Independent 10,941 by Phi

by

A Phiday challenge – one of his trickier ones, I thought, but you may disagree.

There are some slightly misleading definitions, and a few obscure references: LAMASERAI is not the most common spelling, LIG may not be everyone’s area of expertise, and I don’t think I’ve played BEETLE since the 70s. I laughed at 17/19 when the penny finally dropped, along with the extended definition in 20a, the all-too-true surfaces of 27a and 16d, and the misdirecting image of a bobby on the street in 4d. And of course anyone old enough to remember the Carry On films will see 9d and immediately think of Kenneth Williams: “Infamy, infamy! They’ve all got it infamy!”

Phi usually includes a theme in his puzzles, though sometimes it’s a private joke that the rest of us aren’t expected to get. I can see various scientific references here but I can’t quite make a theme of them; perhaps there’s something else I’ve missed. Thanks Phi as always.

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

ACROSS
1 SMALL CAPITALS
No big case for investing funds in underwear (5,8)
CAPITAL (funds = money) invested in SMALLS (underwear).

Typographical term for text written in smaller-than-usual uppercase (capital) letters. It took me far too long to get this, because the term is almost always shortened to “small caps” and I couldn’t remember seeing the longer form.
10 AQUIFER
Water supply American provided in Queens? (7)
A (American), then IF (provided) between two abbreviations for Queen: QU and ER (Elizabeth Regina).

Water stored in rocks underground.
11 REGIMEN
Pattern of behaviour regarding booze will absorb the writer (7)
RE (regarding) + GIN (alcoholic drink = booze), absorbing ME (the writer).
12 BEETLE OFF
Dice game inappropriate? Scarper! (6,3)
BEETLE (a party game involving drawing various parts of an image as determined by rolling dice) + OFF (inappropriate, as in “that’s a bit off”).

Scarper = beetle off = run away.
13 TESLA
A student group backed scientist (5)
A + L (learner = student) + SET (group), all reversed (backed).

Nikola Tesla, electrical engineer and inventor.
14 BRAINCHILD
Idea I introduced in local office – crazy, but not initially (10)
I introduced into BRANCH (local office), then [w]ILD (crazy) without its initial letter.
17/19 GREY AREA
Uncertain legal issue for sheltered accommodation? (4,4)
Definition and cryptic definition.

Grey area = an issue on which there is no agreed definition of right and wrong.

Sheltered accommodation = a facility where residents have some independence but are assisted where necessary, often provided for those who are “old and grey”.
20 MISOGYNIST
I’d be unsettled by toying with miss? (10)
Anagram (unsettled) of TOYING with MISS.

Extended definition: misogynist = one who hates women, and therefore wouldn’t be happy dealing with a young lady.
23 SIDLE
League restricted by team in furtive move (5)
L (abbreviation for league) inserted into (restricted by) SIDE (sports team). I spent too long trying to make SLIDE work before the penny dropped.
24 SIGHTLINE
Trivial function to swap leading parts in element of theatre design (9)
LIGHT (trivial) + SINE (mathematical function), with the leading letters of the two words swapped.
27 ENTROPY
Hospital department not looking so good? Measure of disorder here (7)
ENT (abbreviation for the Ear, Nose and Throat department in a hospital) + ROPY (in poor condition = not looking so good).

Scientific concept: a state of disorder or randomness.
28 INCISOR
I note canine is gold – and this? (7)
I + N (note) + C (abbreviation for a canine tooth in dentistry) + IS + OR (heraldic term for the colour gold).

Extended definition: incisors and canines are both types of teeth, which may possibly be covered with gold crowns.
29 BLANKETY-BLANK
Swearwords yet to be released when trapped by friendly fire? (8-5)
Anagram (to be released) of YET, trapped by BLANK + BLANK (blanks = dummy bullets with an explosive charge but no projectile = friendly fire). A somewhat unfortunate reference in the light of a recent news story, though I’m sure the puzzle was written well before that.

Euphemism used to replace an unrepeatable or unprintable word.
DOWN
2 MOUSE
Computer device offering way of working with purpose (5)
MO (police detective jargon: Latin modus operandi = way of working) + USE (purpose).
3 LIFELONG
Permanent party with free food will draw in criminal (8)
LIG (entertainment / media industry slang for an event providing free food and drink; also a verb, to lig = to take advantage of such events), drawing in FELON (a criminal).
4 CURIO
Copper attending disturbance overlooking last odd item (5)
CU (Cu = chemical symbol for copper, from Latin cuprum) + RIO[t] (a disturbance) overlooking (forgetting) its last letter.
5 PORTFOLIO
Wine manuscript is Minister’s responsibility (9)
PORT (a fortified wine) + FOLIO (a manuscript).

Portfolio = a Government minister’s specific area of responsibility.
6 TIGHTS
Wasted singular legwear (6)
TIGHT (wasted = slang for intoxicated) + S (abbreviation for singular).
7 LAMASERAI
Monastery in the morning surrounded by intense light – excellent (9)
AM (in the morning, from Latin ante meridiem = before noon) surrounded by LASER (intense light), then AI (A1 = excellent).

A Tibetan Buddhist monastery, also spelled lamasery.
8 BAOBAB
Robert and Jack circling area to get tree (6)
BOB (short for Robert) + AB (able-bodied seaman = Jack = sailor), around A (area).

Tree with a swollen trunk and spreading branches, native to Africa and Australia.
9 INFAMY
Bad reputation Independent assigned to new group of footballers – gosh! (6)
I (Independent) + N (new) + FA (the Football Association) + MY (my! = gosh! = expression of surprise).
15 ANECDOTAL
Article located in new arrangement following informal comments (9)
AN (a form of the indefinite article) + anagram (in new arrangement) of LOCATED.

Anecdotal = based on informal observations and hearsay, rather than hard evidence.
16 HAIRSTYLE
Distribution of lather is concealing variable result of salon treatment (9)
Anagram (distribution) of LATHER IS, concealing Y (mathematical symbol for a variable).
18 MYSTICAL
My criticism will exclude King and nearly everyone of occult tendencies (8)
MY + STIC[k] (slang for criticism, as in “they gave me some stick about it”) excluding K (king), then AL[l] (everyone) without the last letter (nearly).
19 ANSWER
Part of quiz: Australian with hesitation about one of her states (6)
A (abbreviation for Australian) + ER (expression of hesitation), around NSW (the Australian state of New South Wales).
21 THEORY
Abstract viewpoint those people held about serving men (6)
THEY (those people) around OR (other ranks = ordinary soldiers = serving men and women).
22 RENOWN
Currently probing opening not quite resulting in fame (6)
NOW (currently), inserted into (probing) REN[t] (opening) without the last letter (not quite).
25 GRIMY
Dirty frame amongst frames of gallery? (5)
RIM (edge = frame) inserted into the outer letters (frames) of G[aller]Y.
26 IBSEN
Playwright that is hosting book society (Norway) (5)
IE (i.e. = Latin id est = that is) containing B (book) + S (society), then N (abbreviation for Norway).

15 comments on “Independent 10,941 by Phi”

  1. There a NZish ngaio in the middle, with a jink, but my guess is that there’s something to do with NGAIMA(n), about which I pass.

  2. LIG is a new one on me, though I have occasionally taken part in such things. The Free Dictionary says ‘C20, origin uncertain’. I couldn’t parse GREY AREA but see it now. Very enjoyable, so thanks Phi and Quirister.

  3. A lovely one today. A jolly good end to the week. Just as an aside, LIG is what we called a hanger on at backstage parties. Least Important Guest. Backstage blaggers or Liggers as they were known.

  5. I was another SLIDEr. It seemed to make sense. I wasn’t sure about the need for “legal” in GREY AREA. ENTROPY and HAIRSTYLE were my favourites.

  6. Yes, rather tricky for a Phi puzzle – quite a few entries were pencilled in till we got confirmation from crossing letters. We’d not heard of ‘lig’ before, and we thought ‘wasted’ for ‘tight’ was a bit indirect. But therte was lots to enjoy, including AQUIFER, SIGHTLINE (another spoonerism without mentioning the Reverend), ENTROPY and INFAMY.
    Thanks, Phi and Quirister.

  7. I fell for “slider” too, but quickly realised my error once ANECDOTAL came to me. The Kenneth Williams-esque 9D was a lovely clue, and made me chuckle.

    BLANKETY-BLANK used to be almost good when the excellent Les Dawson was in charge, but 10 minutes of Bradley Walsh’s latest effort was 9 minutes longer than I should have allowed.

  8. Thanks Phi. Although I missed a number I enjoyed this. I had no chance with BEETLE OFF — I never heard that term before, I didn’t know the dice game, and I didn’t even know what scarper meant! BANKETY-BLANK was also a fail — I never would have equated friendly fire with blanks. Lastly I stuck with slide instead of the correct SIDLE so ANECDOTAL never dropped. I thought the rest was excellent with TESLA, TIGHTS, and BAOBAB being favourites. I also liked SIGHTLINE because Rev. Spooner was not invited to the clue. Thanks Quirister for the blog.

  9. Ligger I believe still produces the Celeb strip for Private Eye? So I felt on reasonably safe ground with LIG. And I actually reckon LAMASERAI to be the commoner spelling – the Y just looks wrong.
    No theme today if anyone is still looking.

  10. Another who was held up by SLIDE, and who had a smile at INFAMY. NHO LIG, and shrugged and moved on. Is there a convention as to when GREY or GRAY is used? Thanks Phi and Quirister.

  11. Thanks for a good write-up Quirister, I am fairly new to Phi but thought this was tough regardless of his usual level, but pretty fair as exemplified by LAMASERAI, always a good feeling when something that just has to be right actually is – the “Jorum” as Eileen puts it! Thanks ScottieJan@3 for Ligger background – i did know the word as a verb but not the derivation, makes a lot of sense. And agree that eschewing Spooner for the surface-enhancing “swap leading parts” in SIGHTLINE was superb. SIDLE is a lovely word and was impressed by AQUIFER, but just pipped by BEETLE OFF as it reminds me of Sunday School recreation in the 80s – anyone played it more recently – maybe there’s an app? Thanks Phi.

  12. Quite difficult but enjoyable apart from lig which wasn’t even in the back of my mind – never heard of it!

  13. Another SLIDE here and I’d forgotten it was there by the time I got to 15dn, which I didn’t get. (I thought the word was spelt “sidel” and rejected it.)

    In the works of Terry Pratchett, Death speaks in SMALL CAPITALS and I did wonder if we were going to have a Pratchett theme.

  14. Phi is always reliable and Friday would not be complete without him. I was another one held up by SLIDE. I can’t see a theme but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one.

  15. We got through this in relatively fast time. Infamy was second LOI, I would never have thought of FA a being group of footballers (I think of them as the controlling body, not the players) but happily my partner who hates football got it. Grey area was the LOI after we were originally convinced it would be some Latin phrase we’d never have heard of 😀

Comments are closed.