Today saw my monthly Friday encounter with Phi.
I found this to be a medium-difficulty Phi puzzle. I made steady progress through it from the start almost to the finish, faltering only in the SE corner, where the intersecting entries at 18 (why?!), 25 and 28 were my last ones in. My favourite today was 20, for its smooth surface and misdirection, closely followed by 10 and 12, again for surface.
On the subject of themes (since there always seems to be one in a Phi puzzle), this week’s appears to be a bit less hidden than is often the case, with the names of various Roman gods appearing as grid entries today, together with some of their roles and responsibilities: Mercury, the Messenger of the Gods; Venus, Goddess of Love; Jupiter; Saturn …. Perhaps the theme is more subtle than that? If so, it has eluded me once more.
(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | PEACE | Speed involving energy or lack of energy?
E (=energy) in PACE (=speed) |
| 04 | JUPITER | Mozart symphony to stick out, having piano I included with hesitation
{[P (=piano) + I] in JUT (=to stick out)} + ER (=hesitation); the reference is to Mozart’s Symphony No 41 |
| 09 | VENUS | Goddess of blood, perhaps, allowing nothing to escape
VEN<o>US (=of blood, perhaps); “allowing nothing (=O) to escape” means letter “o” is dropped |
| 10 | LILY-WHITE | They and I will reform, becoming blameless
*(THEY + I WILL); “will reform” is anagram indicator |
| 11 | LOST | Wings of destructive insect no longer seen
LO<cu>ST (=destructive insect); “wings of” means first (two) and last (two) letters are used, not the central (two) letters |
| 12 | CALIBRATES | Adjusts twisted elastic restricting underwear
BRA (=underwear) in *(ELASTIC); “twisted” is anagram indicator |
| 15 | OIL-TREE | Olive, say, and role it played with culmination of agriculture
*(ROLE IT) + <agricultur>E; “culmination of” means last letter only is used; “played” is anagram indicator |
| 16 | YARDARM | Wild beam of light rebounding around King’s place of execution?
R (=king, i.e. rex) in YARDAM (MAD=wild; RAY=beam of light; “rebounding” indicates reversal); execution at sea was carried out by hanging people from the yardarm |
| 19 | SAYINGS | Gnomes, for example, in borders of gardens
SAY (=for example) + IN + G<arden>S (“borders of” means first and last letters only); as well as being a garden decoration, a gnome is a pithy and sententious saying |
| 22 | SALUTES | Acknowledges retail target, holding out to lose nothing
<o>UT (“to lose nothing (=O)” means letter “o” is dropped) in SALES (=retail target) |
| 23 | WHODUNNITS | This wound (shot) will involve new mysteries
N (=new) in *(THIS WOUND); “shot” is anagram indicator |
| 25 | LOVE | Nothing left, with reduction in surplus
L (=left) + OVE<r> (=surplus, extra; “with reduction in” means last letter dropped) |
| 27 | RICKETIER | Almost twisted part of stand that’s less stable
RICKE<d> (=twisted, sprained; “almost” means last letter dropped) + TIER (=part of stand, for e.g. cakes) |
| 28 | ALONG | Close to name carved in a lump of wood
N (=name) in [A + LOG (=lump of wood)] |
| 29 | MERCURY | Cheerful about copper metal
CU (=copper, i.e. chemical symbol) in MERRY (=cheerful) |
| 30 | SPEAR | Fight involving English weapon
E (=English) in SPAR (=fight) |
| Down | ||
| 01 | PAVILIONS | A VIP confused sports team in exhibition venues
*(A VIP) + LIONS (=sports team, e.g. the British Lions in rugby union) |
| 02 | AUNT SALLY | Target not gutted when surrounded by an American partner
N<o>T (“gutted” means middle letter dropped) in [A + US (=American) + ALLY (=partner)] |
| 03 | EAST | Direction some explore as travellers?
Hidden (“some”) in “explorE AS Travellers” |
| 04 | JOLLITY | Merriment and happiness about work on farm being over
LLIT (TILL=work on farm; “being over” indicates reversal) in JOY (=happiness) |
| 05 | POWER DRILL | Reword changes in form of treatment indicating electrical device?
*(REWORD) in PILL (=form of treatment); “changes” is anagram indicator |
| 06 | TWIST | I asked for more // to deliver a deal
Double definition: Dickens’ Oliver Twist asked for more (food) AND “to twist” is to “deal” a card face upwards, in pontoon |
| 07 | REELS | River with fish implies angling equipment
R (=river) + EELS (=fish) |
| 08 | OLD AGE | I turned up belting naughty lad – it’s not what boyhood’s about!
*(LAD) in OGE (EGO=I; “turned up” indicates vertical reversal); “naughty” is anagram indicator |
| 13 | EAR | Tolerates ditching Wings, showing taste in music
<b>EAR<s> (=tolerates); “ditching Wings” means first and last letters are dropped |
| 14 | ART NOUVEAU | Reduced turnover, possibly, in a gold style of decoration
*(TURNOVE<r>) in [A + AU (=gold)]; “possibly” is anagram indicator |
| 17 | ASTRODOME | Walked into a considerable stadium
TROD (=walked) in [A + SOME (=considerable, as in That was some performance!)] |
| 18 | MESSENGER | One informs English monarch after confused situation
MESS (=confused situation) + ENG (=English) + ER (=monarch) |
| 20 | ASH | Though losing leader, band remains
<s>ASH (=band, of cloth); “losing leader” means first letter is dropped |
| 21 | SUNNILY | Singular, with humour, but not initially with geniality
S (=singular, in grammar) + <f>UNNILY (=with humour; “but not initially” means first letter dropped) |
| 22 | SATURN | Routine adopted by reduced space agency upheld type of rocket
RUT (=routine) in NAS<a> (=space agency; “reduced” means first letter dropped); “upheld” indicates (here full) reversal; the Saturns were a family of rocket boosters in the US in the 60s and 70s |
| 23 | WARUM | Why German was cutting down booze
WA<s> (“cutting down” means last letter dropped) + RUM (=booze); “warum” means “why” in German |
| 24 | OSCAR | Love and tenderness mostly receiving special award
O (=love, i.e. zero score) + [S (=special) in CAR<e> (=tenderness; “mostly” means last letter dropped)] |
| 26 | MARS | Spoils score, forgetting King
MAR<k>S (=score); “forgetting King (=K)” means letter “k” is dropped |
Thanks, RR, for blogging.
The usual excellent stuff from Phi, which I much enjoyed. I especially enjoyed it because for once in a blue moon I actually spotted the theme (post-solve, it has to be said). It’s Gustav Holst’s orchestral suite, The Planets.
So we have Mars, the Bringer of War; Venus, the Bringer of Peace; Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity; and Mercury, the Winged Messenger. These four planets and their descriptions are scattered around the grid. WAR is hidden in WARUM (which explains a rather odd clue). No great surprise about the theme: regulars will know that Phi’s two main interests are music and astronomy.
Good stuff – thank you to the setter.
Oh, and of course Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age.
“Why” in German is a bit far out for my language skills, I’m afraid, I had to just guess it. I didn’t twig to the theme until I wrote in my last answer, “mars”!
Lovely stuff, thanks Phi and RatkojaRiku!
I knew there had to be more to the theme than I had sussed. I even thought about the Planets Suite and ought to have googled it.
I even looked for “war” in the grid after getting Mars. For some reason, I didn’t see it hiding in “warum”, despite thinking that the word was somewhat out of place in this type of puzzle.
Thanks for enlightening me,
RatkojaRiku
Although I got WARUM from the clear wordplay I think that cluing a German word that, as far as I know, hasn’t crossed into English in any way just to complete the theme was a bit of a stretch. Having said that, I enjoyed the puzzle even if I didn’t see all of the complexities of the Holst theme. I had the most trouble in the SE and LOVE was my LOI.
I half got the theme today; noticed the planets but failed to connect them with their musico-astrological attributes.
I initially thought 13dn had been badly clued as [tol]era[tes] gives ERA, not EAR. Never thought of looking for a synonym of ‘tolerates’, so thanks, RatkojaRiku, for the explanation.
And thanks to Phi.
As someone who studied French and German at school, I have no problem with warum (but no latin, please!) I did consider the Holst theme but, with Phi’s track record on this, I assumed there’d be a full set if that was the case, so thought maybe it was just the first 5 planets to be discovered or something like that.
No one seems to have mentioned Saturn, bringer of old age.
Sorry, Kathryn’s Dad. Sincere apologies. I skimmed down too fast
I missed it first time round as well, Leon …
The original plan was to have MARS and WARS as my way round the three-letter word problem (I’m not generally a fan of them, unless I have some 11-letter entry to accommodate). Then I realised Venus was not the bringer of Love, so had to rejig, and WARUM was the consequence. I haven’t really touched German for nigh on forty years, but I remembered it, so it seemed safe enough.
It was hard enough getting five planets and their attributes into a decent grid – a full set of 14 themed entries wasn’t on. Volume 2 will follow when I think you will have forgotten about it!
Thanks Phi and RR.
A lovely puzzle. I am surprised Phi managed to get five planets in. We will have to remember in the future to keep a lookout for Uranus the magician and Neptune the mystic.
I needed help in parsing SAYINGS and TWIST, extra thanks RR.