When one has solved a Phi clue the answer is so obvious that one wonders where the difficulty lay. Yet there was difficulty, to be sure. Perhaps it’s because, as Carol Vorderman used to say of the Countdown numbers games with 25, 50, 75 and 100, there are so many ways to go. But are Phi’s clues unusually tricky in this way? I don’t know.
Definitions in dark green, underlined. Anagram indicators in italics.
Try as I might whenever there is a Phi crossword, I never seem to be able to see the Nina, if indeed there is one.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | APPAL | Shock article repelled Arctic resident (5) |
| a (Lapp)rev. | ||
| 4 | FESTIVITY | Iron and sulphur provided instead of sodium for birthday celebration (9) |
| Fe and S [chemical symbols for iron and sulphur] replace Na [sodium] in nativity [birthday] | ||
| 9 | LARCENIST | One knocks off arrangement for clarinets (9) |
| *(clarinets) | ||
| 10 | TOPIC | Most significant sources of inspiration clearly matter (5) |
| top [most significant] i{nspiration} c{learly} | ||
| 11 | BEDROCK | Teaching graduate encountering surprise fundamental stuff (7) |
| B. Ed [Bachelor of Education] rock [surprise] | ||
| 13 | NULLIFY | Cancel note I fully disputed (7) |
| n (I fully)* | ||
| 14 | TARIFF | Argument about recording industry group fixing payment rates (6) |
| t(A&R)iff — Artists and Repertoire, evidently | ||
| 15 | ESPRESSO | Coffee house ultimately very much occupied by journalists (8) |
| {hous}e s(Press)o | ||
| 18 | MAGICIAN | Publication I discontinue, about one stage performer (8) |
| mag I c(1)an — Collins says that ‘can’ in this sense is US slang, meaning ‘dismiss [from a job]’, but also ‘put an end to’; I hadn’t really thought of it as US, simply as modern usage | ||
| 20 | UNIQUE | Single education centre’s quite without it (6) |
| uni [education centre] qu{it}e | ||
| 23 | BLATANT | Clear latitude during Prohibition to get source of tequila (7) |
| b(lat.)an t{equila} | ||
| 24 | ONEROUS | Heavy individual to awaken without energy (7) |
| one rous{e} | ||
| 25 | ILIAD | I backed European parliament? That makes a great story (5) |
| I (Dail)rev. — the particular European parliament is the Irish one | ||
| 26 | OUT-OF-DATE | Brexit info no longer valid? (3-2-4) |
| I’m lost here, unless it’s a reference to the fact that our dates for leaving Europe have not been met | ||
| 28 | FOLK-MUSIC | Nothing in quirky UK films about the local songs? (4-5) |
| 0 in *(UK films c) [thanks Graham@2] | ||
| 29 | BLEEP | Censor almost ruined recording (5) |
| ble{w} EP | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | AD LIBITUM | Corporation supporting Director in excuse thought up on the spot (2,7) |
| a(d.)libi tum — tum = stomach = corporation, common in crosswords | ||
| 2 | PARADER | Airborne trooper landing on upset Communist marcher (7) |
| para (red)rev. | ||
| 3 | LIE | It’s not true fine is excluded from severe sentence (3) |
| li(F)e | ||
| 4 | FRISKY | Active situation of clouds just before the weekend? (6) |
| The sky on Friday, or the Fri. sky | ||
| 5 | SATANIST | Who might be outraged at Saints? (8) |
| *(at Saints), &lit., or something very like one | ||
| 6 | INTOLERANCE | Not being prepared to suffer one clarinet playing (11) |
| (one clarinet)* — one might (just) object that the clarinet is making its second anagram appearance after 9ac | ||
| 7 | IMPLIES | Insinuates one source of distrust in Government? (7) |
| I think this is 1 ‘MP lies’ — the dishonesty of the MP being a source of distrust in the Government | ||
| 8 | YUCKY | Year of good fortune displacing 50 of a disgusting nature (5) |
| y {L}ucky | ||
| 12 | OFFICIALDOM | Bureaucrats claim food if unrestrained (11) |
| (claim food if)* | ||
| 16 | OVERSLEEP | About to observe power throttling source of liberty? Don’t get aroused (9) |
| over [about] (s(l{iberty})ee P) | ||
| 17 | WARTHOGS | Animal bedding perhaps overturned around corner, revealing African animals (8) |
| hog [corner] in (straw)rev. | ||
| 19 | GLACIAL | Good length of race not beginning in slow style (7) |
| g l {r}acial — knowing Phi’s interests I was looking for a musical term; the only one I could think of beginning with g was ‘gracioso’, which didn’t fit and anyway was inappropriate | ||
| 21 | QUORATE | Comment from spokesperson about Academy being ready to vote (7) |
| quo(RA)te — I don’t see what ‘from spokesperson’ is doing: surely it’s a quote so long as it’s a comment, whoever it’s from | ||
| 22 | POETIC | Describing one form of justice? Policeman upset about alien one (6) |
| (ET 1) in (cop)rev. — poetic justice | ||
| 23 | BRIEF | Small book, one carried by match official (5) |
| b r(1)ef | ||
| 27 | FOB | Fellow – former schoolfellow – showing attachment to watch (3) |
| f OB [old boy] | ||
Hey lets hear it for Phi on this first Phiday of 2020-[always an enjoyable solve and the pick of the puzzles today)
I really like ILIAD an d QUORATE
Thanks all. HNY.
I think 28ac needs c from “about” to complete the anagram fodder.
Yes Graham you’re quite right. Blog amended.
Personally, I took 26a to refer to out of (EU) date. May be wrong.
I too was lost on 26A and still don’t get it, but otherwise very clear and enjoyable. Many thanks to Phi for all his excellent puzzles and to John for the blog.
The Brexit clue does indeed reference the many times one politician or another has given a ‘date’ by which the UK would be ‘out of’ Europe, and I thought this could be considered the “out-of” date.
The Nina today is somewhat obscure but relates to the app what3words which is worth a look. It allocates a unique set of three words to each 3mx3m square of land surface. Three words in this puzzle identify the front of my house and three the back. My recollection (app on phone not iPad, whereas I’m currently on iPad not phone) is that I have OFFICIALDOM out the front and WARTHOGS at the back.