It’s Friday and so perfectly natural to find Phi’s latest crossword to tackle this morning.
I have to start by saying that I haven’t managed to complete this puzzle to my satisfaction. I suspect that 8 is the answer that I have indicated, since nothing else fits, but I cannot parse it and do not even have a clear idea of what type of cryptic clue we are actually dealing with here – thanks to Andrew for the explanation, which is now included below!
Overall, I found this a toughie, and there were quite a few entries that were new to me and where I needed to turn to the dictionary and Google to find and/or confirm: 3, 4, 6, 19 …. I haven’t spotted a theme of any description, but I suspect that there is one lurking somewhere – isn’t there always with Phi?!
My favourite clues today were 23, for sustaining the card theme throughout; and 14, for surface and for maintaining the religious theme in the wordplay. I found myself wondering why 7 wasn’t worded “Golf man is ….” in the interests of a smoother surface, but perhaps I’m missing something.
(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | INTERNEE | I mostly want to keep seabird captive
TERN (=seabird) in [I + NEE<d> (=want; “mostly” means last letter dropped) |
| 05 | COFFIN | Initially carried away in a box
C<arried> (“initially” means first letter only) + OFF (=away) + IN |
| 10 | ELIOT | Author rejected reduction in facilities?
Reversal (“rejected”) of TOILE<t(s)> (“reduction in” means last letter(s) are dropped); the reference is to English author George Eliot (1818-80) |
| 11 | DIOCESANS | More than one bishop is involved with deacons
*(IS + DEACONS); “involved with” is anagram indicator |
| 12 | GEESE | Surprised cry encountering wings of some birds
GEE (=surprised cry) + S<om>E (“wings of” means first and last letter only) |
| 13 | SIEGFRIED | German hero is returning, say, suffering from heat
SI (IS; “returning” indicates reversal) + E.G. (=say, for example) + FRIED (=suffering from heat); the reference is to the epic poem Das Nibelungenlied, in which Siegrfried is one of the heroes |
| 14 | AT THE MOST | Those people will tuck into ruined toast no more
THEM (=those people) in *(TOAST); “ruined” is anagram indicator |
| 17 | ERGOT | Plant disease, therefore croft’s closing
ERGO (=therefore) + <crof>T (“closing” means last letter only); ergot is a disease of grasses (especially rye) and sedges |
| 19 | SCENA | Space in Puccini opera not leading to dramatic musical scene
EN (=space, in printing) in <to>SCA (=Puccini opera; “not leading to” means the letters “to” at the beginning are dropped); a scena is an operatic scene, an elaborate dramatic recitative followed by an area |
| 21 | EXORCISMS | Mix cross with source of evil, possibly? These do
*(MIX CROSS + E<vil> (“source of” means first letter only); semi & lit. |
| 23 | KITTENISH | Inclined to play King – non-court card is following it – Hearts?
K (=King) + IT + TEN (=non-court card) + IS + H (=heart) |
| 25 | LITHE | Landed hard, with little energy, in athletic style
LIT (=landed) + H (=hard) + E<nergy> (“little” means first letter only) |
| 27 | CATATONIC | Whip up action, being transfixed
CAT (=whip, e.g. cat-o’-nine-tails) + *(ACTION); “up” is anagram indicator |
| 28 | OCHRE | Colouring work sees a move for church
CH-ORE (=work, task); “sees a move for church (=CH)” means the letters “ch” are moved to later in the word |
| 29 | SCORCH | Surprised cry when probing school’s heat damage
COR (=surprised cry) in SCH (=school) |
| 30 | DE-STRESS | Relax – energy will be provided for one in difficulty
D-I-STRESS (=difficulty); “energy (=E) will be provided for one (=I)” means letter “i” is replaced by letter “e” |
| Down | ||
| 01 | IDEOGRAMS | Symbols badly misread limiting attempt to rise
OG (GO=attempt, try; “to rise” indicates vertical reversal) in *(MISREAD); “badly” is anagram indicator |
| 02 | TRIBE | A lot of shots cornering British people
B (=British) in TRIE<s> (=shots, attempts; “a lot of” means all but last letter are used) |
| 03 | RUTHENE | Former Ukrainian in Nauru, then Ecuador
Hidden (“in”) in “NauRU, THEN Ecuador) |
| 04 | EDDYSTONE | Whirlpool’s quality implying location of dangerous rocks
EDDY’S (=whirlpool’s) + TONE (=quality); the dangerous Eddystone Rocks are located off the coast of Devon and guarded by a lighthouse |
| 06 | O’KEEFFE | American artist accepted rise in price for engravings initially
Ok (=accepted) + EEF (FEE=price; “rise in” indicates vertical reversal) + F<or> E<ngravings> (“initially” means first letters only; the reference is to American artist Georgia O’Keeffe (1887-1986), best known for her pictures of enlarged flowers |
| 07 | FLAMINGOS | Golf is man struggling to get birdies?
*(GOLF IS MAN); “struggling” is anagram indicator |
| 08 | NOSED | Looked into request, being satisfied with this?
If you have no “sed” in the “pleased” (=satisfied), you are left with “plea” (=request)! |
| 09 | ZONE | Australian upset over direction of Queensland region
ZO (Oz=Australian; “over” indicates vertical reversal) + NE (=direction of Queensland, in NE Australia) |
| 15 | TWENTY-TWO | Both sides in soccer match forming a line at Twickenham
TWENTY-TWO (=both sides in soccer match, i.e. 22 players from 2 teams of 11); the twenty-two is a line on a rugby pitch 22 metres from the goal-line |
| 16 | TOOTHACHE | Sound of horn expert blocked repeatedly by onset of his oral problem
H<is> H<is> (“onset of” means first letter only; “repeatedly” means twice) appearing separately in [TOOT (=sound of horn) + ACE (=expert)] |
| 18 | TASTELESS | Bland or // somehow provocative
Double definition: TASTELESS means “bland” (of food) AND in bad taste, “somehow provocative” (of joke) |
| 20 | ASEPTIC | Bill to appear around start of month, forestalling the rot
SEPT 1 (=start of month) in AC (=bill, account) |
| 22 | CALL OUT | Summon corps, at full speed
C (=corps) + ALL OUT (=at full speed) |
| 23 | KICKS | Gives up // exciting activity
Double definition= KICKS means “gives up”, e.g. a bad habit AND thrills, “exciting activity” |
| 24 | IONA | A call for attention rising in Scottish island
AN OI (=a call for attention); “rising” indicates vertical reversal |
| 26 | TE-HEE | Supporter stifling surprised comment and laugh
EH (=surprised comment) in TEE (=supporter, in golf) |
I think the explanation of 8 is that PLEASED (satisfied) with NO SED is PLEA (request).
Rather hoping to have you snookered by this one.
As so often I was unable to solve my own clue, so thanks to Andrew. Perhaps that one should have been saved up for a Beelzebub
A fairly stiff challenge from Phi today, with the NE corner particularly troublesome. LOI was ZONE; I was totally misdirected looking for the name of an area in Queensland.
No nina that I can see, but there seems to be a theme of exclamations “hidden” in the answers and indicated in the clues.
Thanks to Phi, RatkojaRiku and Andrew.
Thanks Phi, RatkojaRiku and Andrew.
Quite a hard solve and several answers went in without parsing.
There are many double letters here – EE FF EE (TT) TT SS DD EE FF OO SS LL EE, probably just chance?
I think Phi is cocking a snook at us and going TE-HEE!
I did enjoy this one, although I too found it hard and had to give up on OKEEFFE, and SCENA (classical music and art would never be my specialist subjects on Mastermind) and couldn’t parse NOSED either. Thanks to Andrew.
I liked COFFINS and TWENTY-TWO particularly.
Phi gave us permission a few weeks ago to ignore his hidden themes, so that’s what I’m going to do today. I always smile when setters say they can’t solve or parse their own clues; Arachne is the other one who I know has fessed up to that.
Thanks for blogging, RR. [You have a tiny typo in 13ac: I’m sure you meant to type SIEGFRIED.]
Good weekend to all.
Thank you to Andrew for the explanation – I don’t think I would ever have worked that out for myself. I’ve also corrected the typo mentioned by Kathryn’s Dad.
There are TWENTY-TWO snooker balls…
22 snooker balls – so there are. That wasn’t intended, but it goes to show what can happen when you start hiding things and serendipity takes over.
As I’ve said before I don’t like having to start on an entirely blank grid – too many choices! So I put occasionally quite random things in. Here you may want to reflect – that would seem the aptest word – that there’s also a long way from the R of IDEOGRAMS to the S of ASEPTIC.
Ha ha! Thanks Phi, don’t think I was going to spot that. Reminds me of one of my own “hit it hard and hope for the best” shots.
OK, the pathfinder number of RTWNS is TWENTY-TWO, see the diagonal on the grid running between the R of IDEOGRAMS to the S of ASEPTIC, something to do with extra-sensory perception – another case of serendipity?
Am I the only one not to know what a pathfinder number is ? Or why RTWNS should, in some way, relate to 22 ?
What a joke, I think I should have written ‘life path number’, just checked, I was born 14, 01, 1942, added up that gives 1957, added up that gives 22! You can check on the Wellinton birth records, my maiden name was Marion Luke).
See http://www.whatstandfor.com/a/meaning-definition-of/rtwns
Geebs @12, I never heard of such a thing before and have no interest in astrology, though I will admit there have been a few strange instances of something like telepathy in my family, perhaps such things will be explained scientifically in the future.
@12
I won’t pretend to understand all the astrological stuff, if that’s what it is. But it’s presumably nothing to do with the Nina, which is somewhat off the wall itself and takes the long way between those letters, bouncing like a snooker ball
But what’s RTWNS in the first place?
Geebs @16, I don’t think even heaven knows, but here is how to get your life path number!
http://www.astrology-numerology.com/num-lifepath.html
Oh well, guess I was snookered there, my shot being a foul since there was there was no rebounding from the cushions.
Well spotted, Herb. Was this puzzle deliberately scheduled for Black Friday, I wonder? Time for a rest now!
Still none the wiser but my attention span had now collapsed. Pity nobody could give a straight answer but hey ho …
Ok. One last look and I now have it. For any others as dense as I obviously am – if there are any – you can track REBOUNDING FROM THE CUSHION in a series of diagonals mimicking a snooker shot.