Independent 11,713 by Bluth

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Bluth is here today with his usual varied mix of subject matter.

All four corners contain clues split across two separate entries, in symmetrical positions. You could say that 26/28 might eventually lead to 4/10, but I can’t see any obvious link between the other two; the sport featured in 1/9 is not known for its popularity in 27/29.

I enjoyed the two long anagrams in 4/10 and 26/28, both of which suggest a plausible link between the anagram fodder and the solution. And I laughed when I finally understood 25a, my last one in: the definition (though perhaps not the most common word) was guessable from the crossers, but it took me a long time to stop looking at “pig iron” and think of “film about pig”. Thanks Bluth for the fun.

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

ACROSS
1/9 SQUARE LEG
Position 49, perhaps before 50, say (6,3)
SQUARE (for example 49 = 7 squared) + L (50 in Roman numerals) + EG (abbreviation for Latin exempli gratia = for example = say).

A fielding position in cricket. (Square = in line with the batting player; leg = the side of the wicket at which the batter stands.)
4/10 SOLITARY CONFINEMENT
Contrived to silence informant crossing yard into protective custody? (8,11)
Anagram (contrived) of TO SILENCE INFORMANT, around (crossing) Y (abbreviation for yard).

Being held alone in a prison cell; sometimes this is to provide protection from other prisoners.
9
See 1
10
See 4
12 REED ORGAN
King’s daughter went back inside to get musical instrument (4,5)
REGAN (daughter of Shakespeare’s King Lear), with RODE (went, on horseback or on a vehicle) reversed (back) inside.
13 IDEAS
Fancies main track to go cycling (5)
A-SIDE (the main track on a single record, as opposed to the B-side which is often a filler), with the letters “cycling” round so that A + S go to the end.

Idea = fancy = a thought.
14 EXTINCT
Dead accurate when making a container (7)
EX[a]CT (accurate), with the A changed to TIN (metal container).
15 FREESIA
Flower from Frank Sinatra wanting Nat King … (7)
FREE (frank, as in “speak freely” = say what you think), then SI[natr]A without NAT and without R (abbreviation for Latin Rex = King). The ellipsis is there because Bluth has split Nat King Cole across two clues, and doesn’t contribute to the wordplay.

Flowering plant, related to crocuses and irises.
17 LOO
… Cole essentially to make comeback after having slipped disc in bathroom (3)
[c]OL[e] (essentially = only the middle letters), reversed (to make comeback), after slipping in an O (disc).
18 RAPIDLY
Artist to fold over papers quickly (7)
RA (abbreviation for Royal Academician = artist) + PLY (fold = layer, as in 3-ply tissues), around (over) ID (abbreviation for identity documents = papers).
21 ROSEHIP
Fruit wine’s cool (7)
ROSÉ (pink wine made from red grapes) + HIP (cool = slang for fashionable).
24 FARSI
Complaint following group of footballers’ language (5)
RSI (abbreviation for Repetitive Strain Injury = complaint = something you’d see a doctor about) after FA (Football Association).

Otherwise known as Persian: a language spoken in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan.
25 CLUBBABLE
Student cutting film about pig iron maybe beginning to get friendly (9)
L (as in L-plate = learner= student) inserted into (cutting) BABE (a film about a pig, based on the children’s book The Sheep-Pig by Dick King-Smith), with CLUB (golf club, for example an iron) at the beginning.

Descriptive of a sociable person who would get on well in a social club.
26/28 BREAKING AND ENTERING
Offence began in kindergarten sadly (8,3,8)
Anagram (sadly) of BEGAN IN KINDERGARTEN.

The criminal offence of illegally entering a property without permission.
27/29 THE STATES
Dissertations written about caustic Republican leaving America (3,6)
THESES (plural of thesis = dissertation = academic essay) around TA[r]T (caustic = sharply critical), leaving out the R (abbreviation for Republican).
28
See 26
29
See 27
DOWN
1 SOLAR YEAR
4 taking it out on nobleman, briefly depicting time of revolution (5,4)
Reference to 4 across SOL[it]ARY, taking out IT, then EAR[l] (nobleman) without the last letter (briefly).

The time taken for one complete revolution of the Earth around the Sun (measured by observation of the Sun’s position in the sky).
2 UNGUENT
Hunter skinned then cooked antelope up for starter – it’s greasy (7)
Anagram (cooked) of [h]UNTE[r] without the outer letters (skinned), with GNU (an antelope) reversed (up = upwards in a down clue) at the start.

Another word for ointment = a greasy substance applied to the skin.
3 RACCOON
Beastly sort of business working in support of roadside assistance provider (7)
CO (abbreviation for company or corporation = business) + ON (working), after (below, in a down clue = supporting) RAC (roadside assistance provider, originally owned by the Royal Automobile Club which still exists as a private club for motor enthusiasts).

A sort of beast.
5 ORION
Group of stars recalling number one for Lizzo finally (5)
NO I (Number One) + last letters (finally) of [fo]R [lizz]O, all reversed (recalling . . .).

The constellation otherwise known as the Hunter.
6 ITEMISE
Record somewhat split EMI’s executives (7)
Hidden answer (somewhat . . .) in [spl]IT EMI’S E[xecutives].

Itemise = write down as a list = record.
7 AGELESS
High seas retaining gooey substance for all time (7)
Anagram (high) of SEAS, containing GEL (gooey substance).
8 YETIS
By all conclusions Barbary ape amongst safari park’s hairy beasts? (5)
Last letters of all words (by all conclusions) in [barbar]Y [ap]E [amongs]T [safar]I [park’]S.

Mythical hairy beasts in the Himalayas.
11 NIGHTLY
Well lit line travelling all the way down into big city every evening (7)
LIGHT (well lit) with the L (abbreviation for line) “travelling” all the way to the end (down, in a down clue), inserted into NY (abbreviation for New York = big city).
15 FORMULA
Blueprint to make un-named Disney film (7)
FOR (to make, as in “these potatoes are ideal for chips”) + MULA[n] (Disney film) without the N (abbreviation for name).

Blueprint = formula = the information needed to make something.
16 AMPLENESS
Sources for elder statesman get in contact possibly underpinning a politician’s greatness (9)
First letters (sources) of E[lder] S[tatesman], inserted into LENS (possibly a contact = short for contact lens), after (below, in a down clue = underpinning) A + MP (abbreviation for Member of Parliament = politician).
19 PERFECT
Tense finish (7)
Double definition. A form of the grammatical past tense; or perfect as a verb = finish = make final adjustments to.
20 DRINKER
Drunk daughter giving up anything for some ice? (7)
D[aught]ER, with AUGHT (an old or dialect word for “anything”) replaced by (given up for) RINK (an area covered with ice for skating).

Drunk, as a noun = drinker = someone habitually abusing alcohol.
22 SUBEDIT
Floor 28 please do some work on paper? (7)
BED (floor, as in the sea bed = the lowest level) inserted into (reference to 28a ENTERING) SUIT (please, as in “does that time suit you?”).

To check and correct text in a newspaper.
23 HABITAT
Sailor tucking into buffet at home (7)
AB (abbreviation for able-bodied seafarer = sailor), tucked into HIT (buffet, as a verb = strike repeatedly) + AT.
24 FIBRE
Book launch takes stamina (5)
B (abbreviation for book) taken in by FIRE (to launch a projectile).

As in “moral fibre” = stamina = strength and determination.
25 CANON
Minister caught soon (5)
C (abbreviation for caught, in cricket scoring) + ANON (old word for soon).

An ordained minister who works for a cathedral.

10 comments on “Independent 11,713 by Bluth”

  1. Very enjoyable as usual from this setter although I did find the SE corner particularly tough.

    I couldn’t for the life of me see how “to make” = “for” in 15d but Quirister’s explanation shows it is oh so simple.

    The bathroom in 17a is American and I thought that the definition and answer in 20d were rather similar.

    I had a lot of ticks and I’ll concur with our reviewer about my top picks being 4/10 and 26/28.

    Many thanks to Bluth and to Quirister.

  3. I agree with Rabbit Dave about 20d, and I felt similarly about ‘well lit’ for ‘light’ in 11d’s wordplay. In fact, I also agree with his & Q’s picks!

    Lots of fun all round, and I do admire the replacement clues. There’s an especially good one in his Toughie today.

    Thanks Bluth & Quirister.

  4. Rabbit Dave @1. Although Chambers lists “bathroom” as “esp N American”, I think it is widely used here and elsewhere.

    The anagram for 4/10 was brilliant but ended up being smashed by the superb one for 26/28. Had to build up CLUBBABLE from the wordplay. Don’t care for the word but that may just be me.

  5. Yes, a couple of places where clue and solution seemed to be rather adjacent, but plenty of PDMs to make up for it. SE corner quite tricky and needed to get THE STATES with little help from crossers to get things unstuck. Agreed with Amoeba about the replacement clues, which stood out in this one particularly.

    Thanks to Bluth and Quirister

  6. Hugely enjoyable as always with Bluth and some neat constructions which certainly exercised the mind. The long anagrams were super spots, especially for BREAKING AND ENTERING, and I liked the removal of Nat King and the insertion into BABE. I admired the surfaces for FARSI, UNGUENT, ITEMISE and DRINKER and the intriguing combo in SQUARE LEG. FORMULA remained unparsed as the Disney movie was NHO.

    Thanks Bluth and Quirister

  7. Thanks both. Agreed this was as challenging and enjoyable as always for the setter, though FORMULA caused me to reveal a letter and defeated me in parsing, especially where ‘to make’ means form, though we are asked to put just ‘for’ in which feels a bit of a stretch. The FA in FARSI I have seen before as a group of footballers, which I guess is fine if we read it as a group representing rather than consisting of footballers. For what it is worth, I observed on a couple of occasions whilst out last week young Brits asking for the bathroom or the restroom – good luck finding a bath in there, I thought.

  8. Especially liked 25a CLUBBABLE for the’lift and separate’ of “pig iron”. Ditto the central 17a LOO for “slipped disc”.
    Thanks B&Q 🙂

  9. The long solutions went in quickly which helped greatly.
    I like 2d. Two words in one that I doubt I pronounce correctly.
    American crosswords seem obsessed with notion that Brits, as they put it, go to the LAV and not the LOO. I can’t say I’ve heard anyone outside a Carry On movie refer to the LAV.

    Thanks Bluth and thanks to Quirister for unpicking SUBEDIT which I couldn’t see for looking.

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