Bert is on the last leg of his Mont Blanc Circuit today. Apart from being tired, drenched on occasions, unable to complete one leg of the MBC due to snow (30 – 50cm at high level apparently) and with a few Compeed blister plasters (the first time he has ever needed them), he has survived. Problem was, would Joyce survive the Phi puzzle and blog today?
Was it because I was on my own solving the puzzle or was Phi more difficult today?
I managed it eventually but I had to resort to a few checks on our Chambers dictionary app and a google search at one point. I spotted the Charles Dickens theme though part way through which was a help. However, it was only when writing up the blog that I spotted a few more references – The Old Curiosity SHOP (27ac) and A Tale of Two CITIES (20d) – both of which I knew.
Hard Times
Oliver Twist
Barnaby Rudge
The Pickwick Papers
Great Expectations
Bleak House
The Old Curiosity Shop
Our Mutual Friend
A Tale of Two Cities
TOFFS (aristocrats) around or ‘accepting’ RAD (radical) E (energy)
SEMI (house) T (tense) reversed or ‘reflecting’
TWIT (fool) around or ‘about’ S (second)
R (right) with IRON (even as in even out or iron out) MINE (for me) at the beginning or ‘up front’. This was one of my last ones in and I only guessed it as I had all the crossing letters. I’d never come across the term before.
An anagram (‘represented’) of BARBED RAY GUN. This was the fifth novel to be published by Charles Dickens.
HOT (most wanted) with OK (certainly) and I inside or ‘participating in’. Another new phrase for me.
GASH (wound) ILL (hurtful) around or ‘receiving’ D (last letter or ‘end’ of poniard). A poniard is a small dagger – another word that I had to look up although the meaning was very clear. I was really stuck at one point and I needed to open up the grid – I admit that I searched for Falstaff robbery online and found the answer.
At long last, a clue I had no problem with but only because we are flying to Menorca for a week of walking at the end of September. I had been looking online at places to stay near the airport overnight and saw the house and estate near the airport – LUTON (English airport) H (hotel) OO (rings)
PA (father) S (son) around or ‘retaining’ PER (a)
An anagram (‘possibly revealing’) of EXTANT COPIES. This answer went in quickly as I was beginning to think about a possible theme.
Well, I knew I was never going to know a Brazilian composer and I only had a couple of crossing letters. However, when I picked away at the parsing I realised that it was a reversal or ‘recall’ of IRE (passion) IN RAG around U (university)
First letters of H (hardly) and O (of) and USE (value)
S (small) HOPS (journeys)
PUSh (effort) with last letter missing or ‘reduced’ SocietY (first and last letters only or ‘limits to’ FOOT (support). My LOI. Despite having all the crossing letters and guessing correctly the limits to Society, I still had to search in Chambers. I was not aware of “the nickname given to William E Johnson, a US revenue officer noted for his stealthy ways and his prohibitionist campaigns” according to Chambers. I was only aware of pussyfoot as a verb.
TOT (child) and E (first letter or ‘introduction’ to elaborate)
A and a reversal or ‘reflection’ of SIX (boundary)
ARIA (melody) in or ‘among’ an anagram (‘various’) of TUNES. It’s Phi today, so I was expecting some musically based clues. I looked up Vltava thinking it was a musical work only to find that it was a river! Once I had some crossing letters I was able to guess at the answer as I hadn’t thought of ARIA as a melody.
FRIED (given a hot time) around or ‘about’ N (note)
SAT (positioned) around or ‘accommodating’ HOW (question) BO (American male)
TA (cheers) and REM (rock group) reversed or ‘upset’
U (unionist) in MEND (repair) RIVEN (split)
SURREy (county) without last letter or ‘finally ignored’ A LIST (celebrities)
CHANGES (alterations) around aLLEy (middle letters only)
An anagram (‘exercised’) of OPTION A REF – hopefully someone can explain why we need an ‘authentic’ player
STAUNCH (check) and LibrarY (first and last letters only or ‘outside’)
NO TAPE (recording) EP (recording – extended play)
IT (computer stuff) IE (that is) ‘found in’ CS (Civil Service)
iCES (without or ‘ignoring ‘i’) around or ‘gorging’ ON
J (Japanese) UDOn (noodle) missing last letter or ‘mostly’
BET (chance) around or ‘receiving’ L (student)
I had trouble getting IRON-MINER (with a hyphen, I guess it must be in Chambers) and HOOK IT (I like the clue but it’s a new word for me). So, slight;ly more difficult for me in a wavelength way. I had most of the puzzle solved before I spotted the theme. I was pleased to spot it nevertheless. I liked ESTUARIAN because it sounds nice and TWIST for the definition. Needed Google for the composer and GADS HILL which I had forgotten. IT for ‘computer stuff’ is good. Thanks both.
Really struggled with this one, and – as always – discovered the theme far too late for it to be of any real use. I often find Phi’s surface readings a little on the uneventful side, but then that quibble is more than offset by how cunning yet fair they always are. Although I didn’t much like LUTON HOO, seeing as the letters LUTON were sort of just cluing themselves, if that makes sense? As in, one part of Bedfordshire known as LUTON (the airport) cluing another (the beginning of the estate). Nice to see Vltava get a mention though, that’s a wonderful piece. And TAMER’s wordplay raised a smile.
Gad’s Hill Place was Dickens’ country home, so yet another contribution to the theme there. Little Dorrit was partly filmed at Luton Hoo as well, but I think that might be a bit of a stretch now… In any case, (at least) 10/30 thematic entries is impressive, but wouldn’t expect anything less from Phi!
Thanks Phi and Joyce.
Home Alone, you may be Joyce, but this is a fine blog and I find myself entirely in alignment with you: same tricky bits, same dnks, same queries. The major difference being that I made no sense of the Brazilian composer and that ended up as a reveal. nho GADS HILL but was able to piece that one together, LUTON HOO somehow rose to the surface from the depths of memory and PUSSYFOOT had to be that though I had never encountered its derivation. Vltava is indeed a musical composition being part of Smetena’s Ma Vlast set of symphonic poems.
Faves today include TWIST, PAPERS, FRIEND, TAMER and (COTD) SURREALIST. My only slight query: surely House is used only to refer to either Commons or Lords rather than all of Parliament?
Thanks P&J
Dickens lived here…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gads_Hill_Place
Thanks, Phi and Joyce!
FORTEPIANO
It seems there are two modes of music:
Authentic and Plagal (looks like the ‘authentic’ in the clue could be referring to this).
Sure someone will help us soon.
https://findthatlocation.com/blog/great-expectations-filming-locations-recreating-dickensian-england
Great EXPECTATIONS was filmed on the LUTON HOO Estate
I found this on Amazon:
Oliver Twist (Italian Edition)
by Charles Dickens (Author), R. GUARNIERI (Translator)
No idea if this GUARNIERI is a famous translator or writer.
The fortepiano was an early form of the pianoforte, and “authentic” is used to describe performance of older music in a style that reflects how things were done at the time; so an authentic player might be needed for a performance on a fortepiano. (The less-judgmental term “historically-informed” is preferred these days over “authentic”)
Small nitpick – the river Vltava is a tributary of the Elbe, so it doesn’t really have an estuary.
I fully agree with you Joyce that this was a toughie. After a long time I eventually completed the grid unaided, only to find that HOOF IT at 14a was incorrect; HOOK IT is new to me too. One of my longest hold-ups was entering PENCE for 26a which fits with ‘hardly of value’ as the def. I see Andrew @8 has explained the ‘authentic’, in FORTEPIANO; I was just glad to have solved this difficult anagram, the wordplay for which led me down the wrong path as intended.
Spotting the theme early on didn’t help. I was hoping the ‘Brazilian composer’ would be “Villa-Lobos” but that would have been too easy and instead it was someone whose music I’ve never come across. GADS HILL and PUSSYFOOT for ‘Prohibitionist’ were also new and went in from wordplay.
Favourite was the def for ESTUARIAN even if it isn’t strictly correct; like PM @3, I was thinking of Smetana.
Thanks to Phi for a solid workout and to Joyce for her great solo effort; you’ll be glad to have Bert back, ? next week, blisters and all!
FORTEPIANO
Andrew@8
Thanks.
Collins has this def:
Authentic
using period instruments and historically researched scores and playing techniques in an attempt to perform a piece as it would have been played at the time it was written.
IRON-MINER – with a hyphen, as if it’s a well-known word, doesn’t seem to be in any online dictionary. Oh wait – it’s in Chambers.
Rouncewell (never referred to by his first name) is an ironmaster in Bleak HOUSE, presumably employing iron miners in his ironworks.
Please don’t say that I am getting into this habit…
STAUNCHLY
‘Offering reliable support’—the def is adjectival and the solution is an adverb.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camargo_Guarnieri
(February 1, 1907 – January 13, 1993) – 30 years – was a Brazilian composer.
registered at birth as Mozart – a case of nominative determinism – Guarnieri, but when he began a musical career, he decided his first name was too pretentious. Thus he adopted his mother’s maiden name Camargo as a middle name, and thenceforth signed himself M. Camargo Guarnieri. In 1948, he legally changed his name to Mozart Camargo Guarnieri, but continued to sign only the initial of his first name.
Guarnieri’s Italian father, Michele Guarneri, a lover of classical music, named Camargo’s brothers Rossine (sic), Verdi and Bellini.
This was found quite hard by the editorial squad. I intended only the last words of Dickens titles (not things like Chuzzlewit, of course) and was startled to squeeze BARNABY RUDGE in, and then to find GAD’S HILL slotting in (Dickens was tempted by the Falstaffian connection).
As for STAUNCHLY, how about: “I have a counterexample offering reliable support,” he said, offering reliable support. One of those phrases that sits somewhere between the two.
GUARNIERI was how I thought the violinist family was spelled – oops. But the Brazilian composer (the generation after Villa-Lobos) is actually Mozart Guarnieri, with a music-loving father who also sired Verdi Guarnieri, Bellini Guarnieri and – er – Rossine (sic) Guarnieri.
Crossed with Frankie G – it’s typing in all those Guarnieris…
Thanks for dropping in Phi – relieved to know that others found it quite hard. Apologies for missing the other related items – I was just pleased to have completed the grid ….. and the blog.
Just noticed that wikipedia @13 cites Camargo’s father name as “Michele Guarneri” with a bold question mark “?” – same name as the luthiers from Cremona.
Bert here! Just recovering from completing the Tour de Mont Blanc. Congrats to Joyce for a sterling solo effort. I really struggled with this – possibly due to my general state of exhaustion. I had never heard of the Brazilian composer, but managed to sort it out from the crossers and wordplay. I couldn’t find the Falstaff connection to Gads Hill and although I spent a little time searching for a theme I completely missed the Dickens connections – perhaps I should leave the blog to Joyce more often! Joyce is blogging solo again tomorrow – should be good!
Thanks Bertandjoyce and Phi.
I found this to be hard, seeing the theme early was not helpful…(confusing with only TWIST and the full BARNABY RUDGE).
To me, it was joyless, difficulty for the sake of difficulty…and LUTON HOO, GUARNIERI and PUSSYFOOT put the final nails.
Mostly with ilippu@19…
Thanks to Phi n BertandJoyce.
(Congrats to Bert on completion of MBC.. was it part of an organised thing as its UltraTrail week? I’ve been watching the snow, must have been cold at heights over 1500m. Nice weather for ur finish.. )
Gosh, this was tough! NW seemed quite forgiving, but it really got tricky from there. Several DNKs, making linked clues particularly difficult even though I was (I now know) reading the clues correctly.
But that’s the game, isn’t it? We’d get bored with endless write-ins, and that makes it important to have crosswords like this, even if it was a fail at my end.
Thanks Phi and Joyce, and well done Bert.
Bert again – hi Undrell @ 20
It was a guided walk over 8 days – a coincidence that the UltraTrail is on while we’re here – we saw a couple of helicopters delivering supplies to various cols on the route and, yes, it was cold walking in the snow above Les Contamines yesterday! (Sorry – rather off-topic!)
Well done indeed.. ? u picked the worst weather week for quite a while..
I’ll stop now..
? Was actually a complimentary emoji..
Well, certainly not the hardest Indie crossword this week. A couple this week I got nowhere near finished. However, I was another HOOF IT for 14ac. Didn’t know HOOK IT.
Annoyingly, although I’ve read quite a bit of Dickens, I never noticed the theme.
I found this tough and after making progress with the top bit spent ages getting absolutely nowhere. It yielded eventually, but it was a tussle. Had it been another setter I might have dismissed it as not worth the trouble but it’s Phi, so the effort is worth it.