Independent 11,624 / Phi

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Phi appears to have started the new year as he means to go on, occupying his customary Friday slot.

I found this to be towards the easier end of the Phi spectrum in terms of difficulty, and I am satisfied with my solutions and parsings thereof. That said, I did need Google to confirm the Shakespearean character at 17 and the Dahl book at 20.

I haven’t spotted any particular theme today, but I am happy to be enlightened by others, as always.

My favourite clues today were 6, probably for topicality, given the battering the UK has taken from storms in recent weeks; the semi- & lit. at 13, for succinctness; and 27, for the wordplay around “spot”. I did wonder about “or” being used for the adjective “golden” at 24, instead of simply the noun “gold”, which would also have worked for the surface, but I won’t lose any sleep over it!

*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues

Across    
     
05 SAILOR Seaman not entirely kind about trouble

AIL (=trouble, afflict) in SOR<t> (=kind, type; “not entirely” means last letter is dropped)
     
07 HOOKING Catching leaders in head office agreeing

H<ead> O<ffice> (“leaders in” means first letters only) + OK’ing (=agreeing (to))
     
10 TROUT Old busybody, left-winger, holding text for you

U (=text for you, i.e. how you is often written in an SMS) in TROT (=left-winger, i.e. Trotskyite)
     
11 NEW MEXICO Former lover in charge amongst women active in US state

[EX (=former lover) + I/C (=in charge)] in *(WOMEN); “active” is anagram indicator
     
12 NINCOMPOOP Fool with no work accepting reduction in revenue, perhaps at first

[INCOM<e> (=revenue; “reduction in” means last letter is dropped) + P<erhaps> (“at first” means first letter only)] in [NO + OP (=work, i.e. opus)]
     
14 PAIL Mate carrying one component of wishing well?

I (=one) in PAL (=mate)
     
16 EXTRA Cut back, limiting transactions a bit more

TR. (=transactions) in EXA (AXE=cut, chop; “back” indicates reversal)
     
18 SET Team // to go down

Double definition: a set is a team or group AND to set is to go down, i.e. of the sun
     
19 LOTTO Toilet getting dry internally? It’s something of a gamble

TT (=dry, i.e. teetotal) in LOO (=toilet)
     
20 TWIT Dahl character, not the full pair? The very thing

TW<o> (=pair; “not the full” means last letter is dropped) + IT (=the very thing, ne plus ultra); the reference is to the 1980 children’s book The Twits by Roald Dahl
     
21 ALTOSTRATI High clouds I start getting perturbed after a lot at sea

*(A LOT) + *(I START); “getting perturbed” and “at sea” are both anagram indicators
     
24 ORCHESTRA Coffer artist depicted with golden band

OR (=golden) + CHEST (=coffer, trunk) + RA (=artist, i.e. Royal Academician)
     
26 ICING First couple heading off assessing cost of decoration

<pr>ICING (=assessing cost of); “first couple heading off” means first two letters are dropped
     
27 SPLODGE Spot, or half-spot, porter’s office

SP<ot> (“half-” means two of four letters only) + LODGE (=porter’s office); a splodge is a heavy spot, splash or stain
     
28 HERPES Skin disease: woman’s source of annoyance, mostly

HER (=woman’s) + PES<t> (=source of annoyance; “mostly” means last letter is dropped)
     
Down    
     
01 SAMOAN Islander’s son with a complaint

S (=son) + A + MOAN (=complaint, grievance)
     
02 TRANSPOSAL Parson last to be moved in change in order

*(PARSON LAST); “to be moved” is anagram indicator; e.g. when letters in a word are transposed, their order is changed
     
03 CHEW That man interrupts canine with a doggy treat?

HE (=that man) in [C (=canine, in dentistry) + W (=with)]
     
04 SIBILANT Hissing excuses upset conservation group

SIBILA (ALIBIS=excuses; “upset” indicates vertical reversal) + NT (=conservation group, i.e. National Trust); hissing sounds are sibilant
     
06 LITTORAL Target of coastal erosion? Absolutely true, as heard on the radio

Homophone (“as heard on the radio”) of “literal (=absolutely true, faithful, of a record of events, say)”
     
08 OVER Finished half of Beatles LP, getting up

REVO<lver> (=Beatles LP, from 1966); “half of” means 4 of 8 letters are used; “getting up” indicates vertical reversal
     
09 GOOD-LOOKING Attractive opportunity opening finally after merchandise running short

GOOD<s> (=merchandise; “running short” means last letter is dropped) + LOOK-IN (=opportunity, chance) + <openin>G (“finally” means last letter only)
     
10 TENDENTIOUS Notes United fans as biased

*(NOTES UNITED); “fans (=agitates, stirs up)” is anagram indicator; tendentious means leaning towards a particular interpretation, hence “biased”
     
13 OSTEOPATHY Hope to stay limber – using this?

*(HOPE TO STAY); “limber”, flexible is anagram indicator; semi- & lit.
     
15 CLOTHIER Fashion supplier, one not so clever yesterday in Paris

CLOT (=one not so clever, dolt) + HIER (=yesterday in Paris, i.e. the French word for yesterday)
     
17 TRINCULO New cryptic clue, not last one among three, for Shakespearean drunk

[N (=new) + *(CLU<e> (“not last one” means last letter is dropped from anagram, indicated by “cryptic”))] in TRIO (=three); Trinculo is a drunken jester in The Tempest
     
22 APICES Experts securing very good high points

PI (=good, pious) in ACES (=experts, buffs); apices is the plural of “apex”
     
23 LEAD Film’s star to support a cause, though not at first

<p>LEAD (=to support a cause, advocate); “not at first” means first letter is dropped
     
25 TREE Source of wood, support for golfer crossing river

R (=river) in TEE (=support for golfer)
     
     

 

10 comments on “Independent 11,624 / Phi”

  1. Like RR didn’t know 20A or 17D so had to research online. During the course of which I learned that Trinculo is also a minor moon of Uranus, which had at least 27 at last count, most of which are named after Shakespearean characters. Also didn’t know C = canine (tooth). Very entertaining, so thanks Phi and RatkojaRiku.

  2. Same unknowns as others. Thought APICES looked a bit weird. Think I’ll stick to “apexes”. Oddly perhaps, I would always use “matrices” as a plural even though “matrixes” is acceptable.
    Not long after solving this (and LITTORAL in particular), I saw the film of the collapsing cliffs at Danes Dyke, just North of Bridlington, on the national news. I lived in Brid. as a youth (mother and sister/brother-in-law living there now) and used to walk there. Very nice.

  3. I knew the TWITS, but not the Shakespearean drunk – looked a bit odd, but the wordplay checked out nicely. Had to trust my very weak schoolboy French for CLOTHIER.

    I liked OSTEOPATHY and the enjoyable word SPLODGE.

    Thanks RR and Phi.

  4. Very enjoyable. We found this a bit easier than some, but TRINCULO was a “bung and hope”.

    The slightly unusual grid made us think that there was going to be a theme, but, if there is one, at least we weren’t the only ones not to spot it …..

    Thanks to Phi and RR

  5. This was a sort of second order theme, especially if you didn’t know your Dahl, though I did bung a clue about him in as ahint. But the seed material for the grid was:

    PAIL (Charlie BUCKET)
    SAILOR (Veruca SALT)
    SPLODGE (Augustus GLOOP)
    GOOD-LOOKING (Violet BEAUREGARDE)
    SET (Mike TEAVEE)

    Had to be synonyms as couldn’t really see a way of getting TEAVEE in. Bonus material was that Dahl originally wanted to call him HERPES TROUT. Going to see what the autocorrect christened ‘Wonky’ tomorrow.

  7. Thanks RR, blimey phi a second level misdirection theme and not closely obvious either. A crazy level inquisitor this one.

  8. Fun and fairly straightforward puzzle. I would never have spotted that theme though. Nice! Thanks, Phi and RR.

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