Independent 8900 / Alchemi

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Well, it’s not Phiday this week!! But it is a 200th anniversary which Alchemi is celebrating in this puzzle.

We haven’t blogged an Alchemi before, and this was a good themed challenge, although we really knew very little about the thematic character at 23A. After a bit of research prompted primarily by the reference at 2D, we now know rather more about him, and although we haven’t read any of his novels, we have used his ‘invention’ (without realising it!) on many occasions – he was yet another Victorian multi-tasker!

There are some hidden thematic entries as well as the clued ones at 15A and 2D:

Apparently, in 1868 he stood as a 28A candidate in 6D, Yorkshire, to expose corruption in the Conservative party. As expected, he lost, but a Royal Commission ensued and the borough was disenfranchised in 1870.

He and his family lived in 21D in the 1840s.

One of his Palliser novels was titled 1D 27D and the wealthy lead character in the series later became Duke of 22D.

There may of course be more thematic entries – if so, please let us know!

It was an impressive feat to incorporate so many thematic references into a grid with no less than 34 clues – many thanks Alchemi – we look forward to blogging one of your puzzles again!

Across
1   Parts of organs beginning to explode during time signal
PIPES E (first letter or ‘beginning’ of Explode) in or ‘during’ PIPS (time signal)
4   Barracks Spooner’s eccentric experts
ARMY BASES A Spoonerism of BARMY ACES (eccentric experts)
9   Writer to massively criticise one about having a religion
ISLAMIC I (writer) SLAM (massively criticise) I (one) C (circa – about)
10   Sweet old man against getting a small book back
PAVLOVA PA (old man) V (versus – against) + A VOL (small book) reversed or ‘back’
11   Dave, Nick, Ed or Nigel perhaps wearing Spanish article – a glossy coat
ENAMEL NAME (Dave, etc are examples) in or ‘wearing’ EL (Spanish article) – what about Leanne, Nicola and Natalie?
12   Encourages most of the planet to have birds around
HEARTENS EARTh (the planet) with the last letter omitted, or ‘most of’ with HENS (birds) around
14   Odd bits of rubbish disappearing after son lends money
SUBS rUbBiSh with the ‘odd bits’ or letters removed or disappearing, after S (son)
15   Exchange around 100 men for invention of 23
BARCHESTER BARTER (exchange) around C (100) HES (men – a little dubious?). The county town of Barsetshire, the setting for six of 23A’s novels (nothing to do with the Archers!)
19   In conditions of poor visibility cross warrior can indulge in hobby of dubious legality
FOX HUNTING FOG (conditions of poor visibility) around X (cross) HUN (warrior) TIN (can)
20   Policemen beginning to create record
DISC DIS (Detective Inspectors – policemen) + C (first letter or beginning to Create)
23   Figure of speech capturing the essential folly of 200-year-old writer
TROLLOPE TROPE (figure of speech) round or ‘capturing’ fOLLy (middle or ‘essential’ letters). The gateway clue to the thematic character Anthony Trollope, who was born 200 years ago today and became a senior Civil Servant in the Post Office as well as a well-travelled writer of 47 novels
26   Spaniard possibly backing green satellite
EMILIO LIME (green) IO (satellite – a moon of Jupiter) reversed or ‘backing’
28   Politician’s time to block dreadful Bill
LIBERAL ERA (time) in or ‘blocking’ an anagram of BILL (anagrind is ‘dreadful’)
29   Current Ugandan dictator arrested by unconventional element
IRIDIUM I (current) + IDI (Ugandan dictator Idi Amin) in or ‘arrested by’ RUM (unconventional)
30   Fry’s lost his chicken and in depression resigns
STEPS DOWN STEPhen’S (Stephen Fry’s) without or ‘losing’ ‘hen’ (chicken) DOWN (in depression)
31   Music for Bond’s boss (and others)
METAL M (James Bond’s boss) ET AL (and others)
Down
1   Barnum in shape after exercising
PHINEAS An anagram of IN SHAPE – anagrind is ‘after exercising’ – a reference to Phineas Barnum of Barnum and Bailey’s Circus, but also, with 27D, one of 23A’s novels
2   Normal container holding sick invention of 23
PILLAR BOX PAR (normal) BOX (container) round or ‘holding’ ILL (sick) – apparently invented by 23A during his career at the Post Office.
3   A phone card for every silly smile
SIMPER SIM (a phone card) PER (for every)
4   Turn over a little bit and take pressure off curves
ARCS SCRAp (a little bit) reversed or ‘turned over’ with ‘p’ (pressure) removed or ‘taken off’
5   Secretary in tree climbing tree
MAPLE PA (secretary) in ELM (tree) reversed or ‘climbing’
6   Sisters singing, always filling empty bowl with samples of Estonian yogurt
BEVERLEY EVER (always) in BowL (first and last letters, or ‘empty’) + first letters or ‘samples’ of Estonian Yogurt. This shows our (and perhaps Alchemi’s) age!!! The Beverley Sisters never seemed to be off our TV screens in the late 50s and early 60s. However, the answer, as a place, is thematic, relating to the election campaign in 1868.
7   Incline someone outside to cut inside
SLOPE SomeonE (first and last letters or ‘outside’) with LOP (cut) inside
8   Second person deconstructing sentences not as dense
SPARSER S (second) PARSER (person deconstructing sentences – or clues!)
13   Discretion of Bogart’s last performance
TACT T (last letter of BogarT) ACT (performance)
16   It might be found on Highway 101
CONE C (one hundred) ONE (1)
17   Competitor’s team leader slowing down to accommodate colleagues lacking energy
TRIALLIST T (first letter or ‘leader’ of Team) RIT (ritardando, musical term for ‘slowing down’) round or ‘accommodating’ ALLIeS (colleagues) with the ‘e’ (energy) omitted or ‘lacking’
18   Riverside scavengers ruined dark slum
MUDLARKS An anagram of DARK SLUM – anagrind is ‘ruined’
19   Scottish school accepts fifty conditions
FETTLES FETTES (Scottish school, which we certainly would never have heard of had it not been Tony Blair’s old school) round or ‘accepting’ L (fifty)
21   Officer drops round and later takes money somewhere in Tipperary
CLONMEL CoLONEL (officer) without or ‘dropping’ an ‘o’ (round) round or ‘taking’ M (money). We had to check this – it is the County town of Tipperary (and once home to 23A)
22   Olympics head keeping quiet about rise of popular cycling event
OMNIUM O (first letter of ‘head’ of Olympics) MUM (keeping quiet) around IN (popular) reversed or ‘rising’. Another thematic reference.
24   Spanish chap removing goalposts before the game
OMBRE hOMBRE (Spanish chap) with the ‘H’ (goalpost – as in Rugby, but singular, not plural?) removed
25   Perhaps Marco can accept current complaint
POLIO POLO (as in Marco Polo) around or ‘accepting’ I (current)
27   Fine pub’s yachting class
FINN F (fine) INN (pub)

 

6 comments on “Independent 8900 / Alchemi”

  1. Much of this theme passed me by, but I did remember about pillar boxes and Barchester. Thanks for the further explanation, Bertandjoyce! I found this a much more pleasant solve than the last themed puzzle I whined about – the theme, cleverly constructed and a worthy tribute, barely impeded solution. Thanks, Alchemi!

    The wordplay was too clever for me at 26A Emilio and 17D triallist. I didn’t see Emilio at all, it was my last answer, written in as a lucky guess. I saw “triallist” as a possible answer quickly, and understood “allis”, but not “rit”, which I have never come across.

    I had never heard of Clonmel, either, and again wrote it in as a lucky guess. It sort-of-sounded like an Irish town name, and did fit the wordplay. Population about 15000 today, I read. The other Spaniard, the beheaded one at 24D, also took a long time to remember, but I eventually did drag “ombre” up as the name of a game. I don’t think I’ve ever played it.

    The Barmy Aces at 4A made my favourite clue. I imagine Monty Python playing Biggles. Perhaps that will displace the short bisexual tart who still creeps into my thoughts from earlier in the week!

  2. Thanks, both. Like you, I’m not a big fan of themed puzzles, but I learned stuff this morning, so fair play to Alchemi. I got TROLLOPE quite quickly, but some of the references were way above my head because I’ve not read a great deal of his work. So well done for sussing it all out.

    We’ve had this H for ‘rugby goalposts’ before, and I think the consensus was that since there are two ‘posts’ then it’s acceptable. I too wasn’t keen on HES for ‘men’.

  3. Thanks for the blog, B&J. There are a couple of other thematic entries. Rev Obadiah SLOPE is a recurring character in the novels, played brilliantly by Alan Rickman in a BBC adaptation. And Mr T was mad keen on FOX HUNTING.

  4. Thanks Alchemi and BertandJoyce.

    One of my favourite authors. I particularly enjoy the Barsetshire novels. The clue for the Rev. Mr SLOPE was very appropriate, he certainly tried to ‘cut in’ at the Bishop’s Palace.
    I had thought the sweet old man, 10a, might refer to Mr Harding and the son lending money, 14a, to Lord Lufton.

  5. Emrys @ 1

    I love your first para. I reckoned that most people ought to know about BARCHESTER and PILLAR BOX but that the rest of the thematic answers would only be known by Trollope devotees as having connections. I admit that I wouldn’t have spotted CLONMEL as Trollopean had I not done the research for the puzzle, but I thought it was fair enough because Brit TV viewers might well recognise the place as the home of Magner’s Irish Cider, since they did an ad or two which made some play of it.

  6. I’m going to be in trouble if setters start including cultural references from advertising – I hardly ever see any and try to ignore it if I do. Perhaps I should brush up on my Irish geography!

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