It’s Phi-day again!
Another smooth puzzle from our regular Friday setter.
We can’t help thinking that there is a theme here somewhere, maybe based round 12d/28ac, but we can’t find many associated words – maybe 4d and/or 14d? We also noticed that the middle unches in the penultimate row spell DESIRE, but this is probably a coincidence, as we would expect more contributions to a nina in a Phi puzzle.
Any thoughts out there?
COL (pass) round A PIT (dirty place)
VYING (competing) after or ‘in pursuit of’ L E (first land last letters or ‘sides’ of league)
An anagram (‘vaguely’) of CLEAR round or ‘about’ HANG (hover)
SAY (‘for one’) R (rector) round or ‘involving’ T (first letter or ‘source’ of tension)
H (hot) lUNCH (meal) without the first letter or ‘starter’
FUN (pleasure) round or ‘penning’ L L (tow lines) G (good) ROW (a ‘further’ line)
Hidden in teaM IS Sacked
EYE (midst of storm) after or ‘pursuing’ PRIVATE (soldier)
An anagram (‘prepared’) of CARNAL and A BED
ST(stone) first and last letters or ‘edges’ of EmbleM
DIED (stopped) round or ‘including’ S (section) MISS (13ac)
UNaWED (not stunned) without or ‘dispatching’ the ‘a’
I LID (cover) round or ‘involving’ A (Australian)
SEA (main) reversed or ‘recalled’ + THE (article) TIC (movement)
MUST (something necessary) round or ‘housing’ ARK (collection of animals) reversed or ‘revolutionary’
An oblivious theatregoer might fancifully CLAP a HAM actor
Hidden or ‘found’ in CaPE CANaveral
ASH (wood) in TRY (test)
A LOG might be ‘hacked’ with an axe – not one of Phi’s best clues in our opinion. Could this be connected to a theme revolving around 12d/28ac?
LIED (told stories) round LadY (without the middle letters or ‘heartless) LIVER (being – something living)
V (see) I (one) + GO (leave) in or ‘aboard’ an anagram (‘at sea’) of THIS – the Visigoths were a tribe whose capital was Toulouse in the 5th century.
IN (popular) TT (Tourist Trophy – motorcycle races on the Isle of Man) round or ‘engaging’ ROVER (traveller)
ON (running) N (north) in or ‘through’ GARE (French for station)
An anagram (‘confusing’) of FOR ELiTE MATHS MASTER without the ‘i’
SUN (tabloid) IS reversed or ‘upset’ + first or ‘initial’ letters of On Identifying Daring Starlet’s
WILDER (Billy Wilder – US/Austrian film director) after or ‘supporting’ BE (live)
CAD (computer aided design – ‘IT based design’) + MUM (‘not a word’) round I (one)
MO (doctor) DICtUM (saying) without the ‘t’ (time)
E (English) RUE (regret) reversed or ‘upset’ round CH (chief)
WAiTER (restaurant worker) with the ‘i’ (one) omitted or ‘not observed’ – a new definition for us, but it’s there in Chambers
Alternate letters or ‘regular contributors’ in SwIfT
I can’t spot a theme either. I don’t see ‘lily-livered’ = ‘cad’, unless you’re pronouncing (Noel) Coward like ‘Ca’ard’ as in a song that I can’t remember the title of. Candelabra is actually the plural of candelabrum, I learned today, though interchangeable, apparently. Thanks Phi and B&J.
Just couldn’t bring CLAPHAM to mind so bunged in the geographically incorrect ‘Chatham’ which sort of worked with the wordplay, but was obviously wrong. Otherwise everything else went in parsed, including the unusual sense of WATER. I had no idea that the (last in) VISIGOTH(s) came from Toulouse though, always assuming they’d come from “up north” with those other “barbarians”.
I look forward to seeing if there is a theme or well-hidden Nina.
Thanks to Phi and B&J
Toulouse, our newest kitten, is asleep in a basket a short way off. I doubt he knows he is named after a Visigoth city, on the Garonne, that was home to Fermat, as well as being a homophone of a synonym of MISS and BEWILDER. Its main municipal building is a Capitol.
The Visigoths seem to have moved around a fair bit in their time but Toulouse was definitely a base for them.
Thanks Phi for popping in.
I thought this was first rate but the internet packed up before I was properly into it so I had to fully switch my brain on with only a thesaurus to hand-it actually added to the fun.
I loved “of the first water” clue-and LE VYING and all the rest. But I forgot to check an early entry
which , like WordPlodder was MILES outside the M25-but no clashes which is annoying as I used to
consider myself a connoisseur of the South Circular
Best puzzle of the day.
I, too, think of lily-livered as being cowardly and dastardly as being wicked, but it didn’t stop me from finding the answer. [I never buy trousers in Southern France – they’re Toulon and Toulouse.]
[PeterT @5: Nice! ]
Kind of reminds me of the older (and ruder) joke about why not to buy Russian underpants – Chernobyl fallout.
The visigoths n others did get around after they expanded south into Roman territory! Good thoughtful puzzle.. Fermat n any of his theories were new to me so I found that anagram pretty tricky… overall best of the week for me..
Thanks Phi n Bertandjoyce
Thanks for the explanation Phi. Always appreciated!
“Visigoths wreck phone kiosk”. One of my favourites, from a spoof edition of the Sheffield Star in the late 60s. I wonder how many people knew the Toulouse link and the name of Phi’s cat. I’m with the cowardly side on lily-livered. Fine fare as usual on a Friday. Thanks to Phi and B&J.
You know those days where your brain doesn’t work? Yesterday was one of them
Thanks everyone for filling in all the blanks and to Phi