Independent 8398 / Phi

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We always look forward to our Friday solve and blog!

Our first one in was 9ac and it really brought a smile to our faces.

We thought there may be a nina when we saw the letters appearing in the top row but couldn’t see that it led anywhere. There were a number of Italian cities appearing in the grid and at one point we thought that they may all be Italian settings for Shakespearean plays, hence the nina in the top row. However we couldn’t find evidence that there was a play set in Parma!

Joyce who wrote up the blog then did a quick search using all the Italian cities in the grid and lo and behold the nina does mean something! The link can be found HERE which comes from Kiss me Kate!

Thanks Phi – we enjoyed this one!

If there any errors or amendments we will not be able to respond until tomorrow as we are flying off to Canada. We will then have to get used to the change of time zones for the next few blogs!

Across
9   Church in America following English and French one providing for deprived men
EUNUCHS CH (church) inside US (America) following E (English) + UN (French for one)
10   One Alaskan Catholic back in Italian city
CREMONA A (one) + NOME RC (an Alaskan from Nome who is a Roman Catholic!) all reversed or ‘back’
11   Old man seizing power in Italian city
PARMA PA (old man) around or “seizing” ARM (power)
12   Contract reining in scattered wits anyway
LEASTWISE LEASE (contract) around or ‘reining in” an anagram of WITS (anagrind is ‘scattered’)
13   Soldier leading soldiers and sailor is a great luminary
GIANT STAR GI (soldier) in front of or ‘leading’ ANTS (soldiers) + TAR (sailor)
14   Opposing soldiers back in sight? Not entirely
ENEMY MEN (soldiers) reversed or ‘back’ in EYe (sight) with last letter removed or ‘not entirely’
15   Hunt protester receiving greeting from Indian gent
SAHIB SAB (as in hunt saboteur or protester)  around or ‘receiving’  HI (greeting)
17   Lettuce not initially packed in bags
COS COpS (bags) without first letter of Packed or ‘initially’
19   Bars in which you’ll get a snack
TAPAS TAPS (bars) around or ‘in which you’ll get’ A
22   Colourful volumes capturing one’s identity
VIVID V V (volumes) around or ‘capturing’ I (one) + ID (identity)
24   Factory profit cut back a small amount
MILLIGRAM MILL (factory) + MARGIn (profit) reversed or ‘back’ with last letter removed or ‘cut’
26   Revolutionary series supports young children
NURSLINGS RUN (series) reversed or ‘revolutionary’ + SLINGS (supports)
27   Secretary mostly filling two roles in Italian city
PADUA PA (secretary) + DUAl (two roles) with last letter removed or ‘mostly’
28   Recalled uric components? This fish likes uric components
CANDIRU Reversed or ‘recalled’ letters or components of URIC as in URI AND C. We had to look this one up as we hadn’t heard of THIS FISH that has a rather interesting diet and can be found in some extraordinary places (allegedly)!
29   Scottish ruler and American subject receiving British honour
MACBETH MATH (American subject) around or ‘receiving’ CBE (British honour)
Down
1   Pay to secure English fuel company sites
WEB PAGES WAGES (pay) around or ‘securing’ E (English) + BP (fuel company)
2   Intrude on car crashes in East Switzerland
ENCROACH Anagram of ON CAR (anagrind is ‘crashes’) inside or ‘in’ E (East) + CH (Switzerland)
3   Consequence of sun in autumn month revealing segment of disc
OCTANT TAN (consequence of sun) inside or ‘in’ OCT (autumn month)
4   Speak obscurely, upset about ears and losing hair
PSILOTIC LISP (speak obscurely) written up or ‘upset’ + OTIC (about ears)
5   Pudding served up around US city is cake
ECLAIR RICE (pudding) reversed or ‘served up’ around LA (US city)
6   Old disease in home? Not the preferred option
NEXT BEST EX (old) + TB (disease) inside or ‘in’ NEST (home)
7   I tuck in after raising call for attention
IODINE DINE (tuck in) after OI (call for attention) reversed or ‘raised’. This was our last one in and we were getting pushed for time. When we realised what the answer was we kicked ourselves!
8   Refusal to involve the writer having line to wit
NAMELY NAY (refusal) around or ‘involving’ ME (the writer) + L (line)
16   Companion trimmed Princess’ flowering plant
BUDDLEIA BUDDy (companion) with last letter removed or ‘trimmed’ + LEIA (the Princess in Star Wars!)
18   Identical imp on board a couple of merchantmen?
SELFSAME ELF (imp) inside SS or ‘on board’ + A + ME (a couple of letters from MErchantmen)
20   Sends up a perch to be used in cooked dishes
PARODIES A + ROD (perch) inside or ‘used in’ PIES (cooked dishes)
21   Wary about raising my touch in comfort
SYMPATHY SHY (wary) about MY (reversed or ‘raised’) + PAT (touch)
22   Italian city, extremely attractive after railway’s abandoned
VENICE VEry NICE (extremely attractive) with RY (railway) missing or ‘abandoned’
23   Finished with love finally one turned up in Italian city
VERONA OVER (finished) with O (love) moved to the end or ‘finally’ + AN (one) reversed or ‘turned up’
24   Old lady pinches one with nut crackers in Italian city
MANTUA MA (old lady) around or ‘pinching’ A + an anagram of NUT (anagrind is ‘crackers’)
25   Agreement after road being up leads to crash
IMPACT PACT (agreement) after MI (road) reversed or ‘being up’

 

7 comments on “Independent 8398 / Phi”

  1. I really enjoyed this puzzle. I particularly liked 1d, 9a, 16d, 22a, 24a & 22d (which is where I’ll be for 2 weeks next month), and my favourites were 29a MACBETH & 7d IODINE (last in).

    New words for me were BUDDLEIA, PSILOTIC.

    Thanks Phi and Bertandjoyce, especially for pointing out the theme song and the parsing of 10a & 19a. Have a good time in Canada!

  2. Thanks, both. Needed you today for parsing a few. A couple of unusual words in this one, and the Italian towns, put me on the lookout for something happening, but despite spotting the phrase in the top row, I couldn’t work anything out.

    Bit of music, bit of astronomy … must be a Phi puzzle. And a good one at that. IODINE was my last one in as well. While I have finally remembered that NUMBER can mean anaesthetic, I for IODINE still always escapes me, and I want to kick myself too.

    Bon voyage au Canada!

  3. Another enjoyable Phi puzzle. I needed to use aids at the end to get CANDIRU, although in retrospect the wordplay was relatively straightforward.

    I saw that something was being spelled out in the top row and that helped me get PSILOTIC and IODINE.

  4. Never heard of CANDIRU. Not in my copies of Chambers or Collins, and my word finder didn’t know it either. So it was trial and error an look it up on Google.

    Otherwise fairly straightforward. Thanks, Phi and B&J.

  6. Re #4, maybe it’s an old Chambers you have as CANDIRU is in, at least, the two most recent editions (11th & 12th). But not just in Chambers – it’s also in ODE.

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