As with most Fridays we have a puzzle from Phi
There is a theme linking some of the entries in the grid – BLACK CHAIR (1 across; 29 across), SPECIALIST SUBJECT (14 across; 7 down), GENERAL KNOWLEDGE (19 down; 4 down) all relate to the television quiz MASTERMIND (23 across). Perhaps KANDINSKY (4 across), SUGAR BEAN (18 across) and COCCI (20 across) could be answers to questions in the programme.
I didn’t see the theme until after I had completed the puzzle. When blogging a Phi puzzle I always have a look at the grid to see if there are any obvious connections. For a change I actually spotted the connection in this one.
I thought this was one of Phi’s gentler puzzles, but I know when I say that, there will be some solvers who disagree.
I liked the artistical allusions in the clue for KANDINSKY.
I also liked the double container and contents used in the construction of MASTERMIND.
I’m not sure about the parsing for ARSON (24 down) and would welcome any alternative suggestions
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
Dirty footballer crossing line (5)
|
BACK (footballer positioned behind the forwards) containing (crossing) L (line) B (L) ACK |
BLACK (dirty)
|
|
4
|
Painter also engaged by related blue shade (9)
|
(AND [also] contained in [engaged by] KIN [related]) + SKY (a shade of blue) K (AND) IN SKY |
KANDINSKY (reference Wassily KANDINSKY [1866 – 1944], Russian painter and art theorist. He is credited with painting one of the first recognised purely abstract works)
|
|
9
|
Emphasise the return journey? (5,4)
|
DRIVE HOME (descriptive of the return journey) DRIVE HOME |
DRIVE HOME (emphasise) double definition
|
|
10
|
Wire and line introduced into most of the Scottish tree-trunk (5)
|
L (line) contained in (introduced into) CABER (trimmed trunk of a tree, which is held upright and tossed or hurled by athletes at Highland games; Scottish tree-trunk) excluding the final letter (most of) R CAB (L) E |
CABLE (wire)
|
|
11
|
A lot of coins provided by celebrities demanding skills (10)
|
SPECIE (coined money) excluding the final letter (a lot of) E + A-LIST (descriptive of the current top rated celebrities) SPECI ALIST |
SPECIALIST (a SPECIALIST has a high level of skill in his / her field)
|
|
12
|
See 22
|
See wordplay at 22 below
|
[BONE] HEAD
|
|
14
|
Assessed one time going through stop light (5)
|
(A [one] + T [time]) contained in (going through) RED (the colour of a stop light) R (A T) ED |
RATED (assessed)
|
|
15
|
Miss, turning tail in romantic assignations, makes upset (9)
|
LOSE (miss) reversed (turning tail) contained in (in) DATES (romantic assignations) D (ESOL<) ATES |
DESOLATES (makes upset)
|
|
18
|
Vegetable, variety of Arab genus (5,4)
|
Anagram of (variety of) ARAB GENUS SUGAR BEAN* |
SUGAR BEAN (lima bean, of which the butter bean is a well known variety; vegetable)
|
|
20
|
Company beginning to collect Channel islands bacteria (5)
|
CO (company) + C (first letter of [beginning to] COLLECT) + CI (Channel Islands) CO C CI |
COCCI (spherical bacteria)
|
|
22 / 12
|
Stupid husband drawn to single person within sight (8)
|
(ONE [single person] + (H [husband] contained in [within] BEAD [front sight of a gun]) B (ONE H) EAD |
BONE [HEAD] (stupid person)
|
|
23
|
Leading criminal very angry about crime ensuring time in prison (10)
|
MAD (very angry) containing (about) (SIN [crime] containing [ensuring] TERM [prison term]) MA (S (TERM) IN) D |
MASTERMIND (person conceiving or directing a project, especially a criminal enterprise)
|
|
26
|
Get rid of an area with bushes (5)
|
SCRUB (abandon; get rid of) SCRUB |
SCRUB (area with stunted trees and bushes) double definition
|
|
27
|
Second attempt secures backer for play unexpectedly (9)
|
S (second) + (TRY [attempt] containing [secures] ANGEL [a financial backer or adviser, especially one who finances theatrical ventures]) S TR (ANGEL) Y |
STRANGELY (unexpectedly)
|
|
28
|
Factory back in Newcastle area, active for a long time (9)
|
MILL (factory) + (IN + NE [North East. Newcastle is in the North East of England]) all reversed (back in) + A (active) MILL (EN NI)< A |
MILLENNIA (thousands of years; a long time)
|
|
29
|
Somewhere to sit down right after tea (5)
|
CHAI (strong black tea infused with milk, sugar and spices) + R (right) CHAI R |
CHAIR (seat; somewhere to sit down)
|
| Down | |||
|
1
|
Boss exploding with fury about driving initially enjoys Rollers? (9)
|
(Anagram of [exploding] BOSS and FURY) containing (about) D (first letter of [initially] DRIVING) BO (D) YSURFS* |
BODYSURFS (if someone BODYSURFS they are likely to enjoy big sea waves or rollers)
|
|
2
|
Illness after one drops nutrition (7) |
AILMENT (illness) with I (one) dropping down the word (drops) to form the down entry ALIMENT ALIMENT |
ALIMENT (nourishment; nutrition)
|
|
3
|
Don’t tell how to prepare a room for a film show? (4,2,4)
|
KEEP IT DARK (if you are going to display a film show in a room it is best to KEEP IT DARK) KEEP IT DARK |
KEEP IT DARK (conceal something; don’t tell anyone) double definition
|
|
4
|
King currently governed, say, picking up information (9)
|
K (king) + NOW (currently) + LED (governed) + (E.G. [for example; say] reversed [picking up]) K NOW LED GE< |
KNOWLEDGE (information)
|
|
5
|
Requirements met, though rising, after intervention of daughter (5)
|
SEEN (met) reversed (though rising) containing D (daughter) NEE (D) S< |
NEEDS (requirements)
|
|
6
|
Desire singer to shake tin (4)
|
SNITCH (informer; singer) excluding (to shake) SN (chemical symbol for tin) ITCH |
ITCH (desire)
|
|
7
|
Topic about to be covered by ‘water and air transport’ (7)
|
C (circa [about]) contained in (to be covered by) (SUB [submarine; sea transport] + JET [air transport]) SUB JE (C) T |
SUBJECT (topic)
|
|
8
|
Produce that is left in yard (5)
|
(I.E. [id est; that is] + L [left]) contained in (in) YD (yard) Y (IE L) D |
YIELD (produce) |
|
13
|
Chosen working integrated circuit about right in regard to much IT (10)
|
(ELECT [chosen] + ON [working] + IC [integrated circuit]) containing (about) R (right) ELECT (R) ON IC |
ELECTRONIC (descriptive of much information technology [IT]) hardware, software and data)
|
|
16
|
International group following America in broadcasts set up recovery sites (9)
|
(A [America] + [NATO {international group}]) contained in (in) AIRS (broadcasts) reversed (set up; down clue) S (A NATO) RIA< |
SANATORIA (hospitals for convalescents and the chronically ill; recovery sites)
|
|
17
|
Political discourse of less interest suggesting alternative to hanging? (4-5)
|
SPIN (To put a favourable slant on an item of policy; political discourse) + DRYER (of less interest) SPIN DRYER |
SPIN-DRYER (a machine that offers an alternative to hanging clothes out to dry)
|
|
19
|
Common classes supported by lecturer (7)
|
GENERA (classes of objects comprehending several subordinate specie) + L (lecturer) This being a down entry, the letter L is ‘supporting’ all the other letters GENERA L |
GENERAL (common)
|
|
21
|
Agree artist will depict a fantastical creature (7)
|
CHIME (agree) + RA (Royal Academician) CHIME RA |
CHIMERA (fabled fire-spouting monster, with a lion’s head, a serpent’s tail, and a goat’s body)
|
|
22
|
Happen a few trimmed a broom (5)
|
BE (happen) + SOME (a few) excluding the final letter (trimmed) E BE SOM |
BESOM (bunch of twigs for sweeping or a broom made of twigs tied to a handle)
|
|
24
|
What may be mostly behind burning? (5)
|
ARSE ON (designating a rear view; behind) excluding the E (mostly). I’m not completely happy with this parsing as ‘mostly’ usually indicates dropping a letter from the end of a constituent part ARS ON |
ARSON (crime of maliciously and feloniously setting fire to property; burning)
|
|
25
|
Accomplished leader dismissed by board (4)
|
TABLE (board) excluding (dismissed) the first letter (leader) T ABLE |
ABLE (accomplished)
|
Marking (somewhat to my appalled fascination) 30 years since I was on the programme.
Best I cd do with ARSON was ARSe + ON (‘burning’, as in a gas-jet, cooker-ring), ‘burning’ doing double duty as def. But I’m not happy with it.
Good puzzle though – SPIN DRYER a little gem, I thought – so congratulations again to the man with the brain the size of a planet and thanks once more to Duncan.
Have to agree that neither suggested parsing of ARSON is entirely satisfactory. But an otherwise excellent puzzle. I didn’t spot the theme till I’d completed the puzzle either, but at least I spotted it for once. A momentary hold-up putting SPIN DRIER for 17dn, but the second I was easily changed to a Y
No real favourites, but I liked DRIVE HOME and BODYSURFS – the latter because the anagram fodder didn’t look very promising at first sight. Talking of sight, I had to check Chambers for that meaning of ‘bead’ in 22/12.
Thanks, Phi and Duncan
Slightly to modify my previous post, I think that ON as ‘burning’ does work slightly better than I thought. Even in these post-candle, post-lantern, post-tungsten days, one might still atmospherically write that ‘a light was burning in a top-storey window.’
Yet another synonym of ‘on’ to look out for…
Fine puzzle, which I completed relatively quickly. MASTERMIND was my last one in, and then I saw the theme.
Thanks for blogging Duncan. Phi, when you wake up, are you going to spill the 18 acrosses about what your 11 across subject was?
Good weekend to all.
Agree with GB that it is ARSe+ON, but took the whole clue as definition. I had KEEP IN DARK for 3D. Not sure the definition works in 11a – is that just me?
Hovis@6: In 11ac I think you have to take SPECIALIST as an adjective, as in “this calls for specialist knowledge”.
Did this over lunch yesterday with 15squared’s very own newmarketsausage so can’t recall the difficulty, but enjoyed it. I agree with GB’s 2nd parsing @4 and Mr C’s @7. Thanks to Phi for the puzzle (I prolly watched you in 1987 as we always tuned into Mastermind in my house back then) and to DS for the blog.
allan_c @ 3 – We thought the same thing about the anagram fodder for BDYSURFS and we weren’t sure about bead either.
Looking forward to hearing what your 11ac 7d was too Phi. Many thanks for the puzzle – for once we spotted the theme.
Thanks for the blog Duncan.
The area of expertise was Russian music of the 19th and 20th centuries. I really must watch the DVD I had made from my old video, though I’ll only squirm…
They have a thing called Youtube nowadays, Phi … you know, just in case you wanted to share the nostalgia with us all. 🙂