Another classic Phi puzzle this Phiday.
As is so often the case with Phi’s puzzles these days, we can’t see a theme or nina here, but that doesn’t mean to say that there isn’t one. Even Phi wasn’t sure whether there was a ghost theme in last Friday’s offering!!
10d was a new word for us and our last one in – perfectly gettable with the crossing letters and wordplay.
| Across | ||
| 1 | Drinks up when aboard ship (4) | |
| SUPS | UP in or ‘aboard’ SS (ship) | |
| 3 | American guy to board silent plane? Nonsense (5,5) | |
| MUMBO JUMBO | BO (American guy) in or ‘boarding’ MUM (silent) JUMBO (plane) | |
| 9 | Former PM to respond to Sun? (5) | |
| BROWN | Double definition | |
| 11 | Article wedged in part of skeleton is a cigar (9) | |
| PANATELLA | AN (article) ‘wedged’ in PATELLA (kneecap – ‘part of skeleton’) | |
| 12 | Display of plants implying danger? (4,6) | |
| ROCK GARDEN | GARDEN is an anagram of ‘danger’ – the anagrind is ROCK | |
| 13 | Continent, one occupying a small area (4) | |
| ASIA | I (one) ‘occupying’ A S (small) A (area) | |
| 16 | All in French, following principal material from computer (8) | |
| PRINTOUT | TOUT (French for ‘all’) following PRIN (principal) | |
| 17 | Conspirator without latitude to move unhurriedly (6) | |
| POTTER | P |
|
| 20 | Fruit to be sinful? Church variable about that (6) | |
| CHERRY | ERR (to be sinful) with CH (church) Y (variable) outside or ‘about’ | |
| 21 | New and old mingling in important stringed instrument (8) | |
| MANDOLIN | An anagram of N (new) and OLD (anagrind is ‘mingling’) in MAIN (important) | |
| 23 | US city to succeed in disposing of one grassy area (4) | |
| LAWN | LA (Los Angeles – US city) W |
|
| 25 | Flurry of birds here around Wye? This is somewhere else (10) | |
| DERBYSHIRE | An anagram of BIRDS HERE and Y (‘wye’) – anagrind is ‘flurry of’ | |
| 27 | Writer to observe Queen encountering swan (6,3) | |
| MARKER PEN | MARK (observe) ER (Queen) PEN (swan) | |
| 28 | Unreliable parachute dismissed at outset (5) | |
| ROGUE | ||
| 29 | Hate misuse of carbon here (10) | |
| ABHORRENCE | An anagram of CARBON HERE – anagrind is ‘misuse of’ | |
| 30 | The same officer is a fool (4) | |
| DOLT | DO (ditto – ‘the same’) LT (lieutenant – officer) | |
| Down | ||
| 1 | Cobra and tulips out of place in a fairly lush climate (11) | |
| SUBTROPICAL | An anagram of COBRA and TULIPS – anagrind is ‘out of place’ | |
| 2 | Working to initiate start of play in Test (9) | |
| PROACTIVE | ACT 1 (start of play) in PROVE (test) | |
| 4 | Meal without starter has reduced punch (8) | |
| UPPERCUT | ||
| 5 | Less tactful, outing ‘large’ schoolboy (6) | |
| BUNTER | B |
|
| 6 | Project on English fibre (4) | |
| JUTE | JUT (project) E (English) | |
| 7 | Spots second article from “Libération” (5) | |
| MOLES | MO (second) LES (French for ‘the’ – ‘article from Libération’) | |
| 8 | Eggs on very assiduously at the start (3) | |
| OVA | First letters or ‘starts’ of On Very Assiduously | |
| 10 | Arm raised – under it a right-winger of little merit (8) | |
| NUGATORY | GUN (arm) reversed or ‘raised’ A TORY (right-winger) | |
| 14 | Great manner may be seen in this of itself (11) | |
| ARRANGEMENT | An anagram of GREAT MANNER – ‘arrangement’ could be the anagrind – ‘seen in this of itself’ | |
| 15 | Something stirring about poster for driver or pedestrian (4-4) | |
| ROAD-USER | ROUSER (‘something stirring’) round AD (poster) | |
| 18 | Reprimand tense singer after embracing monarch (7-2) | |
| TALKING-TO | T (tense) ALTO (singer) round or ‘embracing’ KING (monarch) | |
| 19 | A lot of discussion, not entirely pleasant, regarding Jewish teaching (8) | |
| RABBINIC | RABBI |
|
| 22 | Satisfied rising building will conceal current religious building (6) | |
| TEMPLE | MET (satisfied) reversed or ‘rising’ P |
|
| 24 | Elevated argument over this is lacking value (5) | |
| WORTH | ROW (argument) reversed or ‘elevated’ TH |
|
| 26 | Much-loved daughter is getting attention (4) | |
| DEAR | D (daughter) EAR (attention) | |
| 27 | Extinct bird located in Palermo, actually (3) | |
| MOA | Hidden of ‘located’ in PalerMO Actually | |
Thanks Phi, B&J
I found this very different from the usual, with lots of direct clues and generous definitions – it all went in very quickly.
Fairly gentle by Phi’s standards but… “ouch yaroo, i never stole those doughnuts and they were stale anyway”
The only pupils i can see apart from Bunter are Bob Cherry, Harry Potter and Tom Brown.
There will be more so I’ll keep watch.
Thanks B&J and Phi (my pick of the day).
Molesworth; Brown could be William, too.
And perhaps a near miss with DERBYSHIRE, almost Jennings’s sidekick.
Thanks Phi & Bert&joyce
TEMPLE is also a character in the Jennings books.
Probably just a coincidence as it’s rather obscure, but JUTE is a minor character (a schoolboy) in Lindsay Anderson’ 1969 film if…. (the first X film I ever saw, in the days when the age limit was 16)
I really enjoyed this (but missed the theme – not sure it would have helped much though). 12a, 29a and 14d were particular favourites. Thanks Phi!
A few stumbles on the parsing; so many thanks to Bertandjoyce as well for the excellent blog.
Thanks Phi and BnJ
Andrew @ 5: would that be Jute The Obscure?
[I’ll get mi coat]
Thought the grid looked rather unusual with the long diagonal of unused spaces running up the middle.
New words for me in DROGUE, NUGATORY and RABBANIC and didn’t know that PRIN was an accepted abb of principal. All good to know but I probably won’t remember for next time!
Missed the parsing of 12a – no excuse for that.
Thanks to Phi and to Bert & Joyce for the blog.
Yes, schoolboys in this one, and very annoying of Mr Buckeridge to spell Darbishire so inconsiderately.
Just the usual idle observation of how many of them were dictionary words.
Still in Kansas City and still somewhat adrift as to time zones. Back to normal next week, and even the jet lag should have worn off. Only 17 hours to fly from Dallas to Sydney…