i Cryptic Crossword 3999 by Phi

Difficulty rating (out of five): ⏳⏳⏳

Thursday is Phi-day once more. Any bets on who we’ll get Saturday, then? I’ll go with Serpent.

A potpourri of write-ins and something to get you thinking a little harder this bitterly cold morning. For me, apart from the alarm at 12ac, the NW, NE and SE corners went in with little ado, but the SW corner held out for a while longer. Maybe I just literally froze by that point, or was otherwise fooled by the Sicilian eminence, puzzled by 21ac despite thinking of the Lear required straight off, and also too hung up on RIND at 17d to come up quickly with the necessary piece of pork. I had a question mark beside 24d, as did the original blogger, regarding ON, but the answer could be nothing else and it appears that Chambers lends support.

No theme or Nina it appears, and a time here overall about par for the i.

CoD? I’ll go with 8d – “Deal with China involved food from another country (9)”.

All the answers and parsing of the clues can be found in Fifteensquared’s blog from November 2019:

https://www.fifteensquared.net/2019/11/29/independent-10337-by-phi/

i Cryptic Crossword 3998 by Vigo

Difficulty rating (out of 5): ⌛

Well, there’s not much doubt about that ⌛. I solved this at a leisurely pace over breakfast but had I not been simultaneously occupied with scrambled eggs, toast and coffee I guess I would have rattled through it in next to no time.

This was originally a Monday puzzle in the tradition of easy Mondays, with Pierre as the blogger on 15^2 available to make everything plain even for rookie solvers – not that they should have many problems with a Vigo puzzle. Plus two of the answers were birds giving Pierre the opportunity for his ‘obligatory’ bird links.

There’s really not much to add. A gentle reminder that some mammals are entirely aquatic might be appropriate for anyone momentarily puzzled by 17dn, otherwise it was all straightforward enough. I liked the two anagrams at 10ac and especially 23ac, but it’s difficult to nominate a CoD; I’ll go for 8dn, the surface of which might be seen as topical now, given current concern about the state of Britain’s waterways, but back in 2019 had few such connotations: ‘Rising brown river is untreated (7)’.

The 15^2 blog can be found at http://www.fifteensquared.net/2019/12/02/independent-10339-vigo/ with Pierre’s bird links still there, although the second one doesn’t produce the expected image; you could try https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Oceanografic_Scarlet_Ibis_02.jpg instead.

i Cryptic Crossword 3997 by Maize

Difficulty rating (out of five): ⏳⏳⏳

It’s our very own Maize today with a themed crossword that, let’s face it, shows everybody else how it should be done. You didn’t know all the references? No matter, the wordplay would get you there, even if like me you panicked a bit on looking at 14/15, but of course it wasn’t so scary with a few checking letters in place. Lots of submarines, a few other vessels that are apparently coincidental, and with both the top and bottom rows sure to raise a smile, as elsewhere, what wasn’t there to like? Well, nothing as it turns out – I failed to parse the revealing statement at 16d, and didn’t know why E should equal irrational at 8d, though the infant required was clear as day, but that’s my fault for the one, and something learned on the other. The only negative I suppose is that Cornick has been cheated out of a puzzle today. 😉

CoD? Lots to choose from, with my pick going to 17d – “Give up cryptic instructions for making better beer (4,5)”.

All the answers and parsing of the clues can be found in Fifteensquared’s blog from December 2019:

https://www.fifteensquared.net/2019/12/03/independent-10340-maize/

Inquisitor 1830 Arable Land by eXtent

Well, wouldn’t you?

I mean, if you found that you had a flair for it. Forgery, that is. And it appears that a certain Lee ISRAEL did. Look, there she is, three times in that grid instead of the impersonated LOUISE BROOKS, DOROTHY PARKER, and NOEL COWARD.

They even made a film about it. And a book, but the book came first. I’ve got the former in a cupboard. It’s a present, and as is my wont with presents of the sort I’ve not got round to watching it. Maybe on a rainy day.

But wait, this is a rainy day.

Rainy Saturdays though seem to be for various unexpected tasks, such as accompanying the youngest two to the hairdressers where it appears the male of the species is an unexpected visitor and a not necessarily welcome one. But I was the one with the required, and so there I was.

Then there was a queue in the chip shop, and so I started late. But thankfully this was our favourite setters in a forgiving mood, and so “bogus” letters or not the grid fill was a rapid one.

And yes, I sniggered at MERKIN too.

And marvelled that I appeared to have all my letters present and correct, and the theme identified, thanks to Mr Google.

Perhaps being on duty on the other side sharpened the old mind. Never mind, it won’t last.

i Cryptic Crossword 3996 Peter

Difficulty rating (out of five): ⏳

Seeing Peter’s name at the top of a crossword always brings a smile to my face, as I can be sure of a nicely accessible puzzle that will be gentle with me but which will provide plenty of satisfaction and enjoyment. I wasn’t disappointed today. The puzzle won’t had held up even beginning solvers for too long: no arcane vocabulary, no bizarrely elaborate construction, no controversial definitions – just good, straightforward cryptic clues. And always with good surface readings, which make such a difference to a puzzle.

The only thing that made me shudder a little was the long multi-light, multi-word phrase. However, once I had written out the anagram fodder and drawn my line of 17 dashes separated with a few obliques, guessed a couple of thes and the in and the of, it more or less solved itself.

My Clue of the Day is 6d. It was pretty obvious once a few of the crossing letters were in. I confess to having been bemused for a little while over how to parse it, thinking it was perhaps just a whimsical definition. Then I noticed that it was a simple charade of three components, and nicely done indeed: “Advertising for irreligious lawyer? (10)”.

Here’s the link to Fifteensquared for the answers and explanations: https://www.fifteensquared.net/2019/12/01/independent-on-sunday-1553-peter/

i App Cryptic Crossword S0103 by Crosophile

Difficulty rating (out of five): ⏳⏳

Crophophile this Sunday with a theme that will have been close to the heart of many solvers, being various kinds of brews. Bet you didn’t know most of them either, though. A few oddities dotted about the grid, but nothing that wasn’t gettable, though many will have struggled with the drink to the far SE corner with a very tempting ?ER? to lead us astray. All in all not too tricky, and an enjoyable way to spend a little time on this bitterly cold day.

CoD? It would have to be the aforementioned 31ac – “Poetic pastureland with recorded dimensions? Not sure in that (4)”.

All the answers and parsing of the clues can be found in Fifteensquared’s blog from November 2019:

https://www.fifteensquared.net/2019/11/19/independent-10328-by-crosophile/

i Cryptic Crosswrd 3995 by Serpent

Difficulty rating (out of five): ⏳⏳⏳⏳

Most of us regular contributors (not that I have been this week!) enjoy hunting for Serpent’s invariably brilliant themes and Ninas, but I for one failed this week, despite being certain that there had to be one. As spotted by eXternal in comment 2 on Fifteensquared and explained by the setter himself further down, we were looking for books by a noted Nobel Laureate. Oh well, still plenty to enjoy.

I have very little time to blog today – busy life I’m afraid – so let me simply nominate a CoD, provide the link and kindly request that you comment below in order to provide the usual idothei lively discussion of what is undoubtedly another Serpent masterclass.

19a Accepted having central characters destroyed by ring that’s “precious” (7)

www.fifteensquared.net/2019/11/21/independent-10330-serpent

i Cryptic Crossword 3994 Morph

Difficulty rating (out of five): ⏳⏳⏳⏳

Quite a chewy challenge from Morph this morning. And I’m sorry to say it was sort of a Did Not Finish from your blogger, as he was unable to parse the clue for the cutter at 17d. It was faintly reassuring to read on Fifteensquared that others had struggled as well, first time round. And – as is so often the case – when I saw the explanation I was left wondering why I had been so obtuse as not to have seen it straightaway. There were plenty of clues like that today, but the rest I did manage to untangle before putting down my pen and picking up my phone. I didn’t know that tea was marijuana; yet another euphemism for a drug. Thee are so many gaps in my education and learning…

I loved the long anagrammed euphemism for sex at 5d. It seemed apt to use that phrase when clued using reference to Religious Education, as it has a biblical, or perhaps puritanical resonance to it. I also enjoyed the intestine being defined as waste processing centre. Clue of the Day, though, is 16ac. This was precisely clued, and with with a splendid surface reading. It took me a bit longer than it should have done because I couldn’t unthink “Widdecombe”, owing to the references to Josh and curry in the clue: “Josh’s partner in curry house interrupting posh bloke after complaints – this dish isn’t Indian! (4,10)”.

Here’s the link for the answers and explanations: https://www.fifteensquared.net/2019/11/14/independent-10234-by-morph/

i Cryptic Crossword 3993 by Eccles

Difficulty rating (out of five): ⏳⏳

It will be interesting to get other people’s opinions today, as I floundered badly, finishing in a time not dissimilar to a crawl. I’ve rated though as per Eccles’ average, based on the comments on the other side. Perhaps it’s a wavelength thing, or I’m a bit out of sorts (it has been one of those weeks for reasons both good and bad). All the bits I struggled with in retrospect look reasonable, though it did take a while to find both the correct Redknapp and Cabaret singer. Oh well, the weekend is almost here.

CoD? I’ll go with 10ac – “Member of staff that is touring: essential part of operation? (6)”.

All the answers and parsing of the clues can be found in Fifteensquared’s blog from November 2019:

https://www.fifteensquared.net/2019/11/27/independent-10335-eccles/

i Cryptic Crossword 3992 by Dutch

Difficulty rating (out of 5): ⌛⌛⌛

I made a slow start on this and thought at one stage I would need e-help, but I did eventually get it all unaided. It didn’t help that I initially had ‘reheat’ (for ‘fire’ as a verb) at 12ac which stymied me for 3dn and 13dn – had I spotted the nina I would have seen my mistake earlier.

Elsewhere there were no paticular problems. It took me a while to get SMALLHOLDINGS (where the surface of the clue raised a smile), and I was a bit hesitant over ‘SHERIF’ as I would have spelt it with an A, but Chambers gives both spellings. My last two in were 4dn and 9ac (spotting the nina would have helped there, too). Nice to see that ‘scandal’ in 4dn wasn’t used to clue ‘gate’.

As a chemist I appreciated the chemical symbol in 1dn and I thought the clue for 23ac was particularly neat. My nomination for CoD, though, goes to 24ac: ‘Tilt toes to fit this? (8)’

All the answers and explanations can be found at http://www.fifteensquared.net/2019/11/28/independent-10336-dutch/