Another week, another Friday, another Phi.
A pleasant way to end the week. We had to check a couple of definitions – TAIKO and LABIALISM but we managed to sort things out using crossing letters and a few guesses.
Regulars will know that Phi often incorporates themes in his puzzles but we think that this time he set himself the challenge in setting a puzzle using 4 symmetrical long answers – 11/12, 21/23, 3/14 and 6/24. We can’t find a theme otherwise, but that definitely doesn’t mean there isn’t one! Any thoughts out there?
Thanks Phi – always good to end the week with one of your puzzles.
CARCASs (body) missing last letter or ‘almost’ around or ‘accepting investment from’ A (American)
HEEd (pay attention to) missing last letter or ‘mostly’ RIO (Spanish river) after C (first letter or ‘beginning’ to ‘cross’)
PIaZZA (form of square) missing A (article) or ‘one article not available’
AD (notice) ROI (French for king) inside or ‘tucking into’ MALT (whisky)
A (active) in an anagram of CHORAL MuSIC ETC without U (universal) – anagrind is ‘complex’
TA (cheers) I (one) KO (knockout)
OR (men as in ‘other ranks’) reversed or ‘returning’ inside an anagram of BIG LIMO – anagrind is ‘horrible’
A play on the fact that bull fighting takes place in a bullring and is very aggressive!
MBE (award) inside or ‘being held by’ ER (Queen)
An anagram of BIRD and BARER NOTES – anagrind is ‘when shivering’. Our first one in.
A and an anagram of ACTIVIST – anagrind is ‘mad’
CHAIN (range of mountains) with A (one) moving further to the right or towards the East
N (new) gUNNERY (military discipline) without or ‘ousting ‘ G (grand)
MASH (military hospital) YAK (gossip) swapping first letters or ‘switch of leaders’
COP (policeman) + C (about) in or ‘entering’ TAY (river) reversed or ‘pulling up’
If you bought a RAZOR (shaving accessory) you may well have been given a BILL to show the cost
HARM (damage) OFF (inappropriate to mention) inside an anagram of VENICE’S – anagrind is ‘unusual’
SO (very much) + an anagram of THEM (anagrind is ‘distracted’) IN G (Government)
COL (military officer) IC (in charge)
An anagram of SODDEN YET – with the anagrind ‘implied’ by ROCKS
AIR (attitude) reversed or ‘uppity’ (as it is a down clue) around OJ (orange juice)
mONTH (perhaps June) without the first letter or ‘heading away’ EGO (I)
We think this must be BET (gamble) ACED (successfully handled) reversed or ‘picked up’ with A Y (year) around the outside or ‘over’. When we first parsed it we thought the AY was at the end with the rest of the clue being ‘over’ it, When writing up the blog we realised that this doesn’t work with the rest of the parsing.
An anagram of BAIL and MAIL – anagrind is ‘confusion’ around or ‘involving’ S (special). A new word for us which needed a check in Chambers. Thanks gwep.
BAR (rod) aGAIN (once more) missing first letter or ‘taking off the top’
TAR (sailor) reversed or ‘turning up’ on PACK (deck – of cards)
BRAN (refuse) around or ‘accepting’ I (first letter or ‘source’ of ‘intelligence’)
R (Republican) ATTY (abbreviation of attorney ‘lawyer in America’)
I split 18a in two parts. “Ring about this” (bullfight) and the second part referring to a bull market on stock exchange (bull fight?).
A valid point Hovis – we missed that. Thanks.
Enjoyed all the long anagrams. He’s good at them isn’t he?
17D in blog – anagram fodder includes s{pecial}, definition is “form of pronunciation”.
Have only just worked out parsing of YASHMAK.
Thanks as always to Phi and Bertandjoyce.
A steady solve with no real problems – except for putting IMBROGLIO in at 18ac instead of 15ac till RAZORBILL put us right, and then thinking for a bit that 18dn might be CURTAIL (= snip).
To expand on your idea of a theme it’s not just the long answers but, apart from the perimeter, all the across and down lights are paired 5 and 9 letters (or vice versa). And for good measure all the perimeter lights are 7 letters.
Thanks, as always, to Phi and B&J