Typically, Phi has provided the last of this week’s mid-week puzzles.
I expect there to be a theme here that I simply haven’t spotted. Given the grid, I felt sure that there was going to be a Nina of some description around the perimeter, but there doesn’t seem to be one. Please enlighten me!
I found this to be a medium-difficulty Phi puzzle. I made steady progress through it, but without ever really reaching cruising speed. At the end, I was left with 6 and 7, for which I needed help. Unsurprisingly, since it was a bit before my time, I had never heard of the band at 6. As for the entry at 3, I had heard the word used in medical contexts, but I had no idea how to spell it!
My favourites today are 13 and 22, both for surface, and the & lit. at 18A.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 08 | MIKE | It amplifies opening of much in radio communications
“Mike” is the radio telecommunications code word for the letter “m” (=first letter – “opening” – of much) |
| 09 | HEADSTONES | How the boss speaks – displays of lapidary language?
Cryptically, the “head’s tones” would be “how the boss speaks” |
| 10 | EDGIER | Deconstruction of greed I depicted as more emotionally intense
*(GREED I); “deconstruction” is anagram indicator |
| 11 | GREATEST | Good break from work – about to have a meal? Most excellent
G (=good) + [ATE (=to have a meal) in REST (=break from work)] |
| 12 | TELLTALE | Source of rumour to have impact on tavern’s premier beer
TELL (=to have impact on, as in The stress is telling on his health) + T<avern> (“premier” means first letter only) + ALE (=beer) |
| 14 | SIESTA | Daughter leaves parties – cheers period of sleep
SI<d>ES (=parties; “daughter (=D) leaves” means letter “d” is dropped) + TA (=cheers) |
| 16 | ASHY | Retiring after beginning to appear grey
A<ppear> (“beginning to” means first letter only) + SHY (=retiring) |
| 17 | MEANS | Method answer is presented by Phi?
ME (=Phi, i.e. the compiler) + ANS (=answer, i.e. an abbreviation) |
| 18 | TSAR | Who’s recalled in memoir as tyrant?
Hidden (“in”) and reversed (“recalled”) in “memoiR AS Tyrant”; & lit. |
| 19 | PYTHON | One delivers crushing response: “Limits to party time, love”
P<art>Y (“limits to” means first and last letters only) + T (=time) + HON (=love, i.e. term of endearment) |
| 21 | EMBOLISM | Blood circulation problem, some limb being broken
*(SOME LIMB); “being broken” is anagram indicator |
| 23 | OTTOMANS | Pretentious over crews getting seats
OTT (=pretentious, i.e. over-the-top) + O (=over, in cricket) + MANS (=crews, as verb) |
| 26 | SAFARI | Exotic trip not entirely harmless in desert conditions? Not entirely
SAF<e> (=harmless) + ARI<d> (=in desert conditions); “not entirely” is anagram indicator, here used twice |
| 27 | DEMORALISE | Bring down activity in media roles
*(MEDIA ROLES); “activity in” is anagram indicator |
| 28 | ELSE | Extract of novel? Seems otherwise
Hidden (“extract of”) in “novEL SEems” |
| Down | ||
| 01 | MINDLESSLY | Silly men’s design initially represented in a silly way?
*(SILLY MEN’S + D<esign>); “initially” means first letter only; “represented” is anagram indicator |
| 02 | AERIALLY | A European gathering brings in one by air
A + E (=European) + [I (=one) in RALLY (=gathering)] |
| 03 | CHOREA | Routine work applied to a nervous condition
CHORE (=routine work) + A; e.g. Huntington’s chorea |
| 04 | HANG | Understanding note carried by witch
N (=note) in HAG (=witch); “hang” means understanding in to get the hang of something |
| 05 | ASSESSES | Estimates it upset multiple groups losing time
AS (SA=it, i.e. sex appeal; “upset” indicates vertical reversal) + SE<t>S + SE<t>S (=groups; “losing time (=T)” means letter “t” is dropped from both) |
| 06 | MOTTLE | Spot glam rock band ditching the hoop
MOTT <the hoop>LE (=glam rock bank, from UK, active from 1969 to 1980); “ditching the hoop” means the letters “the hoop” are dropped |
| 07 | PEGS | Degrees for one engaged in extra writing
E.G. (=for one, for example) in PS (=extra writing, at bottom of letter) |
| 13 | ELATE | Cheer up religious man (not priest)
<pr>ELATE (=religious man); “not priest (=PR)” means letters “pr” are dropped |
| 15 | TRANSGRESS | Studies excluding Independent and Conservative from governing body offend
TRA<i>NS (=studies; “excluding Independent (=I)” means letter “i” is dropped) + <con>GRESS (=governing body; “excluding Conservative (=CON)” means letters “con” are dropped) |
| 17 | MANIACAL | Strangely calm about articles about one? Definitely not calm
{I (=one) in [AN + A (=articles, in grammar)]} in *(CALM); “strangely” is anagram indicator |
| 18 | TOLL-FREE | Involving no payment to feller at work
*(TO FELLER); “to work” is anagram indicator |
| 20 | HOODOO | Jinx over and over dogging criminal
HOOD (=criminal, i.e. Robin Hood) + O (=over, in cricket) + O (=over, in cricket) |
| 22 | BUSTER | Silent movie star‘s swagger, not needing to retain line
B<l>USTER (=swagger); “not needing to retain line (=L)” means letter “l” is dropped; the reference is to US actor Buster Keaton (1895-1966) |
| 24 | THEM | What’s final bit of sadism in those people?
Cryptically, “the (letter) M” is the final bit, i.e. last letter, of “sadism”! |
| 25 | SKIT | Without funds, unable to use name in comedy spot
SKI<n>T (=without funds, broke); “unable to use name (=N)” means letter “n” is dropped |
Thanks Phi and RR
I enjoyed this, though I was uneasy about 8A, as technically a microphone doesn’t amplify. It converts an audio signal to an electrical one, which then goes to, wait for it, an amplifier to be made louder. Perhaps I’m being too pedantic.
Thanks, Phi and RR. I was grumpily defeated by 6d and 15d today, though I should have got the latter. The nina looks unlikely, but a bit of googling shows that there is one.
Enjoyable and reasonably straightforward, with a few to chew over. Thanks to both setter and blogger.
The nina might not be apparent to those of a certain age, but younger solvers (if such exist) would home in quite quickly I’d think. Possibly an indication of how Phi has been spending his leisure time recently ….
Thank you Phi and RatkojaRiku.
What fun, I got suspicious with the seeming creature and googled (being over a certain age), I can hardly believe it of Phi! Most DEMORALISing, peoples heads and the web are getting bunged up with all this rubbish. Even my youngest grandson GOes about MINDLESSLY.
PS, I do hope RR remains unenlightened about this MANIACAL obsession…
Thanks to Phi & RR. I found this pretty hard, I must admit.
I’m delighted to say that my 12yr old son installed and uninstalled this app within 48 hours!
No idea of Nina/message. Found this on the easy side.
Minor typo in 11A, it’s EAT, not ATE.
Thanks to Phi and RatkojaRiku
Well, it did rather bag the headlines and everyone of whatever age had to dodge round those pedestrians obsessed with their mobile phones. So I thought it would be interesting to see if the theme was still ‘live’ after the reasonably short time between setting a puzzle and its publication. And while I saw a Facebook post mentioning the activity today, I would have to say it was a bit of a nine days’ wonder.
I found this on the difficult side for Phi and struggled particularly with the NE corner. I thought PEGS for ‘degrees’ was a bit stretched, but I see Chambers has ‘a degree or step’ as one meaning of ‘peg’. And didn’t know ‘hon’ for ‘love’ although PYTHON was obvious from the definition and first part of the wordplay.
As for the nina, I wouldn’t have guessed it if I hadn’t been told there was one, and had to google to see what it was all about – say no more!
Thanks, Phi and RatkojaRiku
Really enjoyed this-toughish but fun.I dont think Mott the Hoople would have been flattered to be called glam-rock.
As for ninas-lots of bits which didnt quite seem to meet up-EMMA CHAMP ST(AR)MIES) etc
Thanks for puzzle and blog.
OK, let’s explain this for those who are still confused. The Nina is in fact the four perimeter entries, which are all Pokérmon characters (no I didn’t know this until after I googled them on the off-chance).