Independent 11,996 by Phi – Fifteensquared

Another Friday, another Phi . . . back to his usual slot after the exception of last week.

A sound puzzle as always from this setter. I liked the misdirection of “raring to go” and “clotted cream”.

Phi appears to have followed his usual practice of putting in a couple of related clues to get the grid started, without going all the way to creating a theme: we have a reference to the traditional song Oranges and Lemons near the top, and to a similar song London Bridge is falling down in the left column (London Bridge “falling down”?), but I don’t see anything else related. Thanks Phi for the fun.

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

ACROSS
8	ORANGES	Fruit trees over the hills? (7)
		O (over, in cricket scoring) + RANGES (range = a line of hills or mountains).
9	LEMONS	Lunar vehicle on Sun? Dodgy things here (6)
		LEM (abbreviation for Lunar Excursion Module = original name of the vehicle used in the Apollo moon landings) + ON + S (Sun = abbreviation for Sunday). Lemon = slang for something that doesn’t work as well as it should = a dodgy thing.
10	DELTA	Largely put off about temperature in Nile region (5)
		DELA[y] (put off = postpone) without the last letter (largely), around T (abbreviation for temperature). Nile Delta: the triangular region of agricultural land where the River Nile flows into the Mediterranean.
11	OSTRACISM	Banishment sees major part of bigotry abandoned by millions (9)
		[m]OST (major part of) + RACISM (a form of bigotry), without the initial M (abbreviation for millions).
13	NITRITE	What’s observed after fool produces organic compound (7)
		RITE (a religious ceremony = something observed at the appropriate time) after NIT (slang for a fool). Organic compound involving the NO₂ ion.
15	MIRRORS	Three Rs so revitalised after the writer’s backing copies (7)
		Anagram (revitalised) of R R R (three Rs) + SO, after I’M (I am = the writer is) reversed (backing). Copy, as a verb = mirror = appear similar to.
16	RUM	Odd cut of meat with last slice removed (3)
		RUM[p] (a cut of meat, as in rump steak) without the last letter (slice).
17	NOMADIC	Travelling detectives about to return, pursuing French name (7)
		CID (abbreviation for Criminal Investigation Department = detectives) + A (I’m not sure in what context “a” is used to mean “about”, but it’s in Chambers), all reversed (to return), after NOM (French for “name”).
20	END	‘Close’, ‘termination’ and finally – this? (3)
		Last letters (finally) of [clos]E [terminatio]N [an]D. Clue-as-definition: close and termination can both mean end.
21	DOODLES	500: a great many pictures? (7)
		D (Roman numeral for 500) + OODLES (slang for an unspecified large number = a great many). Doodle = a scribbled sketch, especially one drawn in boredom.
23	STRANGE	Stone oven is out of the common run (7)
		ST (abbreviation for stone = imperial measure of weight equal to 14 pounds) + RANGE (a large kitchen cooker, though the term usually suggests a hob as well as an oven).
24	EGLANTINE	Fragrant species, say: a way forward when money’s invested (9)
		EG (abbreviation for Latin exempli gratia = for example = say) + LANE (way forward, as in a motorway lane), with TIN (slang for money) inserted (invested). Also known as sweet briar: a variety of rose.
25	MOTET	Choral piece swamped by remote tom-toms, on recall (5)
		Hidden answer (swamped by . . .), reversed (on recall), in [remo]TE TOM[toms]. Though in fact “on recall” isn’t needed because it could equally be [re]MOTE T[omtoms]. A piece of choral music for several voices: the term is generally used for music with a religious text and no instrumental accompaniment, but there isn’t really a precise definition.
27	GRILLE	Was interrogating curtailed for the screen? (6)
		GRILLE[d] (grill, as a verb = slang for interrogate) without the last letter (curtailed). Grille = a protective metal screen with holes to allow air through.
28	PICADOR	Snap activity with steer’s tail for bullfighter (7)
		PIC (short for picture = snap = photograph) + ADO (activity or fuss, as in “much ado about nothing”) + last letter (tail) of [stee]R.
DOWN
1	LONDON BRIDGE	Director brought in one Bond girl in action in capital location (6,6)
		Anagram (in action) of ONE BOND GIRL, with D (abbreviation for director) inserted (brought in). A location in the UK capital.
2	HALL	Everybody oppressed by hot room (4)
		ALL (everybody) after (below, in a down clue = oppressed by) H (abbreviation for hot).
3	AGRARIAN	Pair of Americans raring to go off about the country (8)
		Anagram (to go off) of A A (a pair of A = abbreviation for American) + RARING. Relating to rural or agricultural matters.
4	ASHORE	A painful point about hospital that’s stranded? (6)
		A + SORE (as a noun = a painful infected area on the body), around H (abbreviation for hospital). Stranded = descriptive of something stuck on the beach that should be in the water.
5	ILL-TIMED	I’m newspaperman penning lines and reflection of it being inopportune (3-5)
		I’M + ED (abbreviation for editor = newspaper manager), containing (penning) L L (two L = abbreviation for line) + IT reversed (reflection of . . .).
6	IMPAIR	Spoil appearance of a little devil? (6)
		IMP AIR: Phi is asking us to imagine the AIR (appearance or behaviour) of an IMP (little devil).
7	ANTIPODEAN	One suggestion on lines on a name from the other side of the world (10)
		AN (a form of the indefinite article = one) + TIP (suggestion = a piece of advice) + ODE (a poem = lines) + A + N (abbreviation for name).
12	MISADVENTURE	Date men get infected with virus – that’s bad luck (12)
		Anagram (infected, which sort of makes sense in the context of a virus) of DATE MEN + VIRUS. As in the legal term “death by misadventure” = the result of doing something risky.
14	TOMFOOLERY	Cat loves bits of ling and eel, tucking into small fish, larking about (10)
		TOM (a male cat), then O O (two O = zero = love, in tennis scoring) + first letters (bits) of L[ing] + E[el] inserted into FRY (small young fish).
18	MESSIAEN	Composer, European, as is possibly accepted by fellows (8)
		E (abbreviation for European) + anagram (possibly) of AS IS, contained in (accepted by) MEN (fellows). Olivier Messiaen, 20th-century French composer and organist. After getting the first couple of crossers, I tried and discarded both Mascagni and Massenet before eventually finding him.
19	CERAMICS	Clotted cream is found around Cornwall’s foremost pottery (8)
		Anagram (clotted, appropriately enough) of CREAM IS, around the first (foremost) letter of C[ornwall].
22	LONELY	Solitary lecturer covering Fenland city (6)
		L (abbreviation for lecturer) + ON (covering) + ELY (city in the Fenland = low-lying former marshland in eastern England).
23	STEPPE	Plain, but with incremental stages? Not entirely (6)
		STEPPE[d] (with incremental stages) without the last letter (not entirely). Steppe = plain = large area of flat grassy land without trees.
26	TIDE	Trend bound to be picked up by radio (4)
		Homophone (to be picked up by radio = heard, although I think either “picked up” or “by radio” would be enough) of TIED (bound). As in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar: “There is a tide in the affairs of men . . .” = a general direction at a particular time.

24 comments on “Independent 11,996 by Phi”

Top faves: OSTRACISM, END and TOMFOOLERY.
As the blog says, a couple of clues have redundant words.

Thanks Phi and Quirister.

Enjoyable setting and solving, as Phi regularly provides.
Unlike Ms.Q, I’m not over-fond of “clotted” as an anagrind, I prefer some implication of ” movement”, whereas clotted seems the opposite. (19d).
I’m not sure either, about 27(ac)….”was interrogating” = GRILLED.
The composer, MESSIAEN, 18(d), is unknown to me, and slightly spoiled the fun.
Moaning over: an nicely-constructed puzzle, lots to appreciate. ( I don’t actually mind about a few superfluous words, when they contribute to a smoother surface: is it frowned upon?).

Lovely challenge, lovely blog, ta, Phi & Quirister

13a Aren’t organic compounds supposed to contain carbon, which NOO- doesn’t.

Well who can spell MESSIAEN without help? Not me, but got there with the crossers. Tried riddled and RIDDLE instead of grilled and GRILLE. Works just as well.
All good fun, thanks P & Q.

Thanks both. I didn’t think about it at the time, but I agree ‘clotted’ is far from an obvious or justifiable anagrind, as the change element is only from liquid to mass. As for MESSIAEN the clue enabled me to spell the name before I knew it, and I still wouldn’t recognise him if he delivered our next Amazon parcel. I hope there is more to ORANGES and LEMONS etc than an abandoned theme….

I thought this was on the tough side for a Phi Friday.

I erroneously put in NITRATE which prevented me getting AGRARIAN.

Liked London Bridge and ORANGES

Thanks Phi and Quirister

I enjoyed this puzzle, but as a sometime sailor I have a quibble with ‘ashore’ = ‘stranded’. One goes ashore and returns to the boat at will. To me ‘aground’ = ‘stranded’.
Thanks Phi and Quirister.

Well over half a century since Chem 101, but I don’t remember nitrites being any more organic than nitrates, or is nitrogen per-se organic?

I_feel_your_people @3, grantinfreo @8: Wikipedia does say that “organic” means carbon compounds, but it also says “The name nitrite also refers to organic compounds having the –ONO group, which are esters of nitrous acid. ” My chemistry days are nearly as distant as GinF’s so I can’t claim any expertise here.

Sourdough @7: perhaps I should have included the question-mark as part of the definition, which would have allowed Phi a little more justification. Something that’s ashore may possibly be stranded, or may be there by choice.

Yes, Quirister, thanks. It was only a quibble and maybe a bit harsh, It’s true, for example, that someone stranded on a desert island would be ashore, but saying that someone is ashore does not (to me) include any suggestion that they are stranded. I suppose if you say ‘his shipmates left him ashore on the island and sailed without him’ it works, but I’d rather expect so see ‘stranded’ or ‘marooned’ in this sentence.

Surely the question mark is there to point to stranded referring to ‘strand’ meaning ‘beach’ or ‘shore’.

How can “clotted” function as an anagram indicator? As Ian@2 says, and TFO@5 agrees, it is suggestive not of dispersion or rearrangement, but of solidification, like “congealed” or “coagulated”. Perhaps Phi will explain his reasoning?

a = about: very common in the 14th–16th centuries.

Some ways of making clotted cream involve stirring , but it doesn’t seem essential.

Clotted cream always looks to me as if it has been abused in some way.

Messiaen is as significant to 20th century music as Pele is to 20th century football. (Even the spellchecker here recognises M but not P, I see.)

And the theme remains unspotted though the two song titles are part of it. I’m up to something worse than fowl (sic).

Phi@16 Um … doesn’t really help you navigate the meaning of “clot”, though, does it? If the cream had been whipped, whisked, shaken or stirred, we’d have lapped it up! Thanks for dropping in. Hope all’s well down under.

A nitrite is definitely inorganic (eg sodium nitrite). There are organonitrates and organonitrites but they aren’t nitrites if you see what I mean. On the other hand the answer was clear.

Phi
You have me over a barrel.
My only bet is

WOLF hall
Were WOLF of London
Steppen WOLF
Lone WOLF
Tom WOLF(e)
WOLF tide

And if that is correct, then I will give up drinking and betting, but, not necessarily in that order.

Christopher Fowler’s Bryant & May series:
Strange Tide ; Hall of Mirrors ; The Lonely Hour; Oranges and Lemon; London Bridge Is Falling Down B&M 20 2021

Frankie, as ever you amaze me!
Bryant & May, I thought they made matches.
The good news is, I can continue betting and drinking.
Expert spot, and totally beyond me.

And, to add to my pain…….”worse than fowl ” FOWLER.
Doh.
I may just give up this game.

See also Independent 7703 by Phi (2011) Samuel@7, and Independent 11,468 by Phi (2023).

Messiaen certainly a significant figure in my book, but, same grumble as usual, I don’t care what the dictionaries say – an actor in a costume sitting on a horse stabbing a bull is not a fighter.

I’m still none the wiser on the theme, but I’m amazed at how often Phi inadvertently includes a solution that has a link to Blue Öyster Cult. (Mirrors, 1979.)

Thanks both.

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