A fairly typical Phi puzzle today.
Clearly ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN go together in Hamlet and a play by Tom Stoppard,
A little bit of research on Stoppard shows that he also wrote The REAL INSPECTOR HOUND, ARCADIA and NIGHT and DAY. All the highlighted words feature in the grid.
Despite a Q and a couple of Zs the puzzle is not a pangram.
There were one or two rather obscure entries, for me anyway, with SHIKSAS, CANTONMENT and MELISMATA being almost unknown. I think have encountered MELISMATA before in a barred crossword.
I worked fairly steadily though this without being aware of Stoppard’s works so I just treated each clue on its own merits, although one I got ROSENCRANTZ I did wonder whether GUILDENSTERN would make an appearance.
As usual, the clues that took my fancy were the ones with many component parts, such as INAUGURATE, ARCADIA and ROSENCRANTZ.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
Start during summer to get university fee (10)
|
IN (during) + AUG (August, a summer month) + U (university) + RATE (fee) IN AUG U RATE |
INAUGURATE (cause to begin; start)
|
|
6
|
Decoration missing full replication in splendour (4)
|
POMPOM (fluffy or woolly ball, tuft, or tassel worn on a shoe, hat etc; decoration) excluding OM from the second POM (missing full replication) POMP |
POMP (splendour)
|
|
9
|
Alcoholic drink having the French investing without enthusiasm (10)
|
SPIRITS (alcoholic drink) containing (having … investing) LES (one of the forms of ‘the’ in French) SPIRIT (LES) S |
SPIRITLESS (without enthusiasm)
|
|
10
|
Country has squandered millions, true (4)
|
REALM (country) excluding (has squandered) M (millions) REAL |
REAL (true)
|
|
12
|
Daughter entering quaint site rebuilt just as far away (11)
|
D (daughter) contained in (entering) anagram of (rebuilt) QUAINT SITE EQUI (D) ISTANT* |
EQUIDISTANT (equally far away)
|
|
13
|
Light is moving away from flower (3)
|
DAISY (flower) excluding (moving away from) IS DAY |
DAY (a period of light)
|
|
14
|
Guy eating horse marked in place name (7)
|
TOM (man’s name; guy) containing (eating) PONY (young horse) TO (PONY) M |
TOPONYM (place name)
|
|
17
|
Son recalled question when surrounded by man’s Christian women? (7)
|
S (son) + (ASK [question] reversed [recalled] contained in [surrounded by] HIS [man’s]) S HI (KSA<) S |
SHIKSAS (non-Jewish, possibly Christian, girl or woman)
|
|
19
|
Concert not now involving one contralto after setback (7)
|
(LATER [not now] containing [involving] [I {Roman numeral for one} + C {contralto}]) all reversed (after setback) (RE (C I) TAL)< |
RECITAL (concert)
|
|
20
|
A churchman a help for recalling Paradise? (7)
|
A + RC (Roman Catholic; churchman) + A + (AID [help] reversed) A RC A DIA< |
ARCADIA (district in Greece whose people were traditionally idealized as having a simple rural lifestyle, with much music and dancing; pastoral; Paradise)
|
|
21
|
Regular components of heavy agricultural product (3)
|
HAY (letters 1, 3 and 5 [regular components of] HEAVY) HAY |
HAY (example of an agricultural product)
|
|
22
|
Minor nobleman became prominent: new Conservative tirades on the radio (11)
|
ROSE (became prominent) + N (new) + C (Conservative) + RANTZ (sounds like [on the radio] RANTS [tirades]) ROSE N C RANTZ |
ROSENCRANTZ (name of a character in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, described as a courtier or minor nobleman. Also referenced in Tom Stoppard’s play ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN are dead)
|
|
25
|
Addict, one in denial dismissing arbitrator (4)
|
REFUSER (one in denial) excluding (dismissing) REF (referee; arbitrator) USER |
USER ([drug] addict)
|
|
26
|
It goes with vine, possibly (10)
|
SA (sex appeal; it) + an anagram of (possibly) GOES and VINE SA NGIOVESE* |
SANGIOVESE (a grape [on the vine and a red wine made from that grape in Italy)
|
|
27
|
Northern Irish politicians securing money repository (4)
|
DUP (Democratic Unionist Party) containing (securing) M (money) DU (M) P |
DUMP (repository)
|
|
28
|
Good many soldiers engaging in odd talk in winter quarters (10)
|
(TON [a good many] + MEN [soldiers]) contained in (engaging in) CANT (hypocritical, affected or perfunctory style of speech or thought; CAN (TON MEN) T |
CANTONMENT (temporary quarters, esp winter quarters, of troops taking part in manoeuvres or active operations)
|
| Down | |||
|
1
|
Policeman in area apprehending Prince (9)
|
IN + (SECTOR [area]) containing [apprehending] P [Prince]) IN S (P) ECTOR |
INSPECTOR (rank in the police force)
|
|
2
|
Stop interrupting Athletic and United’s leave-taking (5)
|
DIE (stop) contained in (interrupting) (A [Athletic] + U [United]) A (DIE) U |
ADIEU (farewell; leave-taking)
|
|
3
|
Minor nobleman: underling set to fail (12)
|
Anagram of (to fail) UNDERLING SET GUILDENSTERN* |
GUILDENSTERN (name of a character in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, described as a couriter or minor nobleman. Also referenced in Tom Stoppard’s play ROSENCRANTZ and GUILDENSTERN are dead) |
|
4
|
Car supplying lots of expected attendees? (5) |
ROLLS (lists of many names, possibly of expected attendees) ROLLS |
ROLLS (ROLLS Royce; car) double definition
|
|
5
|
Fellow filling cup in bistro – a large quantity of liquid (6,3)
|
(MAN [fellow] contained in [filling] TASSE [French for cup; bistros tend to be focused on French cuisine]) + A TAS (MAN) SE A |
TASMAN SEA (a large quantity of water [liquid])
|
|
7
|
Ring composer trimmed – does afresh, having had too much (9)
|
O (ring shaped letter) + VERDI (reference Guiseppe VERDI [1813 – 1901], Italian composer) excluding the final letter (trimmed) I + an anagram of (afresh) DOES O VERD OSED* |
OVERDOSED (had too much)
|
|
8
|
Friend, with surprised comment enjoying good weather (5)
|
PAL (friend) + MY! (expression of surprise) PAL MY |
PALMY (I can find lots of definitions around flourishing, glorious, prosperous but none that specifically mention the word being used in terms of weather. The nearest I get is reference to a PALMY beach and that’s really talking about the PALM trees near the beach)
|
|
11
|
Procrastination, though not in a funny set of pictures (8,7)
|
Anagram of (funny) PROCRASTINATION excluding (not) IN A STRIP CARTOON* |
STRIP CARTOON (set of pictures, which may be funny)
|
|
15
|
Elephant, perhaps, set to nurse sore head, ultimately (9)
|
PERM (permanent wave; ‘set’ in hairdressing terminology) containing (to nurse) (ACHY [sore] + D [last letter of {ultimately}] HEAD) P (ACHY D) ERM |
PACHYDERM (term usually used to classify elephants, rhinoceroses, or hippopotamuses)
|
|
16
|
Songs: M Amis et al in arrangement (9)
|
Anagram of (in arrangement) M AMIS ET AL MELISMATA* |
MELISMATA (songs)
|
|
18
|
Last characters in Staines dressed up in the highest of fashion (9)
|
(Z [final letter of the alphabet] twice [last characters]) contained in (in) an anagram of (dressed up) STAINES SNA (Z Z) IEST* |
SNAZZIEST (most fashionable) |
|
21
|
Husband reliable when taking out son and dog (5)
|
H (husband) + SOUND (reliable) excluding (taking out) S (son) H OUND |
HOUND (dog)
|
|
23
|
Most of the booze is picked up late in the day (5)
|
(THE excluding the final letter [most of] E + GIN [example of an alcoholic drink; booze) all reversed (picked up) (NIG HT)< |
NIGHT (late in the day)
|
| 24 | French city is home to English relative (5) |
NICE (French city) containing (is home to) E (English) NI (E) CE |
NIECE (a relative) |
Found this quite difficult, with too many obscure words for my liking, as listed by ds plus Sangiovese.
In 14a, apart from the fact that a pony is not a horse, young or otherwise, what is “marked in” doing?
Thanks to s & b.
Usually enjoy Phi, but occasionally, as here, he does include too many obscure words imo. Didn’t know: SHIKSAS, SANGIOVESE, CANTONMENT and MELISMATA. I also could not find any reference to PALMY to mean ‘good weather’ (balmy would work for me). I did know TASMAN SEA, TOPONYM and ARCADIA otherwise I would have failed miserably. Finished with the help of Chambers.
I liked this (as I usually do with Phi) but I seem to remember that when I downloaded that 5d read (6.8).Presumably that was changed as there are no comments on it.
Thanks Phi and Ds
Hovis @ 2: “obscure” is just a short way of saying “I didn’t know it”. All these words are in my lexicon, with consumption of sangiovese being a regular occurrence, as it’s a primary grape in Chianti and other Italian wines.
Simon@4. Sure. That’s why I add imo. The occasional ‘obscure’ word is always welcome to add to my vocabulary. Clearly I’m not the only one to comment on this today though. Don’t think anybody is getting at Phi, just expressing personal dislikes.
26ac and 28ac were the two obscure ones for me. Would never have got them without a word search. 16dn I was able to guess from knowing “melisma”. And I don’t understand 8dn, either. I kept wavering between BALMY from the definition and PALMY from the word play.
I struggled with this puzzle and needed aids to complete it. As with others I’d not come across PALMY(knew BALMY), SHISKAS, CANTONMENT or MELISMATA, and the grid was laid out in a way that stopped me progressing with these missing. I also struggled to get INAUGURATE, especially as I did my usual trick of substituting an E for the second U, which was why I was unable to complete until I revealed 1a after proof reading came to naught. Not complaining though. It’s all a learning progress, but I did find this a bit of a grind, especially after battling with today’s Times for over an hour! Thanks Phi and DS.