Well, it’s Phiday again, will there be a theme? If there is, will we be able to spot it?
We have missed some of Phi’s recent themes but we are very pleased that we were able to identify this one. Not that you needed to know anything about the theme to be able to complete the puzzle though, which is just how we like it.
We are slightly too old to have been fans of the thematic British sci-fi puppet TV series, seemingly aimed at children and renowned for its rather naff special effects. Phi has managed to include the series title (5/10) it’s creators’ surname (19) and five characters (13, 27, 3, 18 and 22). As soon as we recognised the theme, we were both reminded of THIS brilliant spoof of the genre by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.
All good fun!
| Across | ||
| 1 | You should keep well away from this (7) | |
| SICKBED | Cryptic definition – if you are ‘well’ you would keep away from a SICKBED | |
| 5 | Half of that’s covered by loud noise (7) | |
| THUNDER | TH |
|
| 9 | Any swirling stuff from the Sahara will trap the French in part of old Africa (9) | |
| NYASALAND | An anagram of ANY (anagrind is ‘swirling’) + SAND (‘stuff from the Sahara’) round or ‘trapping’ LA (French for ‘the’) | |
| 10 | Tenders to include run for poultry? (5) | |
| BIRDS | BIDS (tenders) round or ‘including’ R (run) | |
| 11 | I plan to see off a naughty child (3) | |
| IMP | I M |
|
| 12 | Reflected an oddball in embroidery? (11) | |
| NEEDLECRAFT | An anagram of REFLECTED AN – anagrind is ‘oddball’ | |
| 13 | Gangster over and over again avoiding jinx (4) | |
| HOOD | HOOD |
|
| 14 | I note marine industry not initially taking a breather (8) | |
| INHALING | I N (note) |
|
| 19 | Articles in English and German initially sycophantic about film director (8) | |
| ANDERSON | AN (article in English) DER (article in German) S (first or ‘initial’ letter of ‘sycophantic’) ON (about) – a reference to Lindsay Anderson, the great British film director | |
| 20 | Expecting no payment, runs into charge (4) | |
| FREE | R (runs) in FEE (charge) | |
| 23 | Reminder of being late? Mark’s more on time, possibly (7,4) | |
| MEMENTO MORI | M (mark) + an anagram of MORE ON TIME – anagrind is ‘possibly’ | |
| 26 | Test curtailed, then recalled for cancellation (3) | |
| AXE | EXA |
|
| 27 | English explorer hauling bed into street (5) | |
| SCOTT | COT (bed) ‘hauled’ into ST (street) | |
| 28 | Coin and ingot melted down, concealing identity (9) | |
| INCOGNITO | An anagram of COIN and INGOT – anagrind is ‘melted down’ | |
| 29 | Daughter’s reluctance to get engaged having no initial merit (7) | |
| DESERVE | D (daughter) |
|
| 30 | ‘Equilibrium: an Introduction to Composure’ is in package (7) | |
| BALANCE | AN C (first letter or ‘introduction’ to ‘composure’) in BALE (package) | |
| Down | ||
| 1 | Our group elevated source of luminance in darkness or luminance in daytime (8) | |
| SUNLIGHT | US (our group) reversed or ‘elevated’ + L (first letter or ‘source’ of ‘luminance’) in NIGHT (darkness) | |
| 2 | Shellfish with feathers bringing in start of pesticide restriction (9) | |
| CLAMPDOWN | CLAM (shellfish) DOWN (feathers) round or ‘bringing in’ P (first letter or ‘start’ of ‘pesticide’) | |
| 3 | Intelligence beginning to rise earlier in Scots children (6) | |
| BRAINS | BAIRNS (‘Scots children) with the ‘r’ (first letter of ‘beginning’ of ‘rise’) moved forward or ‘earlier’ | |
| 4 | Despair re: crooked hangings (9) | |
| DRAPERIES | An anagram of DESPAIR RE – anagrind is ‘crooked’ | |
| 5 | Time’s perfect, extracting energy of sea movements (5) | |
| TIDAL | T (time) ID |
|
| 6 | Open French articles about deer (8) | |
| UNBUCKLE | UN LE (‘French articles’) about BUCK (deer) | |
| 7 | Skin or inner section of flounder, maybe (5) | |
| DERMA | Hidden in (‘inner section of’) flounDER MAybe | |
| 8 | One’s climbing in gnarled tree – find a different spot (2-4) | |
| RESITE | I’S (one’s) reversed or ‘climbing’ in an anagram of TREE – anagrind is ‘gnarled’ | |
| 15 | Bacon and mash dished up – something for the traveller (6,3) | |
| HANSOM CAB | An anagram of BACON and MASH – anagrind is ‘dished up’ | |
| 16 | A couple of monarchs appearing in state history (9) | |
| NARRATION | R and R (‘a couple of monarchs’) ‘appearing’ in NATION (state) | |
| 17 | Dance taken up around this month in part of Ireland (8) | |
| LEINSTER | REEL (dance) reversed or ‘taken up’ around INST (this month) | |
| 18 | Writer to run off with long-abandoned wife (8) | |
| PENELOPE | PEN (writer) ELOPE (run off with) – apparently Penelope features as an abandoned wife in classical Greek and Latin literature – showing our level of knowledge of such matters, we were much more familiar with the thematic Lady! | |
| 21 | Pleased one gets bit of mint? Not mint (6) | |
| AMUSED | A (one) M (first letter or ‘bit’ of ‘mint’) USED (‘not mint’) | |
| 22 | Poet watching when Republican enters (6) | |
| VIRGIL | VIGIL (watching) with R (Republican) inserted or ‘entering’ | |
| 24 | Low rains emptied uplands (5) | |
| MOORS | MOO (low) R |
|
| 25 | Postponed as soon as receiving intervention from Independent (2,3) | |
| ON ICE | ONCE (as soon as) round or ‘receiving intervention from’ I (Independent) | |
Thanks Phi and B&J.
I am just the right age to appreciate the theme. In fact, Lady PENELOPE may have been my introduction to that name because it still evokes images of the series.
19ac – Gerry Anderson , surely. Agreed, Superthunderstingcar is a classic.
Good morning Paul A. We think that Phi was probably referring to Lindsay Anderson although the theme links the name to Gerry and Sylvia who were the creators of Thunderbirds. Lindsay Anderson to us is a better known film director. Maybe Phi will disagree later!
Yes, Lindsay is the more famous, and you’ve highlighted the answer in green. I’m annoyed at yet again missing the theme, even when it’s something I’m familiar with.
Thanks for the Dud and Pete link.
Could be Lindsay but Phi is definitely a fan of the director Wes Anderson – we even had a puzzle themed to his films a few years back.
Enjoyable solve. Thanks to both.
I can’t believe I missed the theme. I was a great fan of Thunderbirds back in the day. Had posters of them all on my bedroom wall.
I assumed Wes Anderson for 19ac.
Yes, Wes.
Oddly enough the origins of this one are culinary. Every year Wellington city runs a food festival colloquially known as Welly on a Plate, and every year Weta Workshops contributes an event. This year it was based on their revival of Thunderbirds. We ended up at Peter Jackson’s post-production facility, which is more like a five-star hotel, watched an episode in one of the eight onsite cinemas, and had a tour of the studios. The food element was a little underpowered, actually, unlike the Hobbit extravaganza two years ago, but it absolutely demanded a puzzle.
There is another Tracy brother lurking in the puzzle…
Ah yes …30ac. bALANce.