Independent 12,035 by Lette

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I believe this is the third Independent puzzle from Lette, whose first was in January.

A good mixture of fairly straightforward clues to get started and trickier ones that take a bit more thought: I think I can see what Lette intended at 5d and 6d, but I’m happy to be corrected if there’s a better parsing. I enjoyed the misleading definition of 25d, and particularly the groan-inducing pun of 22a . . .

. . . which (along with 31a) points us to our Tuesday theme, in this case what superstitious theatre folks insist on calling “The Scottish Play” to avoid naming it out loud. Apart from SCOT[tish] PLAY, DESPOT and BANQUO, we also have some [t]WITCHES and THANES, an ASSASSIN who STAB[s] with a DAGGER, and therefore a BODY and some BLOOD. There are probably other relevant entries: the play has definitely been performed at the OLD VIC, and WOMB features in Macduff’s plot-twist speech towards the end. Those who know the play better than I do might find more. Thanks Lette for a fun puzzle.

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

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
8 TWITCHES
First of three hags moves jerkily (8)
First letter of T[hree] + WITCHES (hags).
9 PORTER
Cook’s left Endeavour exhausted – it’s dark and often bitter (6)
PORT (left in nautical terminology, so for example Captain James Cook’s word for left) + E[ndeavou]R (exhausted = inner letters emptied out). The reference to HMS Endeavour is perhaps enough of a clue to suggest this particular Cook.

Porter = a term for dark beer.
10 WOMB
Space making way for genesis of baby in ladies? (4)
WOM[en] (ladies), with the EN (en = typographical term for a medium-width space) making way for the first letter (genesis) of B[aby].

Clue-as-definition.
11 NERVE
Way of feeling balls (5)
Double definition. Component of the body that transmits sensation = how we feel; or nerve = balls = slang for confidence, as in “I didn’t think you had the nerve to do it”.
12 PLAY
Take part in lap dancing lady’s finale (4)
Anagram (dancing) of LAP, then the last letter (finale) of [lad]Y.

Play, as a verb = to take a part on stage or film, or to take part in a sports match.
13 ASSASSIN
Special forces error tracking arsenic killer (8)
SAS (abbreviation for Special Air Service = British Army special forces unit) + SIN (error), after (tracking) AS (As = chemical symbol for arsenic).
16 DAGGER
Doctor replacing edges of worn knife (6)
[r]AGGE[d] (worn = frayed from long wear), with the outer letters (edges) replaced by D + R (Dr = abbreviation for doctor).
18 SCOT
National run lacking heart (4)
SC[o]OT (run = move quickly), with the middle letter (heart) removed.

National = someone belonging to a particular nation, in this case Scotland.
20 NEVER
Republican after new First Lady? Surely not! (5)
R (abbreviation for Republican), after N (abbreviation for new) + EVE (the first lady in the Bible).
21 ARTS
Trumps expressing loudly the workings of humanity? (4)
[f]ARTS (trump = slang for fart), without F (f = abbreviation for Italian forte = musical term for loudly).
22 DESPOT
Maybe Macbeth and Lady Macbeth tried to do it while sleeping? (6)
A reference to Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking speech, including the phrase “Out, damned spot!”: she’s trying to wash a stain off her hand, or (whimsically) to DE-SPOT it.

A violent tyrannical ruler, such as Macbeth becomes when he finds that one murder leads to several more in an attempt to cover it up.
23 LOOSE END
Unresolved issue is eased after moving back north (5,3)
LOOSENED (eased), with the N (abbreviation for north) moved one place back (towards the end).
26 TURF
Ground fruit I set aside on the counter (4)
FRU[i]T with the I left out (set aside), reversed (on the counter).

As in “on home turf” = “on home ground” = at one’s usual location.
28 BLOOD
John in bed evacuated bodily fluid (5)
LOO (john = slang for toilet), in B[e]D (evacuated = emptied out).
30 BODY
Son packing daughter’s trunk (4)
BOY (son), containing (packing = slang for carrying, especially in reference to firearms) D (abbreviation for daughter).

Trunk = body = torso.
31 BANQUO
Ghost essentially taking oddly vacated seat in feast? (6)
BANQU[et] (feast), with the middle letter (essentially) of [gh]O[st] replacing ET, which we get by removing the odd-numbered letters (oddly vacated . . .) of [s]E[a]T.

Clue-as-definition: in the play, Banquo’s ghost appears to sit in Macbeth’s seat during a feast.
32 SKITTISH
Liable to take off clothes assuming good man is hot (8)
KIT (clothes, especially sportswear or military uniform), inserted into (assuming = taking on) ST (abbreviation for saint = good man), then IS + H (abbreviation for hot).

Skittish = excitable and unpredictable.
DOWN
1 SWOONS
Desperate now SOS grows faint (6)
Anagram (desperate) of NOW SOS.
2 STAB
Go nuts when upset (4)
BATS (nuts = slang for crazy), reversed (upset = upwards in a down clue).

As in “have a stab” = “have a go” = make an attempt.
3 THANES
Flower maiden falling for knight’s nobility? (6)
THA[m]ES (river = something that flows = flow-er), with the M (abbreviation for maiden, in cricket scoring) replaced by N (knight, in chess notation).

Thane = old name of a rank in the aristocracy.
4 TSAR
Accepting a bit of silver Judas set up King? (4)
RAT (Judas = slang for a traitor), containing the first letter (a bit) of S[ilver], reversed (set up = upwards in a down clue).

Slavic title for a monarch, equivalent to King, though the derivation is from Latin Caesar = emperor.
5 SPREADER
One distributing crap odds and who’s opened a book? (8)
SP (abbreviation for starting price = the odds for betting on a particular horse at the start of a race) + READER (someone who has opened a book).

I assume Lette means muck-spreader = a device for spreading manure on a field. The definition could just be “one distributing”, but then I’m not sure what “crap” is doing; I wondered about odds in the dice game craps, but I’m not sure that’s relevant.
6 PROP
One who’s paid for playing power? (4)
PRO (short for professional = someone who’s paid for playing music or sports) + P (abbreviation for power).

I think this is a clue-as-definition: in rugby, a prop is typically a big powerful player.
7 RED ALERT
Soviet consort beginning to belt out warning (3,5)
RED (slang for communist, especially Soviet as in “Red Army”) + AL[b]ERT (Prince Consort to Queen Victoria), without the B which is the beginning letter of B[elt].
14 ACT UP
Behave badly and do lines at university (3,2)
ACT (do lines? – I’m sure actors will insist that there’s a lot more to acting than just saying the lines) + UP (university jargon for being in residence at university, as opposed to “down” = back at home).

Act up = to be disobedient or disruptive = to behave badly.
15 NOVEL
Book of verse to be wrapped by Christmas (5)
V (abbreviation for verse, in literary references) wrapped in NOEL (Christmas).
17 GRAVE
A place to rest finally following good, all-night party (5)
RAVE (all-night party) following G (abbreviation for good).
19 CAESURAE
Revealing parts of underwear use a catch from below to provide breathtaking opportunities? (8)
Hidden answer (revealing parts of . . .), reversed (from below = upwards in a down clue), in [underw]EAR USE A C[atch].

Plural of caesura (from the Latin word for a cut) = a break in the rhythm of poetry or music, where a speaker or singer might take a breath.
20 NOTEBOOK
Jotter from Spooner’s craft corner (8)
Spoonerism of BOAT NOOK = a corner containing water-craft?
24 OLD VIC
Where one might see matinee idol very high on cocaine (3,3)
Anagram (high = intoxicated) of IDOL + V (abbreviation for very), then C (abbreviation for cocaine).

Theatre in London, where one might see a matinee performance of a play.
25 NUDIST
One no longer invested in stud supply (6)
Anagram (supply = in a supple manner) of IN STUD.

One no longer invested = someone who has stopped wearing clothes.
27 FAQS
Note Queen’s typical queries (4)
FA (a note in the musical sol-fa scale) + Q’S (Q = abbreviation for queen).

Abbreviation for “frequently asked questions”.
29 OUST
Books about American exile (4)
OT (abbreviation for Old Testament = books) around US (American).

Oust, as a verb = exile = to force someone out of a position or community.
30 BATH
Some scrub at home to get cleaner? (4)
Hidden answer (some . . .) in [scru]B AT H[ome].

The definition might just be “cleaner” = something you use to clean yourself; or it could be bath (as a verb) = to get [yourself or someone else] cleaner by washing in a bath.

22 comments on “Independent 12,035 by Lette”

  1. I enjoyed this 3rd outing for Lette a lot. Plenty of smooth surfaces and a nicely worked theme with references in the clueing as well as in the solutions – I enjoyed the ‘spot’ work in DESPOT. WOMB is very elegantly done. Other faves include the amusing NERVE, the neatly indicated drag and drop in LOOSE END, the misdirectional surface in SPREADER (which, yes, I took to be a muck spreader), the very smooth NOVEL and equally neat GRAVE that followed it and the rather sweet NOTEBOOK. COTD, though, goes to the sublime BANQUO: I hope the setter felt very proud of himself when that construction came to mind.

    Thanks Lette and Quirister

  2. ACT UP
    Is it like this?
    do=ACT
    at university=UP
    ACT lines UP —>ACT covers/comes above UP.

    Liked WOMB, NERVE, PROP, NUDIST and BATH.

    Thanks Lette and Quirister.

  5. I’m probably one of a small minority that has never read the Skittish Play, although I do have a vague memory of going to the cinema to see the Polansky film. I guess Lette intended that you couple 18a with end of 32a. Fortunately, I’ve picked up enough over the years to get all the answers without trouble and found it to be an excellent crossword.
    &lit clues are one of the hardest to do well and I thought 10a and 6d were excellent.

  6. The first Lette puzzle I’ve attempted – and I’m glad I did.

    Having just seen the Scottish play again on Saturday, that’s where my thoughts first flew @1ac and I was chuffed to see the drunken PORTER (the only one you missed, Quirister, I think) follow immediately.

    The theme was very neatly exploited – I loved the DESPOT and the splendid BANQUO.
    (Nice one, DP @3.)

    I agree with Quirister’s interpretation of 5d (great surface) and 6dn. Many thanks to her and to Lette for a most enjoyable puzzle. I look forward to the next one.

  7. There are themes that I don’t see, themes that I get at the end, themes that are a bit helpful and then this rare example of a theme where I would never have managed without, even though I tried for ages to make Scottish work for SKITTISH. A Scot is a tax, so, if you were Scottish you might be liable to take. I agree with Hovis about the &lits.

  8. Nice set of clues themed around a play rich in imagery. Forgot about the en space, so missed the lovely &litness of 10ac. Not been doing the Indy long, so first time with Lette for me as well, thanks to him/her and Quirister too.

  9. I enjoyed that. I’m not smart enough to elocute it buts there’s something a bit different about Lette’s writing of clues which made me find it hard to get into but then seemed a bit more straight forward after a few went in.

    It’s a play so rich in imagery almost every word could be on theme. Lady Macbeth SWOONED upon hearing the news of the killing. The play is all about trying to OUST King Duncan. I could make a case for almost every word in the puzzle (or perhaps in the dictionary itself such a rich piece).

    Thanks Q and Lette. This might be the first time doing one of their puzzles.

  10. Hovis @5: it’s Shakespeare’s shortest play–it can be performed, without cuts and with an intermission, in about two hours–so it’s not a very big time investment. It’s also rich with language and tropes that have become part of the culture–you’ll meet some familiar stuff even on a first reading. (These are some of the reasons it’s one of the two Shakespeare plays most commonly taught in high school, alongside Romeo and Juliet.)

  12. [As a digression, it’s now generally believed that Shakespeare rarely performed Shakespeare without cuts–the existence of competing texts of many of the plays isn’t necessarily a mere discrepancy due to bad transcription, but an artifact of how they were performed. His company changed what they put on stage any given day, possibly even on the fly, to reflect their audience’s tastes.]

  14. mrpenney @10. The strange thing is that the only Shakespeare book I’ve ever bought is Macbeth (and I still have it). Trouble is I’ve loads of books waiting to be read. Before retiring, I kept buying them waiting until I had time to read them. Doubt if I’ll ever read them all, especially as I still keep buying new ones. Am I mad? I’ll let you be the judge.

  15. Thanks both. A highly entertaining way to present a theme which hits you with the ferocity of a warrior who shakes a spear. I was ultra-slow to solve DESPOT, my excuse being I last read it in school very many ages ago, so had forgotten the ‘asleep’ element, though I do recall my claim to fame when our teacher tried to increase the class’s interest by staging a mock murder trial, I successfully defended MacBeth , which seemed unlikely at the outset.

  16. [TFO @15: nice story. Reminds me of a not dissimilar school debate in which a colleague and I were tasked (we did not volunteer)with opposing the motion that This House Would Save The Whale and found ourselves, surprisingly, on the winning side. I recall my colleague becoming quite passionate about the damage cetaceans did to krill stocks!]

  17. [TFO @15, PostMark @16: you’ve reminded me of James Thurber’s short story The Macbeth Murder Mystery. The writer has a conversation with an avid reader of detective fiction, who picked up a copy of Macbeth by accident; she has read it as a whodunnit and concluded, based on various conventions of the genre, that Macduff was really the murderer. Thurber then re-reads it himself, and comes to a different conclusion . . . Great fun.]

  18. Thanks Lette for a crossword that was both smart & entertaining. I recognised the easy-to-spot theme but I failed to recognise the clever use of ‘spot’ in DESPOT. My top picks were SCOT, BLOOD, SKITTISH, STAB, and ACT UP. Thanks Quirister for the detailed blog.

  19. Thank you everyone for the warm comments and to Quirister for the excellent blog. Glad to see people seem to have enjoyed the puzzle. And lovely to read the reminiscences above! Eileen @6 great of you to “remember the Porter”. DP @3 glad to see the SKITTISH PLAY raising some smiles. Staticman1 @11 unless they’re FAexam-Qs at this time of year? Thanks to Eimi for publishing the puzzle and to friends who made very helpful suggestions for improvements. Thanks again!

  20. Marvelous stuff Lette, saw the theme begin to appear very early on but some sublime clues. Thanks Q.

  21. You know that you are late to the party, when the host has already gone (Lette@19).
    This crossword was such a masterpiece, I struggled to do it justice in a posting. Other posters have done my job for me.
    I am lucky enough to own Ellen Terry’s Macbeth, ex-libris, in which she has pencilled-in, directions to herself on how to present her lines and appearance, as Lady Macbeth.
    It’s a gem, and so is this puzzle. Puzzle? Nay, ’tis a work of art. I will copy Flashling, above @20. Lette: Sublime.
    And, Ms. Q as the narrator. It simply doesn’t get any better.

  22. Just to sat that The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and A Comedy of Errors are all shorter than Macbeth. But it is Shakespeare’s shortest Tragedy.

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