With Phi you are always looking for a theme or a message
The only thing that strikes me this week is that there are a few names contained within the across entries – IAN, RON, ROSE, KEN and STEVE are the obvious ones. CHE is a contender. In the downs I can only find the rare ENDA (e.g. the Irish Prime Minister). We’ve also got the rather odd BYNAME in the grid at 8 down. However, I can’t find anything that links the names so perhaps it’s all just coincidence.
I made steady progress through this puzzle
Once I got an F as the first letter of 1 down I spent some time fixated on FT [Financial Times] as the paper. It took a while to realise that paper was the definition.
I’m slightly confused by the order of the words in the clue for 10 across. Are almost and on the right way round?
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
Motor-racing substitute in hotspot (9)
|
FI (F1 – Formula One – motor racing) + REPLACE (substitute)
|
FIREPLACE (a hot spot)
|
|
6
|
Cheat in exam recalled cane? Not entirely (4)
|
BIRCH (rod for punishment; cane) excluding the final letter (not entirely) H reversed (recalled) CRIB< |
CRIB (steal another’s work; for example, cheat in exam)
|
|
10
|
Tripe etc not almost on everything? (5)
|
OFF (not on) + ALL (everything) excluding the final letter (almost) L OFF AL |
OFFAL (an edible part cut off in dressing a carcase, esp tripe, entrails, heart, liver, kidney, tongue, etc)
|
|
11
|
Navigator provoking mare’s-nest (9)
|
Anagram of (provoking) MARE’S-NEST STEERSMAN* |
STEERSMAN (navigator)
|
|
12
|
Some European perplexing European brains (7)
|
Anagram of (perplexing) E (European) and BRAINS SERBIAN* |
SERBIAN (a [some] European)
|
|
13
|
Mate engaged in some radio broadcasting suggests radar? (7)
|
CRONY (intimate companion; mate) contained in (engaged in) AM (amplitude modulation; descriptive of a form of radio broadcasting) A (CRONY) M |
ACRONYM (RADAR is an ACRONYM for RAdio Detection And Ranging
|
|
14
|
Gathered gaol’s wrecked in dispute (2,11)
|
Anagram of (wrecked) GATHERED GAOL’S AT LOGGERHEADS* |
AT LOGGERHEADS (in dispute)
|
|
17
|
What generates smile after unhappy tot’s kept in confinement? Dairy product (7,6)
|
(Anagram of [unhappy] TOT contained in [kept in] CAGE [confinement]) + CHEESE (reference the photographer’s stock phrase ‘say CHEESE‘ to make you smile) C (OTT*) AGE CHEESE |
COTTAGE CHEESE (dairy product)
|
|
21
|
Award went down in memory (7)
|
SET (went down [of the sun or moon]) contained in ROTE (mechanical memory) RO (SET) TE |
ROSETTE (award)
|
|
22
|
Fine acrobat offering no opening for an incompetent (7)
|
F (fine) + (TUMBLER [acrobat] excluding the first letter [offering no opening] T)
|
FUMBLER (one who’s bungling or unsuccessful attempts; an incompetent)
|
|
24
|
One parliamentarian appearing in paper, backing purchase scheme (4-5)
|
(I [one] + LORD [member of the House of LORDs; parliamentarian]) contained in (appearing in) REAM (quantity of paper) reversed (backing) MA (I L ORD) ER< |
MAIL-ORDER (form of ordering and purchase)
|
|
25
|
Martial art to finish in decisive outcome (5)
|
END (finish) contained in (in) KO (knock-out; decisive outcome) K (END) O |
KENDO (a martial art)
|
|
26
|
The chap appears after analgesic gutted pain (4) |
AC (letters remaining in ANALGESIC after all the central letters [NALGESI] are removed [gutted]) + HE (the chap)
|
ACHE (pain)
|
|
27
|
Docker having day before and day after – in warehouse (9)
|
(EVE [day before] + D [day]) contained in (in) STORE (warehouse) ST (EVE D) ORE |
STEVEDORE (person who loads and unloads shipping vessels; docker)
|
| Down | |||
|
1
|
Paper takes in initial contributions from criminals and police (8)
|
FOOLS (takes in) + CAP (first letter [initial contributions] from each of CRIMINALS, AND and POLICE)
|
FOOLSCAP (a [now little-used] size of long folio writing or printing paper)
|
|
2
|
Favour having no power to make allusions (5)
|
PREFER (favour) excluding (having no) P (power)
|
REFER (make allusions)
|
|
3
|
Where you go when you get the choice? (7,7) |
POLLING STATION (the place where you cast your vote when choosing a Member of Parliament or similar)
|
POLLING STATION cryptic definition
|
|
4
|
Muscles consequently not hard – not being there! (7)
|
ABS (abductors; muscles) + HENCE (consequently) excluding (not) H (hard, as in definitions of pencil leads)
|
ABSENCE (not being there)
|
|
5
|
Historic article used to exist within boundaries of Edinburgh? Nonsense (7)
|
(YE [old {historic} word for ‘the’ {definite article}] + WAS [used to exist]) contained in) EH (first and last letters of [boundaries of] EDINBURGH) E (YE WAS) H |
EYEWASH (nonsense)
|
| 7 | Think back about one’s tucking into meat dish (9) |
RE (with reference to; about) + (I’S [one’s] contained in [tucking into] MINCE [meat dish]) RE MIN (IS) E |
REMINISCE (think of memories from the past) |
| 8 | Handle lightly used, turning up amongst these many buildings (6) |
BYNAME (reversed [turning up; down clue] hidden word in [amongst] THESE MANY BUILDINGS) BYNAME< |
BYNAME (a nickname; another name by which a person is known) I’m not sure what ‘lightly used’ is doing in this clue. Perhaps it’s an indication that a nickname is not used very often? |
|
9
|
Treated fish – bit kosher, with aroma that’s weird (8,6)
|
Anagram of (that’s weird) BIT KOSHER and AROMA ARBROATH SMOKIE* |
ARBROATH SMOKIE (an unsplit SMOKEd haddock, produced at ARBROATH on the east coast of Scotland; treated fish)
|
|
15
|
Security expert possibly dreads story on the radio (9)
|
LOCKS (reference dreadLOCKS [long tightly curled or plaited hairstyle adopted by Rastafarians]) + MITH (sounds like [on the radio] MYTH [story])
|
LOCKSMITH (security expert)
|
|
16
|
Stormy sea, for me, is terrifying (8)
|
Anagram of (stormy) SEA FOR ME FEARSOME* |
FEARSOME (terrifying)
|
|
18
|
Getting on when accepting new lists of things to do (7)
|
(AGED [getting on] containing [accepting] N [new]) + AS (when) AGE (N) D AS |
AGENDAS (list of things to do)
|
|
19
|
Require space for church (7)
|
EN (a measurement used in printing) + FOR + CE (Church [of England])
|
ENFORCE (impose; require)
|
|
20
|
Area of Europe American gets wrong at first (6)
|
CRIME (wrongdoing) + A (American)
|
CRIMEA (an area of Europe, currently annexed by Russia)
|
|
23
|
Language from some personnel in Government (5)
|
LINGO (hidden word in [from some] PERSONNEL IN GOVERNMENT)
|
LINGO (language)
|
I thought this was Phi in accessible mode. I agree about the word order in 10 but as usual a very fine puzzle and good for attracting newcomers who might be scared of him.I can hardly ever spot his themes-usually depends where he’s been the last week but hopefully he’ll drop in later and reveal all.
Thanks Duncan
I was happy with 10ac because I read it as the opposite (not) of ‘on al[l]’ (almost on everything).
Thanks, Phi and Duncan. I also rattled through rather quicker than usual, but with no ideas about a theme. It was a nice change to see a parliamentarian who isn’t just MP in 24a.
Thanks for blogging, Duncan.
This looks like a vanilla puzzle from Phi, but none the worse for that. Good variety of clueing and lots of good surfaces. FIREPLACE was a favourite today.
Well done to Phi for another excellent Friday crossword, and good weekend to all.
Thank you Phi and duncanshiell.
For 8d, I think the definition is “Handle lightly used”, in other words a BYNAME is not an official name, but one used lightly, or in fun, a nickname.
As for a theme…
Heart missed a beat there, Duncan – an IQ blog appearing PRIOR TO publication??!!
But all, it turns out, is ok.
John
Thanks for the heads-up, John. Title now corrected. Isn’t it amazing how you see what you want to see. I have even posted a comment on the blog without noticing the error.
John H @ 6
Oops! – over 152 years early with the blog for Inquisitor 9391! I wonder what crosswords will be like in 2169
Gaufrid @ 7 – thanks for editing the title.
Uncanny even so, Duncan – it’s Phi’s IQ tomorrow…
J
No theme this week – one of the puzzles where I use up some of my list of interesting words (which mysteriously are never as interesting to clue as they initially seem to be).
It’s been an interesting week here, but the aftershocks – including the one while I was typing the last sentence – are now mostly almost negligible, and the floods have receded.
There has been some discussion about a new piece of cutlery being supplied by Sainsbury’s, either a knoon or a spife, to make it easy to eat kiwis. Very glad that you won’t be on the menu Phi.