Independent 10755 / Phi

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As usual, the Friday puzzle is set by Phi.

 

 

 

There are a few culinary entries in the grid – VIAND, CAFE, GASTROPUB and CUISINE for example, but I don’t think they constitute a theme.

There are also a couple of Spanish allusions – BULLFIGHT and FANDANGOS, and a couple of equine associations – PALFREY and EPSOM, but again not enough for a theme.

I think this is just a good crossword that eases us into the Easter weekend.

In 1 across, ‘cruel’ is used in the word play.  It could also be used in the definition.

I liked the clue for THIRTEENTH where the surface was smoothly related to a banquet.  I also liked the clues for ZEAL (linking to enthusiasm of the people of New Zealand) and  GASTROPUB (with the clue’s use of pretentious).

No Detail
Across  
 1

One speculating alarm will see removal of second event in cruel sport (9)

BULLFIGHT (a popular spectacle in Spain, Portugal, Southern France, and Latin America, in which a bull is goaded to fury by mounted men (picadors) armed with lances, and killed by a specially skilful unmounted swordsman (matador); sport, many would argue that cruel is also part of the definition)

BULL (one who speculates of the rise of stock market prices) + FRIGHT (alarm) excluding (see removal of) R (second letter of [second event in] CRUEL)

BULL FIGHT
 6

Food I put in vehicle supplied by daughter (5) 

VIAND (article of food)

(I contained in [put in] VAN [vehicle]) + D (daughter)

V (I) AN D
 9

Composer’s heart in poor condition after relapse (7) 

CORELLI (reference Arcangelo CORELLI [1653-1813], Italian violinist and composer of the Baroque era)

CORE (centre; heart) + ILL (in poor condition) reversed (after relapse)

CORE LLI<
 10

Friend slightly mad about beginning to ride horse (7) 

PALFREY (saddle-horse, especially for a lady)

PAL (friend) + (FEY [slightly mad] containing [about] R [first letter of {beginning to} RIDE])

PAL F (R) EY
 11

Quiet leg-over will engross one (5) 

PIANO (quiet)

(PIN [leg] + O [over, in cricket scoring notation]) containing (will engross) A (one)

PI (A) N O
 12

Enthusiast to advance in most of French dance and lots of Spanish dances (9) 

FANDANGOS (two or more [lots of] old Spanish dances for two, or its music in three-four time, with castanets)

FAN (enthusiast) + (GO [move forward; advance]) contained in [in] DANSE [French for dance] excluding the final letter [most of] E)

FAN DAN (GO) S
 14

Restaurant encounter, with odd characters swapping places (4)

CAFE (small inexpensive restaurant)

FACE (be confronted with; encounter) with letters 1 (odd) and 3 (odd) exchanged (odd characters swapping places) to form CAFE

CAFE
 16

Perhaps unwelcome guest, last at banquet – hint there, possibly (10) 

THIRTEENTH (the number 13 is considered by many people to be unlucky, so the THIRTEENTH guest may be unwelcome if he / she is the last attendee)

Anagram of (possibly) T (final letter of [last at] BANQUET) and HINT THERE

THIRTEENTH*
 19

Aims tennis shot, getting round one in a hundred (10) 

INTENTIONS (aims)

Anagram of (shot) TENNIS containing (getting round) (I [Roman numeral for one] contained in [in] TON [100 score in cricket])

INTEN (T (I) ON) S*
 20

Enthusiasm at the heart of Pacific nation? (4)

ZEAL (enthusiasm)

ZEAL (central letters of [heart] of NEW ZEALAND [a Pacific nation])

ZEAL
 22

Bar’s got up pretentiously as this? (9) 

GASTROPUB (a pub that specializes in providing food and wine of a standard more typical of a fine restaurant than a traditional pub)

Anagram of (pretentiously] BARS GOT UP

GASTROPUB*
 24

European taking Englishman around second English town (5) 

EPSOM (English town)

E (European) + (POM [Australian term for an immigrant Englishman] containing [around] S [second])

E P (S) OM
 26

Hint limits one getting wrong kind of food (7)

CUISINE (art or style of cooking; the dishes cooked)

CUE (hint) containing (limits) (I [Roman numeral for one] + SIN [wrong])

CU (I SIN) E
 27

Is Heather after a girl from Ireland? (7) 

AISLING (Irish girl’s name)

A + IS + LING (heather)

A IS LING
 28

Glamorous indefinable something unknown in railway (5) 

RITZY (stylish; elegant; glamorous)

(IT [an indefinable something] + Z [letter frequently used to denote an unknown value in mathematics]) contained in (in) RY (railway)

R (IT Z) Y
 29

Produced fire in small space, getting warm type of light (9)

ENKINDLED (set on fire)

EN (printing term for a small space equivalent to the width of the letter N) + KIND (warm) + LED (light emitting diode; type of light)

EN KIND LED
Down  
 1

Support involving group in type of holiday (11) 

BACKPACKING (word descriptive of a hiking holiday)

BACKING (support) containing (involving) PACK (group [of Cub Scouts, or wolves for example])

BACK (PACK) ING
 2

Nothing in odd bits of lyrics provided by a poet (5) 

LORCA (reference Federico Garcia LORCA [1898 – 1936], Spanish poet)

(O [letter representing zero; nothing] contained in [in] LRC [letters 1, 3 and 5 {odd bits} of LYRIC]) + A

L (O) RC A
 3

Man collapsed with cry of pain (6) 

FELLOW (man)

FELL (collapsed) + OW (cry of pain)

FELL OW
 4

Government official limiting one’s bother (5) 

GRIEF (bother)

G (government) + (REF [official] containing [limiting] I [Roman numeral for one])

G R (I) EF
 5

Sort of cricket pundit, an oddball about term for fielder (3-3-3) 

TIP-AND-RUN (an informal kind of cricket in which the batsmen must run if they hit the ball)

Anagram of (oddball) PUNDIT AN containing (about) R (last letter of [term; terminal] FIELDER)

TIP AND (R) UN*
 6

Local resident more unpleasant about prisoner (8) 

VILLAGER (inhabitant of a small community; local resident)

VILER (more unpleasant) containing (about) LAG (convict; prisoner)

VIL (LAG) ER
 7

Undue pride shown by expert about right arrangement for organ (9) 

ARROGANCE (conceit; undue pride)

ACE (expert) containing (about) (R [right] + an anagram of [arrangement for] ORGAN)

A (R ROGAN*) CE
 8

Time period regularly featured in diary (3) 

DAY (24 hours; period of time – also a feature of most diaries)

DAY (letters 1, 3 and 5 [regularly] of DIARY)

DAY
13

Religious component of oath represented in home Gospel with date (2,4,2,3) 

SO HELP ME GOD (a form of solemn oath including the word GOD [religious]; on my word)

Anagram of (represented in) HOME GOSPEL and D (date)

SO HELP ME GO* D
15

Is this possibly pursuing feet half-heartedly? One may think so (9) 

FETISHIST (one who regards something with irrational reverence, for example a FOOT FETISHIST has a pronounced sexual interest in feet)

FEET excluding one of the central [heart] Es [half-heartedly] + IS + an anagram of (possibly) THIS

FET IS HIST* 
17

Some covering provided by item in nude musical? (9) 

HAIRPIECE (wig covering only part of the head)

HAIR (rock musical with a nude scene) + PIECE (item)

HAIR PIECE
18

The old-fashioned getting upset about standard technology producing outrage (8) 

ENORMITY (outrage)

YE (old-fashioned form of ‘the’) reversed (getting upset) containing (about) (NORM [standard) + IT [{information} technology])

E (NORM IT) Y<
21

Individual rule accordingly adopted by writer (6) 

PERSON (individual)

(R [rule] + SO [accordingly]) contained in (adopted by) PEN (writer)

PE (R SO) N
23

Line held by defender, a player in game (5) 

BLACK (term used to indicate one of the players in a game of chess)

L (line) contained in (held by) BACK (defender in a football team for instance)

B (L) ACK
25

Throw small ball (5)

SPILL (throw)

S (small) + PILL (ball)

S PILL
26

Motoring group raised – its main focus? (3) 

CAR (the main focus of the Royal Automobile Club)

RAC (Royal Automobile Club) reversed (raised; down entry)

CAR<

 

25 comments on “Independent 10755 / Phi”

  1. I had a different parsing for 1a. I took the definition as “event in cruel sport” (the sport being bullfighting) and “removal of second” to denote removal of second letter in FrIGHT.

  2. 16A. Thirteen guests being unlucky is considered to have its origins from the Last Supper (12 disciples + Jesus) which is relevance today.

  4. Hovis @1 – yes, that’s what I intended

    Graham @2 may be on to something… but perhaps not quite what he thinks, even with the best of – ahem – intentions.

    Let’s see if anyone spots the four pairs

  5. I parsed 1a as did Hovis which deals with duncan’s comment on the word ‘cruel’.

    I looked for a relatively obscure theme – without confirmed success – though, at one point, I suspected a film festival (possibly at the RITZY in Brixton) given Captain CORELLI’s Mandolin, Mrs PALFREY at the Claremont, FANDANGO, Friday the THIRTEENTH, The BULLFIGHTers… There’s even a documentary called SO HELP ME GOD. I suspect there may be others. And I also suspect it’s complete coincidence. On the G page during the week, someone pointed out that almost any solution is probably the name of a band and the same applies to finding solutions in the titles of books, films and plays.

    Thanks Phi and duncan.

  6. Enjoyed this and had some success! , agree ZEAL is wonderfully done and the word FANDANGOS just isn’t used enough in real life…

    Phi @4 thanks a lot for the enjoyment but having spent another 15 minutes staring at the puzzle I can’t see one pair let alone four, suspect I don’t know what I’m looking for, will check back for one of the smarter people to answer that!

    Duncansheill – thanks for the excellent blog filling in all the gaps

  7. Phi @4: we crossed – hence my listing out examples of, as I suspected, a purely coincidental theme and, like Tombsy, I’ve stared again at the grid and nothing is leaping out at me. I hereby throw in the towel on this one and hope someone does pop in to enlighten us.

  8. Nice and easy after yesterday’s beast…
    Suspect a pangram but too busy to check….
    Thanks to Phi, and duncanshiell, although didn’t really need blog today, having no questions

  11. GOOD fellow too

    Friday in Robinson Crusoe? Somewhere? Person?

    Phi’s pairs are tougher than his crossword. Thanks to him and Duncan.

  13. Thirteenth in this and Nineteenth in Qaos
    So weird American hotels dont (or didnt) have a thirteenth floor
    Speaks volumes!

  14. Really enjoyed this and, heartened, was about to have another crack at yesterday’s, from which I retired baffled. But now distracted by pairs….
    Thanks to Phi and Duncan

  15. GRAND PIANO and CAFE?
    SPORTS PERSON and CAR??

    As Phil says, this is harder than the crossword.

    Thanks to Phi for the crossword (which was excellent as always) and the bonus entertainment, and to Duncan for blogging

  16. DavidO @15: I thought of the first but the pairs spotted by Phil were linked by Good Friday which makes sense today. I don’t see a link between Grand and Sports, let alone a link to today. I may be overthinking it – but I’ve been thinking about it all day!

  17. All prety straightforward although AISLING was new to us, but easily got and confirmed in Chambers’ list of first names. We didn’t bother looking for a theme as Phi’s can be quite obscure and aren’t necessary for solving.
    An enjoyable solve. Thanks, Phi and Duncan.
    Copmus@13, it’s not just American hotels that don’t have a 13th floor. Some years ago I was involved in surveying at some sheltered housing complexes usually consisting of 16 flats numbered 1-12 and 14-16 with what would be No 13 designated as a guest room. And thanks(?) for the Qaos spoiler.

  18. Enjoyed this one a lot – Second event for second letter was a new one for me, I couldn’t parse 14A and I had to give up on 20A and use reveal – I hadn’t thought of going that far south in the Pacific.
    Other than that I didn’t have too many problems and loved the clues for 16A and 22A .

  19. It wasn’t meant to be glaringly obvious (if it’s any consolation).

    GOOD intentions symmetrically placed with FRIDAY thirteenth
    GOOD grief vs. Black FRIDAY
    GGOD fellow vs. person FRIDAY
    GOOD day vs. FRIDAY car

    I found it quite hard to get enough material of the requisite matched lengths.

    There’s a local building company here called Friday Homes and, well, you do just wonder…

  20. Definitely easier than yesterday.

    On the matter of thirteenth floors, I’ve several time stayed in the Anaheim Hilton near Disneyland. It had a thirteenth floor, but no tenth floor. Something to do with room numbers being used for telephone numbers and 10- having special significance.

  21. Thanks Phi! I’d had another crack later and still had no idea, even though I didn’t understand what makes a pair it seems, even if I did I would have been nowhere near still!

    I’ve just realised no-ones done the obvious pun , therefore I’m happy to step forward

    That was a Good Phi-day

    (Now I realise why no-one has done the pun)

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