, made from stainless steel, it provides a side surface and storage cupboards. It can also be referenced in an office environment for office storage; both above and below a desk space.’

Surprised to see Middlesex mentioned for TYBURN, but Wikipedia suggests London was much, much smaller in days of yore.
‘Stone marking the site of the Tyburn tree on the traffic island at the junction of Edgware Road, Bayswater Road and Oxford Street’
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyburn#/media/File:TyburnStone.jpg
‘X’ marks the spot – visible from the short-lived, ill-fated Marble Arch Mound – the website is still up, even if the mound isn’t.
https://themarblearchmound.com/

A couple of trees – TYBURN, BONSAI – one might CUT down with a CHAINSAW – ABUZZ when switched on.
But then why not WILLOW at 1d to go with WEEPING?
Because BABE – the WEE PIG in 12a – is across the top row?

We’re engaged in an office move to a ‘hot-desking environment’, this week, so I’ve been wiping down and emptying credenzas (big, bulky shelving units) while abandoning my plinth (under-desk set of drawers).
I seeded the grid with the components of three archaic terms: ANCIENT LIGHTS, TYBURN-TICKET and WEEPING-CROSS (NB CROSS @ 10a not DROSS)