Phi now seems to be popping up on any day of the week rather than just a Friday, but he is very welcome at any time
I really enjoyed the clues today with some being a bit quirky. The surfaces also were excellent. I particularly liked the ‘two lots of data in 10 across to give us a hidden word clue without writing out the containers of the entry within the clue.
26 across (TWO) was interesting as it is rare to see the definition of an entry [this small number] in the middle of a clue rather than the beginning or the end.
There were a few clues I wasn’t able to parse quickly and only saw what was going as I wrote the blog. These were AIR CELL (11 across), FITZROVIA (6 down) and WATCH (25 down)
With an X, a Y and a Z, I thought we were on for a pangram but we are a J, a K and a Q short
I hadn’t come across COLLINS as a letter of gratitude before.
Finally for the Nina watchers we have quite a few REFERENCE [29 across] books in the grid,
GROVE [1 across] – Dictionary of Music,
BRAD [13 a cross] + SHAW [20 across] – Railway Guide brought back into modern view by Michael Portillo on his series of railway journeys around Britain.
COLLINS [19 across] Dictionary
OXFORD [2 down] Dictionary
CHAMBERS [7 down ] Dictionary
BREWER [21 down] Dictionary of Phrase and Fable
I tried to see if the three three-letter entries formed an anagram of a further book, but they don’t.
Overall, an excellent puzzle.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
| 1
|
Fawn without tail seen in spinney (5)
|
GROVEL (behave sycophantically; fawn) excluding the final letter (without tail) L
|
GROVE (wood of small size; spinney)
|
| 4
|
Shameless Lord following expert into evil (4-5)
|
(LD [Lord] + F {following] + ACE [expert]) contained in (into) BAD (evil)
BA (LD F ACE) D |
BALD-FACED (shameless)
|
| 9
|
Confused act wrecked security offer (4-7)
|
Anagram of (wrecked) CONFUSED ACT
|
SAFE-CONDUCT (a permit to pass or travel through an area with guarantee of freedom from interference or arrest; security offer)
|
| 10
|
Computer language used to link two lots of data? (3)
|
ADA (hidden word in [used to link] DATA DATA [two lots of DATA])
|
ADA (computer language named after ADA Lovelace, daughter of Lord Byron and assistant to Charles Babbage. Babbage invented the analytical engine often considered to be the world’s first computer)
|
| 11
|
About to sequester carbon in a seedy space in plants (3,4)
|
(RE [about] containing [to sequester] C [chemical symbol for Carbon]) all contained in (in) (A + ILL [seedy])
A I (R (C) E) LL |
AIR CELL (a botanical term an intercellular space containing air; space in plants)
|
| 12
|
Middle Easterner put in request ignoring article and story (7)
|
(ARAB [Middle Easterner]) contained in (put in) (PLEA [request] excluding [ignoring] A [indefinite article])
P (ARAB) LE |
PARABLE (story)
|
| 13
|
Expert returned clutching right nail (4)
|
DAB (expert) reversed (returned) containing (clutching) R (right)
B (R) AD< |
BRAD (a small tapering nail with a side projection instead of a head.)
|
| 15
|
Young mammal left mountain, shunning first of snows (7)
|
L (left) + (EVEREST [reference Mount EVEREST] excluding [shunning] S [the first letter of {first of} SNOWS])
|
LEVERET (a hare in its first year; young mammal)
|
| 18
|
City river bursting from bank (3)
|
RELY (depend; bank) excluding (bursting from) R (river)
|
ELY (city in Cambridgeshire)
|
| 19
|
Expression of gratitude: lines enclosing money? On the contrary (7) | (COINS [money] containing [enclosing] LL [lines]) – i.e. the opposite of (on the contrary) lines enclosing money.
CO (LL) INS |
COLLINS (a letter of thanks for hospitality, from the notable example sent by Mr COLLINS in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice]
|
| 20
|
Playwright who’d add line for cover (4)
|
SHAWL (a loose-knitted or other covering for the shoulders, wrapping a baby in, etc). This is the entry, SHAW + [add] L (line)
|
SHAW (reference George Bernard SHAW [1856 – 1950])
|
| 23
|
Conductors stream varying electric current (7)
|
Anagram of (varying) STREAM + I (symbol for electric current)
MAESTR* I |
MAESTRI (eminent musical conductors)
|
| 24
|
The old water, lapping edges of timber growth … (3,4)
|
YE (old form of the word ‘the’) + (WEE [urine; water] containing [lapping] TR [first and last letters of {edges of} TIMBER])
YE W (TR) EE |
YEW TREE (a YEW TREE is an example of something growing; a growth)
|
| 26
|
… growth including this small number on reflection (3)
|
TWO (hidden word [including] reversed [on reflection] in GROWTH)
TWO< |
TWO (small number)
|
| 27
|
Tumbler drier? (6,5)
|
ROLLER (tumbler) + TOWEL (drier)
|
ROLLER TOWEL (continuous TOWEL on a ROLLER [aren’t dictionary definitions wonderful some times!]) I see this clue as a cryptic definition
|
| 29
|
Testimonial for consultation in several answers? (9)
|
REFERENCE (testimonial when applying for a job)
|
REFERENCE (a book or online resource one consults to find the answer to a problem or query) double definition Many well known REFERENCE books are present in the grid [see the preamble above]
|
| 30
|
Hot, hot food, not cold – be quick (5)
|
H (hot) + (CURRY [spicy [hot] food] excluding [not] C [cold])
|
HURRY (be quick)
|
| Down | |||
| 1
|
Mouth to droop, turning over? I keep exercising mine (6)
|
SAG (droop) reversed (turning over) + BAG (keep)
GAS< BAG |
GASBAG (talkative person, someone who exercises their mouth)
|
| 2
|
Source of leather for Duke’s shoe (6)
|
OX (a source of leather – made from its hide) + FOR + D (duke)
|
OXFORD (a low-heeled laced shoe)
|
| 3
|
One presents first and last of music (5)
|
EM (the letter M) + CEE (the letter C) where M and C are the first and last letters [first and last] of MUSIC
|
EMCEE (master of ceremonies; one presents)
|
| 4
|
Explosion damaged a shield from Asian country (11)
|
BANG (explosion) + an anagram of (damaged) A SHIELD
BANG LADESHI* |
BANGLADESHI (a native of BANGLADESH, an Asian country)
|
| 5
|
Guy in bright colours disowned by daughter (3)
|
LOUD (flashy or showy, for example in bright colours) excluding (disowned by) D (daughter)
|
LOU (man’s name; guy)
|
| 6
|
English avoiding nothing by supporting suitable area of London (9)
|
FIT (suitable) + (ZERO [nothing] with the E being excluded [avoiding]) + VIA (by) The ZROVIA bit is supporting the letters of FIT when the whole entry is written downwards in the grid
|
FITZROVIA (FITZROVIA is a neighbourhood in central London, near London’s West End lying partly in the London Borough of Camden and partly in the City of Westminster; and situated between Marylebone and Bloomsbury and north of Soho)
|
| 7
|
Chief warning signs in legal venues (8)
|
CH (chief) + AMBERS (warning signs; e.g. in traffic lights)
|
CHAMBERS (suite of rooms occupied by lawyers or a judge’s room for hearing cases; legal venues)
|
| 8
|
The French college, probing rise rise in demure voice sounds (8)
|
(LE [one of the French forms of ‘the’] + C [college]) contained in (probing) (STAID [demure] reversed [rise; down clue]) I’m not sure why there are two occurrences of the word ‘rise’ in the clue. Perhaps it’s just a typo.
DIA (LE C) TS< |
DIALECTS (voice sounds)
|
| 12
|
Synthetic openly recast around second bicycle necessity (11)
|
Anagram of (recast) OPENLY containing (around) (S [second] + TYRE (bicycle necessity])
POLY (S TYRE) NE* |
POLYSTYRENE (a polymer [naturally occurring or synthetic substance built up from a number of smaller styrene resistant to moisture and to chemicals, with many commercial and industrial applications)
|
| 14
|
Riotous funster tries vaguely to crack eggs, then runs (9)
|
(Anagram of [vaguely] TRIES contained in [cracks] ROE [mass of fish eggs]) + R (runs in cricket scoring notation)
RO (ISTER*) E R |
ROISTERER (riotous funster)
|
| 16
|
Sword: wound opened by point at end? Not initially (8)
|
SCAR (wound) containing (opened by) (LIMIT [boundary; point at the end] excluding the first letter [not initially] L)
SC (IMIT) AR |
SCIMITAR (sword)
|
| 17
|
Recover from experiences besetting man-about-town on a roll? (5,3) | (FEELS [experiences] containing [besetting] FOP [affected dandy; man about town]) all reversed (on a roll)
(SLEE (POF) F)< |
SLEEP OFF (recover from)
|
| 21
|
Confines of boozer were heaving – thanks to me? (6)
|
BR (first and last letters of [confines of] BOOZER) + an anagram of (heaving) WERE
B (REWE*) R |
BREWER (one who makes many of the products sold in a boozer. Intake of such products can contribute to a ‘heaving’ time within the premises
|
| 22
|
Feudal obligation, variously emptying feudal territory? (6)
|
FEAL (letters left when the middle two letters are removed [emptying] from FEUDAL) + TY (letters left when the middle seven letters are removed [emptying a different manner {variously}] from TERRITORY)
|
FEALTY (the vassal’s obligation of fidelity to his feudal lord)
|
| 25
|
Pay attention to game after upset at the outset (5)
|
MATCH (game) with the first letter (at the outset) M turned upside down (upset) to form a W
WATCH |
WATCH (pay attention to)
|
| 26
|
Hutton, say, participating in judicial enquiry (3)
|
LEN (hidden word in [participating] JUDICIAL ENQUIRY)
|
LEN (reference Sir LEN Hutton, cricketer [1916 – 1990])]
|
There is something amiss in the print version. The grid has no 3 letter 18 across, and all the across clues are misnumbered by 1 from then in. eg it gives Collins as 18 across instead of 19.
The down clues go wrong starting at Brewer, which is printed as 20, but clues as 21.
Unless my ancient eyes are deceiving me of course.
Lovely themed puzzle thank you Phi and Duncan too.
Getting quite unsettling, isn’t it? Not sure what the reason is this time – maybe something thematic coming up?
Conrad @1 – nothing wrong with your eyes… after putting about 3 answers into the wrong holes on the train I gave up… to be continued on-line 🙁
Thankfully nothing wrong with the online version. Another enjoyable Phi puzzle, I saw the theme, and it helped with COLLINS because I didn’t know its “expression of gratitude” definition. I have no idea why I don’t remember coming across FITZROVIA before, and I needed the wordplay to get it.
Yes dead tree version has its numbering messed up, it looks like the centre square was inadvertently changed to black and the software renumbered the grid but not the clues….
Sadly, I agree with 1) above. Extremely off-putting grid!
Oh dear!
Fortunately did this on-line. Never heard of COLLINS in this context. Needed parsing for SLEEP OFF.
I parsed 1D as GAB + SAG all reversed; my ancient dictionary tells me GAB is a Scottish usage for mouth. Don’t think the blogged parsing above works; if so, what is the function of “mouth”?
Great fun if you didn’t try the print version. Thanks to Phi and duncanshiell.
After yesterday’s disaster, I was keen to finish today’s and found this much more doable. I thought for a while gasbag might be a mistake and was meant to be (gob sag) reversed and was also held up by thinking the London suburb must be Belgravia, since I couldn’t think of anywhere else ending via.
Another one doing the print version – took a while to work out what went where. Am very grateful for the help here in parsing FITZROVIA, confirming COLLINS (which I didn’t recognise as an expression of gratitude) and giving me ADA (which I didn’t know, so I couldn’t finish. Good fun as usual from Phi, and a very nice blog.
Fortunately, I was able to work out the renumbering very quickly and amended my print copy.
For a while, I was the CEGB’s expert in the Ada programming language in the late eighties.
Top left corner held me up in the end, and I couldn’t parse 11ac completely even when I got so thanks for the explanations. (And at least I did considerably better than yesterday.)
gwep@9: I took “mouth” to be the definition – someone who talks a lot, and I think that was Duncan’s idea too in the blog but he underlined the wrong part of the clue. (Or maybe not, looking at the clue again.) I have more trouble with “exercising mine” at the end of the clue if “bag” means keep.
No, forget the previous paragraph. I see it now. It’s GAB meaning mouth plus SAG meaning droop, all reversed.
@12Dormouse So you agree with me then.
Is Phi still there?
Well, sort of still here – remember I’m rather displaced in time from most of you! Yes, GAB = mouth, as in gift of. With all the supposed interest in Ms Austen (updated versions of novels, films about Janeites, Bridget Jones’ Mr Darcy), it’s surprising no-one remembers Mr Collins’ effusive letter.
gwep@13: Indeed. Looks like both Duncan and I originally mis-parsed the clue and we both changed our minds in mid-explanation.