This had everything I expect from Phi, clear precise, clues, easier wordplay to the less familiar words, everything fully understood. The extra bit was that, like some other of this week’s puzzles, there was a theme. I refer to it at the end of the review, following the clue explanations.
Solving time: 14 mins
* = anagram
ACROSS
1 G EMST (Mets)* ONE (individual) brilliant = gem
9 OT (back to) I (one) OSE (first letters = leaders)
10 BLUR(b)
12 (p)ANTS
16 FINALS The “final” one I solved. Thesis has a final s, unlike university
21 DR OP Liked that!
24 MY TH First and last letters (limits)
25 PENC(e) I L i’ for in, I think, I’d associate this more with advanced crosswords, rather than the daily cryptic
DOWN
1 HELL ENIC (cine reversed) I did wonder if “in” should have been “on”
3 NO V A Surface reading relates to football, I’d say.
6 HINTER L AND
7 E SP RIT Traces = first letters (again more often seen in advanced puzzles) weary = tire (upset)
13 SHORED ITCH
14 VER(y) MICE LLI (ill on the rise)
17 SHO (ETRE) E A query in that the definition is “form of footwear” but dicts suggest, as I’d thought myself, that it was something put into a shoe, when not being worn, to keep its shape Dior’s “to be” = the French for “to be” = etre (ignoring accent) in (hose)*
19 L IS BET Is in (belt)* Easy clue to a not so familiar word.
20 A LL(I)UM (Mull coming up)
Those last two words in particular needed because of the theme. Top and bottom rows spell HUNT THE THIMBLE (party game).
In 1 Down ‘depicted in film’ is the definition of cine, rather than an indication that hell should be placed ‘on’ cine reversed.
Collins defines shoetree as “a wooden or metal form” – thus, slightly cryptic definition suggested by question mark.
Phi was hoping this might be selected as a Saturday prize puzzle, but I was worried that solvers might be agonising over whether to highlight the thimble in the grid. At least the instruction wasn’t ‘black out the thimble’ – Listener aficionados will understand.