A fairly straightforward solve from Phi this week.
For once the theme was so obvious, we couldn’t help but think that maybe there were more thematic entries than the obvious ones – abbreviated titles at 1ac, 15ac, 19ac and 4d of comic operas by 28ac and 18d. We’re not opera fans, although G & S appeal more than some of the ‘heavier’ works and we hadn’t come across 4d as a G & S title before, so we learned something there! We don’t think there are any other references, but no doubt someone out there will correct us if we’re wrong.
We spotted the theme as soon as we solved 15ac, and were convinced that 26ac was going to be ‘Guard’ to go with 19ac, but there was no suitable definition and no way of parsing it – perhaps Phi felt that if he had included ‘Guard’ he would have to find somewhere for ‘Penzance’ to go with 1ac.
| Across | ||
| 1 | More than one buccaneer talks about island (7) | |
| PIRATES | PRATES (talks) around I (island) | |
| 5 | Small thing in hat of no great size (7) | |
| LIMITED | MITE (small thing) in LID (hat) | |
| 9 | Half of your gallery trashed in a predictable way (9) | |
| REGULARLY | An anagram of |
|
| 10 | Little power in food regime – turned unenthusiastic (5) | |
| TEPID | P (‘little’ power) in DIET (food regime) reversed or ‘turned’ | |
| 11 | Layabout left surrounded by booze, losing head (5) | |
| IDLER | L (left) ‘surrounded by’ |
|
| 12 | English science facility charge will include nothing complicated (9) | |
| ELABORATE | E (English) LAB (science facility) RATE (charge) round or ‘including’ O (nothing) | |
| 13 | Criminal bid involves murder (8) | |
| OFFENDER | OFFER (bid) round or ‘involving’ END (murder) | |
| 15 | Japanese ruler I’m backing with business involving King (6) | |
| MIKADO | IM reversed or ‘backing’ ADO (business) round or ‘involving’ K (king) | |
| 19 | Arab country home to old farmers (6) | |
| YEOMEN | YEMEN (Arab country) round or providing a ‘home’ to O (old) | |
| 20 | Slow to block student producing work for “Guardian” (8) | |
| TUTELAGE | LAG (slow) in or ‘blocking’ TUTEE (student) | |
| 22 | Mostly risking tucking into food for the purposes of health (9) | |
| MEDICINAL | DICIN |
|
| 24 | Occupied place that is for composer (5) | |
| SATIE | SAT (occupied place) IE (that is) | |
| 26 | Piano, it is admitted, missing penultimate note of scale (5) | |
| GRAND | GRAN |
|
| 27 | Angry? I’m v angry, endlessly upset, notice (6,3) | |
| RAVING MAD | An anagram of IM V ANGR |
|
| 28 | Writer recalled making three times as much – but name’s forgotten (7) | |
| GILBERT | TREBLI |
|
| 29 | Annoyed poverty was a governing factor (7) | |
| NEEDLED | NEED (poverty) LED (was a governing factor) | |
| Down | ||
| 1 | Son coming into inheritance – no time to show niggardliness (9) | |
| PARSIMONY | S (son) ‘coming into’ PA |
|
| 2 | Say nearly everyone will support rule of a monarch (5) | |
| REGAL | EG (say) AL |
|
| 3 | Reverie includes exclamation of support for play (9) | |
| TOLERANCE | TRANCE (reverie) round or ‘including’ OLE (exclamation of support) | |
| 4 | Exponent of magic more annoyed about church, right? (8) | |
| SORCERER | SORER (more annoyed) about CE (church) R (right) | |
| 5 | Untrained person taking nothing away from curious anomaly (6) | |
| LAYMAN | An anagram of AN |
|
| 6 | Saw bum, not head, rising (5) | |
| MOTTO | ||
| 7 | Boss has to lead, supported by a fool (3,6) | |
| TOP BANANA | ||
| 8 | Italian leader adopting duke’s scheme (5) | |
| DODGE | DOGE (Italian leader) round or ‘adopting’ D (duke) | |
| 14 | Toilet had onset of wetness in autumn – this stops the flow (9) | |
| FLOODWALL | LOO (toilet) ‘D (had) W (first letter or ‘onset’ of ‘wetness’) in FALL (Autumn) | |
| 16 | Spanish girl wrecked scene, basically (2,7) | |
| IN ESSENCE | INES (Spanish girl) + an anagram of SCENE – anagrind is ‘wrecked’ | |
| 17 | Old writer inclined to ignore time, leaving nothing definite (4-5) | |
| OPEN-ENDED | O (old) PEN (writer) |
|
| 18 | Demolished villa claimed by star composer (8) | |
| SULLIVAN | An anagram of VILLA (anagrind is ‘demolished’) in or ‘claimed by’ SUN (star) | |
| 21 | Train inadequately, keeping United following old approaches (2,1,3) | |
| IN A RUT | An anagram of TRAIN (anagrind is ‘inadequately’) round or ‘keeping’ U (united) | |
| 22 | Giant cat swallowing a gerbil’s head (5) | |
| MAGOG | MOG (cat) round or ‘swallowing’ A G (first letter or ‘head’ of ‘gerbil’) | |
| 23 | Concern about daughter in political group (5) | |
| CADRE | CARE (concern) about D (daughter) | |
| 25 | Asian people: millions in the end (5) | |
| TAMIL | M (millions) in TAIL (the end) | |
Thanks B&J. There are a couple more, from the more obscure end of the G&S œuvre: Utopia LIMITED in 5a and The GRAND Duke in 26a.
Enjoyed this even though ignorant of theme. I parsed 7d as to + pb(lead) + a nana.
When dinosaurs roamed the earth – well, when I was ten years old – my dad showed me a Telegraph crossword clue which he was proud to have solved (he didn’t and doesn’t usually do cryptics). It was ‘Ability to endure G&S opera (8)’ and I got it, my first ever. I searched for that one in vain today but TOLERANCE will do very well.
Beautifully clued throughout as was previously stated, a recognisable theme that wasnt done to death.Very enjoyable, Thanks Phi (and B&J)
I parsed TOP BANANA as Mike@2. I think this must be PHI-Lite, as it seemed to take so little time. I know something about the theme, but that made no difference as I was slow to recognise it.
Thanks to Phi and Bertandjoyce for their good work.
Very pleasant solve. Lots to like with my picks of the day being 27a and the helpful theme. Many thanks to Phi for an enjoyable easy-end puzzle and to B&J for the blog.
I suffer from nina-blindness, but even I saw what was going on here. Very cleverly done. No special favourites today; all good.
Thanks, all three, and good weekend to all, especially all you mothers out there.
A fairly easy theme to spot, although I didn’t spot it until I’d completed the puzzle and remembered there is usually a theme on Phiday. Not a great G&S fan, but I know a lot of people who are. I can probably even hum the opening of My Name is John Wellington Wells from The Sorcerer.
Needed a word search to get 20ac.
Is it possible to spot a theme subconsciously? Something like that must have happened because although I failed to see the obvious I got 20ac with the line “freed from a genius tutelary” in “Three little maids from school” from The Mikado running through my head.
Couldn’t parse 7dn, but seeing the alternatives I’d go for Mike’s suggestion @2.
All good stuff, though. Thanks, Phi and B&J
Thanks for all the comments. We have been busy all day and have not had an opportunity to respond earlier. Mike@2 has a much better parsing for 7d – thanks for that! Thanks also to Andrew@1 for the extra thematic answers.
Didn’t clock the theme until very late on (in spite of having got Mikado and Sullivan). No doubt this does me little credit, but it does the puzzle great credit.
Loved top banana. Most enjoyable – but possibly the easiest Phi ever?