Phi-day again, and the usual excellent puzzle.
Lots to enjoy, but we just cannot figure out 22ac – there’s only one word that fits, and there’s a straightforward definition, but how on earth does the wordplay work?
4d was a new word for us, but the wordplay and the crossers sorted it out – we just needed to check that the word exists!
We can’t see a theme this week, but that definitely doesn’t mean that there isn’t one!
| Across | ||
| 9 | Sort of heavenly model: one with lots bare, wiggling (9) | |
| ASTROLABE | An anagram of A (one) and LOTS BARE – anagrind is ‘wiggling’ | |
| 10 | Unmarried, having no son? A cosy position (5) | |
| INGLE | ||
| 11 | Broke? Increase in receipts mostly reversed (5) | |
| KAPUT | UP (increase) in TAK |
|
| 12 | Misaligned fellows having little money in aggregate (3-6) | |
| OFF-CENTRE | FF (fellows) CENT (‘little money’) in ORE (aggregate) | |
| 13 | Subprogram to do with energy? It bears fruit (5,4) | |
| APPLE TREE | APPLET (subprogram) RE (to do with) E (energy) | |
| 15 | Run in footwear? I need special shoes (5) | |
| HORSE | R (run) in HOSE (footwear) | |
| 16 | Tense ramble, having shaken off daughter and ferocious mother (7) | |
| TIGRESS | T (tense) |
|
| 18 | Proclaim appearance of politician in real-time (7) | |
| TRUMPET | MP (politician) in TRUE (real) T (time) | |
| 19 | Reliable performer dropped in error? (5) | |
| BRICK | Double definition | |
| 20 | Rough bale carried by a pale 15 without demur (9) | |
| AGREEABLY | An anagram of BALE (anagrind is ‘rough’) in or ‘carried by’ A GREY (pale horse – 15across) | |
| 22 | A great number in lively dance company being held back (9) | |
| OCTILLION | We’re completely stumped by this one! There’s NO (number) and CO (company) reversed at either end and LIT (‘lively’?) reversed in the middle, but the ‘number’ is part of the definition, and where does the LI and ‘dance’ come in? Any thoughts out there? See the helpful comment from trenodia@1. | |
| 25 | Despicable character keeping Bill silent (5) | |
| TACIT | TIT (despicable character) round or ‘keeping’ AC (account – bill) | |
| 27 | I attempt to secure line over construction of ice (5) | |
| IGLOO | I GO (try) round or ‘securing’ L (line) + O (over) | |
| 28 | Tin left in food store not ultimately suited to a romantic dinner? (9) | |
| CANDLELIT | CAN (tin) + L (left) in DELI (food store) + T (last or ‘ultimate’ letter of ‘not’) | |
| Down | ||
| 1 | Hard week hosting a supporter of war (4) | |
| HAWK | H (hard) WK (week) round or ‘hosting’ A | |
| 2 | Increase number of animals at home? (4,2) | |
| STEP UP | PETS (animals at home) reversed or UP | |
| 3 | Expressions of courage and audacity in a jam (10) | |
| BOTTLENECK | BOTTLE (courage) NECK (audacity) | |
| 4 | Italian gangster: “I run Italian city, turning up in criminal acts” (10) | |
| CAMORRISTA | I R (run) ROMA (Italian city) reversed or ‘turning up’ in an anagram of ACTS – anagrind is ‘criminal’ – a new one for us! | |
| 5 | Grouse, or another main course? (4) | |
| BEEF | Double definition | |
| 6 | English Literature picked up in item of coverage (4) | |
| TILE | E (English) LIT (literature) reversed or ‘picked up’ | |
| 7 | A lot of Republicans will accept it (public relations) as a political tool (8) | |
| AGITPROP | A GOP (Grand Old Party – the Republicans) round or ‘accepting’ IT PR (public relations) | |
| 8 | See Fenland city invaded by the men rioting ferociously (10) | |
| VEHEMENTLY | V (vide – see) ELY (Fenland city) round or ‘invaded by’ an anagram of THE MEN – anagrind is ‘rioting’ | |
| 13 | It captures brief life-story in caper relating to medical treatment (10) | |
| ANTIBIOTIC | IT round or ‘capturing’ BIO |
|
| 14 | Exalting Knight: none right to be upset about that (10) | |
| ENTHRONING | N (knight – in chess) with an anagram of NONE RIGHT (anagrind is ‘upset’) outside or ‘about’ | |
| 15 | Standard approach employs limits of theory when in difficulty (5,5) | |
| HOUSE STYLE | USES (employs) T |
|
| 17 | One officer I left throttled by chap fully acknowledging blame (8) | |
| GUILTILY | I (one) LT (lieutenant – officer) I L (left) in or ‘throttled by’ GUY (chap) | |
| 21 | Resist before the French collapse (6) | |
| BUCKLE | BUCK (resist) LE (‘the’ in French) | |
| 23 | Hero‘s award – not another award? (4) | |
| LION | ||
| 24 | Long to marry after losing first husband (4) | |
| ITCH | ||
| 26 | Betting system supplying sum before end of race (4) | |
| TOTE | TOT (sum) E (last letter or ‘end’ of ‘race’) | |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotillion
Cotillion is a dance and the “co” is “held back”
Many thanks trenodia – the clue now makes perfect sense.
An enjoyable solve once more – once we realised we had written the answer to 13ac at 12ac (5 and 7 dn put us right there). We thought 8dn most ingenious since ‘see’ can often be used to clue ‘Ely’ and vice-versa; and we were rather relieved that the ‘pale horse’ in 20ac was simply a grey and not that ridden by Death in Revelation 6:8.
No theme or nina that we can see, except that the first four unches in the top row are HSBC but that’s probably just co-incidence.
CoD was ASTROLABE, for the totally different mental image of a mostly naked cavorting cherub suggested by the surface.
Thanks, Phi and B&J
Really good crossword with lots of nice surfaces, I thought. My clue of the day? I’m with Mr C @3 there! Thanks to the Phi for the puzzle and to B&J for the blog.
Thanks, all three.
Glad there was someone else who struggled to parse OCTILLION. Thanks to trenodia for sorting that one out.
Good stuff from Phi. I think this falls into the it-was-all-good-no-special-favourites category. There is a nina: in the rows across, if you look hard enough, you can read HSBC BEING PUT OFF STRUMPET, which is code for have a good weekend.
Took me a while to get my favourite, ASTROLABE, as I had RAMP UP(2 animals RAM and PUP) at 2d for most of my solve. I was finally defeated by OCTILLION though. I hadn’t heard of either the dance or the number, so I cheated. An enjoyable puzzle. I whizzed through the first 90% but then had to put my brain into a higher gear. Shame I crashed and burned on the last bend. Thanks Phi and B&J.
On my usual quest for a list of words with which to start a grid it occurred to me to look up the list of pub names in Brewer, where I was led to a paragraph at the end of the main list citing a specific selection from 18th century Derby. And I thought that if Ebenzer Cobham could randomly choose Derby, so could I. So there are four pairs of words making up the names. I haven’t got them to hand, but I think LION & TIGRESS was one, and perhaps BRICK & TILE. Two were still open and had websites.
You mean you didn’t spot that…?
Well now, I did see Horse and Trumpet but thought that was just co-incidence. But looking into it further the complete list would seem to be Brick & Tile, Hawk & Buckle, the aforesaid Horse & Trumpet, and the Lion and Tigress. A website devoted to lost pubs lists all four as closed, but to the best of my knowledge the Brick & Tile is still open – I found a recent website reference to it from September this year. I do go past it occasionally but can’t say I’ve noticed if it was open or closed lately.
Another person (if kitties are people too) reporting in with mews of an enjoyable solve, a new gangster encountered at 4d, and a failure to dance the cotillion. I’m happy to join the octillion who have chosen the heavenly model of 9a as favourite.
Thanks to Phi and Bertandjoyce, and a happy weekend to all.
To Phi @3.
I can’t believe I missed that!
It’s getting late. My last comment was for Phi @7 Doh!