Independent 8804 / Phi

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We’ve now blogged two Phi puzzles in a row – not that we are complaining, there was a lot to enjoy as usual today. Some lovely smooth surfaces as expected – we particularly liked 13ac, 14ac, 17ac and 19ac. Despite being a write-in, we also thought 27ac was a lovely clue too.

Joyce made an awful mistake blogging our first ever Guardian Genius puzzle when she forgot to change the year when blogging the puzzle for Jan 2015. Thankfully she had her wits about her when scheduling this one!

The last puzzle had a hidden theme but we cannot find anything hidden in the grid today but maybe someone else can.

 

Across
1   Singer with business in RAM, possibly diplomatic type
AMBASSADOR BASS (singer) + A DO (business) inside an anagram of RAM (anagrind is ‘possibly’)
6   Leader’s error, putting Society first
SHAH HASH (error) putting S (Society) first
10   Columbus is at sea, ignoring black American tunes
SOUL MUSIC An anagram of COLUMbUS IS (anagrind is ‘at sea’) ignoring B (black)
11   Scotsman recalled poster’s divine female figure
NAIAD IAN (Scotsman) reversed or ‘recalled’ + AD (poster)
12   Fish, slightly chilled, around front of hole on board
SCHOOLS COOL (slightly chilled) around H (first letter or ‘front of’ Hole) inside SS (ship) or in other words ‘on board’
13   Possibly he is to make declaration banning church
PRONOUN PRONOUNce (make declaration) without or ‘banning’ CE (church)
14   Content of argument closed with a snap
TOPIC TO (closed) with PIC (snap)
15   Delegates decline to appear amongst fellows Government sacked
ENTRUSTS RUST (decline) ‘amongst’ gENTS (fellows) without G (Government)
17   Request certainly giving gratification
PLEASURE PLEA (request) + SURE (certainly)
19   More payment on boarding public transport
BONUS ON inside or ‘boarding’ BUS (public transport)
22   Hat’s damaged, being filled with a good deal of grain
TRICORN TORN (damaged) around or ‘being filled by’ RICe (grain) ‘a good deal’ indicating you don’t need all the word. Joyce guessed the answer but had trouble parsing it as she was hooked on CORn for the good deal of grain. How many of you remember this song from your childhood? Bert didn’t – he obviously led a sheltered life but is none the worse for it thankfully.
23   American is about to regret backing large bloc of countries
EURASIA A reversal or ‘backing of’ A (American) IS + A (about) + RUE (regret)
25   Chap’s first hill climbed?
FELLA If you listed all the fells or hills you climbed in order, your first one may have been listed as FELL A
26   Coffee about to be brought in by friar, the sycophant
FLATTERER LATTE (coffee) + RE (about) inside or ‘brought in by’ FR (friar)
27   Huge? Huge? On reflection, mediocre
SO-SO OS (outsize – huge) repeated and then reversed or ‘reflected’
28   Unwisely upheld airy veneration of Madonna
HYPERDULIA An anagram of UPHELD AIRY (anagrind is ‘unwisely’). Once we had a few crossing letters we made a lucky guess.
Down
1   More than one fool experiences losing power
ASSES pASSES (experiences) losing P (power)
2   Hurry into bar, picking up sort of refreshment?
BRUSH-UP RUSH (hurry) into a reversal or ‘picking up’ of PUB (bar)
3   Assail economic works every so often in America
SEMI-OCCASIONAL An anagram of ASSAIL ECONOMIC (anagrind is ‘works’).
4   Serve fruit drink, not cold, but on time
ASSIST cASSIS (fruit drink) without C (cold) + T (time)
5   Resident military leader’s trophy given to soldier
OCCUPANT OC (military leader – Officer Commanding) + CUP (trophy) + ANT (soldier)
7   Atrocious German article suppressed by royal family mostly
HEINOUS EIN (German article) inside or ‘suppressed by’ HOUSe (royal family) with last letter missing or ‘mostly’
8   Dishonest wayward lotus-eaters
HEDONISTS An anagram of DISHONEST (anagrind is ‘wayward’)
9   Proper border control left off getting upset about Australian, according to hearsay
UNCORROBORATED U (proper) + anagram of BORDER CONTROl (anagrind is ‘getting upset’) without L (left) about A (Australian). It would have helped in the initial parsing if we’d spelled the word correctly.
14   County supports suggestion for county officers
TIPSTAFFS STAFFS (county) underneath or ‘supporting’ TIP (suggestion)
16   Exclaim about a lake and marsh being taken over by insect
CRANE FLY CRY (exclaim) about A + [L (lake) and FEN (marsh) reversed or ‘taken over’]
18   What waiter will do, turning up with the French food
EDIBLES BIDE (what waiter will do) reversed or ‘turning up’ with LES (French for the)
20   Hero, knocked over, retaining less than half strength, gets a breather
NOSTRIL LION (hero) reversed or ‘knocked over’ around or ‘retaining’ STR (less than half of strength)
21   Troops of great skill doing for threat
MENACE MEN (troops) + ACE (of great skill)
24   Entrance halls: a test sees length cut
ATRIA A + TRIAl (test) with L (length) missing or ‘cut’

 

10 comments on “Independent 8804 / Phi”

  3. Thanks, Bertandjoyce. Managed to complete this one, but, as usual, needed help with some of the parsing.

    You’ve a typo in 13 – should be Pronounce, not pronounee

  4. Solid stuff as always from Phi. Air a bit blue here when the penny dropped for PRONOUN as had been bamboozled by that one for ages and needed it to finish the NE corner off. Thanks too to Bert & Joyce.

  5. Silly me, I now see that the “ce” is struck out, so it looks like “ee” to me. Time to visit the optician again.

  6. From Phi’s comment, it looks as if there is a hidden theme – so hidden that no-one seems to have found it!

    Perhaps if Phi looks in again he can give us another hint.

  7. 2 down in conjunction with a well-known playwright is your hint.

    While I’m about it, I’ll recommend a book called The Naming of the Shrew, which I knew nothing of all th time of completing this puzzle, but which is an absolute joy for word fans.

  8. Thanks Phi – We looked at the schedule and wondered whether it could be Kiss Me Kate but we’ve both been busy all day either working (Bert) or taking an elderly mother shopping (Joyce). The theme is “Brush up your Shakespeare”.

    So far we have found:
    Fella – Othello
    Flatterer – Cleopatra
    Heinous – Coriolanus
    Menace – Merchant of Venice
    Pleasure – Measure for Measure
    Bonus – Adonis

    Have we missed any?

  10. Most puzzles start with 1 across…

    It’s a wonderful song, rather suggestive like a lot of Porter (the heinous/Coriolanus rhyme…), and has been encored every production I’ve seen (indeed, I suspect the later verses are expected to be rolled out as encores). Another nice source of words to build a grid around, and I was pleased to squeeze BRUSH UP in as well, and all in a grid that doesn’t actually yell ‘Nina’ at you.

    I wonder if there’ll be one next week…let alone the week after…

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