Independent 10,777 by Bluth

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It’s always a pleasure to blog a Bluth puzzle. The clues are precise and there always seems to be a smile or two along the way.

As expected too, the surfaces of the clues are smooth. 8d raised a smile early on in the solve although we needed a few crossing letters before we solved it. We liked 18ac for its succinctness (had to look that word up to check it existed). We did wonder why the novel LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY was included though – is there more to it?

Thanks Bluth for another enjoyable puzzle.

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1/27. No.1 in charts, Love Me Do, was not primarily a post-drug experience (8)
COMEDOWN

C (first letter or ‘No 1’ in charts) O (love) ME DO + W N (first or ‘prime’ letters in Was Not)

4/26. Routinely tell old fart about novel (6,4,10)
LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY

An anagram (‘about’) of ROUTINELY TELL OLD FART. We were glad that Bert sorted out the anagram with only a few crossing letters.

9. Student acquiring knowledge (8)
LEARNING

L (student) EARNING (acquiring)

10. Rough characters appear when Atletico and Arsenal meet (6)
COARSE

Hidden (‘appearing’) in athletiCO ARSEnal – when they meet without the ‘and’

11. Name a magician’s move something incendiary (6)
NAPALM

N (name) A PALM (magician’s move)

12. Group of Norwegians work on, say, Cruise Missile? (8)
TOMAHAWK

AHA (Norwegian group) WK (work) after or ‘on’ TOM (as in Tom Cruise, the actor)

13. Flyer mate read aloud as well (8)
COCKATOO

Sounds like (‘read aloud’) COCKER (mate) + TOO (as well)

15. Film department returned to put holes in lawn (6)
AERATE

ET (film) AREA (department) all reversed or ‘returned’

16. Small clip around ear finally, or back of neck (6)
SCRUFF

S (small) CUFF (clip) around R (last or ‘final’ letter of ear)

18. Consumers‘ outrageous rudeness (3,5)
END USERS

An anagram (‘outrageous’) of RUDENESS

20. Bluth joins a cult briefly every year – it’s my own fault (3,5)
MEA CULPA

ME (Bluth – the setter) A CULt (missing last letter or ‘briefly’) PA (every year)

22. Skilfully negotiate – without leading man getting work (6)
OEUVRE

manOEUVRE (skilfully negotiate) without ‘man’

24. Burst into pig pen like a tiger, for example (6)
STRIPY

RIP (burst) into STY (pig pen)

25. Rock legend’s first principle (8)
KEYSTONE

STONE (rock) with KEY (legend) first

26. See 4
27. See 1
DOWN
2. Greek character discovering some gas (5)
OMEGA

Removing first and last letter (‘discovering’) of sOME GAs

3. Organ score set aside (7)
EARMARK

EAR (organ) MARK (score)

4. Sex in dilapidated motel providing a recurring theme (9)
LEITMOTIF

IT (sex) in an anagram (‘dilapidated’) of MOTEL + IF (providing)

5. Right to swap tops before tramp visits Lord – his job is on the line (9,6)
TIGHTROPE WALKER

RIGHT TO (with first letters or ‘tops’ ‘swapped’) followed by WALK (tramp) inside PEER (lord)

6. Deputy‘s also scrummy occasionally (5)
LOCUM

Alternate or ‘occasional’ letters in aLsO sCrUmMy

7. Thrash metal not initially rocking that woman (7)
LEATHER

An anagram (‘rocking’) of mETAL missing first letter or ‘not initially’ + HER (that woman)

8. Scent from the bottom passage of ferret awes orang-utan (9)
ROSEWATER

Hidden and reversed or ‘from the bottom passage of’ ferRET AWES ORang-utan

14. ‘Players‘ – men – start to charm broken hearts (9)
ORCHESTRA

OR (other ranks – men in the forces) C (first letter or ‘start’ to charm) + an anagram (‘broken’) of HEARTS

15. Ultimately dogma can end – fear too – regarding identity in society and gender nonconformity (9)
ANDROGYNY

Last or ‘ultimate’ letters of dogmA caN enD -feaR toO-regardinG identitY iN societY

17. Do without foot cream (7)
UNCTION

fUNCTION (do) ‘without’ F (foot)

19. Streamed Irish broadcaster tucking into potato (7)
SPURTED

RTE (Irish broadcaster) inside or ‘tucking into’ SPUD (potato)

21. Constant yen for a drop of Cointreau in pub (5)
LOYAL

Y (yen) replacing C (first letter or ‘drop of’ Cointreau) in LOcAL

23. Magritte and wife start again (5)
RENEW

RENE (as in Rene Magritte – the artist) W (wife)

 

17 comments on “Independent 10,777 by Bluth”

  1. 12A and 8D were brilliant. I did wonder whether 25A was also a reference to the Rolling variety being a legend. I can’t see a theme, but if B&J can’t see one it’s a sure fire thing that I won’t. Thanks Bluth and B&J.

  2. I’d completely agree with the two that Tatrasman has highlighted – TOMAHAWK with that lovely play on Cruise Missile was particularly fine. The inclusion for ROSEWATER was amazing – though it lead to the only dodgy surface (for me) in an otherwise smooth puzzle. One of the things I’ve learned to enjoy with Bluth is readable sensible surfaces often making plausible reference to the solution/subject in question: ANDROGYNY is a great example. The surfaces for TIGHTROPE WALKER, LEITMOTIF and, ever so slightly less so, COME DOWN were also neat.

    The pedant in me wondered whether SPURT and stream are the same. I’d have defined the first as a liquid passing through air whilst the second is liquid running over a surface. But it’s barely a quiblet. And, yes, LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY is certainly an oddity to incorporate. One imagines it must have been placed early into the grid so a deliberate choice by the setter. (The alternative is the unlikely scenario of “Hmm, now. What’ll fit with L-T-L-L-R-F……? Gosh, Little Lord F of course”. I just can’t see it.). BTW, I’ve never read it and never encountered anyone who read it. Has anybody here?

    Thanks Bluth and B&J

  3. We enjoyed it too, couldn’t parse tomahawk though until coming to 225.
    Thanks Bluth, thanks bandj

  4. To each his / her own, but I thought the surface for 8d was a classic and completely flummoxed me until I saw the reverse hidden.

    I’d never heard of UNCTION for ‘cream’; I think the only sense I’d come across it before was in association with “extreme”, so that’s something I’ve learnt. I also didn’t know AHA as the ‘Group of Norwegians’ and TOMAHAWK remained unparsed.

    Thanks to Bluth for such an entertaining puzzle and to B&J

  5. A great crossword – lots to enjoy but I’ll give special mention to 8d – my top favourite for more than one reason

    Thanks very much to Bluth and to B&J

  7. Thanks for the blog, B&J

    PostMark @2 – instinctively, I’d agree with your quiblet about spurt/stream. But the pedant in me allowed Chambers to persuade him otherwise. And of course, the modern day use of ‘stream’ for online broadcasting is what makes the surface make sense.

    Chambers’ first definition given for ‘spurt ‘is as a transitive verb: ‘to spout or send out in a sudden stream or jet’.
    It then lists 3 definitions for the word as an intransitive verb, with the first being: ‘to gush out suddenly in a small stream’

    The second such definition – ‘to flow out forcibly or at intervals’ – is, I think, the one that most closely aligns with the way I’d most comfortably use the word – and is the reason, I don’t instinctively think of spurt and stream as synonyms… but if the first two definitions mention something coming out in a stream of some kind, then I’m more than happy to describe something that has spurted as having streamed.

  8. Bluth @7: no aspurtions being cast from my direction! Thanks for popping in and your response makes a perfectly decent argument.

  9. Lots to enjoy, favourites being unction, rosewater and tomahawk. Also scruff – I just like the word. As Bluth’s posted here I suppose we can take it that the Little Lord has no significance except as an excellent anagram. Thanks to Bluth and Bertandjoyce.

  10. A lovely and thoroughly satisfying solve (although I too failed to have an AHA moment in 12), as I’ve come to expect from Bluth. Too many candidates for favourite clue.

    Is finding a novel cluing for ORCHESTRA a setter’s rite of passage? If so, congratulations.

  11. Very enjoyable puzzle, 8d fantastic clue. Has anyone come across a “carthorse” clue in which the answer is NOT “orchestra”?

  12. I think this was originally written in September so my memory as to how LLF made it into the grid has faded. But I do know that it was in the grid before I wrote the clue. I think I just heard the phrase – probably being used as an insult – “oo, he’s a right little Lord Fauntleroy” – and thought it was ripe for inclusion. I’ve never read it and I’d have to google it to know who wrote it but it passes a test, I think, of being an iconic title that we’ve all heard of. As people have alluded to here and elsewhere a word like ‘Orchestra’ throws up a particular challenge as it’s been clued so many times before so a phrase like LLF can feel very freeing by contrast.

    I think, I started with that phrase, broke it down into the grid as 10,10 and then enjoyed the symmetry of making the two spare 4s work as a corresponding pair and then built the rest on that foundation.

  13. That’s interesting, thanks, Bluth. A nice insight into how you get started on setting, which I’m fascinated by but intend never to attempt!

  14. Thank you Bluth; LLF was close to last in but, as you say, it’s just there, isn’t it?
    Loved LEITMOTIF and KEYSTONE; couldn’t parse TOMAHAWK – Cruise was cunningly disguised to look like part of the def, and I had somehow forgotten that group. Didn’t know that about cocker either, so thanks bertandjoyce too.

  15. good stuff.. circled round the hellish anagram of 4/26 .. ended up actually writing it down! .. till the LORD bit dropped in… also learned that Magritte’s first name was RENE… so all good..
    thanks Bluth n Bertandjoyce

  16. Paul Simon wrote a song “Rene and Georgette Magritte with their dog after the War” which references some American ‘doo wop’ bands. Now there’s a theme in waiting…

  17. Took me a number of sittings hence a day late to the party, echo all of the above praise, got 1ac first which usually never happens and getting LLF fairly early from the crossers helped me out no end – were a couple of ones I needed help on at the end but I could have got from the wordplay if I’d have tried harder!

    LEITMOTIF my favourite

    Thanks Bluth, funny surfaces as ever and it’s always good when the compiler pops in to offer an insight into their mind. And thanks B&J for explaining all the bits I missed!

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