How time flies! It’s Phi-day again already. The grid will suit those solvers who like lots of checking letters. However, despite all of these we still had a bit of difficulty with a few of the clues!
An enjoyable ending to the week though with some smooth reading to the clues – we come to expect that at the end of the week! There were a few new words that needed checking but were clearly clued – mind you we needed lots of checking letters before we sorted out 12ac.
Once the blog was complete we started to check for ninas or hidden themes. Joyce thought that there may be a small theme based around a few clues but Bert’s first guess was based on just one of the clues! An internet search revealed that he was correct and enabled us to find the other ten related clues. If you cannot find the theme click HERE for a link and scroll down the page until you come to ‘Structure’!
| Across | ||
| 1 | No longer is to care for adopting US city wilderness |
|
| WASTELAND | WAS (no longer is) + TEND (care for) around or ‘adopting’ LA (US city) | |
| 6 | Idle fellow declining second drink? | |
| WATER | WA |
|
| 9 | Piece of turf, mostly turned over, containing nothing of rounded shape | |
| OVOID | DIVO |
|
| 10 | Professor’s last economic question not ending in defeat again | |
| RECONQUER | R (last letter of Professor) + ECON (economic) + QUER |
|
| 11 | Prepared meat from hunting | |
| GAME | Double definition. This was a late entry despite the crossing letters. We hadn’t really thought about game as in “I’m game” of you are willing or prepared to do something! | |
| 12 | English area dump, horrible collection of rubbish | |
| EMU PARADE | E (English) + anagram of AREA DUMP (anagrind is ‘horrible’). This was a new one for us and not in Chambers, but we found it on-line as a collection of rubbish by school children or soldiers. We wondered whether Phi had come across this one on this wonderful site he mentioned a while ago but we couldn’t find it there! | |
| 13 | Meeting with doctor not supplying a very soft medication | |
| OINTMENT | ||
| 16 | Artist involved in collision and false charge | |
| BUM RAP | RA (artist) inside BUMP (collision) | |
| 18 | Speech recalled votes against bringing in Marines | |
| SERMON | NOES (votes against) reversed or ‘recalled’ around or ‘bringing in’ RM (Marines) | |
| 20 | What’s this, in simplicity | |
| IMPLICIT | A difficult one to describe; it is a play on the fact that as it is hidden within the clue, it is implicit in sIMPLICITy | |
| 23 | Dilute tea drunk by a number in a Trade Union | |
| ATTENUATE | Anagram of TEA (anagrind is ‘drunk’) after or ‘by’ TEN (number) in A TU (Trade Union) | |
| 24 | Inspire one in Open, having made cut | |
| FIRE | FRE |
|
| 27 | A crime in urban area (not capital) shows foolishness | |
| ASININITY | A + SIN (crime) + IN + |
|
| 28 | Some matches? Some form of battle | |
| CHESS | Hidden within the clue – Some matCHES Some | |
| 29 | Plan I ditched – not quite theend | |
| DEATH | ||
| 30 | Christians enthral us, misbehaving | |
| LUTHERANS | Anagram of ENTHRAL US (anagrind is ‘misbehaving’) | |
| Down | ||
| 1 | Court complaint about Director gets the bird | |
| WOODGROUSE | WOO (court) + GROUSE (complaint) around D (director) | |
| 2 | Impermanent figure currently heading for morgue in hospital | |
| SNOWMAN | NOW (currently) + M (heading for Morgue) inside or ‘in’ SAN (hospital) | |
| 3 | Topless lingerie item producing giddying effect | |
| EDDY | ||
| 4 | I’m blocking a friend’s bitterness | |
| ACRIMONY | I’M inside or ‘blocking’ A + CRONY (friend) | |
| 5 | Father linked to Mafia boss from the start | |
| DA CAPO | DA (father) + CAPO (mafia boss) | |
| 6 | Moving round slowly, releasing a line, inspiring awe | |
| WONDROUSLY | Anagram of ROUND SLOW |
|
| 7 | Half of this getting covered by rumbling sound | |
| THUNDER | TH |
|
| 8 | Uncommon meeting of army groups | |
| RARE | RA + RE (two army groups) | |
| 13 | Bankrupt’s mischievous about deliveries | |
| IMPOVERISH | IMPISH (mischievous) around or ‘about’ OVER (deliveries) | |
| 14 | A trophy, very large, is enshrining man’s glorification | |
| APOTHEOSIS | A + POT (trophy) + OS (very large) + IS around or ‘enshrining’ HE (man) | |
| 17 | Swirling steam surrounding your stone | |
| AMETHYST | Anagram of STEAM (anagrind is swirling’) around or ‘surrounding’ THY (your) | |
| 19 | What’s sensitive to light after swallowing second drink? | |
| RETSINA | RETINA (what’s sensitive to light) around or ‘swallowing’ S (second) | |
| 21 | Fancy that chap entering running race | |
| CHIMERA | HIM (that chap) inside or ‘entering’ an anagram of RACE (anagrind is ‘running’) | |
| 22 | Endless nonsense about uppity attitude in funeral service | |
| BURIAL | BUL |
|
| 25 | Spoke, identifying name of Egyptian port? | |
| SAID | Double definition | |
| 26 | Expert taking in new spots | |
| ACNE | ACE (expert) around or ‘taking in’ N (new) | |
I was quite slow to get moving but I enjoyed this puzzle and I found the wordplay very pleasing. I particularly liked 4d, 13d, 22d, 27, 1d.
New word for me today was EMU PARADE.
Thanks for the blog, Bertandjoyce. I had not realised that the puzzle had such a clever theme.
Thanks to Bert and Joyce for the link that explains the theme. I wouldn’t have seen it in a million years.
Another very enjoyable Phi puzzle. I only got EMU PARADE from the anagram fodder once all the checkers were in place, and I am making the assumption that it is an Australian expression. BURIAL was my LOI despite it being a very straightforward clue in retrospect.
It is PHI day, andf it is nice to see another well -clued puzzle. I also like MOdernism a lot, with Mr TOLILETS (!!!) being a fave author. I like Joyce too, but not as much as Bertt! (Sorry for being rude).
Topless lingerie I likefd, but was it only a Little Gidd ying?
I will shut up,
Rowlky
It’s many years since I read The Wasteland so although I thought 1ac might be the key to a theme I didn’t follow the idea through. But no knowledge of the theme was required to solve the crossword, so those who don’t like themes should be happy.
An EMU parade is defined here
That and BUM RAP were new to me but easily got from crossing letters and wordplay.
Thanks, Phi and B&J
Many thanks B & J and also Phi.
I totally missed the theme but I was pleased to see that I guessed EMU PARADE correctly.
12ac and 23ac are I think the only examples I’ve ever seen of Phi having less than 50% checking. OK he has a Nina and it may be rather difficult to fit the words in, but what is the world coming to?