*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition.
A good, solid puzzle, as one tends to expect from Phi – a setter for whom I have the greatest of admiration. I didn’t find much in particular to comment on today, although “two-master” and one or two of the mentioned notables may be new to some. While I don’t fully understand 8/10, the solution was quite clear from the definition and the checked squares.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | ASSAM – (MASS + A)<. |
| 4 | FISHBONE – FINE “to include” BOSH*. |
| 8/10 | THOUSAND ISLAND DRESSING – “components of mistreatment”?. |
| 11 | OYSTER – Y[-ou] “observed in” [-p]OSTER. |
| 12 | LARCENIST – (CR[-ime] + STEALIN[-g])*. |
| 15 | CAPRA – CAP + RA. Frank Capra, director, 1897-1991. |
| 17 | VIPER – P “fixed by” VIER. |
| 18 | LOOSE-LEAF – (SEE + ALL + OF + O[-ne])*. |
| 19 | APPEAL – E in APPAL. |
| 21 | CARELESS TALK COSTS LIVES – cd. |
| 25 | HEADGEAR – (H + (A + GARDE[-n]))*. “Bean” being a reference to one’s bonce, I suppose. |
| 26 | RESIT – REST “holding” I. |
| Down | |
| 1 | ANTEDILUVIAN – ((NAVAL + DUTIE[-s]) + IN)*. |
| 2 | STONECROP – (ONE + CR) “coming in to” STOP. |
| 3 | MISTS – MISTS “holding” I[-t]. |
| 4 | FINANCIAL – FINAL “to bring in” (N + CIA). |
| 5/23 | SHINBONE – SHINE “penning” (B + ON). |
| 6 | BELLYACHE – (A + CH) “interrupts” YE “after” BELL. |
| 7 | NONET – NONE “getting to” [-i]T. |
| 9 | BREAKFAST-SET – FAST “brought in” BEAKERS* “having” T. |
| 13 | EARMARKED – E + AR + (ARK “in” MED). |
| 14 | TWO-MASTER – (MOST WATER)*, and perhaps &lit, since a “two-master” is a ship (with, you may not be surprised to learn, two masts). |
| 16 | PRESERVES – dd. This feels a little clumsy, as “putting out food” is not exactly “serves”. |
| 20 | PEAKE – PEKE “nipping” A. Mervyn Peake, writer and artist, 1911-1968. |
| 22 | EULER – E + [-r]ULER. Leonhard Euler, mathematician, 1707-1783. |
I didn’t do this one, but I guess “components of mistreatment” translates as m (thousand) + is (island) + treatment (dressing).
Good, as always, from Phi, a little harder than average for him.
Must say I thought PRE-SERVES was quite OK. In THOUSAND ISLAND DRESSING, I thought component was introduced to tell the solver to separate M IS and TREATMENT. That was my last entry, not least because I’d never heard of it.
Another great puzzle from Phi. Definitely harder than last week, but just as satisfying. Annoyingly didn’t get HEADGEAR though
Loved the thousand island dresisng clue. Up there with the best of the year to date IMHO
Yes, that was good. In fact, I’m slightly abashed at having missed such an excellent clue!