Phi’s latest puzzle ushers in the cruciverbal weekend.
I found this one to be towards the easier end of the Phi spectrum, but nonetheless an enjoyable and satisfying solve. As usual, I have not detected a (ghost) theme of any kind, but doubtless other solvers will enlighten me.
My favourite clues were the semi- & lits at 14 and 17, for ingenuity, and above all 1A, for concision and smoothness of surface. I found 7 and 23 hard to parse at first, but I think that I got there in the end!
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | PANTS | Rubbish // bags
Double definition: pants means rubbish, nonsense AND bags, trousers |
| 04 | IMPOSTURE | Tainted about large-scale source of tax fraud
[OS (=large-scale, i.e. outsize) + T<ax> (“source of” means first letter only)] in IMPURE (=tainted) |
| 09 | OUTNUMBER | Exceed getting anaesthetised by anaesthetic
OUT (=anaesthetised, knocked out) + NUMBER (=anaesthetic, i.e. something that numbs!) |
| 10 | EVENT | Sports item not once cut short, though held over it before time
EVEN (NEVE<r>=not once; “cut short” means last letter is dropped; “though held over” indicates reversal) + T (=time) |
| 11 | EASIEST | Most straightforward – that is Spades, held by bridge player
[I.E. (=that is) + S (=spades, in cards)] in EAST (=bridge player) |
| 12 | HANOVER | Germany avoiding change in power in German city (according to the UK)
HAN<d>OVER (=change in power; “Germany (=D, in IVR) avoiding” means letter “d” is dropped); Hanover in English is spelt Hannover in German! |
| 14 | BOULEVERSEMENT | Tumble over – and seen possibly in this?
*(TUMBLE OVER + SEEN); “possibly” is anagram indicator; semi- & lit. |
| 17 | BATHING MACHINE | Furtive change in habit after male boards this?
M (=male) in *(CHANGE IN HABIT); “furtive” is anagram indicator; semi- & lit. |
| 21 | OVERRUN | Exceed what forestalls appearance of maiden?
Cryptically, an “over run”, i.e. a run scored during an over, would deny a bowler a maiden (over) in cricket! |
| 23 | LITERAL | Absolute fabrication about temperature – I must leave bar
[T (=temperature) in LIE (=fabrication)] + RA<i>L (=bar, made of metal; “I must leave” means letter “i” is dropped) |
| 24 | ORBIT | Soldiers had effect in range
OR (=soldiers, i.e. other ranks) + BIT (=had effect, as in when the recession bit) |
| 26 | CHARLATAN | Plan involving US city revealed by a new swindler
[LA (=US city) in CHART (=plan)] + A + N (=new) |
| 27 | FIRMAMENT | Decisive conclusion to prayer leading to time in heaven
FIRM (=decisive) + AMEN (=conclusion to prayer) + T (=time) |
| 28 | PLEAT | Fold line visible in deposit in blog
L (=line) in PEAT (=deposit in blog) |
| Down | ||
| 01 | PROVERBS | Demonstrate difficulties after mislaying university book
PROVE (=demonstrate) + R<u>BS (=difficulties; “mislaying university (=U)” means letter “u” is dropped); the Book of Proverbs appears in the Old Testament |
| 02 | NOT A SAUSAGE | Nothing but encouragement for vegetarians?
Cryptically, one might say “not a sausage” to encourage a vegetarian to eat no meat |
| 03 | SHUT-EYE | Detective going under small shed for some rest
S (=small) + HUT (=shed) + EYE (=detective, as in private eye) |
| 04 | IN-BETWEEN | Wager water in pub is neither one thing nor another
[BET (=wager) + WEE (=water, as in to pass water)] in INN (=pub) |
| 05 | PORCH | Colonnade left unfinished, attached to church
POR<t> (=left, at sea; “unfinished” means last letter is dropped) + CH (=church) |
| 06 | STERNUM | Hard lump pared down to reveal bone
STERN (=hard) + <l>UM<p> (“pared drown” means first and last letters are dropped) |
| 07 | USE | Decline to ignore official purpose
<ref>USE (=decline, turn down); “to ignore official (=ref, i.e. referee)” means letters “ref” are dropped |
| 08 | EXTORT | Force old source of legal action
EX (=old, former) + TORT (=source of legal action) |
| 13 | VINAIGRETTE | Accompaniment to food that could make for riveting tea
*(RIVETING TEA); “that could make for” is anagram indicator |
| 15 | SIMULCAST | Chimney is upended and thrown – pictures and sound here
SIMUL (LUM=chimney + IS; “upended” indicates vertical reversal) + CAST (=thrown); a simulcast is a programme broadcast simultaneously on radio and television |
| 16 | WELL-KNIT | Strong-built shaft requiring equipment involving little new
WELL (=shaft, for extraction of water, oil, etc) + [N (=new; “little” indicates abbreviation) in KIT (=equipment)] |
| 18 | HERB TEA | Healthy drink? That woman’s exhausted, after getting tense earlier
HER (=that woman) + BEAT (=exhausted); “after getting tense (=T, in grammar) earlier” means that letter “t” appears earlier in the word |
| 19 | CAT-FLAP | Uproar after one in court supplies access for domestic resident
[A (=one) in CT (=court, in addresses)] + FLAP (=uproar, commotion); cats enter homes through cat-flaps |
| 20 | NOD OFF | Go to sleep? No – party’s very loud
NO + DO (=party, function) + FF (=very loud, in music, i.e. fortissimo) |
| 22 | NICHE | Start of holiday in French city is not for everyone
H<oliday> in NICE (=French city); a niche interest is not for everyone |
| 25 | BAR | Special offer giving no extra income for pub
BAR<gain> (=special offer); “giving no extra income (=gain)” means letters “gain” are dropped |
Good workout. Failed to get EVENT and USE, no excuse for the latter. Needed a wordfit to get 14a, which was new to me. Not met 17a either but found it easy to guess and then google. Thought 2d was the weakest clue, given that vegetarian sausages are widely available. Didn’t know German spelling for HANOVER, but answer was clear. Thanks to Phi and RR.
A quickish solve for me, but enjoyable too. My LOI was 14a, which I had to assemble from the anagrist after getting all the checkers. Fortunately the remaining letters tumbled down from the air in the correct order. SHUT EYE was my first entry. Everything else came together nicely from the wordplay. Liked OUTNUMBER. Thanks Phi and RatkojaRiku.
Thanks Phi and RR
Re 2, when I was growing up many, many years ago, the phrase ‘NOT A SAUSAGE’ was in fairly regular use as a colloquial term for emphasising nothing (“You’ll get nothing, not a sausage”). I wonder if that’s where Phi is coming from?
Simon@3 I don’t doubt that. Also note that RR has italicised ‘nothing’ as the definition. My criticism was concerning the cryptic part.
You are surely correct to take issue with the cryptic part. Frankly, even as a confirmed carnivore I have enjoyed the occasional vegetarian sausage, and I’ve found them to be better than most of the real ones! Apart from that, I equate ‘meat-free sausage’ with ‘alcohol-free beer’ — pointless!
One problem I had with the rest of it was BOULEVERSEMENT, as it is an anagram of what, for me, is a totally unfamiliar word. That got me, that one, I am afraid.
Many thanks setter and blogger.
By the way, where is The Guardian blog for today?
NHS @6
“By the way, where is The Guardian blog for today?”
Immediately after this one on the Home page, the first entry in the Categories archive and third in the list of Recent Posts so it shouldn’t be too hard to find. 😉
Enjoyed this. Loved things like “large-scale source of tax fraud”. Liked OUTNUMBER, IN-BETWEEN, CAT-FLAP.
wasn’t as keen on EVENT.
I had never heard of the two long clues.
Many thanks Phi and RR
Not sure we agree that this was “towards the easier end of the Phi spectrum”, but we completed it without help apart from checking that BOULEVERSEMENT is a valid English word, or at least that it’s in Chambers.
We also took a while to figure out PROVERBS, IMPOSTURE and BATHING MACHINE (for more about this contraption click here. It put us in mind of the bit in Gilbert & Sullivan’s Iolanthe (in the Lord Chancellor’s “nightmare” song:
“For you dream you are crossing the Channel, and tossing about in a steamer from Harwich –
Which is something between a large bathing machine and a very small second-class carriage.”
Our favourite, though, was CAT-FLAP for the amusing definition.
Thanks, Phi and RatkojaRiku
My only difficulty was 14ac, where I’d got all the crossing letters, guessed the anagram fodder, put it all together and got something I didn’t believe could be a word. So I fed it into an anagram finder and was surprised that it came up with the word I’d just rejected.
17ac always reminds me of The Hunting of the Snark, as the snark had a fondness for bathing machines.