Independent 11000 / Phi - Fifteensquared

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Since today is Friday, there is no surprise in having Phi’s latest puzzle to grapple with. Incidentally, this is something of a landmark puzzle, being puzzle 11,000 in the Indy series.

I found this one to be towards the easy end of the Phi spectrum, perhaps because the fairly accessible longer entries at 1D and 8 provided a lot of first and last letters. Nevertheless, I would appreciate fellow solvers’ confirmation (or otherwise!) of my parsing at 4.

My favourite clues today were 1D, for incorporating the two references to cricket; 13, for smoothness of surface; 19, for the humour in “members’ contributions”; and 22, for the inclusion of “nose” in definition and wordplay alike.

Hawk-eyed solvers will have noticed that the top row of the completed grid spells out WILLIAM GILBERT, the English physician and philosopher (1544-1603), while the bottom row gives STANLEY SPENCER, the English painter (1891-1959). I don’t know if there was any particular reason for honouring these two figures in today’s grid, and I don’t know if there are any further references to either in the grid. Curiously, Google tells me that Stanley’s younger brother was artist Gilbert Spencer (1892-1979) and that their father was a William!

*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues

Across  
   
01 WILLIAM Royal figure not quite intent to have post redirected

WIL<d> (=intent, frantic; “not quite” means last letter is dropped) + LIAM (MAIL=post; “to have … redirected” indicates reversal)
   
05 GILBERT Possibly Chesterton’s book on Queen bound in gold

[B (=book) + ER (=Queen, i.e. Elizabeth Regina)] in GILT (=gold(en)); the reference is to English writer Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936)
   
09 ANGST Heartless Governments contributing to worker uneasiness

G<overnment>S (“heartless” means all but first and last letters are dropped) in ANT (=worker)
   
10 APOLOGISE A stance maintained about journal leading one to say sorry

[LOG (=journal) + I (=one)] in [A + POSE (=stance)]
   
11 SET ON FIRE Observes overturned sack, light

SET ON (NOTES=observes; “overturned” indicates reversal) + FIRE (=sack, dismiss)
   
12 CAN-DO Cobalt, as it were, is prepared for action

C and O together give CO, the chemical formula for “cobalt”
   
13 VAPORISE Spray proves air is contaminated

*(PROVES AIR); “is contaminated” is anagram indicator
   
15 BASIS Singer needing one in support

I (=one) in BASS (=singer)
   
17 RESET Making a new start, gaining energy in time off

E (=energy) in REST (=time-off)
   
19 METACARPI Carpet? Aim for replacement with members’ contributions, perhaps?

*(CARPET AIM); “for replacement” is anagram indicator; cryptically, as bones in the hand, metacarpi could be described as “members’ contributions, perhaps”
   
21 LLAMA Source of wool a lot of shops rejected

A + MALL (=lot of shops); “rejected” indicates reversal
   
23 ACROBATIC Cricketer, one cornered by a reptile, must be agile

[BAT (=cricketer) + I (=one)] in [A + CROC (=reptile, i.e. crocodile)]
   
25 ANOMALIES Unexpected items in a serving of semolina

A + *(SEMOLINA); “serving of” is anagram indicator
   
26 ANGLE View given by theatrical sponsor backing a couple

ANGEL (=theatrical sponsor, i.e. provider of finance); “backing a couple” means the last two letters change places
   
27 STANLEY Journalist-explorer worn-out after going round New York at first

[N (=new) in STALE (=worn-out)] + Y<ork> (“at first” means first letter only); the reference is to Sir Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904), of Stanley and Livingstone fame
   
28 SPENCER Royal name offering small change in second rule

[PENCE (=small change)] in [S (=second) + R (=rule, in law)]; the reference is to the Spencer family, from which Lady Diana Spencer hailed
   
Down  
   
01 WEAR SEVERAL HATS Be an all-rounder – certainly more than a bowler, it seems

Since a bowler is just one type of hat, an all-rounder would certainly wear more than that!
   
02 LOGOTYPES Kind to put in Greek word for ‘printing units’

TYPE (=kind, sort) in LOGOS (=Greek word, i.e. the Greek word for word)
   
03 INTONER Very interested in historic fiddler, mostly, in singer

INTO (=very interested in)  + NER<o> (=historic fiddler, i.e. Roman emperor; “mostly” means last letter is dropped)
   
04 MIAMI Frozen singer welcoming a warm place to retire?

A in MIMI (=the character in Puccini’s La bohème, whose tiny hand is frozen)
   
05 GLOBE-TROT Follow jet-setter, having dollop of cream, say, on upside-down cake

GLOB (=dollop of cream, say) + ETROT (TORTE=cake; “upside-down” indicates vertical reversal)
   
06 LION CUB Hero with weapon avoiding large young feline

LION (=hero, courageous person) + C<l>UB (=weapon; “avoiding large (=L, in sizes)” means letter “l” is dropped)
   
07 EVIAN Water I consumed in rising church centre

I in EVAN (NAVE=church centre; “rising” indicates vertical reversal); Evian is a type of French mineral water
   
08 THE COAST IS CLEAR Storm’s moved inland – you can leave now

Cryptically, if the “storm’s moved inland”, then the coast is clear!
   
14 SUMMARILY Without delay, text offering affection after total damage

SUM (=total) + MAR (=damage) + ILY (=text offering affection, i.e. I LOVE YOU in textspeak)
   
16 STRATEGIC English to avoid nasty cigarettes, following a plan

*(CIGAR<e>TTES); “English (=E) to avoid” means one letter “e” is dropped from the anagram, indicated by “nasty”
   
18 TRAVAIL Openings of three roads use a lot of labour

T<hree> R<oads> (“opening of” means first letters only) + AVAIL (=use, make use of)
   
20 CABBAGE Sailor leading pack into church for harvest festival item

[AB (=sailor, i.e. able-bodied seaman) + BAG (=(to) pack)] in CE (=church, i.e. Church of England)
   
22 AROMA Nose? A sort of nose, almost entirely

A + ROMA<n> (=sort of nose; “almost entirely” means last letter is dropped); the nose of a wine is its aroma
   
24 RUSTS Regular behaviour patterns into which son declines

S (=son) in RUTS (=behaviour patterns); to rust is to decline, become inefficient by inaction, e.g. of skill
   

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