It’s the last Phi-day of the year! We hope everyone had a great Christmas and wish you all a Happy New Year
We can’t find a theme here, but that obviously doesn’t mean there isn’t one!
We think that Phi’s challenge may have been to fill this rather unusual grid with only 22 clues and six 13-letter entries.
Another enjoyable Friday solve – thanks Phi
Across
5 Hit band in riot hurries to be displaying added security (4-3-6)
BELT-AND-BRACES
BELT (hit) + an anagram of BAND (anagrind is ‘in riot’) + RACES (hurries)
8 Independent with new account backing member of historic race (4)
INCA
I (independent) N (new) + AC (account) reversed or ‘backing’
9 Crooked doppelgänger has you looking agonised? (4,6)
BENT DOUBLE
BENT (crooked) DOUBLE (doppelganger)
10 Aid reduced to Italy and city there (6)
ASSISI
ASSISt (aid) without the last letter or ‘reduced’ + I (Italy)
11 Woman American called back when in A&E (8)
ADELAIDE
DIALED (called – spelt the Amercan way, with a single ‘l’) reversed or ‘back’ in A and E
12 Transmit radio waves one controls (13)
ADMINISTRATOR
An anagram of TRANSMIT RADIO – anagrind is ‘waves’
15 Allegorical figure hit hard amidst ruins of Rome (8)
METAPHOR
TAP (hit) H (hard) in an anagram of ROME – anagrind is ‘ruins of’
17 Evidence of visit to loo involving pee? (6)
SPLASH
Clue-as-definition: SLASH (visit to loo, as in urinate) round or ‘involving’ P (pee)
19 Had to limit end of debate after landlord’s identification in correspondence (10)
LETTERHEAD
HAD round or ‘limiting’ E (last letter or ‘end’ of ‘debate’) after LETTER (‘landlord’)
20 Showing little activity, losing energy, coming to stop (4)
QUIT
QUIeT (showing little activity) without the ‘e’ (energy)
21 Prolonged sentence given to prisoners not initially angry (4-9)
TIME-CONSUMING
TIME (sentence) CONS (prisoners) fUMING (angry) without the first or ‘initial’ letter
Down
1 Basic stuff – aluminium repeatedly split by potassium and iodine (6)
ALKALI
AL AL (aluminium ‘repeatedly’) round or ‘split by’ K (potassium) + I (iodine)
2 Welsh doctor with attitude turning up in prison (8)
CAMBRIAN
MB (doctor) + AIR (attitude) reversed or ‘turning up’ in CAN (prison)
3 Good Dickens character showing resentment (6)
GRUDGE
G (good) RUDGE (Barnaby Rudge – Dickens character)
4 Resident military leader taking trophy to soldier? (8)
OCCUPANT
OC (Officer Commanding – ‘military leader’) CUP (trophy) ANT (soldier)
5 Country fellows following inclination and time to get note of available funds (4,9)
BANK STATEMENT
STATE (country) MEN (fellows) after BANK (inclination) + T (time)
6 One should be gentle around gums, ultimately, when at work (6,7)
DENTAL SURGEON
Clue-as-defintion: An anagram of GENTLE AROUND and S (last or ‘ultimate’ letter of ‘gums’) – anagrind is ‘at work’
7 A lot of condiment taking care of sauce (5,8)
SALAD DRESSING
SALt (condiment) without the last letter or ‘a lot of’ + ADDRESSING (taking care of)
13 Contents of some altimeter may reveal when flight attendants are active (8)
MEALTIME
Hidden in (‘contents may reveal’) soME ALTIMEter
14 Rotting is due to pervade odd stuff left over (8)
RESIDUUM
An anagram of IS DUE (anagrind is ‘rotting’) in or ‘pervading’ RUM (odd)
16 Roman poet’s house and lineage (6)
HORACE
HO (house) RACE (lineage)
18 Something like water I found in pounds (6)
LIQUID
I ‘found’ in L (pound) QUID (pound)
With only 22 clues to solve we got through this fairly quickly. There was one slight hold-up with 14dn where we thought of ‘residual’ or ‘residues’ but couldn’t parse either; then we got TIME-CONSUMING which after a little thought pointed us to RESIDUUM. How many other words, we wonder, contain a double U (as distinct from a W) – apart from the obvious ‘vacuum’?
Difficult to nominate a CoD, but ALKALI and CAMBRIAN are among the contenders.
Thanks, Phi and B&J.
Quality as always from this setter although I wasn’t overly keen on 17a.
Top three for me were 9,12&19a.
Thanks to Phi and to B&J – a very Happy New Year to you all.
Not many responses yet, and I think it would be a pity if the whole thing died before anyone trumpeted the merits of 6dn, which was in my opinion brilliant.
Just increasing the number of posts in response to this blog! After singing the praises of a clue I’m now doing the opposite: 17ac was yes very clever, but it’s a pity that Phi, one of the very best setters around, should follow the pattern set by so many Indy setters, of lavatorial and nudge-nudge humour.
I found it a bit more difficult than the usual Phi. As an American, I find answers like 17a a great way to learn British slang. I’ll take it over obscure cricket terms anytime 🙂
Thanks as always to B&J and the ever-brilliant Phi