Independent 9056 / Phi

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This is a fairly typical Phi puzzle

 

 

 

There is a theme but you don’t need to have any knowledge of it to solve the puzzle.

I thought that there were some good surfaces in the clues today.  Ones I liked included the clues for TEETH (4 down) with its association of corporate ethics and limited effectiveness and the scientific one at 14 down leading to CATALYSIS

Phi usually includes a theme and I was drawn to today’s by the name JAMES MACMILLAN across the grid in the fifth row from the bottom.  My interests are more scientific and sporting than arts and literature so I hadn’t heard of the gentleman even though he and I are both Scots.  Sir JAMES Loy MACMILLAN ,born 1959,  is a Scottish classical music composer.  The names or part of the names of four of his operas are included in the grid as follows:

INÉS (four fifths of 11 across) de CASTRO  (19 across);

PARTHENOGENESIS (25 across);

The SACRIFICE (2 down); and

CLEMENCY (16 down)

Across
No. Clue Wordplay Entry
1

 

 Perfectionist fails to work, giving up one drug then another (7)

 

 FUSES (fail to work because of melting of a FUSE) excluding (giving up) E (ecstasy; drug) + POT (cannabis; drug)

 

 FUSSPOT (perfectionist)

 
5

 

 Look for attention in school (6)

 

 EAR (attention) contained in (in) SCH (school)

S (EAR) CH

 SEARCH (look for)

 
9

 

 On hand to request rascal to reform (2,5,8)

 

 Anagram of (to reform) TO REQUEST RASCAL

AT CLOSE QUARTERS*

 AT CLOSE QUARTERS (in close proximity; on hand)

 
10

 

 Exulting, heading off paperwork in court case (9)

 

 (BUMPH [paperwork] excluding the first letter [heading off] B) contained in (in) TRIAL (court case)

TRI (UMPH) AL

 TRIUMPHAL (exulting)

 
11

 

 Plants: five pollarded conifers? (5)

 

 V (Roman numeral for five) + PINES (conifers) excluding the first letter (pollarded [having crown cut off]) P

 

 VINES (plants)

 
12

 

 Bouquets not initially containing river plants (6)

 

 (POSIES [bouquets] excluding the first letter [not initially] P) containing (containing) R (river)

OSIE (R) S

 OSIERS (any willows whose twigs are used in making baskets; plants)

 
13

 

 Paper page, remote, recalled to include small capitals (8)

 

 (P [page] + ALOOF [remote]) reversed [recalled]) containing (to include) SC (small capitals)

FOOL (SC) A P<

 FOOLSCAP ([size of] paper)

 
17

 

 Controlling influence trapping girl in twisted 11 (8)

 

 GAL (girl) contained in (trapped in) an anagram of (twisted) VINES (11 across)

SVEN (GAL) I*

 SVENGALI (a person who exerts total mental control over another, usually for evil ends; controlling influence)

 
19

 

 Long-time leader curtailing theatre argument? (6)

 

 CAST (company of actors; theatre) + ROW (argument) excluding the final letter (curtailing) W

 

 CASTRO (reference Fidel CASTRO [1926 – date] long time leader (Prime Minister and then President] of Cuba [1959 – 2008])
21

 

 American writer is sticking around capital of England (5)

 

 JAMS (is sticking) containing (around) E (first letter of [capital of] ENGLAND)

JAM (E) S

 JAMES (reference Henry JAMES [1843 – 1916], American writer)

 
23

 

 Mice mostly loose in shops before one PM (9)

 

 (Anagram of [loose] MICE excluding the final letter [mostly] E) contained in [in[ MALL [shops]) + AN (one)

MA (CMI*) LL AN

 MACMILLAN (reference Harold MACMILLAN [1894 – 1986] Prime Minister [PM] of the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1963)

 
25

 

 Unusual reproductive approach strangely heartens pigeon fanciers ultimately (15) Anagram of (strangely) HEARTENS PIGEON + S (last letter of [finally] FANCIERS)

PARTHENOGENESI* S

 PARTHENOGENESIS (reproduction by means of an unfertilized ovum; unusual reproductive process)

 
26

 

 Experienced about a year’s allegiance (6)

 

 (FELT [experienced] containing [about] A) + Y (year)

FE (A) LT Y

 FEALTY (loyalty; allegiance)

 
27

 

 Purposes to get back of something wrong in head cavities (7)

 

 SIN (something wrong) + USES (purposes)

 

 SINUSES (air-filled cavities in the bones of the skull, connecting with the nose)

 
Down
No. Clue Wordplay Entry
1

 

 Some (not all) on our team will become quarrelsome (9)

 

 FRACTION (part; some) excluding the final letter (not all) N + US (descriptive of our team)

 

 FRACTIOUS (quarrelsome)

 
2

 

 Bag runs if brought up in reserve or give up? (9)

 

 SAC (bag) + R (runs in cricket scoring notation) + (IF reversed [brought up] contained in [in] ICE [reserve])

SAC R I (FI<) CE

 SACRIFICE (surrender; give up)

 
3

 

 Specific concertgoer impresario’s ignored over time, welcoming in millions (7)

 

 PROMOTER (impresario [producer or organiser of entertainment events]) excluding (ignored) (O [over in cricket scoring notation] + T [time])  containing (welcoming) M (millions)

PROM (M) ER

 PROMMER (regular attender of Promenade concerts; specific concertgoer)

 
4

 

 Corporate ethics have limited effectiveness (5)

 

 TEETH (hidden word in [have limited] CORPORATE ETHICS)

 

 TEETH (effectiveness)

 
5

 

 Endless row over important man’s servant (8)

 

 SCULL (row) excluding the final letter (endless) L + LION (famous or conspicuous person much sought after; important man)

 

 SCULLION (servant employed for rough work)

 
6

 

 Artist upset challenger’s appearance on scene (7)

 

 RA (Royal Academician; artist) reversed (upset) + RIVAL (challenger)

AR< RIVAL

 ARRIVAL (appearance on scene)

 
7

 

 Empty life in prison, though off the drugs (5)

 

 LE (letters remaining after the middle letters are emptied out of [empty]  LIFE) contained in (in) CAN (prison)

C (LE) AN

 CLEAN (off the drugs)

 
8

 

 Foundation disowning book in current form (2,2)

 

 BASIS (foundation) excluding (disowning) B (book)

 

 AS IS (as it stands; in its current form)

 
14

 

 Salt is treated with most of acyl in chemical reaction (9)

 

 Anagram of (treated) SALT IS and ACYL excluding the final letter (most of) L

CATALYSIS*

 CATALYSIS (the chemical influence of a substance which is not itself permanently changed; chemical reaction)

 
15

 

 Expert air elevated one’s forecast (9)

 

 PRO (professional; expert) + (SONG [air] reversed [elevated; down clue]) + I’S (one’s)

PRO GNOS< IS

 PROGNOSIS (forecast)

 
16

 

 Pity bicycle men, cycling without limits (8)

 

 CLEMENCY (hidden word in [without limits] BICYCLE MEN CYCLING)

 

 CLEMENCY (pity)

 
18

 

 It fuels girl taking in part of London (7)

 

 GAL (girl) containing (taking in) SOHO (part of London)

GA (SOHO) L

 GASOHOL (a mixture of 8 or 9 parts petrol and 1 or 2 parts alcohol, used as a fuel)

 
20

 

 A winemaker not accommodating Queen in French city (7)

 

 A + VIGNERON (vine grower; winemaker) excluding (not accommodating) ER (Elizabeth Regina; Queen)

 

 AVIGNON (city in France)

 
21

 

 Justice served on lout’s prank (4)

 

 J (justice) + APE (coarse, clumsy or stupid person; lout)

 

 JAPE (trick; prank)

 
22

 

 Join work unit going into Middle East (5)

 

 ERG (the CGS unit of work, equal to 10-7 joules) contained in (in) ME (Middle East)

M (ERG) E

 MERGE (join)

 
24

 

 Pens chapter on historic times (5)

 

 C (chapter) + AGES (great divisions of world, human, or individual history; historic times)

 

 CAGES (pens)

 

10 comments on “Independent 9056 / Phi”

  1. Thanks Phi and Duncan. I couldn’t for the life of me parse 3d, but it seems obvious in retrospect. The crossword scheduling conspiracy Elsewhere gave us PARTHENOGENESIS two days ago, so that made it fairly easy today.

  2. A bit trickier than some from Phi but all was fair and gettable. I saw the name of JAMES MACMILLAN but didn’t think to look for titles of his operas – I’m more familiar with his orchestral and choral works. And I was diverted by AT CLOSE QUARTERS into a (fruitless) search for other titles by Gerald Seymour.

    I wasn’t sure about TRIUMPHAL as I usually spell the paperwork as ‘bumf’ but I see that Chambers allows both spellings; Chambers also hyphenates FUSS-POT. And at risk of reigniting an old debate, isn’t 17ac an &lit or at least &lit-ish?

    Thanks, though to Phi and Duncan.

  3. Thanks Phi for a challenging puzzle I could solve, and duncanshiel for seeing a theme that I just couldn’t spot. I am always gratified to get the long ones quickly, and 9 and 25ac suited ny anagrammatical preference.

  4. I found this reasonably tough with Castro being my LOI (I got stuck thinking that the dictator must be Chairman Mao, who was in charge for about 30 years). A nice example of a puzzle where the theme doesn’t detract from the quality of the clues.

  5. Thanks Phi and Duncanshiell.

    I found this hard going, but enjoyable.

    PARTHOGENESIS was not the only word the crossword scheduling conspiracy Elsewhere gave us this week, we were also given OSIERS.

    I spotted the theme, but probably would not have done so if I had not heard Macmillan’s Fourth symphony transmitted from The Royal Albert Hall by France Musique during the Proms, I really liked it.

  6. An excellent puzzle from Phi to end an excellent Indy week. I spotted the theme early doors. Not.

    Thank you for blogging, Duncan.

  7. The puzzle was gridded the day JM got his knighthood (which wasn’t long after he was here in Wellington). I’ve enjoyed his music for deacdes now (and for some reason it helps that, like all sensible people, he was born in July 1959), but his operas offered better fodder for crossword entries.

    I hadn’t expected the theme to be spotted so readily, so bravo. Up my sleeve, of course, is the sneaky fifth one: BUSQUEDA, which is Spanish for SEARCH.

  9. Sadly, there is even more to this as regards Elsewhere. Yesterday there was the name of someone who had changed it in shame because one of his ancestors was the only judge in the Salem witch trials who never repented of his actions. Here we have Macmillan who came to the attention of the classical establishment with his composition ‘The Confession of Isobel Gowdie’, one of many women executed for ‘witchcraft’ in 17th century Scotland. He states ‘the work craves absolution and offers Isobel Gowdie the mercy and humanity that was denied her in the last days of her life’.

  10. Just as a postscript, both the Independent and the Guardian have reported recently on the near future retrial of a ‘witch’ in the village of Brentonico, Trentino, Italy, to deliver justice to Maria Bertoletti Toldini.

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