Phiday is with us once more, bring this week’s suite of mid-week puzzles to an end.
I found this to be an enjoyable, medium-difficulty puzzle from Phi, which took me just about the right time to solve on a busy Friday.
I have not spotted any theme, but I haven’t had time today to pour over the completed grid for any length of time. Did anyone else spot anything?
My favourite clues today were 1, for smoothness of surface; the (semi-)& lit. at 4; and 23, for ingenuity. The entry at 11 was new to me.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | BATTERSEA | Buffet near main part of London
BATTER (=buffet, knock about) + SEA (=(the) main) |
| 06 | COOK | Firm happy to manipulate accounts, say
CO (=firm, company) + OK (=happy, as I’m ok with that); cf. to cook the books |
| 11 | ICONIFY | Change size of study that’s risky, losing repeated item, after one takes the lead
I (=one) + CON (=study) + IF<f>Y (=risky; “losing repeated item” means that one of the two “f”s is dropped); to iconify is to reduce (a window) on a computer screen to an icon |
| 12 | VERTIGO | Hitchcock film extremely cut? Time I quit
VER<y> (=extremely; “cut” means last letter dropped) + T (=time) + I + GO (=quit) |
| 13 | VOICELESS | Silent river creatures start to struggle around wintry weather
ICE (=wintry weather) in [VOLES (=river creatures) + S<truggle> (“start to” means first letter only)] |
| 14 | BONES | Remains single, investing in building society
ONE (=single) in BS (=building society) |
| 15 | REHAB | That chap in pub rejected treatment for alcoholism?
HE (=that chap) in BAR (=pub); “rejected” indicates reversal |
| 17 | TRELLISES | Sources of wood used around part of window frame recalled garden items
LLIS (SILL=part of window frame; “recalled” indicates reversal) in TREES (=sources of wood) |
| 20 | BOSPHORUS | British sailor heading port – hours at sea crossing from Europe to Asia
B (=British) + OS (=sailor, i.e. Ordinary Seaman) + P<ort> (“heading for” means first letter only) + *(HOURS); “at sea” is anagram indicator |
| 21 | DREAM | Aspiration concerning blocking engineering project
RE: (=concerning, regarding) in DAM (=engineering project) |
| 23 | ALARM | How the marines panic?
À LA (=how, i.e. in the style of, from French) RM (=marines, i.e. Royal Marines) |
| 25 | LAGER BEER | Half of Belgians are shocked by Queen – drinking this?
*(BELG<ians> + ARE) + ER (=Queen, i.e. Elizabeth Regina); “half of” means 4 of 8 letters are dropped from anagram, indicated by “shocked” |
| 27 | STRATUM | Class in area of study backed by corporation
STRA (ARTS=area of study; “backed” indicates reversal) + TUM (=corporation, belly); a stratum can be a level of society, hence “class” |
| 28 | IMPASSE | Drive finishing early, blocked by one stupid dead end
ASS (=one stupid) in IMPE<l> (=drive; “finishing early” means last letter is dropped) |
| 29 | DAWN | Beginning with name when meeting US lawyer
DA (=US lawyer, i.e. District Attorney) + W (=with) + N (=name) |
| 30 | LONG JOHNS | Pine toilets: they’re warm in winter
LONG (=pine (for); yearn (for)) + JOHNS (=toilets, loos) |
| Down | ||
| 02 | ABOLISHES | Stops buffs heading off in pursuit of Australian book
A (=Australian) + B (=book) + <p>OLISHES (=buffs (up); “heading off” means first letter is dropped |
| 03 | TWINE | Double smallest amount of electricity in coil
TWIN (=double) + E<lectricity> (“smallest amount of” means first letter only) |
| 04 | RHYMESTER | I could be the merry sonnet’s source
*(THE MERRY + S<onnet>), “source” means first letter only is used in anagram, indicated by “could be”; semi-& lit. |
| 05 | EAVES | After Henry goes, raises part of roof
<h>EAVES (=raises); “after Henry (=H) goes” means letter “h” is dropped |
| 07 | ONION | Head on and on, covering Italy
I (=Italy) + [ON + ON]; “onion” is a colloquial word for the head |
| 08 | KNOSSOS | King, with plea for help about rise of offspring, ruined city
NOS (SON=offspring; “rise of” indicates reversal) in [K (=king, in cards) + SOS (=plea for help)] |
| 09 | SILVER | Metal shard I moved higher
SLIVER (=shard); “I moved higher” means the letter “i” is moved to an earlier position in the word |
| 10 | DRIBBLED | Lake in Germany ridiculed – provided tiny amount of water
L (=lake) in [D (=Germany) + RIBBED (=ridiculed)] |
| 16 | BEHEMOTH | Hippo, perhaps, with its head beset by insects
H<ippo> (“it’s head” means first letter only) in [BEE (=insect) + MOTH (=insect)]; a behemoth is a great beast, hence hippo |
| 18 | EASY-GOING | Appearing placid is good in unusually noisy age
G (=good) in *(NOISY AGE); “unusually” is anagram indicator |
| 19 | STEVENSON | Author still succeeded working after getting stone on head
ST (=stone) + EVEN (=still) + S (=succeeded) + ON (=working); the reference is to Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-94) |
| 20 | BIASSED | Unfair offer securing most of a good thing
ASSE<t> (=a good thing; “most of” means last letter is dropped) in BID (=offer) |
| 22 | MARVEL | Damage concealment I abandoned in wonder
MAR (=damage) + VE<i>L (=concealment; “I abandoned” means letter “i” is dropped) |
| 24 | ARROW | Pointer to dispute undermining Arabia
AR. (=Arabia) + ROW (=dispute) |
| 25 | LIMBO | Left husband, leaving the dull hunk in uncertain state
L (=left) + <h>IMBO (=dull hunk, cf. bimbo; “husband (=H) leaving” means letter “h” is dropped) |
| 26 | REPRO | Fake American politician runs over
REP (=American politician, i.e. Republican) + R (=runs, in cricket) + O (=over, in cricket); repro is reproduction, i.e. a copy, fake |
Enjoyed this. I recognised some comic publishers/lines in the solutions but this could be a fluke: MARVEL, VERTIGO (DC line), ICONify (Marvel line), BEHEMOTH. If it is an unlikely theme, there may be more.
I think there might be a mini theme and, as I’m discovering, Phi is quite content with occasional references rather than an all embracing theme and he’s also perfectly happy with low key theme items. I think we have a mix of high and low profile today. Robert Louis STEVENSON’s Treasure Island features, of course, LONG JOHN SILVER. Who was the ship’s COOK. Billy BONES is the old seaman who first lures Jim Hawkins into the story and Mr ARROW was the first mate who fell overboard and drowned having drunk alcohol supplied by Silver. It would be a huge coincidence if these weren’t intended to be linked and yet it’s only a handful of connections.
Ticks from me for VOICELESS, BONES, ALARM, STRATUM, RHYMESTER, DRIBBLED and the lovely BEHEMOTH (nicely clued and a word in which I delight – I always pronounce it in my head – beer moth – and smile!) COTD is the thematic LONG JOHNS for both surface and construction.
Interestingly, this was actually a DNF: I solved 3d as TWICE. Double smallest amount of electricity in coil. Double = definition = twice. Smallest amount of electricity = w = watt. Inside = in. Tice = obsolete word meaning to allure or entice which, I convinced myself, might describe a coiling action. I know – total tosh – but I was so convinced by the ‘definition’ my brain worked harder to justify a bizarre solution than look for another!
Thanks Phi and RR
That looks much more like a theme. Thanks PostMark. Have to admit I’ve never read Treasure Island (obviously too busy reading comics).
Well-spotted PostMark. I have the same favourites as you, but, with my love of crossword co-incidences, the second ruined city of the day, KNOSSOS, was my COTD, especially as some would say it was twice ruined. I bunged in TWICE as well.
Not many comments – wonder where everyone is? Very good, this. Missed the theme, of course, but no less enjoyable for that, though it’s always interesting to have them pointed out. Hadn’t come across iconify and have generally thought biased has one s (seems to be either or), but good clueing will get you there if you let it. Alarm was my favourite. Very cute. Thanks to Phi for just keeping them coming and to RatkojaRiku for the same.
DNF for me as like PostMark and Petert I put unparsed TWICE. I didn’t know that sense of ICONIFY but will be using it ad nauseam from now on. Well spotted with the theme, PostMark. Thanks Phi and RatkojaRiku.
Jayjay @5: it was pretty lonely before 5.00! Just Hovis and me on our tods. Which is a shame for both blogger and setter. Glad you folks dropped by in the last hour – and I would’ve gone for biased with one ‘s’ too.
Never read Treasure Island myself – only Kidnapped.
Which black square is Treasure Island, then?
Enjoyed this overall but the clue for 11 got a definite UGH from me for roughness of surface and ‘verbosity’.
Thanks to Phi and RR
I have just gone back and looked at the completed puzzle and seen how “treasure” goes round the black square in the middle as Phi hints at. So clever!
Failed to parse the last 2 down clues, and didn’t know ICONIFY. My favourite was 4d.
Petert @10: thank you so much! And an extra pat on the back for Phi. Too sophisticated for this mere mortal but nice to have the theme confirmed. Phi’s ambiguous comment left me wondering if I’d identified my second non-intended theme of the week which would have been freaky. Delightful device. I wonder just how many solvers out there spotted it?
Too clever for me , multiple attempts (hence a post 5pm post 😉 ) but amazingly well done as ever
COTD: BOSPHORUS for me
Thanks Phi and RR, even when I struggle I enjoy seeing how it should be done (PostMark on fire today!)
Only just finished so late posting. Bert noticed the possibility of a theme based on Long John Silver but we came here for confirmation as we didn’t know any of the other references. The TREASURE around the centre square is very neat. Well done PostMark and Petert.
Thanks Phi and RR.
We solved this fairly quickly, only held up by ICONIFY, a new word for us and our LOI – we were on the point of resorting to a wordfinder when the penny dropped about ‘iffy’ becoming ‘ify’ and all we had to do was work out the rest and confirm it in Chambers. We missed the theme – again.
Favourite was BEHEMOTH.
Thanks, Phi and RatkojaRiku.