Independent 11167 / Methuselah

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Puzzles by Methuselah are appearing more frequently in the Independent weekday series and they offer entertaining challenges.

  

 

Methuselah doesn’t take definitions straight from the dictionary so solvers have to engage in a bit of lateral thinking to understand how some of the clues work

The wordplay in Methuselah’s clues is often quite quirky and sometimes quite complicated.  The wordplay for WORE uses components that are often overlooked in clues, where the words ‘with’ and ‘on’ are integral parts

The clue for ELEGISING is similar in it’s use of what are normally seen as linking words.

ARMADILLO has an impressive construction where the clue has to be read carefully to see what is going on.

Methuselah is certainly not short of a word or two in the clues with many comprising more than 10 words.

I enjoyed this although it took me a while to parse everything.

No Detail
Across  
1

Abbess and abbot are both in this order (12) 

ALPHABETICAL (words arranged in the order of the ALPHABET)

ALPHABETICAL (ABBESS is before ABBOTT ALPHABETically)

ALPHABETICAL
9

Means of contacting spook needs approval from Paris and Berlin (5) 

OUIJA (board with signs and letters of the alphabet on it, used with  a pencil-point, as a medium for automatic writing in attempts to receive messages from the dead [spooks])

OUI (French [Paris] for ‘yes’)  + JA (German [Berlin] word for ‘yes’) – approval from Paris and Berlin

OUI JA
10

American making plans picked up board game piece (9) 

DRAFTSMAN (American spelling of DRAUGHTSMAN [someone who draws plans])

DRAFTS (sounds like [picked up] DRAUGHTS [board game]) + MAN (a piece in a game of chess)

DRAFTS MAN
11

One dropped into Manhattan on way to diner, perhaps (3,4)

ICE CUBE (A Manhattan is a cocktail made with crushed ICE which often will have been created from an ICE-CUBE)

ICE-CUBE (I think the whole clue describes part of the production of a Manhattan and subsequent delivery to the customer)

ICE-CUBE
12

What’s regularly clean and then wet again? (7) 

LAUNDRY (collection of articles that have been washed or are waiting to be cleaned; what’s regularly clean and then washed [wet] again)

LA (letters 2 and 4 [regularly] of CLEAN) + UNDRY (make wet)

LA UNDRY

The whole clue also serves as the definition
13

Religious group rejecting Methuselah’s creed and age, initially (1,1,1,1) 

YMCA (Young Mens’ Christian Association; religious group)

MY (Mesuthelah’s; belonging to the setter of this puzzle) reversed (rejecting) + CA (first letters [initially] of each of CREED and AGE)

YM< CA
15

Primitive vehicle stuck outside cabin shifted with tool (9) 

SHOVELLED (shifted with a scooping tool)

SLED (primitive wheelless vehicle) containing (outside) HOVEL (shack; cabin)

S (HOVEL) LED
18

Star celeb misplacing accessories … (9) 

BRACELETS (fashion accessories)

Anagram of (misplacing) STAR CELEB

BRACELETS*
19

… did sport with next to nothing on (4)

WORE (did sport [display; wear])

W (with) + (next to) O (character representing zero; nothing) + RE (with reference to; about; on])

W O RE
22

Old record used in Act I’s clumsily cleaned up for theatre (7) 

ASEPTIC (preventing decay or putrefaction; involving or accompanied by measures to exclude micro-organisms; cleaned up for an operating theatre in a hospital)

EP (Extended Play, descriptive of an old 45 rpm vinyl record) contained in (used in) an anagram of (clumsily) ACT I’S

AS (EP) TIC*
24

Fat cat abandoned by banks poised to be banged up (7) 

ADIPOSE (fatty)

A (letter remaining in CAT when the outer letters [banks] C and T are excluded [abandoned by]) + an anagram of (to be banged up) POISED

A DIPOSE*
26

European member is in government doing woeful work (9) 

ELEGISING (writing poems or songs of mourning or woe; doing woeful work)

E (European) + LEG (member) + IS + IN + G (government)

E LEG IS IN G
27

Shot that might be seen in frame during Christmas season (5) 

MASSE (in snooker, etc, a stroke made with the cue vertical or nearly so, so as to achieve a sharp swerve in the cue ball; shot that might be seen in a frame of snooker)

MASSE (hidden word in [during] CHRISTMAS SEASON)

MASSE
28

Poor workers getting mistreated (con men set it up, bypassing union) (12) 

INCOMPETENTS (poor workers)

Anagram of (getting mistreated) CON MEN SET IT UP excluding [bypassing] U [union])

INCOMPETENTS*
Down  
1

Foreign film‘s a new one on me (5)

ANIME (style of animated film or television programme, originating in Japan [foreign], featuring futuristic stories with explicit content)

A + N (new) + I (Roman numeral for one] + ME

A N I ME
2

Monumental bit of stonework that’s built up on Hampstead Heath (6)

PLAQUE (plate, tablet, or slab hung on, applied to or inserted in a surface as an ornament, memorial, monument etc)

PLAQUE (film composed of saliva and bacteria that forms on teeth.  Hampstead Heath is rhyming slang for teeth)

PLAQUE
3

One meant to receive tablets gets through Red Sea with God’s backing, somehow (9)

ADDRESSEE (person meant to receive [the parcel or letter])

Anagram of (somehow) RED SEA and ES (more than one ecstasy tablet; tablets) and D (last letter of [backing] GOD

ADDRESSEE*
4

All of Elis James’ content revolves around some post found online (5)

E-MAIL (electronic post; some post found online)

(LI [central letters of {content of} ELIS] + AME [central letters of {content of} JAMES]) all reversed (revolves around)

(EMA IL)<
5

Unwanted guest less polite after putting away first unit of beer (8) 

INTRUDER (unwanted guest)

PINT (unit of beer) excluding (putting away) the initial letter [first] P + RUDER (less polite)

INT RUDER
6

Heading off injury, first sign of danger and I’ll pop into a ball (9) 

ARMADILLO (one species of ARMADILLO [the three-banded ARMADILLO] rolls itself into a ball as protection from predators.  Apparently other species of ARMADILLO prefer to dig holes and hide)

HARM (injury) excluding (off) the first letter (heading) H + ([D {initial letter of (first sign of) DANGER} + I’LL] contained in [pop into] [A + O {ball shaped letter}])

ARM A (D ILL) O
7

Heartless killjoy getting annoyed as comic speaks (6) 

JOKILY (descriptive of the delivery of material by a comic)

Anagram of (getting annoyed) KILLJOY excluding the central letter (heartless) L

JOKILY*
8

Showing true colours, posh editor supports this paper but not the i (6) 

UNDYED (without any additional colouring; showing true colors)

U (upper class; posh) + INDY (informal term to refer to the Independent newspaper [this paper]) excluding (not) I + ED (editor) – this is a down entry so the letters ED are supporting the letters UNDY

U NDY ED
14

Blender yielding a meal during tea-time (9) 

CHAMELEON (small African lizard with  the ability to change colour to blend with its surroundings; blender)

MEAL excluding (yielding) A contained in (during) (CHA [tea] + EON [period of time])

CHA (MEL) EON
16

Attack of giggles possibly showing Bottom up in middle of June, for example? (9)

ONSLAUGHT  (attack)

(LAUGHS [giggles] with the last letter [bottom] S moving to the top [up] in this down entry) all contained in (in) ONT (central letters of [middle of] MONTH [June is an example of a MONTH)

ON (SLAUGH) T
17

Little thing wriggling around in utero without name (8) 

NEUTRINO (uncharged particle with zero mass when at rest; little thing)

Anagram of (wriggling around) IN UTERO containing (without; outside]) N (name)

NEUTRI (N) O*
18

Cheeky underwear getting Frenchman’s nose up (6) 

BRAZEN (impudent; cheeky)

BRA (underwear) + NEZ (French for ‘nose’) reversed (up; down entry)

BRA ZEN<
20

City player coming off, according to commentator (6)

EXETER (city in South West England)

EXETER (sounds like [according to commentator] EXITER [player/actor coming off)

EXETER
21

One armed and dangerous person has it in for you, we hear (6) 

HITMAN (a person who is armed and dangerous)

HUMAN (person) with IT replacing (has for) U (sounds like [we hear] YOU)

H IT MAN
23

Twitter CEO helped its rivals prosper at first (5) 

CHIRP (twitter)

CHIRP (initial letters of [at first] each of CEO, HELPED, ITS, RIVALS and PROSPER)

C H I R P
25

Watering hole gets locals tipsy on a regular basis (5) 

OASIS (watering hole)

OASIS (letters 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 [on a regular basis] of LOCALS TIPSY)

OASIS

19 comments on “Independent 11167 / Methuselah”

  1. Methuselah is one of the very best setters imo. This outing was one of the best crosswords this year – absolutely loved it (apart from the slightly iffy 20d). For 1a, I took it to mean the letters of both ABBOT & ABBESS are in alphabetical order.

  5. In agreement with Hovis – as so often – with regard to the puzzle in general and the parsing of 1a. What a spot that is. And, no, the homophone doesn’t work for me but I have become ever more tolerant with regard to homophones so it’s a raised eyebrow but not a complaint.

    LAUNDRY (lovely construction) SHOVELLED, WORE (as Duncan says, quite unobtrusively put together), INCOMPETENTS, ANIME (tactfully defined, Duncan), ADDRESSEE, ARMADILLO, JOKILY, HITMAN (nice sub) and CHIRP(nicely hidden acrostic) all get big ticks from me. nho but nice to discover that Elis James is a Thing, or rather, a person. And, like KVA, I now see my online Indy is lacking the ‘i’ at the end of 8d which is why I could not parse satisfactorily. A disservice done to the setter there as using the small case ‘i’ is, of course, brilliant clueing.

    Thanks Methuselah and Duncan

  6. I don’t think anime necessarily features “explicit content”, though there are some subgenres, notably hentai, that do.

    Surprised that no one has yet mentioned that it’s a pangram.

  7. A crossword is a learning experience – ball-shaped letters, masse, Hampstead Heath. Bit harsh to call a cabin a hovel. I have a cabin at the beach and it’s no hovel. Favourite was ONSLAUGHT with help from above (thanks). I’m into cycling at the moment. There were a lot of tough clues but some that fell in very quickly like BRAZEN, OASIS, CHIRP, OUIJA so Methuselah is a master but also generous. I just thought. Meth use lah sounds like a drugged Malaysian. I’m sure he’s/she’s not.

  8. Lovely clues, I particularly liked a new one on me, with next to nothing on and person has it in for you.
    Thanks Methuselah, Duncan

  9. Got most of this but maybe missed WORE
    This ancient chap sets a mean puzzle and I wouldnt mind more of him
    Thanks

  11. You know you’re in for a real battle of wits whenever you see Methuselah’s name and this was no different. I think I managed to parse everything except I hadn’t heard of a MASSE as a snooker shot and like KVa @4, I wonder if there’s more to ICE CUBE. ONSLAUGHT was my favourite too, mainly for the feeling of satisfaction after finally working out the parsing.

    Thanks to Methuselah and Duncan

  12. Thanks both. I read the perfect Manhattan cocktail is made beginning with four ICE CUBEs in the glass, so perhaps the first step towards the diner, notwithstanding he/she may not be taking food? An EP is not exclusively an old record, incidentally, as Spotify still uses the description for new releases comprising between 4 and 6 tracks

  13. It is a great puzzle and Hovis at the very top of the blog said it all but I can’t get over how truly awful the homophone at 20d is.
    I know it’s very easy to just sit and think up just one clue instead of having to compile possibly more than one puzzle per day but I thought I’d offer this alternative:

    City’s extreme uncertainty in the absence of Prime Minister (6)

  14. gsolphotog @13: You’ll not get many takers for the sloppy M selection I’m afraid. Nice enough surface though.
    It’s interesting, to me anyway, that exeter/exiter’s success as a homophone, for those who are fussy about more-or-less precise sound-matching, is more obvious if you say exiter than it is if you say Exeter. Or rather, if I say…
    Great puzzle. But then you know that anyway.

  15. Hmmm…that was a mixed bag for me. Some really clever clues, some unknowns (masse, Hampstead Heath). But then the dreadful Exeter clue; and my pet hate, where the setter requires you to know who they are (allowing Methuselah to clue as “my”) even though the Independent doesn’t show it with the puzzle.

  16. Well, looks like EXETER/EXITER is being booed off stage, appropriately enough… I’m afraid I haven’t worked out what the objection is! The dictionaries I checked say the first two syllables of the city name are pronounced exactly the same as EXIT.

    @ Ericw 15 – If you’re solving on the free Indy website you can press the three lines in the top right and then ‘Puzzle info’ to see the setter name. I’m not sure if it’s different if you solve it as part of a paid subscription. I promise the next time you see ‘Methuselah’ in one of my clues I’ll be referring to the biblical one. 🙂

    Thanks to duncanshiell for the blog and everybody else for taking the time to solve and leave a comment.

  17. No problems with the homophone as far as I am concerned. I thought it was one amongst a dazzling number of really terrific clues in a super puzzle.

    Thanks, Methuselah.

  18. Brilliant puzzle. Thanks Methuselah. LAUNDRY, INCOMPETENTS, ALPHABETICALLY, BRAZEN, ASEPTIC standouts for me amongst many lovely clues.

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