Phi in his usual Friday slot. The original puzzle is at https://puzzles.independent.co.uk/games/cryptic-crossword-independent/?puzzleDate=20261002.
There were a few slightly obscure references and loose definitions, but nothing too unreasonable: I knew the word at 5a although I can’t always remember what it means, and 24a was guessable. Favourite clue today is 18d for its sneaky definition.
Phi sometimes includes a theme, sometimes not. I can’t see anything obvious today. Thanks Phi as always.
Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | BUCKSKIN |
Encourages family in leather (8)
|
| BUCKS (buck, as a verb = to encourage; perhaps more common as “buck up”?) + KIN (family).
Soft leather made from deer skins. |
||
| 5 | JEJUNE |
Juvenile, empty, junior, naive, ultimately? (6)
|
| J[uvenil]E + JUN (abbreviation for junior) + last letter (ultimately) of [naiv]E.
Clue-as-definition: jejune = unsophisticated and not very interesting. (From a Latin word meaning hungry.) |
||
| 10 | OVERACT |
Make too much of verse, backing concern in Biblical texts (7)
|
| V (abbreviation for verse), then CARE (concern) reversed (backing), all contained in OT (abbreviation for Old Testament = Biblical texts). | ||
| 11 | ACCLAIM |
Rave about account lacking inspiration on the radio (7)
|
| ACC (abbreviation for account) + sound-alike (on the radio = spoken aloud) of LAME (lacking inspiration). | ||
| 12 | HOARD |
Army abandoning base to seize a treasure (5)
|
| HORD[e] (army, in the sense of a big unruly mob rather than a formal military group) without E (e = in mathematics, the base of natural logarithms), containing (seizing) A. | ||
| 13 | SPEARMINT |
Taste of weapon not yet used? (9)
|
| SPEAR (a weapon) + MINT (short for “mint condition”, as in a newly-minted coin = not yet used).
Herb used as a flavouring. |
||
| 14 | HOI POLLOI |
Henry’s attempts to attract attention about election for the people (3,6)
|
| H (abbreviation for henry = unit of electrical inductance) + OI OI (two “Oi!” = a shout to attract attention), around POLL (election).
Greek-derived phrase meaning “the many” = the common people. |
||
| 16 | TOIL |
Work repelled poet having no English (4)
|
| [e]LIOT (poet T S Eliot) reversed (repelled), without the E (abbreviation for English). | ||
| 19 | CRIB |
Steal cold cut of meat (4)
|
| C (abbreviation for cold) + RIB (a cut of meat).
Crib, as a verb = to steal someone else’s work and present it as your own. |
||
| 21 | CHERUBINI |
American singer, with you and I, about to ditch composer (9)
|
| CHER (American singer) + U (text-message abbreviation for “you”) + I, around BIN (ditch, as a verb = slang for discard).
Italian composer Luigi Cherubini. |
||
| 24 | MAJOR TERM |
Officer needing time at college for element of logic (5,4)
|
| MAJOR (military officer) + TERM (a period of time at college).
Also called major premise: the initial statement in a syllogism (logical argument). |
||
| 27 | SCHMO |
US guy’s way of working when attending school (5)
|
| MO (abbreviation for Latin modus operandi = way of working) after SCH (abbreviation for school).
The definition doesn’t quite work for me: in US slang, “guy” is a generic term for a man, but “schmo” is a more specific derogatory term meaning a stupid man. |
||
| 28 | SURVIVE |
Keep on, certainly adopting version 4 (7)
|
| SURE (certainly, used as a positive response to a question), containing V (abbreviation for version) + IV (4 in Roman numerals). | ||
| 29 | DOROTHY |
Celebration with US author, originator of young American children’s heroine (7)
|
| DO (slang for a party = celebration) + ROTH (US author Philip Roth) + first letter (originator) of Y[oung].
Lead character in the US children’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (by L Frank Baum) and the later film based on it. |
||
| 30 | PIZAZZ |
Flamboyant style of pie mostly seen around South Africa (6)
|
| PIZZ[a] (not sure I’d call it a pie, but it was called “pizza pie” or “tomato pie” when first introduced to the English language) without the last letter (mostly), around ZA (abbreviation for Zuid-Afrika = Dutch name for South Africa). | ||
| 31 | STOWAWAY |
Staff’s beginning to remove someone not wanted on board (8)
|
| Beginning letter of S[taff] + TOW AWAY (to remove a vehicle).
Someone who isn’t meant to be on board a ship. |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | BROUHAHA |
Mate’s laughter about university provoking fuss (8)
|
| BRO (short for brother, and slang for a male friend = mate) + HA-HA (laughter), around U (abbreviation for university).
French-derived term for a noisy fuss or disturbance. |
||
| 2 | CHEVALIER |
Gallant cry of encouragement involving a lot of sound (9)
|
| CHEER (a cry of encouragement), containing VALI[d] (sound, as an adjective = correct or well-reasoned) without the last letter (a lot of . . .).
Gallant = chevalier = a knight, or a brave and adventurous man. |
||
| 3 | SO-AND-SO |
Awkward sort, apparently average? (2-3-2)
|
| Definition and cryptic definition. To call someone a “so-and-so” suggests you’d like to use a stronger derogatory term not suitable for polite conversation. I think the second definition is meant to suggest “so-so” = average = acceptable but not very good. | ||
| 4 | ICTUS |
Stress fixed gape’s not right (5)
|
| [r]ICTUS (a fixed unnatural-looking grin or gaping mouth) without the R (abbreviation for right).
Rhythmic stress in poetry. |
||
| 6 | EXCERPT |
Rector, entering bar, selected text (7)
|
| R (abbreviation for rector) in EXCEPT (bar = not including). | ||
| 7 | UMAMI |
I’m a Greek character picking up taste (5)
|
| I’M A + MU (Greek character corresponding to the letter M), all reversed (picking up = upwards in a down clue).
“Savoury” taste (as distinct from sour, sweet etc). |
||
| 8 | ENMITY |
Hostility upset period around New Year (6)
|
| TIME (period) reversed (upset = upwards in a down clue), around N (abbreviation for new), then Y (abbreviation for year). | ||
| 9 | TAX EXILE |
No longer support Times in covering overseas resident? (3,5)
|
| AXE (slang for abolish = no longer support) + X (multiplication symbol = times, as in “2 times 3), inserted into TILE (roof covering). | ||
| 15 | LICHENED |
Bird beset by pests died covered in growths? (8)
|
| HEN (a bird) contained in LICE (pests) + D (abbreviation for died). | ||
| 17 | IRISH STEW |
Meat dish recipe in this wise, possibly (5,4)
|
| R (abbreviation for Latin recipe = take, in old-style prescriptions) in an anagram (possibly) of THIS WISE. | ||
| 18 | MISOGYNY |
Japanese food, generally nutty, though without content: broad dislike here (8)
|
| MISO (Japanese ingredient made from fermented soybeans), then G[enerall]Y N[utt]Y without the inner letters (content).
Broad = US slang for a woman; misogyny = disliking women. I think the word “broad” may be considered disparaging and offensive by some, but that wouldn’t bother a misogynist. |
||
| 20 | BERLIOZ |
Composer in German city not northern Australia (7)
|
| BERLI[n] (German city) without N (abbreviation for northern), then OZ (slang version of Aus = short for Australia).
French composer Hector Berlioz. |
||
| 22 | UNSCREW |
Cycling star ahead of team in open (7)
|
| SUN (a star) with the letters “cycling” so the S moves to the end, before CREW (team). | ||
| 23 | AMPS UP |
Politician tucking into a drink gets more intense (4,2)
|
| MP (abbreviation for Member of Parliament = politician) inserted into A + SUP (drink). | ||
| 25 | JEREZ |
Source of alcoholic drink before entering judge zone (5)
|
| ERE (poetic / archaic word for “before”) inserted into J (abbreviation for judge) + Z (abbreviation for zone).
Spanish city where sherry comes from. |
||
| 26 | MIDST |
Daughter in fog, the very centre (5)
|
| D (abbreviation for daughter) in MIST (a meteorologist would probably say it’s not the same thing as fog, but it’s close enough). |
Is there a theme around the double/multiple use of letters in words?
KK, JJ, CC, OOO/II/LL, VV, ZZ, WW, in the acrosses; HH, SS, EE, MM, XX, YY, PP in the downs. I might have missed some.
“When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amore..”
I think the theme is the prevalence of solutions containing the same letter two (or more) times. I’ve not combed the grid in detail, but there’s an awful lot of them!
Lovely crossword, thanks for the blog.
Oh! I see PM has beaten me to the draw and has done the combing, too!
I liked the idea of Phi writing “I’m a Greek character” in 7d.
Ictus and Jerez were nhos, and Cherubini was too until his recent appearance elsewhere. Didn’t notice the doubles but enjoyed the puzzle, thanks P&Q.
I made heavy weather of this, but no quibbles, it is up to the usual Phi-standard.
(Joe) SCHMO worked OK for me, the US version of Joe Bloggs… “anyman/everyman».
I was seeing three-letter sequences, mini-palindromes, but probably I’m way off, as per…
JEJ / INI / VIV/ ORO / ZAZ / WAW / HAH / MAM / XEX / ENE / SHS / YNY / ERE
Top- notch from Phi & MsQ
Αh! The Greek again, (UM)AMI and HOI POLLOI, which are fine, of course, but the English versions are the usual continental drift…”mu” is not “mew”, but “mee”, and “hoy polloy” is “ee pollee”.
No wonder we English struggle to learn Greek.
I mention it, because a helluva lot of Phi’s solutions today seem to be English/Anglicised, but with foreign original source words in the mix?
If I could learn which way round the N and M go in ENMITY it would make solving these things a whole lot easier. It’s a word I never hear or speak and it just won’t stick.
Thanks Phi and thank you Q for TAX EXILE which I just couldn’t unravel.
Great crossword. Thanks Phi and Quirister. I kind of just assumed it must be a pangram with all those Zs and Js, but no Q! Ironically given the blogger.