A normal Friday, so we have an Independent puzzle by Phi.
I usually look for a theme in Phi’s puzzles. It’s usually a fruitless look even if there is a theme. All I can see today is the two words LIGHT POLLUTION across the grid in row 7, but I can’t see anything else that links to that phrase. The grid simply seems to be an eclectic mix of well-known words.
I liked the clue for PRIVATISE although it took a while to see what the definition was. I was looking at the shorter ‘to relinquish’ as the definition for a while.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 | Brief Kipling novel carried by Observer (6)
SKIMPY (scanty; lacking fullness; brief) KIM (title of novel by Rudyard Kipling [1865 – 1936]) contained in (carried by) SPY (an observer) S (KIM) PY |
| 4 | Man’s man is connecting with a punch (8)
ISLANDER (a man who lives on the Isle of Man) IS + (connecting with) LANDER (informal term for a heavy blow or punch) IS LANDER |
| 10 | Stress not entirely shown by good junior worker (9)
UNDERLING (a subordinate or junior worker) UNDERLINe (stress) excluding the final letter E (not entirely) + G (good) UNDERLIN G |
| 11 | The way to embrace no good dance (5)
TANGO (a ballroom dance of Argentinian origin) TAO (in Confucianism, the way to be followed) containing (to embrace) NG (no good) TA (NG) O |
| 12 | Everyone will participate in rotten song (6)
BALLAD (song) ALL (everyone) contained in (will participate in) BAD (rotten) B (ALL) AD |
| 13 | Urging sleep or dancing the night away? (7)
ROCKING (swaying gently from side to side to encourage sleep) ROCKING (dancing the night away to Rock’n Roll music) double definition ROCKING |
| 15 | Minor plague seeing off British (5)
LIGHT (minor) bLIGHT (plague) excluding (seeing off) B (British) LIGHT |
| 17 | Contamination: positive outcome eradicating sulphur, bringing in touch of life (9)
POLLUTION (contamination) P (positive) + (sOLUTION [outcome] excluding [eradicating] S [chemical symbol for sulphur] containing [bringing in] L [first letter of {touch of} Life]) P O (L) LUTION – either L could be the one contained |
| 19 | Chap’s put in misplaced commas, relishing the discomfort caused (9)
MASOCHISM (morbid gratification in suffering pain, physical or mental; relishing the discomfort caused) HIS (belonging to a chap [male]; chap’s) contained in (put in) an anagram of (misplaced) COMMAS MASOC (HIS) M* |
| 20 | Slow learner caught getting stuck into SF blockbuster (5)
DUNCE (slow learner) C (caught) contained in (getting stuck into) DUNE (epic [blockbuster] 1965 science fiction novel by Frank Herbert [1920 – 1986], later turned into a film in 2021) DUN (C) E |
| 21 | Rock group turned popular with artist covering lead position (7)
NIRVANA (name of an American rock group formed in 1987) IN (popular) reversed (turned) + (RA [Royal Academician; artist] containing [covering] VAN [the forefront; the leading position]) NI< R (VAN) A |
| 23 | Appreciate routine may turn overblown? (6)
TURGID (inflated; pompous; overblown) (DIG [understand; appreciate] + RUT {routine]) all reversed (may turn) (TUR GID)< |
| 26 | Top score in playing pontoon or Newmarket for starters (5)
IPPON (a winning score in judo or karate) I P P O N (first letters [for starters] of each of In, Playing, Pontoon, Or and Newmarket) I P P O N |
| 27 | Communicate to pupil about one area without prejudice (9)
IMPARTIAL (unbiased; without prejudice) (IMPART [communicate to] + L [learner; student]) containing (about) (I [Roman numeral for one] + A [area]) IMPART (I A) L |
| 28 | Uncovered countermeasure to restrain manager with relief (8)
EMBOSSED (raised in relief) rEMEDy (countermeasure) excluding the outer letters R and Y (uncovered) containing (to restrain) BOSS (manager) EM (BOSS) ED |
| 29 | Complexity in maths leading to a complaint (6)
ASTHMA (a medical complaint) Anagram of (complexity in) MATHS + A ASTHM* A |
| Down | |
| 1 | Ignore American bum getting upset (4)
SNUB (ignore) BUNS (American term for the buttocks; bum) reversed (getting upset) SNUB< |
| 2 | In communications, I omitted article from US state (5)
INDIA (INDIA is the international radio communication codeword for the letter I) INDIanA (US State) excluding (omitted) AN (indefinite article) INDIA |
| 3 | Old man with failing clarity is very drunk (9)
PARALYTIC (very drunk) PA (father; old man) + an anagram of (failing) CLARITY PA RALYTIC* |
| 5 | Jazz piece (American) put up before exclusive item from The Nutcracker? (9
SUGARPLUM (reference the SUGAR PLUM fairy who is a character in Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker) (RAG [jazz piece] + US [American]) reversed (put up; down entry) + PLUM (something choice; exclusive item) (SU GAR)< PLUM |
| 6 | Prank not in support of clubs (5)
ANTIC (extraordinary action or trick; prank) ANTI (against; not in support of) + C (Clubs) ANTI C |
| 7 | Study: no repeated sexual intercourse boosted the arrival of nippers? (9)
DENTITION (cutting or growing of teeth; the arrival of nippers) DEN (a study) + (NO + IT [sexual intercourse] + IT [sexual intercourse – repeated]) all reversed (boosted; down entry) DEN (TI TI ON)< |
| 8 | Grub and drink, German, in stock (4,6)
ROOT GINGER (the raw underground stem [stock] of the ginger plant) ROOT (to uproot and clear away; to grub [to search for and pull up roots]) + GIN (spirit; drink) + GER (German) ROOT GIN GER |
| 9/23 | Daughter taking time to engage in shrewd exercises? It’s a product of breeding (4,4)
WILD TYPE (the typical form of a species of organism resulting from breeding under natural conditions; it’s a product of breeding) ([D {daughter} + T {time}] contained in [to engage ] WILY [shrewd]) + PE (physical education; exercises) WIL (D T) Y PE Entered at 9 down as WILD |
| 14 | Mild in East, producing fruit (10)
CLEMENTINE (a fruit) CLEMENT (mild) + IN + E (East) CLEMENT IN E |
| 16 | A grub spot, possibly (9)
GASTROPUB (gastronomic public house; an establishment where one might eat upmarket grub) Anagram of (possibly) A GRUB SPOT GASTROPUB* |
| 17 | To relinquish Government control of tax is blocked by a lot of peers? On the contrary (9)
PRIVATISE (transfer production of goods or services from the public sector of an economy into private ownership and operation; relinquish Government control of) PRIEs (peers into ) excluding the final letter S (a lot of) containing (blocked by) (VAT [value-added tax ] + IS) – this is the opposite [on the contrary] of the wordplay set out in the clue that would lead to VAT (PRIE) IS PRI (VAT IS) E |
| 18 | Ready to fight in damp regions on hot days? (9)
UNDERARMS (damp regions of the body on hot day) UNDER ARMS (with weapons; ready to fight) UNDERARMS |
| 22 | A long time to induct new saint (5)
AGNES (reference Saint AGNES of Rome [circa 291 – 304 {13 years}]) AGES (a long time) containing (to induct) N (new) AG (N) ES |
| 23 |
See 9 24 [WILD] TYPE |
| 24 |
Henry appearing under flag of European country (5) IRISH (of Ireland [a European country]) IRIS (flag) + H (henry [unit of induction]) – as this is a down entry, the H appears under the letters in IRIS IRIS H |
| 25 | The soul of Italy, to be found in carnal matters? (4)
ALMA (an Italian word meaning soul or essence; the soul of Italy) ALMA (hidden word in [to be found in] carnAL MAtters) ALMA |
Can never help thinking of turgid as sort of viscous, stodgy … probably a phonetic effect. Meanwhile, calling a punch a ‘lander’ is a newie, and the judo ippon was a total nho. Also, didn’t twig the ‘prie’ bit of privatise. So, a few things to chew on, thx Phi and duncan.
SUGARPLUM
Took exclusive=PLUM
Included the ‘item’ in the def.
Not sure, a character can be called an item.
Thanks Phi and Duncan.
There are a few songs by Tom Lehrer (who died in July) in the grid:
(The) MASOCHISM TANGO
POLLUTION
(I got it from) AGNES
(The) IRISH BALLAD
CLEMENTINE
Any more?
ALMA is also a Tom Lehrer song. ASTHMA could be seen as referring to That’s Mathematics. I liked PRIVATISE and GASTRO PUB. Surely a WILD TYPE is one that is not a product of breeding?
Thanks Phi and DS
Petert @ 4 How do animals in the wild reproduce without breeding? 😉
Petert@4 and Simon S@5 – as an ex-biologist I initially had the same thought on wild type, but thinking about it, it’s a rather restricted technical term for a majority type originally isolated from the wild that you’ve got to breed true in the lab and so you can take as ‘normal’ in breeding expts as in Drosophila and some other model animals/plants. Humans don’t have a wild type – we are too varied and outbred.
Thanks ele@6 . I think I understand now.
Thanks both. Some tricky stuff here, and for once I am delighted not to have identified the link as I regard the ‘music’ of Tom Lehrer as utterly dreadful; appropriate as that was about my level of efficient solving today.
Re breeding, from Chambers:
“breed /brēd/
transitive verb (pat and pap bred)
1. To generate or bring forth
2. To cause or promote the generation of, or the production of breeds of
3. To train or bring up
4. To cause or occasion
intransitive verb
1. To be pregnant (now dialect)
2. To produce offspring
3. To be produced or brought forth
4. To be in training, to be educated (Walter Scott)
noun
1. That which is bred, progeny or offspring
2. A strain, variety or race
3. A kind, type”
There is no requirement for outside agency. Animals in the wild generate offspring by breeding, full stop.
Reference all the comments on WILD TYPE.
When I wrote the blog, I looked at the definition in Chambers and read ‘the form of a species typically occurring under natural breeding conditions, as distinct from mutant types’ and thought that fitted the clue definition ‘It’s a product of breeding‘ quite well.
KVa @ 2 Isn’t there an actual sugarplum in the Nutcracker as well as the fairy of that ilk?
Thanks to Phi and Duncan, and also to Andrew @3 for pointing out the theme. I never get themes unless they’re blindingly obvious but it’s a bit shameful for me not to get this one, since I know Mr. Lehrer’s oeuvre well enough to substitute them for nursery rhymes for my newborn. (I’m sure the Masochism Tango and Vatican Rag between them will inspire a well-rounded person? At least he’ll know the periodic table (as it was in the 1960s)…) I’m just happy it was used really.
A friend introduced me to the songs of Tom Lehrer nearly 50 years ago and I can still recite many of them by heart. Trouble is that I now know them so well, they don’t have the same impact and I now rarely listen to them. That said, I’d nearly finished before spotting the theme.