Independent 8685 / Phi

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Thanks Phi for our usual Phi-day phun!

 

 

The enumeration helped enormously for 1/4/7/13/18. Mind you, whenever we see TAR in a crossword we always think of SAILOR – so that helped too. As it’s a Phi, we wondered whether there would be any other answers or a nina connected with the shanty, but we can’t see anything – perhaps others can?

Our favourite clue was probably 23 ac, although there were several contenders.

We’re slightly puzzled by 9ac. Are we missing something?

Across
1/4/7/13/18   Airily querying how to get TAR back from RAT?
WHAT SHALL WE DO WITH THE DRUNKEN SAILOR? ‘Airily’ refers to the sea shanty, ‘querying’ to the fact that it is question and in the answer “drunken” acts as an anagrind that explains how you get TAR (sailor) from RAT!
4   See 1
7   See 1
9   Prophet’s sister and mother clutching trimmed flower
MIRIAM MAM (mother) around or ‘clutching’ IRIs (flower) with last letter removed or ‘almost’. We cannot quite work out the reference to ‘sister’. From what we can see Miriam was the sister of Moses and Aaron but she is also considered to be a prophetess in her own right. Is anyone more familiar with biblical references who can help us out?
10   Groups start to confine randy individuals
CLUSTERS C (initial letter or ‘start’ to Confine) + LUSTERS (randy individuals)
11   Many people in distant Germany, centre of growth area
FARMYARD  ARMY (many people) inside FAR (distant) + D (Germany)
12   Politician avoiding disgruntled sound, turning to cheer
HURRAH MP (politician) removed or ‘avoiding’ HARRUmpH (disgruntled sound) reversed or ‘turning’
13   See 1
16   Generous about various fuels and power for stable
SELF-SUPPORTING SPORTING (generous) around an anagram of FUELS (anagrind is ‘various’) + P (power)
18   See 1
20   Additional food point brought back
TACKED ON TACK (food) + NODE (point) reversed or ‘brought back’
22   Device investing in Eastern currency is in difficulties
STRICKEN TRICK (device) inside or ‘investing in’ SEN (Eastern currency)
23   Educational centres formally for male and female
UNISEX UNIS (educational centres as in universities) + EX (formally)
24   Youngsters gathering round a fight
FRAY FRY (youngsters) around or ‘gathering round’ A
25   Feel sore transport vehicles are withdrawn
SMART TRAMS (transport vehicles) reversed or ‘withdrawn’
26   US police heading off con
HEAT cHEAT (con) with first letter removed or ‘heading off’
Down
2   A lot of bad weather, then fine: that’s aMediterranean city
HAIFA HAIl (bad weather) with last letter removed or ‘a lot of’ + F (fine) + A
3   Little hesitation participating in jaunt by Shakespearean Prince celebrating victory
TRIUMPHAL UM (little hesitation) inside TRIP (jaunt) + HAL (Shakespearean prince)
4   Action blocking another industry makes spy thirsty, possibly
SYMPATHY STRIKES An anagram of MAKES SPY THIRSTY (anagrind is ‘possibly’)
5   Agreed account of French last month should be upheld
ACCEDED AC (account) + DE (of in French) and DEC (last month) reversed or ‘upheld’
6   Refuse to consider how not to annoy gaffe-prone seed?
LAUGH OUT OF COURT A play on the fact that a ‘seed’ may be found on a tennis court and if he or she were ‘gaffe-prone’ one would avoid annoying him or her by not laughing while in the court!
7   Drink supplier possibly forgetting one drink
WATER WAiTER (drink supplier) without or ‘forgetting’ I (one)
8   Swordsman’s forward move in response dispatching one, keeping number covered
D’ARTAGNAN DART (forward move) + AGAiN (in response) without or ‘dispatching’ I (one) around or ‘covering’ N (number)
14   Transient changes immediately effective in court
INSTANTER An anagram of TRANSIENT (anagrind is ‘changes’). A new word for us but easy to sort out from the anagram when we had some checking letters – it’s a legal term, hence the inclusion of ‘in court’ in the definition.
15   Equipment is then dislodged with playful action
KITTENISH KIT (equipment) + an anagram of IS THEN (anagrind is ‘dislodged’)
17   Cut flower feature seen around one cut flower
PETUNIA PETAl (flower feature) with last letter removed or ‘cut’ around UNIt (one) with last letter removed or ‘cut’
19   Moral looseness not unknown in churchgoers?
LAITY LAxITY (moral looseness) without X (unknown – as in maths)
21   Event in theatre cut by almost half for event in different theatre
OPERA OPERAtion (event in one sort of theatre) with the last four letters omitted, or ‘cut by almost half’

 

12 comments on “Independent 8685 / Phi”

  1. The usual fine entertainment on a Friday.

    12A – the expression “Harrumph!”, if I remember correctly, often used by the irascible, but secretly kind-hearted, Mr Wilkins in the Jennings & Darbyshire books by Anthony Buckeridge.

    Thanks to Phi and Bertandjoyce.

  2. Found 12ac a bit convoluted but otherwise all ok. I used to sing ‘a’ drunken sailor. Stared at !’fray’ for ages before the penny dropped. Obvious when you know.

    @gwep strangely we are sorting things out and decluttering ready to sell our farm and just yesterday I came across a Jennings book that had been in storage for about 15 years and I put it on one side to read again. Did you used to listen to it on the radio, too?

    Thx everyone.

  3. Another good Phi Friday puzzle, IMHO. It was a slower solve than it should have been because the long answer at 1ac etc. didn’t click immediately and I needed a few checkers before I saw it, and the same can be said of 6dn. I was then held up at the end by FARMYARD and HEAT. For the former I was also considering “farmland” but couldn’t parse either option until I realised the “FAR D” from the wordplay was Fa?m?ARD rather than the FARm?a?D I had been incorrectly assuming. For the latter it took me a while to disabuse myself of the notion that the answer had to be “hoax”.

  4. Fossilised fish-hooks! Good puzzle from Phi. LAITY was my favourite for its surface.

    MIRIAM was indeed the sister of MOSES, who was a prophet. She might in her own right have been a prophetess, but girl power didn’t exist back then. In several world religions, it still doesn’t exist, but that’s another story.

    Not had an astronomy clue from Phi for a bit. He must remedy that.

    Here endeth the lesson. Thanks all three.

  5. @2almw3 Never heard on the radio, but was given several J&D books as birthday and Christmas presents. Extracts also read to us in Junior School by our form master, who was good at characters, including Wilkins (usually “I … I … I… harrumph”). Still have books.

  6. I made somewhat heavy weather of this, first convincing myself that 6 down was “leave out of the count”, which sounds vaguely like an expression someone might use for refuse to consider. I’m not really all that happy with the clue: although I can see the tennis link in court, what have gaffes got to do with it? Also, sports apart from tennis have seeds.

    After getting 6, I then convinced myself that 12 must be Harman and it took a long time to get to get rid of that idea.

  8. Had Harman in mind for ages trying to make it work. Drunken sailor fell after a few minutes really making for an otherwise quick finish. Thank Phi and B&J

  9. Rather obligingly the radio put on Malcolm Arnold’s arrangement of Drunken Sailor just as we got back in from the ballet. (Always sang ‘the’ myself.)
    HARRUMPH I think is Eeyore.

  10. Joyce is ashamed that she didn’t remember the connection between HARRUMPH and Eeyore. He is her favourite character!

    Thanks Phi!

  11. A pleasant solve for my Saturday morning coffee. Many thanks Phi and a big nod, as ever, in the Dynamic Duo’s direction.
    Like AndyB, was temporarily sidetracked in parsing 11ac; had M (a Roman thousand – many) and YAR (Yemen Arab Republic – men) in FAR D. Swiftly disabused myself (emphasis on the ‘dis’ !!)
    When a Phuzzle is Ninaless up pops the ‘earworm’ of the Muppets opening credits song (“there’s on Nina, Nina no Nina…..”) Sorry (it comes, no doubt, from having worked for Lew Grade in my more callow days!) Still, it allows me to continue annoying others with my little joke and insist that I’ve spotted a Muppets theme!
    Very best to all; have a great weekend.

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