The Friday slot is Phi’s traditional home, and here he is again with his latest offering.
I found this puzzle towards the easier end of the Phi spectrum. The grid is one that offers little variety of word length, although this is somewhat tempered by Phi’s use of dual entries, symmetrically positioned in the grid. The grid doesn’t allow for a Nina, nor have a spotted a (ghost) theme of any kind. Have any other solvers spotted anything, I wonder?
I think that I have parsed everything satisfactorily, perhaps with the exception of the definition at 17. I found parsing 19 rather tricky, but I think that I got there in the end! My favourite clues today are the clever cryptic definition at 02/18 and 25, for its concision.
(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01/05 | BATHING MACHINE | Happen to take in a specific item getting children into the sea – such as this?
{[A + THING (=specific item)] + [CH (=children) in MAIN (=the sea)]} in BE (=happen) |
| 09 | OCEANIA | Australian in a firm returning around Eastern Pacific region
E (=East) in OCANIA (A=Australian + IN + A + CO (=firm, i.e. company); “returning” indicates reversal |
| 10 | GENTEEL | Respectable information given to support Liberal
GEN (=information) + TEE (=support, in golf) + L (=liberal) |
| 11 | IMMORTALS | Smart limo on the move – such people are like gods
*(SMART LIMO); “on the move” is anagram indicator |
| 12 | ACT UP | Perform badly, first to trip in a competition
T<rip> (“first to” means first letter only) in [A + CUP (=competition)]; to act up (of a machine) is to malfunction, play up, hence “perform badly” |
| 13 | HELOT | The man’s mostly unwilling to be a slave
HE (=the man) + LOT<h> (=unwilling; “mostly” means last letter dropped) |
| 15 | TERMINATE | Stop recalling one number amongst 26
NA (A=one + N=number; “recalling” indicates reversal) in TERMITE (=entry at 26) |
| 17 | REPOSSESS | Take back theatre: deficits initially cancelled with introduction of subsidy
REP (=theatre, i.e. repertory) + [S<ubsidy> (“introduction of” means first letter only) in <l>OSSES (=deficits; “initially cancelled” means first letter dropped)] |
| 19 | EASED | Most of group in front losing lead, having slowed down
SE<t> (=group; “most of” means last letter dropped) in <h>EAD (=front; “losing lead” means first letter dropped) |
| 22 | TAIGA | Name encompassing one American forest region
[I (=one) in TAG (=name)] + A (=American) |
| 23 | PREAMBLES | Prince talks vaguely about English in opening remarks
P (=prince) + [E (=English) in RAMBLES (=talks vaguely)] |
| 25 | HIT LIST | Targets one time-line in history
[I (=one) + T (=time) + L (=line)] in HIST (=history) |
| 26 | TERMITE | Call it the end of agriculture?
TERM (=call) + IT + <agricultur>E (“end of” means last letter only); & lit. in that the termite can be a pest for farmers! |
| 27/28 | TURKISH DELIGHT | King tucking into this rude, peculiar, insubstantial sweetmeat
[K (=king, in cards) in *(THIS RUDE)] + LIGHT (=insubstantial); “peculiar” is anagram indicator |
| Down | ||
| 01 | BOOKISH | Nothing acceptable in error of a literary nature
[O (=nothing) + OK (=acceptable)] in BISH (=error, colloquially) |
| 02/18 | THERMAL PRINTER | Source of items hot off the press?
Cryptic definition: “hot” would suggest the word “thermal”; a thermal printer is an old form of dot matrix printer using heated pins to fix images on heat-sensitive paper |
| 03 | INNER | Meal without starter – feeding such a man?
<d>INNER (=meal); “without starter” means first letter dropped; facetiously, the inner man is the stomach or appetite |
| 04 | GUARANTEE | Promise advance payment – argue hopelessly about that
ANTE (=advance payment) in *(ARGUE); “hopelessly” is anagram indicator |
| 05 | MAGUS | A lot of inspiration surrounding a good sorcerer
[A + G (=good)] in MUS<e> (=inspiration; “a lot of” means last letter dropped) |
| 06 | CANTABILE | Hypocrisy and a sense of bitterness expressed in song
CANT (=hypocrisy) + A + BILE (=sense of bitterness); cantabile means flowing and melodious, like singing |
| 07/20 | INERTIA SELLING | Latin lingerie’s distributed in dodgy marketing ploy
*(LATIN LINGERIE’S); “distributed” is anagram indicator; inertia selling is the sending of unsolicited goods in the hope of making a sale |
| 08 | ECLIPSE | Cuts in energy repeated period of darkness
CLIPS (=cuts) in [E E (E=energy; repeated=x2)] |
| 14 | TOSCANINI | Italian conductor to read quickly in Italy
TO + SCAN (=read quickly) + IN + I (=Italy, in IVR); the reference is to Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini (1867-1957) |
| 16 | RESPECTED | Relaxed, nursing muscle that’s valued
PEC (=muscle, i.e. pectoral) in RESTED (=relaxed) |
| 17 | RATCHET | Restraint in operating right lumberjack’s tool for pollarding
R (=right) + <h>ATCHET (=lumberjack’s tool; “for pollarding” means that the top is chopped off, i.e. the first letter dropped) |
| 21 | DISSENT | Dispute evidence of damage around orbiter
ISS (=orbiter, i.e. International Space Station) in DENT (=evidence of damage) |
| 23 | PITCH | Tar’s // motion at sea?
Double definition: pitch is both TAR, bitumen AND (of a ship) to plunge and lift alternately at bow and stern, hence “motion at sea”’ |
| 24 | MORAL | Lesson millions needed before exam
M (=millions) + ORAL (=exam) |
I found this a mix of easy, witty and bracingly hard clues! Thanks to both!
I also found it easier the usual, but none the worse for that. TAIGA was new to me and it was nice to learn of it via the gentle clue. Thanks, Phi and RR.
[Off topic, I tried a Bryant and May novel based on the recommendation a few weeks ago. I’m still on the fence, but enthusiastic enough to give the second one a try.]
Shame that not many people comment on a Phi – this one was easier than some. I particularly liked 26a.
Thanks to Phi and RR.
Often there’s not much to comment on, crypticsue. In the sense that it’s all carefully constructed and clued, so there’s seldom much to complain about. Just like today. I couldn’t really pick a favourite in this one: all good stuff.
Thanks to RR and Phi.
Thanks Phi and RR. I cannot spot a theme…
CANTABILE was a real laugh, and PITCH was also good! Must remember that ants and termites often do the work of earthworms where these cannot survive, e.g. in dryland agriculture where they can boost wheat yields by 30% or so.
1dn could be BOONISH. On = acceptable is quite possible but some might be a bit doubtful about whether things that are related to Mills & Boon can be said to be of a literary nature. I couldn’t see how 19ac was EASED because I could only think of lead, not head, and it seemed a bit unsatisfactory. But with ‘head’ it’s fine.
Possibly my quickest Phi ever – maybe 4 or 5 mins. No queries or quibbles and nothing particularly outstanding (by Phi’s standards!) which may be why I’d no intention to post. Only popped by to see if I’d missed a theme or a Nina.
Beautifully constructed all ways round.
Many thanks to him and best wishes to RR.