Independent 11,636 by Phi

by

Phiday morning, and another fine puzzle from our regular setter.

One or two slightly vague constructions, as noted, and if I hadn’t heard of Clarendon Press I might have had trouble guessing it – but the clues were generally clear enough. I liked the LAN DOWNER and the TEMP ERA, both of which are obvious when you see them.

This being Phi, there’s probably a theme in there somewhere but I can’t see it. It may be connected to 15d, which I’m only vaguely aware of, but I’m sure someone will enlighten us sooner or later. Thanks Phi for the fun.

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

ACROSS
1 FLOSS
Force meeting with defeat – it’s a very thin line? (5)
F (abbreviation for force in scientific formulae) + LOSS (defeat).

I assume Phi is thinking of dental floss = a very thin thread.
4 REGRETFUL
Unhappy Reginald, worried, losing head (9)
REG (short for the name Reginald) + [f]RETFUL (worried) without the first letter (head).
9 CUT AND COME AGAIN
Abundant supply reduced and … what did you say? (3,3,4,5)
CUT (reduced, as in cut-price) + AND + COME AGAIN (come again? = phrase meaning “I didn’t hear or didn’t understand what you just said”).

Term for food plants (especially leafy vegetables) from which you can take a portion while letting the plant continue to grow, giving an ongoing supply.
10 UNCTUOSITY
Quality of oil? Blasting of US county will secure it (10)
Anagram (blasting) of US COUNTY, containing (securing) IT.
11 HERO
Andromeda’s heart perhaps is for Perseus? (4)
The heart of [andr]O[meda] (in Greek mythology, a damsel in distress rescued by Perseus) is HER O.

Definition by example, hence the question mark.
13 AILING
Declining, not fine, sick (6)
[f]AILING (declining) without the F (abbreviation for fine).
14 ANDORRAN
European and American openness not initially progressed (8)
[c]ANDOR (American spelling of candour = openness) without its initial letter, then RAN (as in “ran to completion” = progressed).

Belonging to a very small country on the border between France and Spain.
16 ATTORNEY
Lawyer recalled cheers with university abandoning contest (8)
TA (cheers = slang for thank you), reversed (recalled), then TO[u]RNEY (old variant of “tournament” = competition) withoutthe U (abbreviation for university).
18 STUPOR
Finished going through spoils, returning in intoxicated state (6)
ROTS (spoils) reversed (returning), with UP (finished) inserted into (going through) it.
21 ROMP
Entertaining event: concert with piano at end (4)
PROM (short for promenade concert) with the P (p = abbreviation for Italian piano = musical term for quiet) moved to the end.
22 INTRIGUING
Cockney making suggestions about doctor, Unionist, having an affair (10)
‘INTING (Cockney pronunciation of hinting = making suggestions, with the initial H sound dropped) around RIG (doctor, as a verb = interfere with, as in a rigged jury) + U (abbreviation for Unionist).

Intrigue, as a verb = to do something secretive or illicit, for example to have an extramarital affair.
25 BEEFSTEAK TOMATO
Complains wood also filled with dull fruit (9,6)
BEEFS (beef, as a verb = complain) + TEAK (a type of wood), then TOO (also) filled with MAT (variant spelling of matt = not shiny = dull).

A very large tomato, which is botanically a fruit but usually treated as a vegetable. I can’t help thinking “dull” is appropriate; let’s just say they’re usually bred for size rather than taste.
26 CLARENDON
University publisher family gathering about lecturer (9)
CLAN (family) containing (gathering = taking in) RE (about = on the subject of), then DON (university lecturer).

Clarendon Press = an alternative name used by Oxford University Press, from the Clarendon Building where it was once based.
27 SPECK
Notorious logical figure having change of heart? Just a bit (5)
SP[o]CK (notorious logical figure = part-alien character in the Star Trek series, known for thinking logically rather than emotionally) with the middle letter (heart) changed. I’m not sure it’s quite fair to do this without saying what the letter changes to, but in this case it’s not too hard to work out.

As in “not a speck of dirt” = a tiny bit.
DOWN
1 FICHU
Decorative cape provided by some terrific husband (5)
Hidden answer (provided by . . .) in [terri]FIC HU[sband].

A shawl worn over a woman’s shoulders and fastened at the front, especially to fill in a low neckline.
2 OPTICAL
Old friend stuck with nervous response of the eye (7)
O (old) + PAL (friend), containing (stuck with) TIC (nervous response = an involuntary movement).
3 SANGUINARY
Startled, saying “Run” after incursion by Australian, bloodthirsty (10)
Anagram (startled) of SAYING RUN, containing (after incursion by) A (abbreviation for Australian).

Bloodthirsty, or the word can mean just “involving a lot of blood”.
4 RECESS
Little space to hide, say, between manure and cesspit? (6)
Hidden answer (to hide, say, between . . .) in [manu]RE CESS[pit]. I think “between” gives a vague hint that we need to consider these words together without the “and”, but only a vague one; perhaps “to hide” is intended as part of the definition. I’m not sure what “say” is meant to contribute.
5 GEMSTONE
Target of jewellery raid left holding broken stem (8)
GONE (as in “they’ve already gone” = left) containing an anagram (broken) of STEM.
6 EXAM
Upset the writer receiving a poor mark in test (4)
ME (the writer of this puzzle is speaking), containing (receiving) A + X (indication that something is incorrect = poor mark), all reversed (upset = upwards in a down clue).
7 FLANEUR
Parisian idler displaying expensive coat around alley (7)
FUR (a coat made from animal fur, usually expensive) around LANE (alley = narrow passageway).

Extended definition: French word for someone who walks about in public just to see and be seen, usually perceived as “idle rich” with nothing better to do.
8 LANDOWNER
Computer arrangement a depressing affair for person of property (9)
LAN (abbreviation for local area network = a connected group of computers) + DOWNER (something depressing or disappointing).
12 CONTAGIOUS
Likely to spread too, causing boils (10)
Anagram (. . . boils) of TOO CAUSING.
13 ANAEROBIC
Not using oxygen? Possibly be a con with air provided (9)
Anagram (possibly) of BE A CON + AIR. “Provided” is probably just there for the surface reading.

Scientific term for a process that occurs in the absence of oxygen.
15 SEINFELD
US comedian almost positioned close to the batter? Not I (8)
SE[t] (positioned) without the last letter (almost), then INF[i]ELD (in cricket or baseball, the region of the playing field near where the batter stands, as opposed to “outfield” further away) with one letter I removed.

The US comedian Jerry Seinfeld.
17 TEMPERA
Time without permanent employees captured in paint (7)
If an organisation uses only temporary employees for a period of time, that could be considered its TEMP ERA.

A type of paint consisting of pigments suspended in a water-soluble binder, usually diluted egg yolk. It went out of favour with the introduction of oil paints.
19 PRIVATE
Makes enquiries mostly about tax relating to personal affairs (7)
PRIE[s] (makes enquiries) without the last letter (mostly), around VAT (abbreviation for Value Added Tax).
20 KRAKEN
Knowledge added to collection of animals after hauling up sea-monster (6)
KEN (as in “beyond my ken” = knowledge or uderstanding), added to ARK (collection of animals) reversed (after hauling up = upwards in a down clue).

Legendary monster (something like a giant squid) in the Norwegian Sea.
23 GLOCK
Pistol exhibiting good safety mechanism (5)
G (abbreviation for good) + LOCK (safety mechanism).

A semi-automatic pistol produced by the Austrian manufacturer Glock.
24 ISLE
Plenty of water round here – I fish, saving nothing (4)
I + S[o]LE (a flatfish), without (saving) O (zero = nothing).

16 comments on “Independent 11,636 by Phi”

  2. Had to be SPECK from the def. Would have never thought of Spock. INTRIGUING my standout and HERO. Thanks for the blog and puzzle.

  3. And that makes three votes for LANDOWNER and TEMPERA! STUPOR, FLANEUR, CONTAGIOUS and KRAKEN my other favourites.

    We do see the device used in SPECK occasionally and its fairness is a case by case thing in my book. Here, we only have four (excluding Y) options, all vowels, so I don’t believe Phi is asking too much of us. Thank Goodness 15d was SEINFELD – not sure I can think of any other US comedians. Out of interest, did anyone else start erroneously with GROUT for 1a being G (force) meeting with ROUT (defeat) and the grouting in one’s shower being a very thin line?

    Thanks Phi and Quirister

  5. I agree SPECK was fair from the def, and a crossing letter to boot. TEMP ERA was fun, although as it’s not a natural phrase I expected a question mark. SEINFELD, UNCTUOSITY, and SANGUINARY were my picks.

    Thanks Phi and Quirister.

  6. Yes, I started off with GROUT. US comedian made me immediately think (Jerry) Seinfeld, so I was pleased when it fit the rest of the clue. In 6d, I tend to think an X denotes that something is wrong, rather than just ‘poor’. Lots of words (and the phrase at 9a) that were new to me but got them all from the clueing. I’ve heard of a “beef tomato” but never a “beefsteak tomato”. Didn’t find this as an alternative in Chambers either.

  7. Harder than usual for Phi, I found, only completed with much help from wordlist and online. Pleased to see Andorra, a tiny but gorgeous country, which doesn’t often get referenced anywhere, let alone in crosswords. Thanks Phi and Quirister.

  8. Thanks both. This exposed a few more of my knowledge gaps; for instance I knew SEINFELD as a US TV show name, but have never watched it, and do not know the comedian. Thinking of an American comic is one challenge, finding one who is actually funny quite another. I momentarily took issue with Spock being labelled notorious, until I discovered there is a non-negative meaning.

  9. LAN DOWNER – More often than not, setters will clue LAN with “network”, giving away part of the acronym. Well done, Phi for not doing so.
    Thanks Q

  10. I couldn’t see where the SE in the US chap came from. Rather obvious now. I also started with GROUT and got hung up trying to fit DR into 22ac.
    10ac and 3d favourites for the unusual words.

    Thanks Phi and Quirister.

  12. Josh @11: I see what you mean, but it’s a bit too indirect. Love can mean heart, and love can also mean O (zero), but I can’t think of an example where heart = O.

  13. Thanks Quirister for the blog. We were a bit flummoxed by HERO but it looks as if we had the correct parsing.

    Thanks Phi. An enjoyable end to the week. No-one seems to have come up with a theme so maybe there isn’t one – perhaps you just wanted to include some favourite words!

  15. Thanks Phi. Top picks were ATTORNEY, FLANEUR, CONTAGIOUS, and ISLE. SPECK was easy when I had the crossing K; BTW, I learned from a cryptic crossword years ago that Leonard Nimoy anagrams into “I’m only a drone”. Spock would approve. Thanks Quirister for the blog.

Comments are closed.