Phi on a Saturday – unusual indeed.
But we live in the most unusual of times and here’s hoping that the British ineptitude that occurred in the early weeks of World War II, that is being shown also in this pandemic, will soon be replaced by something more constructive, as it was in the war that officially ended in Europe 75 years ago yesterday.
Crosswords are one of life’s many amusing diversions which keep the grey matter stimulated and give a great reason for self-isolation, but perhaps if more people watched what was going on around them and relied less on others to sort things out, we would not be in the mess we are in.
Thanks Phi for the crossword – I suspect you are the setter whose crosswords I have solved for the longest time – always a pleasure. Care to lend us an effective Prime minister?
Key : * anagram; Rev. reversed; DD Double definition; Underline definition
Across
1 Lover and I recently finished early in single-room accommodation (6,4)
Stud (lover) + I + of late (recently) – e = STUDIO FLAT
6 Waxing poetic over day in court at first (4)
Over Day In Court at first = ODIC
9 Put new items in official data gathering processes (5)
Ref (official) + IT (data gathering processes) = REFIT
10 Frequently getting goon bumping off foremost guy in Calais? (9)
Fr (Frequently) + henchman (goon) – h (bumping off foremost) = FRENCHMAN
12/3 Dodgy deal perhaps experienced by Ada in home of the 21 24s? (9,5,2,3,8)
A literary quotation from Cold Comfort Farm and Aunt Ada Doom and the Starkadders = SOMETHING NASTY IN THE WOODSHED (Thanks to google for the parsing)
14 Not allowed the same beat (5)
out (not allowed) + do (the same) = OUTDO
15 Scornful American put in prison by one US state (9)
a(american) in Stir (prison) + i (one) + Cal (US state) = SATIRICAL
16 Uncovered song about Duke’s wild flower (5,4)
naked(uncovered) + lay (song) around d(duke) = NAKED LADY
18 Dies following underworld disposing of leader (5)
f (following) + hades (underworld) – h = FADES
20 Farming staff, pros, shocked unduly about that woman (9,5)
(pros shocked)* about her (that woman) = SHEPHERD’S CROOK
23 Setter a good deal curtailed after imbibing whisky? It’s a crude tale (9)
Me (setter) + load (a good deal) – d around dram (whisky?) = MELODRAMA
24 Further down, missing second snake (5)
sadder (further down) – s (second) = ADDER
25 Tech expert backed element of education in study (4)
r (element of education as in 3 Rs) in Rev. den (study) = NERD
26 Jolted the writer in regard to food item (6-4)
Jerked (jolted) + me (the writer) + at (in regard to) = JERKED MEAT
Down
1 Scales not about to be seen in water at a beach (4)
Scurf (scales) – c (about) = SURF
2 Open University quickly securing source of funds, missing nothing (7)
u (university) + pronto (quickly) – o (nothing) around f (source of funds) = UPFRONT
3 See 12 Across
4 Some thief, if threatened – may invoke this? (5)
Hidden thieF IF THreatened = FIFTH (as in amendment)
5 NB Tay here, possibly? (It’s not far away!) (9)
(NB tay here)* = ABERNETHY
7 Failure around description of wine (4-3)
Demise (failure) + c (around) = DEMI-SEC
8 Caught fellow on board any old abandoned ship, finding insubstantial stuff (10)
c (caught) + (any old)* around f (fellow) + SS (ship) = CANDYFLOSS
11 Where patients might gather to see footballer (6,7)
Cryptic definition CENTRE FORWARD
13 Sadly no charms in this county resident (10)
(no charms in)* = CORNISHMAN
15 Activity and action around a flight? (9)
Stir (activity) + case (action) around a = STAIRCASE
17 Girl in political scandal receiving new support from church (7)
Keeler (Girl in political scandal as in Christine) around n (new) = KNEELER
19 Last-ditch opening to lose weight? No time (2-2-3)
door (opening) + diet (lose weight) – t (time) = DO OR DIE
21 Bare lead ending in shock (5)
Star (lead) + k (ending in shock) = STARK
22 Courage shown by fool throttling king (4)
Git (fool) around r (king) = GRIT
We found this towards the more difficult end of the Phi spectrum, and went off on several false trails before getting everything – but we managed it without help although therte were one or two we coudn’t parse. Can’t see any theme, but that’s not unusual with Phi’s puzzles.
Difficult to pick a favourite but we’ll go for MELODRAMA.
A typo in the blog at 5, btw – should be ‘Abernethy’.
Thanks, Phi and Twencelas
Typo in that comment, too – or fat fingers – ‘therte’ should be ‘there’
I completed this, though needed some help from word lists for a couple. Loved ‘farming staff’ for ‘shepherd’s crook’. With ‘Something Nasty in the Woodshed’ forming the hub of the grid, I thought there might be a theme based on the Charlie Mortdecai trilogy Kyril Bonfiglioli, but can’t see anything. Maybe somebody else can help. Anyway, thanks to Phi and Twencelas.
Thanks Allan_c – Limiting my typos/errors to one is usually an achievement (too much JK Rowling in this case). Having said that there may be more out there.
Much enjoyed. Thanks to setter and blogger.
11dn still remains either partially mysterious or unsatisfactory – are we invited to read the second definition as ‘centre for ward’?
TFO – that was my take on it, yes. If that is the intent then I tnink it works better in the plural i.e. a hospital is a centre for wards.
Surely the clue is perfectly ok. A ward has a centre like any other space and the tendency is to gather at the centre of a space.
Lovely puzzle
Thanks all
Thanks to Phi and others.
I enjoyed this immensely but found it difficult at first. Had to put it down and return for a second session which went more quickly. CANDYFLOSS stuck out right away, let’s call it the favorite.
I had stark and adder early, so the quotation came easily, but then I was distracted into looking for more references to Stella Gibbons. Glad Phi wasn’t missing from the week.