Independent 11,372 by Phi

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Phiday fun from our regular setter.

We have a slightly unusual grid today, with mirror symmetry rather than the usual rotational symmetry. Could there be a reason for this? Well, Phi normally starts his grid with some sort of message or theme to give it structure, and there’s a clue combining two long entries, so maybe that’s it. Indeed it is: it’s about a mirror, Phi has placed it symmetrically so that the first half appropriately extends from one side of the grid to the other, and the symmetry also includes the names of the two writers associated with this phrase.

I thought a few of the definitions were rather loose, as noted below, though it’s clear enough what the setter intended. Apart from the long double entry, I laughed at the Californian naturists in 12a, the special offer in 17a, and the annoyed soldiers in 2d. Thanks Phi as always.

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

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1 STATE-OF-THE-ART
Country frequently gaining courage at present (5-2-3-3)
STATE (country) + OFT (variant form of “often” = frequently) + HEART (courage).

State-of-the-art (for example as a description of technology or medical treatment) = the best available at present; I’m not sure “at present” is a sufficient definition.
8/4 THE MIRROR CRACK’D FROM SIDE TO SIDE
Cursed line implying inadequate reflection by 15 (3,6,6,4,4,2,4)
There are at least two definitions here, maybe three. The phrase is a quotation from Tennyson’s poem The Lady of Shalott, describing the moment at which a curse on the lady is fulfilled (cursed line); Agatha Christie used it as the title of a novel (“by 15”, referring to 15d CHRISTIE). The “inadequate reflection” is what you’d get from a cracked mirror, but I’m not sure whether Phi intended it as part of “cursed line” or as a separate definition.
9 GRID
Regular work putting out new diagram (4)
GRI[n]D (repetitive and tedious work) without the N (new).
10 HOSES
Garden equipment, embracing special garden equipment (5)
HOES (garden tools) containing (embracing) S (abbreviation for special).
11 ULNA
Painful, naturally, to have it cracked apart? (4)
Hidden answer (. . . to have it) in two halves (cracked apart), in [painf]UL NA[turally].

Clue-as-definition: the ulna is a bone in the forearm, which would be painful if broken.
12 LAUNDRESS
Nudity in California is cleaner (9)
The condition of being unclothed in Los Angeles, California, might be called LA UNDRESS.

A woman who cleans fabrics.
17 THROW IN THE TOWEL
Stop to offer special deal for bathroom goods? (5,2,3,5)
Definition and cryptic definition. “Throw in the towel” = boxing jargon for “concede defeat” = stop; or “throw in” = to include something free as part of a sales deal, so a towel might be “thrown in” when selling other bathroom goods.
18 FILM
Heads for front in large movie cinema? (4)
First letters (heads) of F[ront] I[n] L[arge] M[ovie].
20 NASTY
Good man engaged in negative statement, becoming this? (5)
ST (abbreviation for saint = good man) inserted into NAY (as in yea or nay = a negative statement).

Extended definition, but a rather loose one: if you make a negative statement about a good person, you may be saying that they’re not really as good as they seem.
21 SINK
Source of heat, Sun, depicted by tattoos (4)
S (abbreviation for the Sun) + INK (slang for tattoos).

Another loose definition: a heat sink doesn’t produce heat, it attempts to get rid of it (by drawing it away from the source).
22 STANDARD ENGLISH
Language brought about by hardest landings (8,7)
Anagram (brought about = moved around) of HARDEST LANDINGS. The grammar of the sentence is a little odd but it’s clear what Phi intends.
23 REMARK
Observe trace of repetition in most of new version (6)
First letter (a trace) of R[epetition] inserted into REMAK[e] (a new version of an earlier film) without the last letter (most of . . .).

Remark, as a verb = observe = to make a comment.
24 HUMANE
Sound of activity and energy, including a new kind (6)
HUM (the sound of activity) + E (abbreviation for energy), including A + N (abbreviation for new).
DOWN
1 SPHERE
The man participating in binge, but skipping the last field (6)
HE (the man) in SPRE[e] (binge) without the last letter.

Sphere = field = area of activity.
2 ARMADILLO
Half of army enraged over having to transport ailing animal (9)
First half of AR[my] + MAD (enraged) + O (abbreviation for over, in cricket scoring), containing (having to transport) ILL (ailing).
3 EARTH
What about skill required to make electrical connection? (5)
EH (eh? = what? = a request to repeat or clarify something just said) around ART (skill).

“To make” might be a link phrase with “earth” as a noun, but I’m going with “earth” as a verb = to make an electrical connection to earth.
4
See 8 Across
5 HACKS
Possibly works on log cabins, but not top part (5)
[s]HACKS (cabins = rough buildings) without the first letter (top part, in a down clue).

Hack = to chop, for example to cut up logs.
6 AYAHUASCO
Hallucinogen, a grass picked up by wild USA company (9)
A + HAY (grass) reversed (picked up = upwards in a down clue) + anagram (wild) of USA + CO (abbreviation for company).

Also spelled ayahuasca; a South American psychoactive drink.
7 TAKING
Cheers monarch showing some glamour? (6)
TA (cheers = slang for thank you) + KING (monarch).

Taking (as an adjective) = attractive or fascinating = showing some glamour? I wasn’t familiar with this usage but both Collins and Chambers dictionaries include it.
13 UNION JACK
Flag support for car workers’ group at first (5,4)
JACK (support for a car, for example while changing a wheel), with UNION (workers’ group) before it (at first).

The flag of the United Kingdom.
14 EVERY INCH
Entirely so, when visiting English island (5,4)
VERY (so, as in “that’s so good”), inserted into (when visiting) E (English) + INCH (Gaelic-derived word for a small island).
15 CHRISTIE
Notorious murderer not getting money in exploitation of this crime (8)
Anagram (exploitation) of THIS CRI[m]E without the M (economists’ abbreviation for money).

The serial killer John Christie.
16 TENNYSON
Strain I avoided when touring US city to see author of 8/4 (8)
TENS[i]ON (strain), avoiding the letter I, containing (touring) NY (New York = US city).

Alfred, Lord Tennyson: the poet who wrote the line referenced by 8a/4d.
19 MANNA
Staff sent up an amazing food (5)
MAN (as a verb = staff = provide a workforce for), then AN reversed (sent up = upwards in a down clue).

In the Old Testament, food miraculously provided to the Israelites in the wilderness.
21 SALEM
Scene of witch-hunts and rough sex? Beer must be involved (5)
SM (abbreviation for sado-masochism = rough sex) with ALE (beer) included (involved).

Salem, Massachusetts, USA: the scene of a notorious series of witchcraft trials in the late 1600s.

13 comments on “Independent 11,372 by Phi”

  1. Three ticks. Haven’t been able to complete a Phi for a while but I did this one and enjoyed it and read the poem … straining, waning, complaining, raining. Poor Lady. Why was she cursed? Top clue has to be THE MIRROR CRACKED … from TENNYSON, an accommodating entry point. I liked TAKING for ‘glamour’ as well. Entertaining. Thanks.

  3. Didn’t know the ‘Hallucinogen’ and guessed “rat” for ‘grass’; hopefully I’ll now remember. Only half appreciated the theme, missing the significance of the mirror and the symmetry of the thematic clues

    I didn’t know TAKING for ‘showing some glamour?’; I suppose it means the same thing as the related word “fetching”. I wouldn’t be ‘enraged over having to transport’ an ‘ailing’ ARMADILLO, but it was still my favourite clue.

    Thanks to Phi and Quirister

  4. Thanks, Phi for this lovely puzzle and Quirister for the comprehensive and neat blog.

    Loved the Christie-Christie-Tennyson trick.
    Liked THROW IN THE TOWEL and EVERY INCH.

    SINK: A source is the opposite of a sink. Agree with Quirister. Of course, interested to see what the setter says.

  5. “Throw in the towel”. Very nearly did. Found this one a real challenge. Thanks Quirister for a very good solve!

  6. We had to confirm AYAHUASCO having rejected ‘rat’ in favour of ‘hay’ but then thought “surely that can’t be a word” – but there it was in Chambers.
    We agree about a heat sink absorbing rather than producing heat – but it gets warm if not hot in the process and can feel like a source of heat.
    Favourites were ARMADILLO, LAUNDRESS and THROW IN THE TOWEL.
    Thanks, Phi and Quirister.

  8. When my boys were younger there was enough dispute about whose turn it was to do the washing-up for a SINK to be a source of heat. For 22ac I wondered if Phi was seeing STANDARD ENGLISH as the result of a series of invasions???

  9. I think I may have seen/heard ‘heat sink’ used in the context of a thermal mass used for heating a house; something that gathers heat during the day – so, yes, soaking it up – but which then releases that heat during the evening.

    I found this quite challenging this morning – for the reasons given by others – and did fail to spot/interpret a few definitions. An elegantly incorporated central theme, of course, with a most fortunate O serving as the intersection.

    Thanks Phi and Quirister

  10. What a fine grid, and how inconsiderate of Tennyson not to write the mirror crack’d from top to bottom

  11. What seemed daunting at first gradually gave way to a satisfying solve. I missed AYAHAUSCO as well as the depth of the theme but clues like HOSES, FILM, STANDARD ENGLISH, and SALEM made the effort worthwhile. Thanks to both.

  12. Well, the point here was to clue the long phrase by saying it was written by 15d. And then clue 16d by saying he was the author.

    PostMark’s view of HEAT SINK is the one I was thinking of. After all, once you’ve offloaded all the surplus heat from elsewhere into it, it has to become a source of heat itself.

  13. Thanks Quirister and Phi.

    I found 20 to be fine- isn’t it that the (previously assumed) Saint engages in negativity which makes them nasty?

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