Independent 8517 / Phi

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Another Friday, another Phiday! We’re not complaining – there were a number of smiles as we solved this one.

We cannot see any theme or nina but you never know with Phi. Perhaps someone will be able to spot something that we didn’t.

Across
1   Challenge I flunked when cornered by second artist
MICHELANGELO Anagram of CHALLENGE I (anagrind is ‘flunked’) inside or ‘cornered by MO (second)
9   Going soft, though kept informed
IN THE LOOP IN THE LOO (going!!) + P (soft).
10   Confess first man’s lacking a concept of sex?
ADMIT ADaM (first man) without or ‘lacking’ A + IT (concept of sex?). We’re not sure why ‘concept of’ has been included but we suppose you need something in between ‘a’ and ‘sex’.
11   Liquorice treat cooked for me in part
POMFRET Anagram of FOR ME (anagrind is ‘cooked’) in PT (part)
12   Left-winger certain in dismissing leader’s return
REDOUND RED (left-winger) + sOUND (certain) without or ‘dismissing’ leader
13   Doctor on round before surgical procedure for male problem?
DROOP DR (doctor) + O (round) + OP (surgical procedure). We’d already solved 9ac and began to wonder at this point whether we were really tackling a Phi puzzle! Joyce is compiling the blog again this week so won’t say anymore.
15   Outstanding point: with substance? without substance?
HIGHLIGHT HIGH (with substance – in other words on drugs) + LIGHT (without substance)
17   Drink knocked back – roused shakily – fell
MURDEROUS RUM (drink) reversed or ‘knocked back’ + anagram of ROUSED (anagrind is ‘shakily)
18   Showed again, closer to back, losing earlier energy
RERAN NeARER (closer) reversed or ‘backed’ losing first or ‘earliest ‘ E (energy)
19   Tanner? Shilling? University man left sadly with penny
SUNLAMP S (shilling) + U (University) + an anagram of MAN + L (left) anagrind is ‘sadly’ + P (penny)
20   Setter in college guided in recall of Greek temple
DELPHIC PHI (setter) inside C (college) + LED (guided) reversed or ‘recalled’
22   Only some honour my country, backing European country
CYMRU Reversed or ‘backed’ and hidden within the clue honoUR MY Country
23   Keen? I’m to express desire about item of bondage
IMPATIENT I’M + PANT (to express desire) around TIE (item of bondage)
24   Where Lancastrians, say, gathered privately
UNDER THE ROSE We needed lots of checking letters for this one. We’d not come across the saying before and is a play on the fact that the emblem of the Lancastrians was the rose. It could easily have been Yorkists as the colour of the rose is not defined!
Down
1   Rock song: room spinning with no marimba tune playing
MR TAMBOURINE MAN A reversal or ‘spinning’ of RM (room) + an anagram of NO MARIMBA TUNE (anagrind is ‘playing’). The song was written by Bob Dylan (click HERE to listen to his version) but Joyce prefers the version recoded by the Byrds (click HERE to listen).
2   Transparent quantity of liquid getting attention
CLEAR CL (quantity of liquid – centilitre) + EAR (attention)
3   Worry about bad smell from vessel
E -BOAT EAT (worry) around or ‘about’ BO (bad smell)
4   A spring vegetable product, coming up?
ASPARAGUS A + SPA (spring) + SUGAR (vegetable product) reversed or ‘coming up’. It’s one of those clues where the whole clue is also the definition!
5   Routine not about to involve people regarding body parts
GLANDULAR reGULAR (routine) without RE (about) around or ‘involving’ LAND (people)
6   One insisting church invests in apiary, and then in fruit and dairy produce
LIMBURGER CHEESE URGER (one insisting) + CH (church) inside BEES (apiary) all within LIME (fruit). Eileen may be pleased to know that we did spend some time trying to work out whether the answer was Leicester Cheese but gave up!
7   Hot piano in my iPod (on shuffle) – it’s cool stuff, man!
HIPPYDOM H (hot) + P (piano) inside an anagram of MY IPOD (anagrind is ‘on shuffle’)
8   Ladies man run out from Gloucestershire town
STUD STroUD (Gloucestershire town) without RO (run out). No comment on the definition!
14   Early animal handler brought up in modest surroundings
PREMATURE TAMER (animal handler) reversed or ‘brought up’ within  or ‘surrounded by’ PURE (modest). Once again, we wasted some time on this one trying to work out whether the answer was Pterosaur. We had to have more checking letters before we gave up!
15   Possibly point for tracking horse?
HOOFPRINT A play on the fact that an anagram of POINT FOR (anagrind is ‘possibly’ after or ‘tracking’ H (horse) gives you a possible method of tracking a horse!
16   Clear up a town? That’s perseverance
TENACITY NET (clear) reversed or ‘up’ + A + CITY (town)
19   No time for common component of Christmas present
SOCK StOCK (common component) without T (time). Before anyone makes a comment about who gives these items as presents at Christmas – that’s exactly what Joyce gave Bert this year! Mind you, they were walking socks in preparation for the Dales Way in May!
20   Fool swallowing line in two ways?
DUPLE DUPE (fool) around or ‘swallowing’ L (line)
21   One that may be drawn to gambling game
LOTTO LOT (one may be drawn) + TO

 

8 comments on “Independent 8517 / Phi”

  1. I too wondered whether it was a Phi puzzle as there were definite Paul-ish tendences in some of the clues/solutions.

    Thanks to Phi for a good start to Friday morning and to B&J for the excellent explanations.

  2. I agree with Sue@1 that this puzzle contained a few very Paul-ish tendencies, and it was certainly none the worse for it. A very enjoyable puzzle.

    Even though I saw the majority of the anagram fodder for 1ac it took me much longer to solve than it should have done, and I finished the bottom half, with fingers crossed for UNDER THE ROSE, much faster than the top half. HOOFPRINT was my LOI after the HIGHLIGHT/GLANDULAR crossers.

    No nina or theme spotted by me either.

  3. Like crypticsue I spotted some clues and answers that put me in mind of Punk/Paul, such as 8,10, 13 and 23.

    For the origin of UNDER THE ROSE click here

    No theme or nina that I can see.

    Thanks, Phi and B&J

  4. 24A Presumably the word “say” in the clue was a nod to the fact that, the colour being unspecified, Yorkists could just as well have been invoked as Lancastrians.

    Thanks to Phi and Bertandjoyce.

  5. A good, fun puzzle from Phi, but one where I struggled on the RHS. Took me ages to see GLANDULAR and LIMBURGER CHEESE, despite getting MICHELANGELO as my first answer and therefore getting the starting letters. Indeed, a bit of Pauline smut today.

    Thanks for blogging, B&J. I’m sure all Indy contributors and lurkers have brains the size of a small planet and will know, but just for those who don’t, I will point out that CYMRU is the Welsh word for Wales. Although you might not know it when you cross the border, because it says CROESO I GYMRU (Welcome to Wales) where the C mutates to a G because it’s coming after I. Why? Just because they can, I think …

  6. Thanks Phi for a thoroughly enjoyable puzzle and B&J for the blog.

    6dn: I seem to be having problems not knowing foodstuffs this week, but having got seven of the checked letters in (all but the G), the second word had to be CHEESE and then the construction gave me the rest with complete confidence.

    7dn: This was one where I built up the answer from the checked letters and wordplay and only then realised that I knew the word.

  7. I thought 9 was very cleverly hidden and would probably have struggled if the answer hadn’t been so obvious from the crossing letters. I think one could be a little critical of 19 in that socks are clearly not the only Christmas present, so perhaps a question mark there would have been helped. And you can’t interpret it as “common component of Christmas present” without the common doing double duty. That was my LOI, so it definitely made a difference.

  8. Good stuff as ever from Phi – loved IN THE LOOP. Re: the presence of a theme PHI appears in an answer and across a further pair of answers but cant see much else.

    Thanks.

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