A typical Phi puzzle this Friday
The grid looked a little bit odd with lots of unchecked letters in some of the acrosses so that hinted at a message or a gimmick.
There seems to be something going with the checked letters in the 7 letter across entries in that all the checked letters are the same and in alphabetical order from top to bottom. 7 across has all the checked letters as A, 8 has Es, 14 has Is, 16 has Os, 25 has Ts and 26 has Us. Two of the 8 letter downs have vowels for the checked letters – CALAMARI and ODALIQUE. The other two 8 letter downs have consonants in some checks although SERAGLIO tries hard to keep up the vowel theme.
I was held up for a while at the bottom of the grid as I had FLIGHT PLAN for a long time even though I couldn’t parse it. Eventually the penny dropped and I changed PLAN to PATH and everything then fell into place
A good workout for a Friday – thanks Phi
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
7
|
Crazy nonsense about three articles (7)
|
BS (bullshit; nonsense) containing (about) (AN [indefinite article] + AN [indefinite article] + A [indefinite article] to give three articles) B (AN AN A) S |
BANANAS (crazy)
|
|
8
|
Opening of Judges, OT Book overlooking King, one in favour of Bible’s foremost wicked woman (7)
|
J (first letter of [opening of] JUDGES) + (EZEKIEL [Old Testament Book] excluding [overlooking] K [king] and replacing [in favour of] I [Roman numeral for one] with B [first letter of [foremost] BIBLE) J EZE B EL
|
JEZEBEL (wicked scheming woman)
|
|
10
|
Have effect, limiting a tirade applied to a dance (10)
|
TELL (have effect) containing (limiting) (A + RANT [tirade]) + A T (A RANT) ELL A |
TARANTELLA (lively Neapolitan dance)
|
|
11
|
Word from overseas about a defensive structure (4)
|
MOT (French for ‘word’; word from overseas) containing (about) A MO (A) T |
MOAT (deep trench round a castle or fortified place, sometimes filled with water; defensive structure)
|
|
12
|
Adjusted fiscal rating, after receiving fine indication of safety to proceed (7,6)
|
Anagram of (adjusted) FISCAL RATING containing (receiving) F (fine, on lead pencils) TRAF (F) IC SIGNAL* |
TRAFFIC SIGNAL (an indicator of safety to proceed , or not)
|
|
14
|
Target containing it I left to retreat in armed group (7)
|
(AIM [target] containing [containing] [IT + I + L {left}]) all reversed (to retreat) (MI (L I TI) A)< |
MILITIA (armed group)
|
|
16
|
Single male taking on wise guy (7)
|
SOLO (single) + M (male) + ON SOLO M ON |
SOLOMON (person of unusual wisdom, from SOLOMON, king of Israel [Bible, 1 Kings 3, 5 – 15])
|
|
18
|
Sauce engaging foremost of university tutors, leading those people to make the grade (3,3,7)
|
CUSTARD (baked mixture of milk, eggs, etc, sweetened or seasoned; sauce) containing (engaging) (UT [first letter of [foremost of] each of UNIVERSITY and TUTORS] + THEM [those people]) C (UT THE M) USTARD |
CUT THE MUSTARD (reach the required standard; make the grade)
|
|
22
|
Disciple prefacing good Biblical contribution from 16 (4)
|
SON (disciple) + G (good) SON G |
SONG (reference SONG of SOLOMON [entry at 16 across]; Canticles, a book of the Old Testament long attributed to SOLOMON)
|
|
23
|
What one often performs, taking piano – cultured and quiet for the audience (5,5)
|
P (piano) + ARTY (cultured) + PIECE (sounds like [for the audience] PEACE [quiet]) P ARTY PIECE |
PARTY PIECE (act or turn that one is known for performing to entertain others)
|
|
25
|
Expression of annoyance in backing food regulation (7)
|
TUT (expression of annoyance) contained in (in) (EATS [food] reversed [backing]) STA (TUT) E< |
STATUTE (regulation)
|
|
26
|
Endless commotion in front of American burial area (7)
|
TUMULT (commotion) excluding the final letter (endless) T + US (United States) TUMUL US |
TUMULUS (burial ground))
|
| Down | |||
|
1
|
Knowing fellow in bar ejecting English soldier (6)
|
SAVE (except for; bar) excluding (ejecting) E (English) + ANT (reference soldier ANT) SAV ANT |
SAVANT (learned person; scholar)
|
|
2
|
One barge sadly cut up marine life (8)
|
(I [Roman numeral for one] + RAM [barge] + ALACK [sadly] excluding the last letter [cut]) all reversed (up; down clue) K (CALA MAR I)< |
CALAMARI (squid; marine life)
|
|
3
|
End of March? Cover’s needed around end of April (4)
|
HAT (cover) containing (around) L (last letter of [end of] APRIL) HA (L) T |
HALT (what you do at the end of a march)
|
|
4
|
Is a glue not unusually viscous? (10)
|
Anagram of (unusually) IS A GLUE NOT GELATINOUS* |
GELATINOUS (viscous)
|
|
5
|
Long speech upset those against housing refugees and migrants, initially (6)
|
NOES (people who are opposed) reversed (upset; down clue) containing (housing) RM (first letters of [initially] each of REFUGEES and MIGRANTS) SE (RM) ON< |
SERMON (discourse, often quite long when delivered from a pulpit)
|
|
6
|
Gaoler is arranging residence for 17 (8)
|
Anagram of (arranging) GAOLER IS SERAGLIO* |
SERAGLIO (women’s quarters in a Muslim house or palace; harem; the entry at 17 down is ODALIQUE, descriptive of a woman who would have lived in a SERAGLIO)
|
|
9
|
Group of countries boosting firm pound (4) |
(CO [company; firm] + LB [pound weight]) all reversed (boosting ; down clue) (BL OC)< |
BLOC (a combination of parties, nations or other units to achieve a common purpose)
|
|
13
|
Gentle touch in following height (pilot’s concern) (6,4)
|
(LIGHT [gentle] + PAT [touch]) contained in (in) (F [following] + H [height]) F (LIGHT PAT) H |
FLIGHT PATH (course [to be] taken by an aircraft, spacecraft etc; something of concern to the pilot)
|
|
15
|
Short measure of grain mostly barely there (8)
|
INCH (a measure) + OATEN (descriptive of a specific grain) excluding the final letter (mostly) N INCH OATE |
INCHOATE (only begun; unfinished; short)
|
|
17
|
Slave-girl having trouble raising story about queen (6)
|
ADO (trouble) reversed (raising; down clue) + (LIE [story] containing [about] QU [queen]) ODA< LI (QU) E |
ODALIQUE (female slave in a harem)
|
|
19
|
Mean to get support from stockings primarily or an alternative (6)
|
TIGHT (miserly; mean) + S (first letter of [primarily] STOCKINGS) As this is a down entry the letter S is supporting the letters in TIGHT TIGHT S |
TIGHTS (alternative to stockings)
|
|
20
|
Member with heated response in difficult situation (4)
|
M (member) + IRE (anger or heated response) M IRE |
MIRE (difficult situation)
|
|
21
|
Saw police getting upset over corporation (6)
|
CID (Criminal Investigation Department; a branch of the police force) reversed (getting upset; down clue) + TUM (stomach; corporation) DIC< TUM |
DICTUM (saying; saw)
|
|
24
|
Year – a period without source of hope for solvers? (4)
|
Y (year) + HOUR (a period of time) excluding (without) H (first letter of [source of] HOPE) Y OUR |
YOUR (of / for solvers, as YOU are one of the many solvers)
|
Irritatingly the computer version gives CUMULUS as the correct answer for 26A. I had to cheat to find my mistake.
Thanks Duncan, and also Phi, along with an apology. Phi, never having seen ‘odalique’, only ‘odalisque’ before, I almost suspected your immaculate cluing was amiss. OneLook and Collins don’t recognise it, but it is there in the BRB, so is not to be gainsaid. I should never have had a moment’s doubt 🙁
We got there in the end with occasional checking in Chambers (which also has ‘odalique’ as an alternative to ‘odalisque’). The NW corner was the last bit completed, as we took ages to get 7ac and 2dn; despite spotting the ‘three articles’ device we weren’t sure which articles or in what order.
We didn’t notice the repeated letters in the seven-letter acrosses. We did wonder about a pangram when J,Z and Q appeared but to no avail. We tried looking for a linking theme between some entries but thought that referring to 8ac in a 5dn on the 23ac of 16ac would be rather weird so we gave up on that idea!
Plenty to like here; favourites were CUT THE MUSTARD and TUMULUS.
Thanks, Phi and Duncan
Another very well-made and fair puzzle. At least three today, then, I’m pleased to say. Nevertheless, I always find there’s a good deal of complexity in Phi’s puzzles — they’re certainly no pushover.
This was the third puzzle I tackled on a long car journey yesterday, and so I was a bit jaded! Featherstonehaugh is right: Phi is no pushover. I got most of it, but used my Chambers app to get two or three of the last ones, including ODALIQUE. An enjoyable challenge. Thanks to Phi and Duncan.