Phi continues in his regular Friday slot.
I think this is just a standard crossword from Phi without any themes or messages. I can see a link between AMADEUS (Mozart) at 5 across and OPERA SERIA at 13 across. I did also find AMADEUS ROSES [9 across] but that’s about as far as it goes
Good to see a scientist getting a mention (Paul DIRAC [1 down]) I remember doing a crossword based on Paul DIRAC about a year ago, in The Magpie I think. There is a commemorative marker to him in Westminster Abbey inscribed with a famous equation that he formulated.
There was a fairly rare example of a clue today, at 7 down, where the definition, triumph, was towards the middle of he clue. In almost all cases the definitions in cryptic clues are at the beginning or at the end of the clue.
I’m not too sure of the parsing of the wordplay in 25 across, AGAIN
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
Interrupt attempt to circumvent road flaws when reversing (7)
|
(BID [attempt] containing [to circumvent] RUTS [road flaws]) all reversed (when reversing) (DI (STUR) B)< |
DISTURB (interrupt)
|
|
5
|
Film, one produced by American (7)
|
A (one) + MADE (produced) + US (United States; descriptive of American)
|
AMADEUS (title of a film)
|
|
9
|
Brings round no end of bijou flowers (5)
|
ROUSES (brings round) excluding (no) U (the last letter of [end of] BIJOU)
|
ROSES (flowers)
|
|
10
|
Former man in Treasury? (9)
|
EX (former) + CHEQUER (man, or piece, in a game of draughts)
|
EXCHEQUER (Department of State having charge of revenue; Treasury)
|
|
11
|
Decorated a capital individual involved in recording (11)
|
(A + PARIS [capital city] + ONE [individual]) contained in (involved in) CD (Compact disc; recording) C (A PARIS ONE) D |
CAPARISONED (covered with a rich cloth; decorated)
|
|
12 / 20
|
Excellent suggestion given to Prince (6)
|
TIP (suggestion) + TO + P (prince)
|
TIPTOP (excellent)
|
|
13
|
Old piano to obliterate song (except opening) in stage work (5,5)
|
O (old) + P (piano) + ERASE (obliterate) + (ARIA [song] excluding [except] the first letter [opening] A)
|
OPERA SERIA (serious opera; stage work])
|
|
14
|
It’s amongst trattoria’s tipples (4)
|
ASTI (hidden word in [amongst] TRATTORIA’S TIPPLES)
|
ASTI (Italian white wine, very likely to be served in a trattoria)
|
|
17
|
Judge content of writing in a quick movement (4)
|
J (judge) + INK (black or coloured liquid used in writing, printing, etc; content of writing)
|
JINK (sudden evasive turn; quick movement)
|
|
18
|
Not working to accommodate half of Indian Ocean activity? (4-6)
|
SKIVING (evading work; not working) containing (to accommodate) IND (three of the six letters of [half of] INDIAN) SK (IN D) IVING |
SKIN-DIVING (diving and swimming underwater, with breathing equipment carried on the back, not wearing the traditional diver’s helmet and suit; ocean activity)
|
|
22
|
Angry Left encouraged, following protocol in sit-in? (5-6)
|
CROSS (angry) + L (left) + EGGED (encouraged)
|
CROSS-LEGGED (sitting on the ground having ankles and LEGs CROSSed) I’m not sure about the ‘following protocol’ bit, but I think it is to with the fact that most press pictures of sit-ins show the demonstrators sitting with their LEGs CROSSed so this posture is the norm (following protocol) for sit-ins.
|
|
24
|
A fellow enshrining monarch in charge by a country’s memorabilia (9)
|
A + (MAN [fellow] containing [ER {Elizabeth Regina; monarch} + IC {in charge}]) + A A M (ER IC) AN A |
AMERICANA (country’s memorabilia, in this case AMERICA‘s)
|
|
25
|
Former drinkers slightly engaging perhaps with boozer once more (5)
|
AGAIN – I can’t see exactly how this works. We have AA (Alcoholics Anonymous, an organisation that helps former drinkers) and we have GIN (alcoholic spirit) and AA and GIN interlink (slightly engage) but I can’t find anything that indicates that GIN is a synonym of BOOZER. A G A IN |
AGAIN (once more)
|
|
26
|
Fruit flavour provided by core of fruit (7)
|
TANG (flavour) + ELO (middle three letters of [core of] MELON [fruit])
|
TANGELO (a hybrid between a TANGerine orange and a pomELO; fruit)
|
|
27
|
Fist striking head, mostly an elevated position (7)
|
DUKE (fist) + DOME (head like the shape of a hemispherical vault; the headteacher of my school was referred to as the DOME [out of his earshot]) excluding the final letter (mostly)
|
DUKEDOM (one of the highest orders [elevated rank / position] of the aristocracy)
|
| Down | |||
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
British scientist curtailed urgent account (5)
|
DIRE (urgent) excluding the final letter (curtailed) E + AC (account)
|
DIRAC (reference Paul DIRAC [1902 – 1984], British theoretical physicist who made fundamental contributions to the early development of both quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics)
|
|
2
|
He pays dreadfully, having engaged in wrongdoing – with such labour? (9)
|
Anagram of (dreadfully) HE PAYS contained in (having engaged in) SIN (wrong doing) SI (SYPHEA*) N |
SISYPHEAN (relating to SISYPHUS, king of Corinth, condemned in Tartarus to roll ceaselessly up a hill a huge stone which would roll back to the foot of the hill again each time he neared the top; hence, endless, laborious and futile) Could be a dreadful punishment for wrongdoing, though possibly a tad harsh in this day and age.
|
|
3
|
Strangely purest a mile nearer the source (8)
|
Anagram of (strangely) PUREST + A + M (mile) UPSTRE* A M |
UPSTREAM (nearer the source)
|
|
4
|
Complaints over wood, also about vegetation and fruit (9,6)
|
BEEFS (complaints) + TEAK (wood from a tree of the same name) + (TOO [also] containing [about] MAT [closely-interwoven or tangled mass, especially of hair or vegetation] BEEFS TEAK TO (MAT) O |
BEEFSTEAK TOMATO (any of the largest varieties of cultivated tomatoes; fruit)
|
|
5
|
A small area for generating scandal, sin and noise? (9,6)
|
Anagram of (generating) SCANDAL SIN and NOISE ASCENSION ISLAND* |
ASCENSION ISLAND (an isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of the South Atlantic Ocean. It’s total area is 91 square kilometres making it a small area)
|
|
6
|
What one intends to do, having target in range (6)
|
AGA (range [for cooking]) containing (having … in) END (goal; target) AG (END) A |
AGENDA (what one intends to do)
|
|
7
|
‘Fiat lux’ easily engenders triumph, on reflection (5)
|
EXULT (hidden word [engenders] reversed [on reflection] in FIAT LUX EASILY) EXULT< |
EXULT (triumph)
|
|
8
|
Robust quantity of leather work? (9)
|
STRAPPING (robust)
|
STRAPPING (quantity of leather work) double definition
|
|
13
|
Old black plane to move quickly – a thing of beauty? (5,4)
|
O (old) + B (black, as in pencil lead) + JET (plane) + DART (move quickly)
|
OBJET D’ART (an article with artistic value; a thing of beauty)
|
|
15
|
One protects small piece containing heart of Mingus (9)
|
SHARD (scrap, small broken piece of pottery) containing (containing) INGU (middle letters of [heart of] MINGUS) SH (INGU) ARD |
SHINGUARD (protective covering for the SHIN)
|
|
16
|
American flags displayed here (8)
|
FLAGS are paving stones that could be found in a pavement in Britain
|
SIDEWALK (American word for pavement)
|
|
19
|
College location that is containing book and writer (6)
|
SCR (Senior Common Room, in some universities, a common room for the use of staff; college location) + (IE [id est; that is] containing [containing] B [book]) SCR I (B) E |
SCRIBE (writer)
|
|
21
|
Work on feathers about to probe quill? (5)
|
RE (about) contained in (to probe) PEN (quill) P (RE) EN |
PREEN (clean and arrange feathers)
|
|
23
|
Sea holding in rising material (5)
|
(MED [Mediterranean Sea] containing [holding] IN) all reversed (rising; down clue) (DE (NI) M)< |
DENIM (coloured twilled cotton fabric for jeans, overalls, etc; material)
|
Hi Duncan
I think there may have been a typo online as in the paper 25a has booze rather than boozer which makes the clue work fine.
Thanks for the usual comprehensive blog.
Daniel @ 1
Thanks
I’ve gone back to my source and have discovered that it is my own typo – oops! The word is quite definitely ‘booze’.
I thought his was the best of the GIFT puzzles today. Huge groan for 16d.
27A To clarify, a Duke is the highest, rather than one of the highest, ranks of the peerage/aristocracy (Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscount, Baron in descending order).
Thanks for blogging, Duncan. Just right for a daily cryptic – I managed it all reasonably quickly, although I am never in a rush with these things. I got CAPARISONED because I’m sure it came up in another crossword recently, though for the life of me I can’t remember where.
When you’ve got OPERA SERIA and DIRAC in the same puzzle, you know it’s Phi. Thanks to him for this one, and also for reminding us that a TOMATO is a fruit and not a vegetable.
Thanks Phi and duncanshiell.
I cannot see a theme either, probably to Phi’s relief, and can only add AMADEUS VIII (or IX), DUKE of Savoy, to duncanshiell’s observations (I had hoped the SE corner would yield IDOMENEO…).
The crossword was most enjoyable, but I needed help to parse DUKEDOM never having heard the word DUKE meaning “fist”.
Re 25A
Former drinkers=A(lcoholics)A(nonymous)
Booze=GIN
once more=AGAIN
amusing that we had OPERA SERIA today and OPERA BUFFA yesterday.