Another week, another Friday, another offering from Phi.
We found this fairly straightforward apart from having to check 8 and 9 down. Joyce had vaguely heard of 8d and we both guessed that 9d was Latin although only Bert realised that it started PONS having studied Latin at school – something which he loves reminding Joyce about when she wonders how he knew a certain word – “It comes from the Latin” is his standard reply. Joyce knows a little Greek but not enough to help with crosswords in the same way.
Which brings us to the mini theme this week. There are 4 words or phrases from different languages around the perimeter – French, German, Latin and Greek – three of them previously unknown to us!
Our FOI was 1ac and we did wonder about a theme of crossword setters – Schadenfreude is one of our favourite Inquisitor setters – but we soon realised that this wasn’t to be.
Anyway, we are now in Greece where Joyce is hopefully improving her language skills and we are both enjoying the sunshine and greek food in Sithonia! We obviously have internet access but if there are any errors or omissions we will not be able to deal with them until later in the day.
Thanks Phi. (We did try and use the Greek character here but the website would not accept it unfortunately. This was the best we could do!)
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | Cheers undead on the move around France, enjoying the victims’ plight (13) | |
| SCHADENFREUDE | An anagram of CHEERS UNDEAD around F (France) – anagrind is ‘on the move’ | |
| 8 | Weatherproof clothing father used around sailing vessel (5) | |
| PARKA | PA (father) around ARK (vessel) | |
| 10 | Royal Sumo wrestling, with lots of clinches? (9) | |
| AMOROUSLY | An anagram of ROYAL SUMO – anagrind is ‘wrestling’ | |
| 11 | One gives directions to a raving lunatic (9) | |
| NAVIGATOR | An anagram of TO A RAVING – anagrind is ‘lunatic’ | |
| 12 | Alluring woman helping to entrench our insecurities (5) | |
| HOURI | Hidden in the clue entrencH OUR Insecurities | |
| 13 | More than one relative hangs around after husband leaves (5) | |
| AUNTS | ||
| 14 | Painter studies board (9) | |
| CONSTABLE | CONS (studies) TABLE (board) | |
| 16 | Pagans – ideal sort for conversion (9) | |
| IDOLATERS | An anagram of IDEAL SORTS – anagrind is ‘for conversion’ | |
| 18 | Old magistrate always backtracking about end to crime (5) | |
| REEVE | A reversal or ‘backtracking’ of EVER (always) around E last letter or ‘end of’ crime | |
| 20 | Old theatre recalled a musical work (5) | |
| OPERA | O (old) REP (theatre) reversed or ‘recalled’ A | |
| 22 | Everyone is devouring article linked to church marriages (9) | |
| ALLIANCES | ALL IS around or ‘devouring’ AN (article) and CE (church) | |
| 24 | International friendship apparently interrupted by rejection of popular agreement (9) | |
| UNANIMITY | UN (International) AMITY (friendship) around IN (poular) reversed or ‘rejected’ | |
| 25 | Succeed at school, with inclination to accept basic element of education (5) | |
| LEARN | LEAN (inclination) around or ‘accepting’ R (basic element of education as in the three Rs) | |
| 26 | Hawk heading off with energy, repeatedly circling swans, showing ulterior motive (7-6) | |
| ARRIÈRE PENSÉE | hARRIER (hawk) with first letter or ‘head’ removed EEE (energy repeatedly) around PENS (swans) | |
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | Group of travellers are almost entering Irish county (7) | |
| CARAVAN | AR |
|
| 3 | Gossip one had about broken leg is suggesting painkiller (9) | |
| ANALGESIA | ANA (gossip) A around an anagram of LEG IS – anagrind is ‘broken’ | |
| 4 | Specific duties mostly upheld after intervention by college (5) | |
| EXACT | TAXE |
|
| 5 | Supports love, taking men in affairs (9) | |
| FLOORINGS | O (love) OR (men) in FLINGS (affairs) | |
| 6 | Rising expectation about century being a significant period (5) | |
| EPOCH | HOPE (expectation) reversed or ‘rising’ about C (century) | |
| 7 | Offer about routine practices taken up, producing upset (7) | |
| DISTURB | BID (offer) about RUTS (routine practices) all reversed or ‘taken up) | |
| 8 | When moved I seek only to take in timeless liturgy in part of Mass (5,7) | |
| KYRIE ELEISON | An anagram of I SEEK ONLY |
|
| 9 | Tough proposition, performing minus soprano (4,8) | |
| PONS ASINORUM | An anagram of MINUS SOPRANO – anagrind is ‘performing’ – another new phrase! | |
| 14 | Gallant expression of support incorporating a lot of sound (9) | |
| CHEVALIER | CHEER (expression of support) around VALI |
|
| 15 | Cover unusual rant about 8th-century pope (9) | |
| TARPAULIN | An anagram of RANT around PAUL I (8th-century pope) | |
| 17 | Independent supporting article after writer interrupts old King out of doors (4-3) | |
| OPEN AIR | I (independent) under or ‘supporting’ A after PEN (writer) inside or ‘interrupting’ O (old) R (king) | |
| 19 | Area that’s isolated – as a result, not initially having toilet installed (7) | |
| ENCLAVE | ||
| 21 | A vital urge to abandon party, making excuse (5) | |
| ALIBI | A LIBI |
|
| 23 | Song higher in the charts in store (3,2) | |
| LAY UP | A play on the fact that a LAY (song) higher in the charts would be UP | |
I didn’t do this, but I had a quick look as the Guardian blog hasn’t appeared yet. I’m a little surprised that Kyrie Eleison was unfamiliar to you, as all choral masses (except requiems) start with this movement.
Thanks, both, for blogging.
Good fun from Phi this morning – rather a Phi-lite, if anything, but after yesterday’s assault and battery from Nimrod, all the more welcome for that. Nice touch to have the four foreign language phrases around the perimeter; rather shamefully, it was the French one that was my last one in, because I needed all the crossers to see it. Once I’d seen what was going on, I guessed PONS must be the first word in 9dn and figured out the rest.
You hadn’t come across KYRIE ELEISON? May the Lord have Mercy upon you and cleanse you of your sin.
Thanks to Phi and a good weekend to all.
Thanks @Bertandjoyce. There is another Joyce who is well known for this date even if it was set in 1904.Yes!
Enjoyable crossword. Thought I was going to be on for a record Phi solve at first after whizzing through the top left diagonal, but twas not to be as soon slowed down and missed a couple in the end. Honours today go to Phi for edumacating me with five new words – not an easy task as anyone who’s tried to school me will know! Thanks to the setter for the puzzle and to B&J (happy holidays) for the blog.
One I had three of the perimeter clues I gave up trying to fit an English word in the last one.
Didn’t remember ana=gossip so thanks B&J for parsing of ANALGESIA ( I had first entered analgesic, fixed by idolaters).
As well as the perimeter clues, which except for the top one I had to look up, I particularly liked NAVIGATOR TARPAULIN & ALIBI
many thanks phi, and enjoy Greece B&J
All pretty straightforward, the only slight hiccup being my LOI, CHEVALIER – I was baffled after putting IDOLATORS (the way I usually spell it, tho’ Chambers allows both) for 16ac, despite IDOLATERS being obvious from the anagram fodder. But I didn’t know ARRIÈRE-PENSÉE meant an ulterior motive; I always though it meant an afterthought – obviously an example of what language teachers call False Friends.
A satisfying solve, very welcome after yesterday’s Nimrod and a similarly tough reprinted Donk in yesterday’s i. Thanks, Phi and B&J.
Is arriere pensee a faux ami? I thought faux amis would be words like pain ( Bread / douleur)
I’m not sure ARRIERE-PENSEE is a real faux ami. It’s a term more used for words like ‘actuellement’, which you naturally want to translate as ‘actually’; but it means ‘currently’ or ‘at the moment’. Another example would be ‘monnaie’, which you would assume means ‘money’ but in fact means ‘change’ (in the money sense).
This took a little juggling of options to get one each of French, German, Greek and Latin occupying the four long perimeter entries.
Naturally I have been humming Tom Lehrer’s ‘Vatican Rag’ with its unbeatable couplet:
Everybody say his own
Kyrie Eleison
Genuflect! Genuflect! Genuflect!