Thanks Phi for an unexpected enjoyable crossword. We say ‘unexpected’ because we normally get to solve your puzzles on Friday – not unexpected because they are not usually enjoyable!
While writing up the blog, Joyce had another chance to appreciate how good the clueing was. She really liked some of the short answers, which were easy from the wordplay but more tricky to parse such as 7d and 23d
Regular solvers will be aware that Phi sometimes has hidden themes. Often these are musical which is not our forte.If we cannot see any connection, our technique is to choose some random words from the grid and see whether google can find a connection.
We struck lucky with our second choice and found THIS PERSON. The wiki page then helped us identify the other themed answers. In reading about his early life we were fascinated about his experiences after registering as a conscientious objector in 1941.
| Across | ||
| 1 | Murderer’s throttling prone officers | |
| CAPTAINS | CAIN’S (murderer’s) around or ‘throttling’ APT (prone) | |
| 6/14 | Notorious school – rebellious tsarina in it, leading bridge team | |
| SAINT TRINIANS | An anagram of TSARINA IN IT (anagrind is ‘rebellious’) in front of or ‘leading’ NS (bridge team) | |
| 9 | California stories involving one measure of heat | |
| CALORIE | CA (California) + LORE (stories) around or involving I (one) | |
| 10 | What involves physical exercise in tent’s ultimate level? | |
| TRAPEZE | A play on the fact that PE (physical exercise) is inside T (last letter of tent or ‘ultimate’) + RAZE (level). Needless to say a trapeze is often seen in a ‘big top’ or tent. | |
| 11 | Source of detonation possibly producing broader ruins | |
| SOUND BARRIER | An anagram of BROADER RUINS (anagrind is ‘producing’) | |
| 13 | Succeeded in avoiding hill run | |
| LOPE | ||
| 14 | See 6ac | |
| 18 | Core matters enclosed in letters | |
| ESSENCES | ENC (enclosed) inside ESSES (letters) | |
| 19 | A vet returned in closing feature | |
| CODA | A DOC (vet) reversed or ‘returned’ | |
| 21 | Frantically raced with fortune available here? | |
| TOUR DE FRANCE | A play on the fact that an anagram of RACED and FORTUNE (anagrind is ‘frantically’) gives the answer. What great memories we have from this year’s tour! We were part of the huge crowd on Holme Moss. | |
| 25 | Company investing in shops beginning to match leader in Scotland | |
| MALCOLM | CO (company) inside or ‘investing in’ MALL (shops) + M (first letter or ‘beginning’ of Match) | |
| 26 | US writer’s article securing gold and more gold | |
| THOREAU | THE (article) around or ‘securing’ OR (gold) + AU (gold) | |
| 27 | Happy to embrace week of unco-ordinated style | |
| GAWKY | GAY (happy) around or ‘embracing’ WK (week) | |
| 28 | Promotional item is restricted by cut in description of holiday destination? | |
| PARADISE | AD (promotional item) + IS inside or ‘restricted by’ PARE (cut) | |
| Down | ||
| 2 | A form of super-poll, covering every question? | |
| ALL-PURPOSE | A + anagram of SUPER POLL (anagrind is ‘form of’) | |
| 3 | Lose interest after stomaching a Director’s outburst | |
| TIRADE | TIRE (lose interest) around or ‘stomaching’ A + D (director) | |
| 4 | I continue blocking nice working, being unyielding | |
| INELASTIC | I + LAST (continue) |
|
| 5 | Deity placed to get your following | |
| SATYR | SAT (placed) + YR (your) | |
| 6 | Hat in brown shades kept up disorderly show | |
| SNAKE PIT | KEPI (hat) inside TANS (brown shades) reversed or ‘kept up’ | |
| 7 | Couple: one with one following half-heartedly | |
| ITEM | I + TEeM (8d – the one following) with only one E or ‘half-heartedly. This was our last one in. The crossing letters were in lightly but we couldn’t parse it. | |
| 8 | Hunt coming up empty | |
| TEEM | MEET (hunt) reversed or ‘coming up’. This was our penultimate answer and then Bert suddenly saw the connection with 7d. | |
| 9 | Tintagel, say, its exterior beset by some action | |
| CASTLE | TL (first and last letters or ‘exterior’ of Tintagel) surrounded by CASE (some action) | |
| 12 | Comes up against information not including opening of gay bars | |
| ENCOUNTERS | ||
| 15 | After reorganisation, Princeton’s dropping new assessor | |
| INSPECTOR | An anagram of PRI |
|
| 16 | Unaccompanied, getting stuck into unknown sticky stuff, picking up knowledge of wine | |
| OENOLOGY | LONE (unaccompanied) inside or getting ‘stuck into’ Y (unknown) + GOO (sticky stuff) reversed or ‘picking up’ | |
| 17 | French composer’s musical academy on the water in Paris | |
| RAMEAU | RAM (Musical academy) + EAU (water in France) | |
| 20 | British poet’s line receiving Arab agreement? On the contrary | |
| ARNOLD | AR (Arab) + NOD (agreement) around L (line). As the word play indicates that line should be on the outside ‘on the contrary’ is required. | |
| 22 | Make a new plan, with money that’s coming in cut | |
| REMAP | M (money) inside or ‘in’ REAP (cut) | |
| 23 | It’s very good in choking millions? | |
| SMOG | A cryptic definition – SO (very) + G (good) around or ‘choking’ M (millions) | |
| 24 | What’ll make you black and blue? | |
| BLOW | Another cryptic definition – B (black) + LOW (blue) | |
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