Phi continues this week in his usual Friday slot
There is one entry I can’t parse to my own satisfaction – THESIS at 23 across. Once I am faced with derivatives of the French for ‘to be’, I always get into a mess. As I mention in the body of the blog, I can see some possible component parts of the wordplay, but I can’t fit it all together. I am sure I will find out from solvers’ comments how it should be parsed.
I don’t understand fully, the significance of ‘night’cap in the clue for CHAT SHOW (10 across) other than to improve the surface of the clue. I think ‘contracted’ in the clue for ABSENT (16 across) serves a similar purpose.
I liked the definition for MYOPIA as ‘problem in perceiving’ and I thought the clue for SEARCH WARRANT was very good.
With Phi puzzles, I often toss a medley of grid entries into Google to see if it generates a link and a theme, but nothing obvious came up this week.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 6 |
Problem in perceiving my work is awful at the outset (6) MYOPIA (short-sightedness; problem in perceiving) MY + OP (opus; work) + IA (first letters [at the outset] of IS and AWFUL) MY OP IA |
| 7 |
Very revolutionary beat associated with a piece of music (6) SONATA (composition, usually of three or more movements designed chiefly for a solo instrument; piece of music) SO (very) + TAN (beat) reversed (revolutionary) + A SO NAT< A |
| 9 |
Recalled idea from internet when fixing British Library logo (6) EMBLEM (badge; symbol; logo) MEME (image or video that is spread widely on the internet, often altered by internet users for humorous effect; idea from the internet) reversed (recalled) containing (when fixing) BL (British Library) EM (BL) EM< |
| 10 |
Where one might discuss food, including nightcaps? (4,4) CHAT SHOW (radio or television programme in which invited personalities discuss topics informally with their host) CHOW (food) containing (including) HATS (a nightcap can be defined as a cap or HAT worn in bed). I’m really not sure what the significance of night in the clue is, unless it relates to the fact that many CHAT SHOWs are broadcast late in the evening. C (HAT S) HOW |
| 11 |
Cabin trunk, perhaps, taken round ship by English men? (5,3) CHESS SET (pieces in a CHESS SET are often described as men) CHEST (trunk often carried in a cabin) containing (taken round) (SS [steamship] + E [English]) CHES (S S E) T |
| 13 |
Enthusiastic cry drawing attention about skill (6) HEARTY (enthusiastic) HEY (cry to attract attention) containing (about) ART (skill) HE (ART) Y |
| 14 |
Crew has torn up outrageous legal document (6,7) SEARCH WARRANT (legal document authorising the searching of a house, etc) Anagram of (torn up) CREW HAS + ARRANT (downright; unmitigated; outrageous) SEARCH W* ARRANT |
| 16 |
Contracted disease from meat when hosted by soldier? Not here (6 ABSENT (not here) BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy, an infectious degenerative brain disease of cattle, thought to be related to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, originally caused by cattle feed processed from scrapie-infected sheep remains. The disease is thought to be transmissible to humans [as a contracted disease?]) contained in (when hosted by) ANT (reference soldier ANT) A (BSE) NT |
| 18 |
Greek character prodding a breeding dog? That’s uncalled-for (1,3,4) A BIT MUCH (unreasonable; offensively or aggressively gratuitous; uncalled-for) MU (character of the Greek alphabet) contained in (prodding (A + BITCH [female {breeding} dog]) A BIT (MU) CH |
| 19 |
Article covered in blood brought on board by ship-builder mostly something to be avoided (2-2,4) NO-GO AREA (part of a city, etc to which normal access is prevented by the erection of barricades, especially by local militants) (A [indefinite article] contained in [covered in] GORE [blood]) all contained in (brought on board by) NOAH (builder of the ark in the Bible) excluding the final letter H (mostly) NO (GO (A) RE) A |
| 21 |
Give way about a source of ore (4,2) CAVE IN (yield; give way) CA (circa; about) + VEIN (seam of a different mineral running through a rock) CA VE IN |
| 23 |
French are blocking the current proposition (6) THESIS (proposition) I always struggle with clues using the French for ‘is, are or be’ so I’m not sure how the wordplay works. I can see THE in the entry, but nothing is blocking it in the spelling of THESIS. I can see ‘ES‘ which I think is some part of the French verb etre [to be] and I can see I as a symbol for electric current, but I cannot fit it all together. THESIS |
| 24 |
British former Prime Minister missing last engagement (6) BATTLE (engagement) B (British) + ATTLEE (reference Clement ATTLEE [1883 – 1967], Labour Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951) excluding the final letter E (missing last) B ATTLE |
| Down | |
| 1 |
Bird in current left to the end (4) FOWL (bird of the poultry kind) FLOW (current) with the L (left) moved to the end FOWL |
| 2 |
Pet: I will occupy identical place around front of couch (7,3) SIAMESE CAT (example of a pet) I contained in (will occupy) SAME (identical) + SEAT (place) containing (around) C (first letter of [front of] COUCH) S (I) AME SE (C) AT |
| 3 |
Furniture item as yet unfinished (4) SOFA (item of furniture) SO FAR (as yet) excluding the final letter R (unfinished) SO FA |
| 4 |
Water filling everything in ranch? It’s nothing to worry about (5,5) FALSE ALARM (warning of danger which turns out to have been unnecessary; it’s nothing to worry about) (SEA contained in [filling] ALL [everything]) all contained in (in) FARM (ranch) F (AL (SE A) L) ARM |
| 5 |
Reward solver in a stroke (3-3) PAY-OUT (distribute money, such as winnings on a bet; reward) YOU (crossword solver) contained in (in) PAT (gentle stroke with a flat surface, such as the palm of the hand) PA (YO U) T |
| 6 |
Millions enthralled by me and my historic site (7) MEMPHIS (Wikipedia tells me that MEMPHIS Tennessee has a history back to at least 10000 BCE; historic site) M (millions) contained in (enthralled by) (ME and PHI’S [my, as PHI is today setter] ME (M) PHIS |
| 8 |
Patriotic song at each show’s going wild (5,3,3) SCOTS WHA HAE (patriotic song of Scotland) Anagram of (going wild) AT EACH SHOWS SCOTS WHA HAE* |
| 12 |
Range of notes on fashion line implying something not the right size (5,5) SCALE MODEL (MODEL of something made in reduced size but accurate proportion) SCALE (range of musical notes) + MODE (fashion) + L (line) SCALE MODE L |
| 13 |
Marine creature runs, sheltering in trim beach after storm (6,4) HERMIT CRAB (soft-bodied crustacean that inhabits a mollusc shell; marine creature) R (runs) contained in (sheltering in) an anagram of (after storm) TRIM BEACH HE (R) MIT CRAB* Either R could be the one contained |
| 15 |
Touching performance in hat (7) TACTILE (relating to the sense of touch; touching) ACT (performance) contained in (in) TILE (old-fashioned slang for a hat) T (ACT) ILE |
| 17 |
Drunken bum getting cut, swallowing litre (6) BLOTTO (helplessly drunk) BOTTOM (bum) excluding the final letter M (getting cut) containing (swallowing) L (litre) B (L) OTTO |
| 20 |
Very worried after a force skips attack (4) RAID (attack) AFRAID (very worried) excluding (skips) (A + F [force]) RAID |
| 22 |
Nothing set up about European ban (4) VETO (forbid; ban) (O [character representing zero; nothing) + TV [television set]) all reversed (up; down entry) containing (about) E (European) (V (E) T O)< |
Could 23a be ES (the French ‘are’) inside THIS (the current, what’s present, happening)?
Agree with Skinny @1 about 23a.
In 16a, we took BSE to be “contracted” as it’s an abbreviation?
In 6d, I don’t know what was in Phi’s mind, but I was certainly thinking of Memphis, Egypt, though Wikipedia says that that only goes back half as far as Memphis Tennessee, apparently!
Thanks to Phi for the puzzle and to duncanshiell for blogging. Will check back later to find out what the source/theme is!
I agree with Skinny @1
Try again!
I agree with Skinny @1 and also Duncan’s view on nightcaps being an example of hats that works better in the surface
DNF as I needed some help in the middle to get going again, the Patriotic Song baffled me even with crossers and the anagram letters
I agree MYOPIA is excellent and I also enjoyed SCALE MODEL
thanks a lot Phi (always enjoy a self reference from the setter) and to duncanshiell for filling in many gaps in my parsing
I enjoyed this but needed a leg up as I dont speak fluent Scottish!
Thanks Phi and Dunc
Looks like we’re all in agreement so far. On the general excellence of the puzzle, on MYOPIA, SCALE MODEL and SEARCH WARRANT and on the parsing of THESIS. I have no idea how the song came to mind but was saved by the three letter W-A thrown up by crossers in the middle and I could only see an H from the anagram fodder filling that gap.
If there’s a theme it’s going to be obscure, I think. Nothing leaps out. Unless Phi has acquired a new hermit crab called Blotto and is sitting on his sofa whilst playing with the chess set he bought in Memphis. But maybe that’s a bit much.
Thanks Phi and duncan
Enjoyed this but quite vague attempts at parsing … so thanks to Phi for reasonably clear defs n duncansheill for clear blog! Agree with consensus on 23ac n I had Memphis, Egypt in mind also… at least the Scots song was straightforward.. after yesterday’s Nina success I was hoping for a repeat but although it looked tempting for a while, in the end nowt…
Thanks again
I make no claims to have got the right MEMPHIS in the blog. It could well be the Egyptian one.
Having grown up in Edinburgh and now living again in Scotland, SCOTS WHA HAE was a bit of a write-in for me.
Thanks for the parsing of THESIS
23A “Tu es” in French “you are”
Memphis, Egypt, I think I had in mind. The other one I recall only for a mad connection-making dash from gate 1 to gate 42 of its airport. So last-minute was it, that my luggage was first off the plane at New Orleans.
No Nina or anything this time – just wanted to revisit an old grid.
I thought there might be a nina as ‘can old bonny’ appears around two thirds of the perimeter, but if Phi says not that’s good enough for me. Much enjoyed anyway, and I’m another who parsed 23A as ‘es’ in ‘this’. Thanks Phi and Duncan.
I think the point of nightcaps was to trick people like me into thinking they had finally spotted a lift and separate, and trying to fit in “n” or “ni” into some word for food. I agree with others about the rest. Thanks Phi and Duncan.
Enjoyed this apart from the totally unknown and unguessable 8d.
A very satisfying solve – nothing we didn’t know, although some head-scratching was involved. Favourite was SEARCH WARRANT once we realised it wasn’t an angram of ‘crew has torn up’ with ‘outrageous’ as the anagrind; nice misdirection there. We also liked NO-GO AREA.
Thanks, Phi and Duncan