Phi gives us a puzzle ideally suited for the commute to and from work.
There are a few towns mentioned in the entries and wordplay but I can’t see a link between DARLINGTON, ALTRINCHAM and ARLES.
There is though a feature in the grid where the last two letters of each left hand across entry are the same as the first two letters of the right hand entries.
For me, this was a fairly steady solve without too much difficulty.
I liked the clues for LEDA and ASTHMA for their surfaces
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
| 7 | Regarded swarm getting amongst scattered seed (8) |
TEEM (swarm) contained in (getting amongst) an anagram of (scattered) SEED ES (TEEM) ED* |
ESTEEMED (regarded) |
| 9 | Religious text initially replaced by edition of consuming interest ? (6) |
BIBLE (religious text) with the first letter (initially) B replaced by ED (edition) ED IBLE |
EDIBLE (able to be eaten; of consuming interest) |
| 10 | Target of Zeus in fabled antiquity )4) |
LEDA (hidden word in [in] FABLED ANTIQUITY) LEDA |
LEDA (LEDA and the Swan is a story and subject in art from Greek mythology in which the god Zeus, in the form of a swan, seduces the mortal woman LEDA; target for Zeus) |
| 11 | Delightful fashionable people in town (10) |
DARLING (delightful) + TON (people of fashion) DARLING TON |
DARLINGTON (large market town in County Durham) |
| 12 | Surfing, individual captures connection to another page, mostly (6) |
ONE (individual) containing (captures) LINK (connection from one website or e-mail to another website) excluding the final letter (mostly) K ON (LIN) E |
ONLINE (descriptive of someone surfing the world wide web) |
| 13 | Unpleasant looks returned after City backed some reportage (8) |
WEN (enormous congested city as in the great WEN [London]) reversed (backed) + LEERS (unpleasant looks) reversed (returned) NEW< SREEL< |
NEWSREEL (film showing, or a programme commenting on,NEWS items; some reportage) |
| 15 | Go by cathedral feature that’s behind article from Gaudi? (6) |
EL (Spanish form of ‘the’ definite article]; reference Antoni Gaudi [1852 – 1926], Spanish architect. much of whose work can be found in Barcelona, including the, as yet, unfinished Sagrada Familia church) + APSE (feature of a church or cathedral) EL APSE |
ELAPSE (of time, pass or go by) |
| 16 | Morning, in the main, perhaps, will do for Irishman (6) |
AM (ante meridiem;before noon; in the morning) contained in (in) SEAS (the [ocean] main ) SE (AM) AS |
SEAMAS (Irish man’s name) |
| 19 | Happen to interrupt fool and drunk returning dangerous material? (8) |
(BE [exist; happen] contained in [to interrupt] ASS [fool]) + SOT (drunk) reversed (returned) AS (BE) S TOS< |
ASBESTOS (fibrous form of certain minerals capable of being woven into incombustible cloth or felted sheets for insulation; now regarded as a material dangerous to health if not managed properly) |
| 21 | Old bargain regarding bones (6) |
O (old) + STEAL (bargain) O STEAL |
OSTEAL (relating to bones) |
| 23 | Town with unexpected Latin charm (10) |
Anagram of (unexpected) LATIN CHARM ALTRINCHAM* |
ALTRINCHAM (town in Trafford, Greater Manchester) |
| 25 | Monks, say, behind a termination of religious activity? (4) |
A + MEN (Monks are male; men) A MEN |
AMEN (final word spoken at the end of many religious activities) |
| 26 | Make valuable contribution to high-end earnings (6) |
ENDEAR (hidden word in [contribution to] HIGH-END EARNINGS) ENDEAR |
ENDEAR (to make DEAR; to make valuable) |
| 27 | Movement in French city, seen in newspaper items (8) |
TIC (involuntary movement) contained in (seen in) ARLES (French city in the Provence Region)) AR (TIC) LES |
ARTICLES (newspaper items) |
| Down | |||
| 1 | A hard back (6) |
A + STERN (hard) A STERN |
ASTERN (rear; back) |
| 2 | Start to doctor a sea inlet, possibly (10) |
Anagram of (possibly) D (first letter of [start to] DOCTOR) and A SEA INLET DESALINATE* |
DESALINATE (remove salt from, especially sea water; a form of doctoring a sea inlet) |
| 3 | Insect, note, coming on board in small quantities (8) |
(MIDGE [insect] + N [note]) contained in (on board) SS (steamship; something you can come on board) S (MIDGE N) S |
SMIDGENS (small quantities) |
| 4 | Film workers, say, heading off, about to challenge critic’s response (6) |
CREW (reference film CREW excluding [off] the first letter [heading] C) containing (about) VIE (challenge) RE (VIE) W |
REVIEW (critic’s response to a performance) |
| 5 | Sleepy, having lost party sparkle (4) |
DOZING (sleepy) excluding (having lost) DO (party) ZING |
ZING (vitality; zest; sparkle) |
| 6 | Slips – or other lingerie items? (8) |
BLOOMERS (errors; slips) BLOOMERS |
BLOOMERS (loose undergarment; item of lingerie) double definition |
| 8 | Audacious US lawyer leading cartel (6) |
DA (District Attorney; American [US] lawyer) + RING (cartel) DA RING |
DARING (audacious) |
| 14 | Dodgy item can’t get carried by soldiers ready to be posted (10) |
Anagram of (dodgy) ITEM CAN’T contained in (get carried by) RE (Royal Engineers; soldiers) R (EMITTANC*) E |
REMITTANCE (payment for goods or services received or as an allowance, esp when sent by post) |
| 15 | Disordered atlas brought in final Oriental location (8) |
Anagram of (disoriented) ATLAS contained in (brought in) END (final) E (ASTLA*) ND |
EASTLAND (the EAST (Orient) in general) |
| 17 | The old getting upset about standard sexiness – that’s something outrageous (8) |
YE (old word for ‘the”; the old) reversed (getting upset) containing (about) (NORM [standard] + IT [sex appeal; sexiness]) E (NORM IT) Y< |
ENORMITY (something outrageous) |
| 18 | Couples starting asking Theresa May, revealing complaint (6) |
ASTHMA (first two letters [couples starting] of each of ASKING, THERESA and MAY) AS TH MA |
ASTHMA (medical complaint) |
| 20 | Cockney tough guy picked up in Arctic landscape (7) |
(‘ARD [Cockney pronunciation of HARD [tough]) + NUT [hard-headed man; guy]) all reversed (picked up; down clue) (TUN DRA)< |
TUNDRA (Arctic plain with permanently frozen subsoil, and lichens, mosses and dwarfed vegetation) |
| 22 | Times Editor’s foremost among 25 fellers (6) |
(X [multiplication; times] + E [first letter of {foremost} EDITOR]) contained in (among) AMEN (entry at 25 across) A (X E) MEN |
AXEMEN (people who fell trees; fellers) |
| 24 | Some European Government dismissed causing stink (4) |
GREEK (example of [some] European) excluding (dismissed) G (government) REEK |
REEK (stink) |
I thought this was very good, one of the best Phi puzzles I have solved.
The city in 13a was new to me. I thought the definition for 2d was slightly dodgy, and 15d seemed like an unlikely word which I couldn’t find in Chambers but it is in Collins.
With lots of nice surfaces to enjoy, 15a, 18d & 20d made it to my podium.
Many thanks to Phi and to Duncan
Thanks, Duncan, for blogging.
Rabbit Dave is right – a very good Phi puzzle with lots to enjoy. I did in fact (post-solve) spot the links between the left-hand and right-hand acrosses, but I can’t imagine they are anything other than a bit of fun. As for the towns, Phi is originally from DARLINGTON, but I doubt that has anything to do with anything either. I could be wrong.
Good weekend to all and hope to see some Indy regulars at the Leicester S&B tomorrow.
I had a girlfriend from Altrincham and first concocted that anagram while sat on the station platform there.
And do keep looking – Duncan has only found the half of it.
Got it! Very clever, Phi. The last two letters in each row repeat as the first two letters of the next row down, including the wrap round of the last row with the first.
Thanks for the hint Phi. Yes, I spotted the repeated two letter combos already mentioned but missed that the last two letters of the second across entries form the first two letters of the next across entry. Very clever indeed!
We crossed RD. Missed the wrap around. D’oh!
All wrapped up fairly quickly but we didn’t spot the chaining of all the across clues. With the early appearance of a Z followed later by X and K we were expecting a pangram (and were disappointed) and didn’t look for anything else. Some great clues, though; OSTEAL was our favourite.
Thanks, Phi and Duncan.
I spotted the last two letter linking device (a bit like Dalibor’s last letter ‘ chain reaction’ a few weeks ago), but still managed to carelessly enter ‘Seamus’ for 16a, so a DNF. I don’t know if there’s any more to this than ‘just’ the two letter links.
I liked the &lit DESALINATE and the ‘ready to be posted’ def. for 14d.
Thanks to Phi for the as usual enjoyable Friday solve and to Duncan
Late solving this one but glad I made the effort after a busy day. The theme passed me by but that’s not unusual!
23a made me quite nostalgic – home of my alma mater. I lived further along the train line so have spent quite a lot of time on the station platform over the years! Weekend gatherings always commenced with a meet-up under the station clock which stood on its own ‘tower’ at the end of the car park – wonder whether it’s still there?
Thanks to Phi for a great puzzle and to Duncan for the blog.
Thanks Phi for dropping by and giving us a nudge to look further. An enjoyable solve to end the week.
Jane – a quick search revealed that the clock tower is still standing!
Thanks Duncan for the blog.