This is my first Friday blog of 2017, but no surprise to find that it is a Phi-day!
I found this to be a medium difficulty puzzle, which I made steady progress through but never really zapped through. I think that I have satisfactorily parsed all the solutions.
Again unsurprisingly for me, I have not spotted a theme here, although perhaps there is one, since we have two flowers among the solutions and as many as three female forenames. I look forward to reading if fellow solvers spotted anything thematic here.
My favourite clues today were 17, for smoothness of surface, despite its simplicity; and the composite anagram/& lit. at 19, for evoking Hollywood in the wordplay. 10 was a new word for me, although I had come across the longer version of it.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | CLARISSA | Long novel I read initially back in first school group?
[RI (I + R<ead> (“initially” means first letter only); “back” indicates reversal] in CLASS A (=first school group, as opposed to Class B, Class C, etc); the reference is to the 1748 novel by Samuel Richardson, often regarded as the longest novel in the English language |
| 06 | SPINET | Keyboard instrument fixed with insertion of peg
PIN (=peg) in SET (=fixed) |
| 09 | BLEAR | Obscure leader of Britons, character in play
B<ritons> (“leader of” means first letter only) + LEAR (=character in play, i.e. Shakespeare’s King Lear); “obscure” in the definition is a verb, hence to blear, as in bleary-eyed |
| 10 | STOOLIE | Source of information, special, also misinformation
S (=special) + TOO (=also) + LIE (=misinformation); a stoolie, or stool pigeon, is a police informer |
| 11 | FLUENT | Glib Fellow advanced, taking in university
F (=fellow) + [U (=university) in LENT (=advanced, e.g. a sum of money)] |
| 12 | AUTOMATE | A fellow keeping out revolutionary change to involve machinery
*(OUT) in [A + MATE (=fellow)]; “revolutionary” is anagram indicator |
| 13 | HANGER-ON | Irritation suppressed by dear follower
ANGER (=irritation) in HON (=dear, i.e. short form of honey) |
| 15 | INBORN | Cut short person you want to avoid in pub? Perfectly natural
BOR<e> (=person you want to avoid; “cut short” means last letter is dropped) in INN (=pub) |
| 17 | GUISES | Appearances – I guess – may be deceptive
*(I GUESS); “may be deceptive” is anagram indicator |
| 19 | FILM-STAR | Who could be first and foremost in manipulating LA?
*(FIRST + M<anipulating> + LA); “foremost in” means first letter only is used in anagram, indicated by “who could be”; & lit. |
| 21 | VIOLENCE | Line adopted by one injured in crime such as GBH?
[L (=line) in *(ONE)] in VICE (=crime, i.e. prostitution); “injured” is anagram indicator |
| 23 | BERLIN | Lake I located in one capital city or another
[L (=lake) + I (=one)] in BERN (=capital city, of Switzerland); Berlin is another capital city |
| 24 | INNINGS | Prize after missing first place in a bit of sporting endeavour
<w>INNINGS (=prize); “after missing first place” means that first letter is dropped |
| 25 | LIVIA | Roman matriarch, endlessly angry one
LIVI<d> (=angry; “endlessly” means last letter dropped) + A (=one); the reference is to Livia Drusilla (58 BC-29 AD), the wife of the Roman emperor Augustus |
| 26 | BECOME | Suit company with millions invested in competitive group
[CO (=company) + M (=millions)] in BEE (=competitive group, as in knitting bee, spelling bee) |
| 27 | AFTER ALL | It describes most of the dictionary in spite of everything
Cryptically, most of the entries in a dictionary come “after (the word) all“! |
| Down | ||
| 02 | LOBELIA | Lines about award I advanced? That’s a bloomer
[OBE in LL (=lines)] + I + A (=advanced) |
| 03 | RE-EMERGES | Prophet, upset about me blocking some work, appears again
[ERG (=some work) in ME] in REES (SEER=prophet; “upset” indicates vertical reversal) |
| 04 | SPRAT | Little dispute about river fish
R (=river) in SPAT (=little dispute) |
| 05 | ABSTAIN | Decide not to choose one covered in muscles (bronzed)
I (=one) in [ABS (=muscles) + TAN (=bronzed, i.e. with (a) tan) |
| 06 | SHOW TRIAL | Abuse of justice – this row upset almost everyone
*(THIS ROW) + AL<l> (=everyone; “almost” means last letter dropped); “upset” is anagram indicator |
| 07 | ISLAM | African country elevated about introduction of state religion
S<tate> (“introduction of” means first letter only) in ILAM (MALI=African country; “elevated” indicates vertical reversal) |
| 08 | EVENTER | Horse rider always circling Tolkien creature
ENT (=Tolkien creature, resembling a tree) in EVER (=always) |
| 14 | RESONANCE | One can become upset after others curtailed sympathetic reaction
RES<t> (=others; “curtailed” means last letter dropped) + *(ONE CAN); “become upset” is anagram indicator |
| 16 | BUS DRIVER | Two items of data hardware right for transport operator
BUS + DRIVE (=two items of data hardware) + R (=right); a bus is a number of conductors forming a circuit or route along which data can be transmitted |
| 18 | UTILISE | Pointless blowing top about one’s exploit
I’S (=one’s) in <f>UTILE (=pointless; “blowing top” means that first letter is dropped) |
| 19 | FREESIA | Flower is picked up in open area
SI (IS; “picked up” indicates vertical reversal) in [FREE (=open) + A (=area)] |
| 20 | ABIGAIL | Substantial distress comes in the wake of a girl
A + BIG (=substantial) + AIL (=distress) |
| 22 | LINGO | Learner in game of skill finds jargon
L (=learner) + IN + GO (=game of skill) |
| 23 | B FLAT | Note girl’s date’s almost tardy
BF (=girl’s date, i.e. boyfriend) + LAT<e> (=tardy; “almost” means last letter dropped) |
Nicely challenging solve for me with 15a being my COD.
Wondered if it might be a musical theme with Berlin, B-Flat, Film Star and the women being possible characters, but, like Trump formulating his policies, I couldn’t put anything reasonable together in the end.
Many thanks to RR for the blog and to Phi for the puzzle.
Musical is right. Annoyingly I couldn’t get it to work on every row of the grid.
Ah ok. See it now. For the across clues that start in column 1, the first and last letters of the line give musical instruments.
Brilliant stuff, Phi. And there was me looking to connect theme words and trying to find ninas up, down, diagonal, and backward! *makes mental note to look out for split word shenanigans of this sort in future*
Thanks for the hint Phi and well done to Geebs for spotting it. Thanks to RR for the blog – without it we would still be puzzling over a completed grid or googling various combinations of grid entries looking for connections!
All very satisfying.