Independent 9444 / Maize

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Maize has given us an interesting puzzle

 

 

 

On 6th January John commented that he was blogging an Independent puzzle by Phi with only 22 clues, probably the lowest number of clues he has ever had to blog.  Well I think Maize has gone to the other extreme today with 38 entries although there are only 37 clues.  I think I’ve blogged Inquisitors with fewer clues but admittedly that’s when a significant number of entries are unclued and have to be deduced in the end game.

I suspect most people will have spotted the theme today as the two entries in the top row gives a clear indication before you even get to the surnames of 16 singers, musicians, songwriters etc who are no longer with us. All of them met an early death brought on by accident, drugs, heart attacks or serious illnesses.  It was the untimely death theme that helped me select full names for WOLF and CHANDLER. I may have got those two wrong, but I am confident of the other fourteen.

Entry Musician
MERCURY Freddie MERCURY [1946 – 1991] – Lead singer of Queen, died from complications due to AIDS.
VICIOUS Sid VICIOUS [1957-1991] – Bass guitarist in the Sex Pistols, died from a heroin overdose.
RICH Buddy RICH [1917 – 1987] – American jazz drummer and band leader, died of heart failure following surgery for a malignant brain tumour
WOLF Kate WOLF  [1942 -1986] – American folk singer, died from leukemia
HOLLY Buddy HOLLY [1936 – 1959] – American musician and singer / songwriter, killed in a plane crash.
STRUMMER Joe STRUMMER [1952 – 2002] – Rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of The Clash, died suddenly the victim of an undiagnosed congenital heart defect.
PRINCE PRINCE [1958 – 2016] – American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer, died from a drugs overdose.
DENVER John DENVER [1943 – 1997] – American singer songwriter, killed in a plane crash.
CHANDLER Chas CHANDLER [1938 – 1996] – original bassist in The Animals, died from an aortic aneurysm
LANZA Mario LANZA [1921 – 1959] – American tenor, died of an apparent pulmonary embolism.
REED Lou REED [1942 – 2013] – American singer songwriter, guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of the Velvet Underground.  After a liver transplant in May 2013 he died from liver disease in October.
CASH Johnny CASH [1932 – 2003] – American country singer songwriter, died from complications as a result of diabetes.  Also suggested he died of a broken heart four months after his wife June Carter CASH
REDDING Otis REDDING [1941 – 1967] – American singer songwriter, killed in a plane crash.
HOUSTON Whitney HOUSTON [1963 – 2012] – American singer actress producer and model, died by drowning as result of drug intoxication.
CARPENTER Karen CARPENTER [1950 – 1983] – American singer and drummer, Carpenter suffered from anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder that was little known at the time. She died at age 32 from heart failure caused by complications related to her illness.
BURNS Pete BURNS [1959 – 2016] – English singer songwriter who founded the band Dead or Alive, died from a heart attack.

 

Of course, it was not necessary to know any of the musicians to complete the puzzle, but I congratulate Maize on getting so much thematic material into the puzzle.  There was even another musician in the clues – Marlene DIETRICH at 11 across.  Dying at the age of 90, she outlived everyone else in the grid but she too died from complications, in her case due to kidney problems.  

Given the complete coverage of the theme in the acrosses, Maize did well to construct a grid that had virtually no obscure words in the Downs.  I knew little about OSRIC [2 down] and I don’t use VIVIFY [5 down] on a daily basis.  However both of these were clued in a way that left little doubt as to the entry.  

Perhaps the most obscure allusion for me was in the clue to RAN.  I had never heard of RAN, the Japanese film based on King Lear.  You never stop learning when you solve cryptic crosswords.  Once again though, RAN was the obvious entry from the other definition.

I enjoyed many of the clues.  Ones that stood out for me were the ones for RICH (simple but effective), PRINCE (interesting definition), CHANDLER (yes I know ‘wicked’ is a crossword cliche, but I still liked the clue), ESSAY (with all its literary illusions) and NADIR (another one that simple and effective).

I look forward to blogging more Maize crosswords in the future although it would be nice to have less than 37 clues next time.

Across
No. Clue Wordplay Entry

1 / 4

 

Angels around one put in his crib sculpted with love (5,9)

 

Anagram of (sculpted) IN HIS CRIB and LOVE containing (around) I (Roman numeral for one)

CHOIR INV (I) SIBLE*

Any one the Is could be the one contained

CHOIR INVISIBLE (dead people; one definition of angels is dead people regarded as received into heaven)

 

9

 

Happy to include copper as a heavy metal (7)

 

MERRY (happy) containing (to include) CU (chemical symbol for copper)

MER (CU) RY

MERCURY (silvery metallic element, liquid at ordinary temperatures. It is a very dense element.  Even a small quantity of MERCURY is quite heavy)

 

10

 

Mean to run away from having won (7)

 

VICTORIOUS (having won) excluding (away) (TO + R [run, in cricket scoring notation])

VICIOUS

VICIOUS (spiteful, mean)

 

11

 

Abandoning diet, Marlene becomes well-endowed (4)

 

DIETRICH (reference Marlene DIETRICH [1901 – 1922], German singer) excluding (abandoning) DIET

RICH

RICH (well endowed in the sense of having plenty of money)

 

12

 

Get down quickly and run back(4)

 

FLOW (run) reversed (back)

WOLF<

WOLF (eat quickly; get down quickly)

 

14

 

Quite unoriginal decoration? (5)

 

WHOLLY (completely; quite) excluding (un) the first letter (original) W

HOLLY

HOLLY (evergreen shrub having leathery, shining, spinous leaves and scarlet or yellow berries, much used for Christmas decorations)

 

16

 

Guitarist from Turkey opening season (8)

 

TR (international vehicle registration for Turkey) contained in (opening) SUMMER (season)

S (TR) UMMER

STRUMMER (descriptive of a guitarist)

 

18

 

Charge about North of Wales maybe? (6)

 

PRICE (charge) containing (about) N (north)

PRI (N) CE

PRINCE (reference PRINCE of Wales)

 

22

 

Part of Colorado Springs from garden, Versailles (6)

 

DENVER (hidden word in [springs from] GARDEN VERSAILLES)

 

DENVER (capital city of Colorado)

 

23

 

Get name in credit or he could make things wicked for you (8)

 

HANDLE (name) contained in (in) CR (credit)

C (HANDLE) R

CHANDLER (maker of candles – items with wicks; he can make things wicked for you)

 

25

 

City holds a place for Kiwis’ opera star (5)

 

LA (Los Angeles, American city) containing (holds) (A + NZ [New Zealand; home of kiwis])

L (A NZ) A

LANZA (reference Mario LANZA [1921 – 1959], American opera star)

 

27

 

Thatcher’s material sin: ignoring the far left (4)

 

GREED (one of the seven deadly sins) excluding (ignoring) the first letter (far left) G

REED

REED (material used for thatching roofs)

 

28

 

 Taps outside when ready (4)

(C [cold] + H [hot], letters descriptive of taps) containing (outside) AS (when)

C (AS) H

CASH (ready [money])

 

31

 

‘O’ put over entrances to elevator doors done for Otis? (7)

 

RING (O shape) containing (put over) EDD (first letters of [entrances to] ELEVATOR, DOORS and DONE)

R (EDD) ING

REDDING (reference Otis REDDING [1941 – 1967], American singer songwriter)  Also reference the Otis elevator company.

 

32

 

Ground control building its last shed at 100 mph (7)

 

HOUSE (building) excluding (shed) the final letter (it’s last) E + TON (100 miles per hour)

HOUS TON

HOUSTON (site of ground control for many American space missions)

 

33

 

Nurse wraps exercise books for someone who works with joints (9)

 

CARER (nurse) containing (wraps) (PE [physical exercise] + NT [New Testament; books])

CAR (PE NT) ER

CARPENTER (workman who may construct wooden joints)

 

34

 

Scots’ night spent celebrating in hospital unit (5)

 

BURNS (reference BURNS night, a celebration of the Scottish poet Robert BURNS [1759 – 1796].  BURNS night is traditionally celebrated on 25th January – I have my haggis in the fridge already)

 

BURNS (reference a BURNS unit at a hospital)

 
Down

1

 

Made up hoax about politician’s pay increase (9)

 

COD (hoax) containing (about) (MP [Member of Parliament; politician] + RISE [pay increase])

CO (MP RISE) D

COMPRISED (consisted of; made up)

 

2

 

Initially obsequious Shakespearean received in court (5)

 

OSRIC (first letter of [initially] each of OBSEQUIOUS SHAKESPEAREAN RECEIVED IN COURT)

OSRIC

OSRIC (courtier in Shakespeare’s Hamlet.  He could be described as obsequious)

 

3

 

Short way to achieve total victory (4)

 

ROUTE (way) excluding the final letter (short) E

ROUT

ROUT (utter defeat; or conversely, total victory)

 

4

 

This clue and why they say it could go with 14 (3)

 

IV (Roman numerals for 4, the number of this clue) + Y (sounds like [they say it] WHY)

 

IVY (a word that is frequently paired with HOLLY [entry at 14 across]as in the HOLLY and the IVY)

 

5

 

Sixes fly on both sides to make things exciting (6)

 

(VI [Roman numerals for 6] + VI [Roman numerals for 6] to give sixes) + FY (outer letters of [both sides of] FLY)

VI VI FY

VIVIFY (endue with life; make things exciting)

 

6

 

Sickly sweet child on board a vehicle during function (10)

 

(CH [child] contained in [on board] [A + CAR [vehicle]) all contained in (during) SINE [trigonometrical function)

S (A C (CH) AR) INE

SACCHARINE (an intensely sweet, white crystalline semi-soluble compound)

 

7

 

Cook to get hot right inside (5)

 

R (right) contained in [inside] BOIL (get hot)

B (R) OIL

BROIL  (form of cooking)

 
8 Lots of words sound as if spelt out backwards (5)

ESS (sounds like [spelt out] the letter S) + AY (sounds like [when pronounced in ESSAY] the letter A)

ESS AY spells put AS backwards

ESSAY (written composition usually with many words)

13

 

Sign of submariner surfacing (4)

 

NEMO (reference Captain NEMO, fictional submariner who first appeared in Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea) reversed (surfacing; down clue)

OMEN<

OMEN (sign)

 

15

 

I’ve built with a permit – it’s essential (10)

 

Anagram of (built with) I’VE and A PERMIT

IMPERATIVE*

IMPERATIVE (essential)

 

17

 

Foreign film flew by (3)

 

RAN (a 1985 Japanese-French epic film based on Shakespeare’s King Lear: foreign film)

 

RAN (flew by)

 

19

 

FA‘s incomplete line-up (3)

 

LINE excluding the final letter (incomplete) reversed (up; down clue) E

NIL<

NIL (FA [Fanny Adams] usually expressed as ‘sweet FA’ which is a slang expression meaning ‘nothing at all’.  There is, of course, a coarser version of FA without the ‘sweet’)

 

20

 

Share open broadcast or they’ll relay performance privately (9)

 

Anagram of (broadcast) SHARE OPEN

EARPHONES*

EARPHONES (audio receivers which, in theory, stop other people hearing what your you are listening to; they’ll relay performance privately)

 
21 What’s afoot?  The girl’s in love?  Just the opposite (4)

O (zero; love score in tennis) contained in (in) SHE (the girl)

The container and contents are just the opposite of what is suggested in the clue.

SH (O) E

 SHOE (an item worn on the foot; it’s afoot)

24

 

Make better after loud shock (6)

 

F (forte; loud) + RIGHT (repair; make better)

 

FRIGHT (shock)

 

25

 

Musical player regularly in charge (5)

 

LYR (letters 2, 4 and 6 [regularly] of PLAYER) + I/C (in charge)

LYR IC

LYRIC (musical)

 

26

 

Drain fluid to the very bottom (5)

 

Anagram of (fluid) DRAIN

NADIR*

NADIR (lowest point of anything; very bottom)

 

29

 

Someone needing an Equity card?  Stripping works (5)

 

FACTORY (plant; works) excluding the outer letters (stripping) F and Y

ACTOR

ACTOR (Equity is the ACTOR‘s Trade Union>  Traditionally Equity was a closed shop and ACTORs were required to be members [have an Equity card] if they wanted to work.  The closed shop nature of Equity was abolished in 1968 after the concept was declared illegal)

 

30

 

Cry about getting an onion? (4)

 

BLUB (cry) reversed (about)

BULB<

BULB (an onion is pungent edible bulb of the lily family)

32

 

That lady‘s next in line, not I (3)

 

HEIR (successor; next in line) excluding (not) I

HER

HER (descriptive of that woman)

 

13 comments on “Independent 9444 / Maize”

  1. I may drop in later with comments – haven’t done the puzzle yet, just scrolled straight down without looking at the blog – but Maize is relatively new to the Indy, this being only his second appearance. For the curious, he blogs/comments on idothei as Cornick but I don’t know of any other aliases.

  3. Very satisfying solve and a super theme that was superbly implemented.

    After a quick intro, the NW and SE corners had mostly fallen, but then I hit the tricky middle eight until I clocked the theme. That helped me head toward the outro in a mixture of adagio and furioso and complete the grid (after which I smashed up my pen, tore up the puzzle, threw a telly out the window, and checked into rehab).

    Many thanks to DS for the blog (and the needed enlightenment for the parse of 8d), and to Maize for a great puzzle with loads of nice clues and more bang for yer buck than yer average bear.

  4. Thanks to Maize for such an enjoyable crossword and to Duncan for an excellent blog. Unless you had all the facts at your fingertips, you must have really had to do your homework on the themed musicians, some of whom eg WOLF and CHANDLER were unfamiliar to me. I did know about RAN (Kurosawa), but OSRIC and VIVIFY (good word) were new. Not themed clues, but I liked ESSAY and NEMO, my last in.

    Thanks again to S&B.

  5. Many thanks Duncan for your labour of love. A really enjoyable and impressive puzzle. Given the richness of the English language I tend to be disappointed when slang ,especially American , turns up as an answer. None of that here as far as I can see.

  6. Excellent puzzle and blog. Thanks to both. I thought WOLF more likely to refer to the famous blues singer and guitar player, Howlin’ Wolf.

  9. Well I didn’t spot the theme. Also got very stuck with the top right.

    I did know Ran, however. Incidentally, the music for that film was written by Toru Takemitsu, my favourite Japanese composer, also no longer with us. (I once saw him walking through a snowy Huddersfield shopping centre during a music festival, looking very out of place.)

  10. Quite tough, but I got all but the NE corner without help. Didn’t really twig the theme although I did notice some connected names. Yet looking now at the completed puzzle it’s so obvious. CoD has to be HOLLY for its ingenious indication of dropping a first letter.

    Thanks, Maize and Duncan.

  11. Crikey there are some good bloggers on this site – many thanks Duncan, terrific stuff.
    And my apologies for giving you 37 clues to blog – that probably is a record indeed, although Punk’s cricket themed puzzle (Independent 8023) came close with 36 clues and 38 lights.

    Howlin’ rather than Kate Wolf was indeed the singer I had in mind, but Kate works just as well – and I was happy to find out about her.

    This from George Eliot:
    So shall I join the choir invisible
    Whose music is the gladness of the world

    And this from John Cleese:
    ‘E’s kicked the bucket, ‘e’s shuffled off ‘is mortal coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin’ choir invisible!! THIS IS AN EX-PARROT!!

    Take your pick!

  12. Thoroughly enjoyable. I completed three quarters without spotting the theme, mostly because I was fairly flying through, but the NE corner took about the same time again and I was beginning to look around for whatever help I could get. And so in went 18ac. 19d tickled me, though it was only after I’d finished that I worked out exactly what the definition stood for. I’d been considering far more innocent interpretations. Were there a lot of clues? I didn’t notice, TBH, though solving online meant I didn’t see the clues en masse.

  13. Bert remembered The Choir Invisible from the Monty Python sketch. However, we missed the theme completely although we might have done if we had spent a little longer before coming here. We were a day late as well as it being late in the day.

    We meant to congratulate Duncan on his number of posts recently so please accept them now instead please.

    Thanks Maize an amaizing achievement! We look forward to your next one and thanks for joining in with the comments.

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