This is my first Friday blog of 2014, so it is my first encounter of the year with Phi.
I found this a medium-difficulty Phi puzzle, with three unfamiliar words at 4, 11 and 12 needing to be worked out from wordplay alone. I am not sure of the definition at 15, since I cannot think of a sentence where the two words could be interchanged. I am equally unsure of the wordplay at 13. I look forward to reading other solvers’ comments. My favourite clues are the tandem at 1A (for its & lit. element) and 8.
I have not spotted a theme today, but do I ever?!
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in double-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | FRANCOPHOBIA | What’s shown by a ‘rosbif’, chap on travelling, spurning Paris, ultimately?
*(A RO<s>BIF CHAP ON); “travelling” is anagram indicator; “spurning Paris ultimately (=S, i.e. last letter) means letter “s” is dropped from anagram; & lit.; a ‘rosbif’ is a colloquial French word for an Englishman! |
| 08 | LILLE | Lines in story? My predecessor would prevent you appreciating it
L L (=lines, i.e. L x 2) in LIE (=story); Francophobia (=my predecessor) would stop someone from appreciating Lille |
| 09 | RH-FACTOR | Blood chemical starts to ruin hopes for performer
R<uin> H<opes> F<or> (“starts to” means first letters only) + ACTOR (=performer) |
| 10 | LEGISLATORSHIP | Various tigerish polls limiting a politician’s function?
A in *(TIGERISH POLLS); “various” is anagram indicator |
| 12 | NEOTERISM | Novelty moistener failed
*(MOISTENER); “failed” is anagram indicator; neoterism is the introduction of new things, especially new words, hence “novelty” |
| 14 | ON CUE | Formerly involving university when expected
U (=university) in ONCE (=formerly) |
| 15 | TACKS | Try (in hearing) to make a few points
Homophone (“in hearing”) of “tax” (=try, as verb) |
| 17 | CLIFF-FACE | Constant activity around restaurant recalled as feature of Dover?
FFAC (CAFF=restaurant; “around” indicates reversal) in [C (=constant) + LIFE (=activity)] |
| 20 | THINK NOTHING OF | Be happy to try // scorn
Double definition |
| 22 | ARBORETA | Skill to restrict tunnel beside advanced tree plantations
[BORE (=tunnel) in ART (=skill)] + A (=advanced) |
| 23 | IMBUE | Inspire one million to live around university
I (=one) + M (=million) + [U (=university) in BE (=live)] |
| 24 | WITNESS STAND | Unexpectedly wants dissent where evidence is given
*(WITNESS STAND); “unexpectedly” is anagram indicator |
| Down | ||
| 01 | FULL-LENGTH | Girl turning up in the Gulf, swimming, expending energy, covering entire distance
LLEN (NELL=girl; “turning up” indicates vertical reversal) in *(TH<e> GULF); “swimming” is anagram indicator; “expending energy (=E)” means letter “e” is dropped from anagram |
| 02 | ALLEGRO | Moving fast, claim run out, dismissing last of side
ALLEG<e> (=claim) + RO (=run out, i.e. in cricket); “dismissing last of side” (=E, i.e. last letter) means letter “e” is dropped |
| 03 | CHESS SETS | Boxes containing ship (English) and provisions for games
[SS (=ship, i.e. steamship) + E (=English)] in CHESTS(=boxes) |
| 04 | PARVATI | V&A filling section with one Hindu goddess
[VA (=V&A) in PART (=section)] + I (=one); Parvati is the goddess of power, creation and the victory of good over evil |
| 05 | OFF FORM | Describing indifferent quality of folios or manuscripts, initially
OF + FF (=folios, i.e. 2 x F) + OR + M<anuscripts> (“initially” means first letter only) |
| 06 | INCUS | Suffers losing radius (bone)
INCU<r>S (=suffers); “losing radius (=R)” means letter “r” is dropped; the incus (or anvil) is one of the small bones of the inner ear |
| 07 | ZODIAC | College to support Australian turning up for astrological study
C (=college) + AID (=support) + OZ (=Australian); “turning up” indicates vertical reversal |
| 11 | LEE ENFIELD | File’s damaged, caught by action of needle gun
*(FILE) in *(NEEDLE); “damaged” and “action of” are anagram indicators; a Lee Enfield is a type of rifle used by the British army in the Boer War and World Wars I and II |
| 12 | SOL | Star, not binary, not entirely
SOL<e> (=not binary); “not entirely” means last letter dropped |
| 14 | OFF LIMITS | Old fellow, not completely weak, keeping it out of bounds
O (=old) + F (=fellow) + [IT in FLIMS<y> (=weak; “not completely” means last letter dropped)] |
| 16 | COHORT | Company very intense about right group of people
CO (=company) + [R (=right) in HOT (=very intense)] |
| 17 | CONDEMN | Be critical of money found in prisoners’ hideout?
M (=money) + [CON DEN (=prisoner’s hideout)] |
| 18 | IN-TRAYS | One votes against accepting transactions where new work’s arriving
TR (=transactions) in [I (=one) + NAYS (=votes against)] |
| 19 | ALGEBRA | Subject represented in a large book?
*(A + LARGE + B<ook>); “represented in” is anagram indicator |
| 21 | NAOMI | One fellow upset about old Biblical character
O (=old) in [NAMI (=I (=one) + MAN (=fellow); “upset” indicates vertical reversal] |
Thank you to Phi and blogger.
Yes I had the same thoughts for wordplay for SOL. Don’t know if TACKS refers to “points” in sailing terminology.
I’m hopeless with themes. I wondered if 11d (as in .303) may be referred to in other clues but nothing I could see. The only thing I could spot was “NZ” up near the NE corner, but even bearing in mind Phi’s place of abode this would hardly seem to constitute a theme or Nina and there were no other obvious Kiwi references.
Welll, there is something…
I thought the corresponding star sytem type to binary might be solo, but I can find no confirmation. I concur that TACKS are points of sail. Generally found this a zip, which was welcome as I had to make an unexpected school run today.
There are quite a few triple letters, though if there’s more to the Nina than that I’m not biting.
Thanks, Phi and RatkojaRiku.
I agree with RR that this puzzle was a mid-level Phi. 8ac and 9ac went in from the wordplay and 12ac as my best guess from the anagram fodder. CONDEMN was my LOI.
I can’t see a nina or a theme either, although I also noticed the triple letters in some of the answers.
Always look forward to Phi’s Friday puzzle, and I enjoyed this one. Bit tricky to finish today; got stuck in the SE until I worked out THINK NOTHING OF.
I’m not even going to try to spot the nina. Thanks to Phi, and to RR for blogging.
I got most of it out without my aids which was a real buzz. Thanks to Phi and blogger. 11d tried to get to the surface of my mind but I didn’t believe in a ‘verb’: to enfield something. Oh, well. Blind alleys will be recognised the next time!
It is the triple letters. I was surprised how few familiar ones there were, and how comparatively long the answers had to be, but I plugged on regardless, and just to see what sort of grid ensued. (One with big black lumps in the corners, it appears.). Also, of course, there are challenges in clueing entries with such agglomerations, though that’s of less interest to the solver, unless I fail to surmount them, of course.
Oh well, let’s hope some of the stuff coming.up grabs you more.
Thanks Phi for a thoroughly enjoyable puzzle and RR for the blog.
I took 13dn as SOL(o) rather than SOL(e), but cannot find a convincing argument in favour of that.
Well – we thought the triple letters were quite good!
Thanks Phi – an enjoyable puzzle to end the week.
Thanks RR.
Further to my earlier comment, I should probably have added that spotting the triple letter motif helped me to solve some of the clues, and I should certainly have acknowledged that my comments on 13dn were echoing Ian@3.
Phi –
Don’t put yourself down! I thought the triple letters were fantastic (even though an uncommonly easy Nina to find). I could readily appreciate the difficulty in discovering so many – let alone using the conceit in clue construction! Quite delightful.
Who loves ya, baby!