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Filbert fills the Wednesday Independent slot this week
Filbert is a fairly prolific setter of Independent puzzles at the moment and I find him to be one of the more difficult compilers.
I enjoy the challenge though as the clues make you think even if the entry is fairly clear from the crossing letters. The wordplay is the challenge, especially if I have to blog the puzzle.
The clue surfaces I liked to day included those for IMMODEST, EVENING CLASS, LAWYER, TWISTER and SPINACH
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 |
One thousand and two ways to be indecent (8) IMMODEST (shamelessly indecent) I (Roman numeral for one) + M (symbol for 1000) + (MODE [method; way] + ST [street;way] giving two ways) I M MODE ST |
| 6 |
Man on board needing to jump on twice (6) BISHOP (man on a chess board) BIS (twice) + HOP (jump) BIS HOP |
| 9 |
Saint more or less recalled book about the Apostles (4) ACTS (reference the New Testament book, The ACTS of the Apostles) (ST [Saint] + CA [approximately; more or less]) all reversed (recalled) (AC TS)< |
| 10 |
Strikes on board after week in Kentish port (10) WHITSTABLE (port on the Kent coast) W (week) + HITS (strikes) + TABLE (board) W HITS TABLE |
| 11 |
Heat exchanger banging in German tugboat? (7,5) COOLING TOWER (large structure in which water heated in an industrial process is cooled for re-use; heat exchanger) COOL (informal term for’ excellent’; BANGING can be defined in a similar way) + IN + G (German) + TOWER (a tugboat for example) COOL IN G TOWER |
| 14 |
Instruction to bank boldly coloured, in black and white? (9) CHEQUERED (like a chess board with alternate black and white squares. I think the dictionary definition allows any colour, not just black and white) CHEQUE (order to a bank to transfer money) + RED (boldly coloured) CHEQUE RED |
| 16 |
Pale throw on back of sofa (4) ASHY (pale coloured) A (final letter of [back of] SOFA) + SHY (throw) A SHY |
| 17 |
Short burst of speed, using this on horse? (4) SPUR (goading instrument on a horse rider’s heel, used to make a horse go faster) SPURT (burst of speed) excluding the final letter (short) T SPUR |
| 18 |
Concern about husband being thick up top (9) BUSHINESS (descriptive of a thick head [up top] of hair) BUSINESS (concern) containing (about) H (husband) BUS (H) INESS |
| 20 |
Education acting as a social leveller? (7,5) EVENING CLASS (form of education for people who work during the day) EVENING (levelling) + CLASS (social status) EVENING CLASS |
| 23 |
Celebs in traitor’s case litigate freely (10) GLITTERATI (the current fashionable set, ie famous, glamorous, rich and beautiful people; celebrities) Anagram of (freely) TR (outer letters of [case] TRAITOR) and LITIGATE GLITTERATI* |
| 25 |
Children that hurt dog (4) CHOW (breed of dog) CH (children) + OW (expression indicating pain) CH OW |
| 26 |
Rumpole perhaps getting wife into bed (6) LAWYER (reference the television series, Rumpole of the Bailey, where Rumpole was a fictional barrister [LAWYER]) W (wife) contained in (in) LAYER (course, bed or stream) LA (W) YER |
| 27 |
Stoned stupor in the audience for festivals (4,4) HIGH DAYS (holidays or festivals) HIGH (drunk; stoned) + DAYS (sounds like [for audience] DAZE [stupor]) HIGH DAYS |
| Down | |
| 2 |
Charlie inflates Spanish painter’s parrot, blowing things up for science (10) MICROSCOPY (science underpinning instruments used for magnification or ‘blowing things up’) (C [cocaine; charlie] contained in [inflates] MIRO’S [reference Joan MIRO [1893 – 1983], Spanish artist) + COPY (mimic; parrot) MI (C) ROS COPY |
| 3 |
Dipper American found in Leo ascendant (5) OUSEL (a dipper[bird] is also known as a water-OUSEL) US (of the United State; American) contained in (found in) LEO reversed (ascendant; down entry) O (US) EL< |
| 4 |
Astronomer and cosmologist die when bulb shatters (5,6) EDWIN HUBBLE (reference the American astronomer and cosmologist EDWIN HUBBLE [1889 – 1953]) Anagram of (shatters) DIE WHEN BULB EDWIN HUBBLE* |
| 5 |
Some elegant wisterias wind around Dorothy’s house (7) TWISTER (tornado [very strong wind] which played an important role in transporting Dorothy to the Land of Oz in the Wizard of Oz) TWISTER (hidden word [some] in ELEGANT WISTERIAS) TWISTER |
| 6 |
Machine that often stops is almost broken (3) BUS (vehicle [machine?] that stops often to pick up and let off passengers) BUST (broken) excluding the final letter (almost) T BUS |
| 7 |
Mix up with luggage catching a flight (9) STAIRCASE (flight [of STAIRs]) (STIR [mix up] + CASE [piece of luggage]) containing (catching) A ST (A) IR CASE |
| 8 |
Waterproofs loose initially, so I adjusted trousers (4) OILS (OILSkins; waterproofs) Anagram of (adjusted) SO I containing (trousers) L (first letter of [initially] LOOSE) OI (L) S* |
| 12 |
Jewellery found in Otis elevator, by Spooner? (7,4) WEDDING RING (piece of jewellery) WEDDING RING (Reverend Spooner would pronounce this as REDDING [reference Otis REDDING [1941 – 1967], American singer and songwriter) WING (part of a bird that generates elevation and flight; elevator) WEDDING RING |
| 13 |
Government presents right-wing alarmist fiction (5,5) GHOST STORY (scary story; alarmist fiction) G (government) + HOSTS (presents) + TORY (Conservative; right wing) G HOST S TORY |
| 15 |
Criminal enters LA yard with intent (9) EARNESTLY (with intent) Anagram of (criminal) ENTERS LA and Y (yard) EARNESTLY* – could also be parsed as an anagram of ENTERS LA + Y – EARNESTL* Y |
| 19 |
Leaves taps on while filling bath (7) SPINACH (young leaves used as a vegetable) (IN [by performing the action of; while] contained in [filling] SPA [bath]) + CH (abbreviations for cold and hot taps) SP (IN) A CH |
| 21 |
Current in diode stronger than expected? (5) LACED (with a small amount of alcohol or drugs added; stronger than expected) AC (alternating current) contained in (in) LED (light emitting diode) L (AC) ED |
| 22 |
High jumper‘s fine jump needing power (4) FLEA (insect with an ability to jump high in relation to its size) F (fine) + LEAP (jump) excluding (needing) P (power) F LEA |
| 24 |
Attention where a rattlesnake is hiding (3) EAR (attention) EAR (hidden word in [is hiding] WHERE A RATTLESNAKE) EAR |
Liked ‘alarmist fiction’ for GHOST STORY, FLEA and EVENING CLASS which I thought was CD-ish in that people do take the classes to get ahead. Thanks both.
Quite gentle for Filbert but very good quality-and enjoyable
Duncan, in 20a, shouldn’t your underline act on “education”. I see EVENING ( levelling ) as being part of the wordplay.
I always like it when my moniker comes up as a solution ( 22d ) !
Thank you Filbert and Duncan.
Flea @ 3
Thanks – you are right. I underlined the worng bit, sorry!
I have updated the blog.
Pretty sure Filbert is going easier on us over the past couple of months.
All completed and parsed except COOLING TOWER which I never came back to after writing it in from the crossers. I’d like to think I’d have got it, but thanks to Duncan for making sure I didn’t have to.
As always with this setter there was some very clever clueing all seemed pretty accessible though.
Thanks to Filbert, and to Duncan for the excellent blog.
With the HUBBLE telescope being next to MICROSCOPY, I was looking for more instances of magnification. I got as far as a GHOST STORY (great clue) being a turn of the screw and LACED being stronger than expected, before I decided I was being fanciful. Thanks, both.
Thanks duncanshiell and Filbert. Another nice one in.just 3 days after the last!
BISHOP
ACTS
COOLING TOWER
LAWYER
MICROSCOPY
WEDDING RING
LACED
make my list.
Very good, as always, and all parsed bar BISHOP as twice = BIS is something I’ve only encountered once or bis before 😉 [Yes, for once, I do know that’s not how it’s meant to be used] And I’ve only encountered it in crosswords. So it just doesn’t suggest itself to me. I took EVENING CLASS to be a cd rather than a charade-like construction and thought it very witty.
IMMODEST, ACTS, [that’s an unfortunate twosome] BUSHINESS, TWISTER, STAIRCASE and SPINACH were my favourites.
Thanks Filbert and Duncan
Very enjoyable, though only completed with a modicum of assistance from my electronic friends. Thanks Filbert and Duncan.
BIS = twice is used in numbered street addresses to indicate e.g. it’s not number 23 on the street, it’s 23bis (the second 23 on the street).
That had me chasing false leads in many clues. Which makes it all the more satisfying when it starts to come together. Failed on putting the pieces together for spinach.
Thanks to Filbert for the puzzle and to Duncan for the very clear blog.
Thanks Filbert. I found this on the easy end of the Filbert spectrum but no less enjoyable. My top picks were MICROSCOPY (for the crazy surface), STAIRCASE (for the smooth surface), EVENING CLASS, GHOST STORY, and IMMODEST. Thanks duncanshiell for the blog.
“Pretty sure Filbert is going easier on us over the past couple of months” – rocket@5. Either that or we’re getting more on his wavelength. Loved 1ac where ‘one thousand and two’ suggested MII whewreas the answer started IMM.
Thanks, Filbert and Duncan.
Postmark @8. Biscuit from the French for twice cooked. in other news I liked 1ac and Miró ‘s parrot best.
Thanks Filbert, I was pleasantly surprised to be able to do most of your puzzle yesterday as I find them difficult and give them a miss, usually. I have come here to look up the clues I couldn’t fathom. Liked SPINACH especially!