Phi gives us his weekly Independent puzzle today
There are a couple of Irish counties in the grid (WICKLOW and MEATH), a few entries relating to music (SYMPHONY, ORCHESTRA, MAESTRO and MUSICAL CHAIRS)and a couple of items associated with World War 1 (GREATCOAT and HOWITZER), but I don’t think there is a theme.
I liked the surfaces of the clues for ORCHESTRA, FESTIVAL and PAMPER.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 | Film and book with curtailed scope (5)
BAMBI (name of a film released in 1942) B (book) + AMBIt (scope) excluding the final letter (curtailed) T B AMBI |
| 4 | Dancing nymphs around love deity, ultimately – or Jupiter, perhaps (8)
SYMPHONY (reference Symphony No. 41 in C major by Mozart [1756 – 1791], known as the Jupiter Symphony) (Anagram of [dancing] NYMPHS containing [around] O (character representing zero [love score at tennis]) + Y (last letter [ultimately] of deitY) SYMPH (O) N* Y |
| 8 | Heavy garment, one adopted by cottager at work (9)
GREATCOAT (heavy garment) A (one) contained in (adopted by) an anagram of (at work) COTTAGER GREATCO (A) T* – either A could be the one contained. |
| 9 | IT device penned verse in 2000 (5)
MODEM (an electronic device which converts digital data from a computer into analogue signals that can be sent to another computer over a telephone system; IT device) MM (Roman numerals for decimal 2000) containing (penned) ODE (verse) M (ODE) M |
| 11 | A surprised comment about debut of theatre performer (5)
ACTOR (a performer) A + (COR [expression of surprise] containing [about] T [first letter of {debut} Theatre]) A C (T) OR |
| 12 | Quality of theatre company leading us in acts, I fancy (9)
ACOUSTICS (quality of sound in a theatre) (CO [company] + US) contained in (an anagram of [fancy] ACTS I) A (CO US) TICS* |
| 13 | Source of cholesterol in eggs carried by Greek shopkeeper (6)
GROCER (shopkeeper) (C [first letter of [source of] Cholesterol] contained in [in] ROE [fish eggs]) all contained in (carried by) GR (Greek) G (RO (C) E) R |
| 14 | French not initially accepting quantity of work, having a bad reaction (8)
ALLERGIC (reacting in an abnormally sensitive manner; having a bad reaction) (gALLIC [French] excluding the first letter [not initially] G) containing (accepting) ERG ( a unit or quantity of work) ALL (ERG) IC |
| 17 | Shot zero with gun (8)
HOWITZER (a short, squat gun, used for shelling at a steep angle, especially in siege and trench warfare) Anagram of (shot) ZERO WITH HOWITZER* |
| 19 | Church to copy large one of its subdivisions (6)
CHAPEL (a place of Christian worship inferior or subordinate to a regular church, or attached to a house or institution; one of a Church’s [its] subdivisions) CH (Church) + APE (copy) + L (large) CH APE L |
| 22 | Coffer artist depicted with golden band (9)
ORCHESTRA (large company or band of musicians) OR (heraldic term for a tincture of gold or yellow; golden colour) + CHEST (coffer) + RA (Royal Academician; artist) OR CHEST RA |
| 24 | American subject taking in English and Irish county (5)
MEATH (Irish county) MATH (American term equivalent to the British term MATHS [school subject]) containing (taking in) E (English) M (E) ATH |
| 25 | Cries: “Absolutely!,” hugging couple of students (5)
YELLS (cries) YES (absolutely) containing (hugging) (L [learner; student] + L [learner; student] – couple of students) YE (L L) S |
| 26 | Redesigned portative water transport (9)
VAPORETTI (a motorboat that serves as a water bus in Venice; water transport) Anagram of (redesigned) PORTATIVE VAPORETTI* |
| 27 | Tory regularly embracing rocky movement? One talks nonsense (8)
TWADDLER (one who talks nonsense) TR (letters 1 and 3 [regularly] of ToRy) containing (embracing) WADDLE (walking with a clumsy rocking gait; rocky movement) T (WADDLE) R |
| 28 | Destructive pest taking rear off place (5)
LOCUS (place) LOCUSt (destructive insect or pest) excluding the final letter (taking rear off) T LOCUS |
| Down | |
| 1 | Cosmological hypothesis second-rate, going by earth’s development (3,4,6)
BIG BANG THEORY (hypothetical explosion of a small dense mass, which most scientists believe to have been the origin of the universe) B (second-rate) + an anagram of (development) GOING BY EARTH B IG BANG THEORY* |
| 2 | Person skilful in a version of some art (7)
MAESTRO (a master of an art, especially an eminent musical composer or conductor) Anagram of (a version of) SOME ART MAESTRO* |
| 3 | Run into detective, blocking awkward ambush (9)
INTERCEPT (seize on the way from one place to another; ambush) (R [run] contained in [into] ‘TEC [detective]) all contained in (blocking) INEPT (awkward) IN (TE (R) C) EPT |
| 4 | Struggle with incomplete catchphrase (6)
SLOGAN (an advertising catchphrase) SLOG (long exhausting work; a struggle) + ANd (with) excluding the final letter (incomplete) D SLOG AN |
| 5 | Dignified base of monument – damage just around that (8)
MATRONLY (dignified in manner) (MAR [damage] + ONLY [just]) containing (round) T (last letter of [base of] monumenT) MA (T) R ONLY |
| 6 | Our group pursuing smell to find decomposing matter (5)
HUMUS (decomposing organic matter in the soil) HUM (smell) + US (our group) HUM US |
| 7 | Falling asleep, note, unusual in Government (7)
NODDING (falling asleep) N (note) + ODD (unusual) + IN + G (government) N ODD IN G |
| 10 | Continual shuffling of positions: sadly classic HR aim around university (7,6)
MUSICAL CHAIRS (the game of prancing round a diminishing row of chairs and securing one when the music stops; also, a facetious phrase describing a series of interrelated shifts and changes involving a number of people; continual shuffling of positions) Anagram of (sadly) CLASSIC HR AIM containing (around) U (university) M (U) SICAL CHAIRS* |
| 15 | What about phosphorus: nearly green for a short time (9)
EPHEMERAL (lasting for only a short time) (EH [what?] containing ([about] P [chemical symbol for phosphorus]) + EMERALd (green colour) excluding the final letter (nearly) D E (P) H EMERAL |
| 16 | Mostly five-star dancing line in Glastonbury? (8)
FESTIVAL (reference the Glastonbury music FESTIVAL) Anagram of (danicng) FIVE-STAr excluding the final letter (mostly) R + L (line) FESTIVA* L |
| 18 | Irish county likely to lose the light? (7)
WICKLOW (Irish country) If the WICK on a candle is LOW, you may soon lose the light it provides WICKLOW |
| 20 | Ultimate in film celluloid? (7)
PLASTIC (celluloid is a [thermo]PLASTIC) LAST (ultimate) contained in (in) PIC (PICture; movie; film) P (LAST) IC |
| 21 | A politician hugged by a baby? (6)
PAMPER (to cosset; to baby) (A + MP [Member of Parliament; politician) contained in (hugged by) PER (each; a) P (A MP) ER |
| 23 | Relieved, happy to lose place (5)
EASED (relieved) plEASED (happy) excluding (to lose) PL (place) EASED |
Another entertaining Friday offering from Phi. I always enjoy seeing the many and various ways setters find to clue ORCHESTRA. Along with ‘Asti’ it must be one of the most clued words in crossword land.
Thanks to Phi and ds
The musical items are not unconnected. You may want to put your hope in Germany…
Ah, nice hint, Phi! Could this be Gerard Hoffnung? And thanks for another fine puzzle; 1D is my favourite.