Independent 11623 / Bluth

by

Bluth sets today’s Independent cryptic crossword.  He is one of my favourite setters.

 

 

 

As ever with Bluth, there were some excellent anagrams – YOU’RE TELLING and FOREIGN CURRENCY.

I liked the linked clues at 25 and 26 across where there was a genuine link between the clues using ‘finally’ and ‘not in both of them.

There was also some intricate wordplay which I always like, examples being COAL-FIRED and VALEDICTION

YAKOW makes a pleasant change from the more common hybrids such as LIGER, TIGON and the various forms of ZHO and DZO

I have no issue with DA being defined as a lawyer, but District Attorney is an American term, so some may feel there should have been an American reference at 15 down.

No Detail
Across  
1 Group regularly boycotted Tesla (5) 

OCTET (group of eight)

OCTE (letters 2, 4, 6 and 8 [regularly] of BOYCOTTED) + T (tesla; derived SI unit of magnetic flux density, symbol T)

OCTE T
4 Case of cameo by Hitchcock inspiring one using what could be coke? (4-5) 

COAL-FIRED (a COAL-FIRED furnace could use coke as its fuel)

CO (outer letters of [case of] CAMEO + (ALFRED [reference ALFRED Hitchcock {1899 – 1980}, English Film Director] containing [inspiring] I [Roman numeral for one])

CO AL F (I) RED
9 Decline terms of free boob job (3) 

EBB (decline)

EBB (final letters of [terminals {terms}] of each of FREE, BOOB and JOB)

EBB
10 Perhaps cowboy managed singer (7) 

RANCHER (someone who works on a stock farm, possibly a cowboy in some countries)

RAN (managed) + CHER (reference CHER [born 1946], American singer)

RAN CHER
11 Article paper gets behind (3) 

AFT (behind)

A (an indefinite article) + FT (Financial Times; newspaper [paper])

A FT
12 Introduce President’s first fantastic decree (7) 

PRECEDE (introduce)

P (initial letter of [first] PRESIDENT) + an anagram of (fantastic) DECREE

P RECEDE*
13 Streaking – perhaps cock’s broadcast during golf (7) 

VEINING (forming streaks)

VEIN (sounds like [broadcast] VANE [{weather}cock]) + IN + G (‘golf’ is the international radio communication codeword for the letter G)

VEIN IN G
14 Somehow routinely gel with setter I know only too well (5,7,2) 

YOU’RE TELLING ME (I know that only too well)

Anagram of (somehow) ROUTINELY GEL + ME (the crossword setter)

YOU’RE TELLING* ME
16 Scrap clue for malted bun (5-3-6) 

ROUGH AND TUMBLE (scuffle; scrap)

ROUGH [anagram indicator) AND TUMBLE [anagram fodder] could be wordplay for MALTED BUN*

ROUGH AND TUMBLE
20 Shrink fleece when daughter takes son’s place (7) 

DWINDLE (lessen; shrink)

SWINDLE (con; fleece) with D (daughter) replacing (takes … place) S (son) to form DWINDLE

DWINDLE
21 Dictator’s present is fruit (7) 

CURRANT (small black raisin or dried seedless grape; fruit)

CURRANT (sounds like [dictator’s] CURRENT [present])

CURRANT
22 Essentially unmuzzle his gun (3) 

UZI (type of submachine-gun)

UZ (central letters [essentially] of UNMUZZLE + I (central letter of [essentially] HIS)

UZ I
23 Some revolutionary gang I arrange to bring to court (7) 

ARRAIGN (put on trial; bring to court)

ARRAIGN (reversed [revolutionary] hidden word [some] in GANG I ARRANGE)

ARRAIGN<
25 Finally given gold and not … (3) 

NOR (and not)

N (last letter of [finally] GIVEN) + OR (gold tincture)

N OR
26 … present with voucher – losing business immediately (9) 

THEREUPON (immediately)

T (I think this is a genuine application of a linked clue where T is the last letter of [finally] NOT from the clue to 25 across) + HERE (present) + COUPON (voucher) excluding (losing) CO (company; business)

T HERE UPON
27 Wife agreed to return hybrid (5) 

YAKOW (animal crossbred from a male yak and a domestic cow; hybrid)

(W [wife] + OKAY [agreed to]) all reversed (to return)

(YAKO W)<
Down  
1 Spends too much on account of extra writing taking a year (8) 

OVERPAYS (spends too much)

OVER (on account of) + (PS [postscript; extra writing at the end of a letter ] containing [taking] [A + Y {year}])

OVER P (A Y) S
2 Thanks – boyfriend’s wrapping large picture (7) 

TABLEAU (picture or vivid pictorial impression)

TA (thanks) + (BEAU [boyfriend] containing [wrapping] L [large])

TA B (L) EAU
3 Event people are bound to take part in (5-6,4) 

THREE-LEGGED RACE (athletic event)

THREE-LEGGED RACE (contestants in such a race are pairs with the left leg of one of the pair tied [bound] to the right leg of the other member of the pair; people are bound to take part in)  cryptic definition

THREE-LEGGED RACE
4 Assistant ref’s upset with anecdote (11) 

CONFEDERATE (accomplice; assistant)

Anagram of (… upset with …) REF and ANECDOTE

CONFEDERATE*
5 Remains quiet after start of accusations (3) 

ASH (remains)

A (first letter of [start of] ACCUSATIONS) + SH ([be] quiet)

A SH
6 Perhaps Mark once confused grocer with funny rice (7,8) 

FOREIGN CURRENCY (the Mark or Deutschmark was the currency of Germany before the introduction of the Euro)

Anagram of (… confused with …) GROCER and [with] FUNNY RICE

FOREIGN CURRENCY*
7 Authenticity is dividing field of study (7) 

REALISM (authenticity)

IS contained in (dividing) REALM (field of study)

REAL (IS) M
8 Mark silver jubilee at last, showing excessive fondness (6) 

DOTAGE (excessive fondness)

DOT (mark) + AG (chemical symbol for silver) + E (final letter of [at last] JUBILEE)

DOT AG E
13 Very light infantry at the front during fighting should get send-off (11) 

VALEDICTION (farewell; send-off)

V (very) + ([LED {light emitting diode; light} + I {first letter of (at the front) INFANTRY}] contained in [during] ACTION [fighting])

V A (LED I) CTION
15 Prison block where lawyer is keeping close to Laurence Fox (5,3) 

DEATH ROW (part of a prison where prisoners who have been sentenced to death are confined)

(DA [US district attorney; lawyer] containing [keeping] E [final letter of {close to} LAURENCE]) + THROW (confuse; act cunningly; fox)

D (E) A TH ROW
17 Discovered Boris intended missing an opening (7) 

ORIFICE (opening)

ORI (letters remaining in BORIS when the outer letters B and S are removed [dis-covered]) + FIANCÉ (one’s betrothed; one’s intended) excluding (missing) AN

ORI FICE
18 Hippie to attend police station for hearing (7) 

BEATNIK (one of the BEAT generation; hippie)

BE AT (attend) + NIK (sounds like [for hearing] NICK [slang word for police station])

BE AT NIK
19 Change commercial completely (6) 

ADJUST (change)

AD (advertisement; commercial) + JUST (precisely; perfectly; completely)

AD JUST
24 Rent is almost ready (3) 

RIP (tear; rent)

RIPE (ready) excluding the final letter (almost) E

RIP

 

 

 

23 comments on “Independent 11623 / Bluth”

  1. For 26a, I think “there” = “present” works, as in “I was there/present”.
    A very minor point, using your colour-coding, the N in BUN should be blue not red.
    Another excellent puzzle from Bluth, with his Guardian identity making an appearance in 4d.

  2. THEREUPON
    Parsed it as Hovis did.
    FOREIGN CURRENCY
    Sure it’s inadvertently missed out from the def: ‘once’

    Thanks Bluth and duncanshiell!

  3. I always enjoy the challenge of Bluth’s puzzles. His style is refreshingly unusual and I thought today was one of his best with the added ingredient of what for him is remarkably brief clueing.

    I agree with Hovis @1 about 26a.

    YOU’RE TELLING ME was my favourite of manyticked clues.

    Many thanks to Bluth for the fun. Thanks too to Duncan for the review.

  4. ‘Hippie’ and ‘beatnik’ are synonymous now, I guess, language being what it is, but I couldn’t agree that a hippie was ‘one of the BEAT generation’ – different time thus generation (mid-1950s – early 1960s), different drugs and different music and poetry albeit some crossover with artists like Ginsberg. Good puzzle but, which I found easy-going for a Bluth.

  5. As always, plenty to admire and much to smile at – though VEINED, given the surface/definition combo, did have me choking over my morning coffee! OCTET, EBB, ROUGH AND TUMBLE, TABLEAU, CONFEDERATE and FOREIGN CURRENCY were my faves today, half of them anagrams with the last two being particularly neat.

    I’d like our blogger to be right wrt the linked clues – it is hard to construct them satisfactorily and, yes, they are normally only linked at a surface level. I think the alternatives suggested do work just as well so it’s somewhat ambiguous. Bluth does often pop in so it will be interesting to discover his intentions.

    Thanks Bluth and duncan

  7. Hovis @ 1, KVa @ 2, Rabbit Dave @ 3, Sofamore @ 4, IanSW3 @ 6

    Yes, I think you all right about THERE equating to ‘present’ in 26 across. One day I’ll find a couple of clues that really are linked.

    I have changed the colour of the N in BUN in the wordplay for 16 across

    I picked up the ‘beat generation’ reference from the definition of BEATNIK in Chambers where it states: ‘one of the beat generation (originally in the United States ), bohemian poets, etc who, in the 1950s, dissociated themselves from the aims of contemporary society’

  8. I have now looked at the definition of HIPPIE in Chambers: ‘successors of the beatniks as rebels against the values of middle-class society, orig in the 1960s stressing the importance of love, organizing to some extent their own communities, and wearing colourful clothes’. That seems to support the views of Sofamore and Ian SW @ 4 and 6

  10. Bluth in gentler mood today, but no less enjoyable. All these references to beatniks, hippies, drugs etc are interesting but go far above my head! Thanks Bluth and Duncan.

  11. 10a – THAT CHER – she gets in everywhere.
    27a – YAKOW – a guess/jorum – we’ll have to be on the lookout for the synonym yattle(s).
    Liked 15d DEATH ROW for the L-&-S of Laurence Fox. [Richard Ayoade is his brother-in law. Like peas in a pod.]
    Thanks B&d

  12. Bluth’s one of my favourites too, and this was typically great fun. There’s enough of a link between a BEATNIK and a HIPPIE for me, maybe with the benefit of distance from the time itself.

    I liked the ‘intended’ for FIANCÉ, the boob job, and THREE-LEGGED RACE. But my clue of the day was my LOI, the fabulous VEINING – at least once I’d thought of the right cock (that one of course, then wondering if a ‘cock’s broadcast’ could be a crow).

    Thanks Bluth and Duncan.

  14. Lovely puzzle as usual from Bluth.

    DEATH ROW was probably my favourite clue today.

    I’d have included ‘once” in the definition of 6d, pointing to the fact the Mark has now been replaced by the €.

    Thanks to Bluth and also duncanshiell for putting me in the picture on the few I couldn’t parse completely.

  15. Another fan of Bluth well pleased with this. Lots of ticks, with 15d favourite, for the surface image, mainly. Thanks to Bluth and Duncan

  16. This was fun, late to the party as I did this at a slow yoof session, around feeding kids hot chocolate and toast and semi-refereeing the games of pool.

    YAKOW was new to me, but the Y of FOREIGN CURRENCY and K meant it had to be that, confirmed by checking.

    Thank you to Bluth and duncanshiell.

  17. Thanks both. I wasn’t familiar with that meaning of DOTAGE and would add that my mother-in-law who is in her dotage (other meaning) neither demonstrates nor attracts any excessive fondness; at her worst, she is in league with the Anti-Christ, at best she can be a bit of a YAKOW.

  18. Thanks Bluth. I found this very light for a Bluth/Fed crossword but very good as this setter always seems to be. My top picks were COAL-FIRED, AFT, and ORIFICE. Thanks duncanshiell for the blog.

  20. Tony@19 Thanks – I actually weaved that in to my father-of-the-bride speech a couple of year’s ago…it was well received with one exception

  21. Enjoyed the puzzle. On the gentle side for Bluth but great fun as ever & the wordplay always clever. Thanks to Bluth & Duncan

  22. Thanks all. I had no idea I was in yesterday so have only just seen this.

    My intention with THEREUPON was as suggested by Hovis@1 – sorry the clues aren’t more linked Duncan.

    As Rocket @14 suggests, I’d have the ‘once’ as part of the definition in 6d.

    With COAL-FIRED I didn’t mean that a coal-fired furnace might use coke as I assumed it must use coal… but coal is a substance that can be turned into coke. Which is what I meant by the phrase “what could be coke”.

    Thanks to Duncan and to all.

  23. Thanks, Bluth, for checking in.

    I am actually somewhat relieved the Hippie/Beatnik debate didn’t drag on, but to those who say “close enough,” that just means a small tweak would have avoided the issue — suggesting analogy or similarity rather than identity. Otherwise, it’s a bit like saying Impressionists and Post-Impressionists (or Gen-X and Gen-Z, etc.) are the same thing

Comments are closed.