Phi has brought the latest series of mid-week puzzles to an end.
I found this to be a medium-difficulty puzzle, compiled on a solver-friendly grid with four longer entries and a lot of checked initial letters. 1A, 3 and 12 were all new words for me, but they could all be worked out satisfactorily from the wordplay.
My favourite clues today were 5, 7 and 8, all for smoothness of surface. True to form, I have spotted no theme in this puzzle. I wonder if anyone else has …
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | WOOL-GATHERING | Dreamy student – pick up during courtship
[L (=student) + GATHER (=pick up, learn)] in WOOING (=courtship); wool-gathering means dream, absent-minded |
| 09 | NETBALL | Clear everything to accommodate British sport
B (=British) in [NET (=clear, of all deductions) + ALL (=everything)] |
| 10 | CAPTAIN | Better money needed to secure a master
CAP (=better, outperform) + [A in TIN (=money, brass)] |
| 11 | AIRY | Well-ventilated farm building not opening
<d>AIRY (=farm building); “not opening” means first letter is dropped |
| 12 | CHIFFONIER | Furniture item of French working I repeatedly brought in
*(OF FRENCH + I I); “repeatedly” (here) means included twice; “working” is anagram indicator; a chiffonier is an ornamental cabinet, a chest of drawers |
| 14 | TWAIN | US writer’s time with American elected politician
T (=time) + W (=with) + A (=American) + IN (=elected politician, member of the party in office); the reference is to US author Mark Twain (1835-1910) |
| 15 | GOLD MEDAL | Storm mostly circling familiar sea gets highest rating
[OLD (=familiar, usual) + MED (=sea, i.e. Mediterranean)] in GAL<e> (=storm; “mostly” means last letter dropped) |
| 17 | FULSOMELY | Animation of mouse and fly involving line in unctuous style
L (=line) in *(MOUSE + FLY); “animation of” is anagram indicator |
| 18 | NAURU | Uruguayan’s heading race going round and round a small Pacific island
A in [NURU; U<ruguayan> (“heading” means first letter only) + RUN (=race); “going round” indicates reversal)] |
| 19 | LIBIDINOUS | Liberal couple with sense accepting offer, yielding to desire?
BID (=offer) in [L (=liberal) + I I (=couple, i.e. two) + NOUS (=sense)] |
| 22 | ASAP | Snake biting one without delay
A (=one) in ASP (=snake) |
| 24 | EMOTIVE | European vote I’m fiddling – that’s controversial
E (=European) + *(VOTE I’M); “fiddling” is anagram indicator |
| 25 | IMPIOUS | Domineering, ousting old King, offending the Church
IMP<er>IOUS (=domineering); “ousting old King (=ER, for Edward Rex)” means letters “er” are dropped |
| 26 | STALKING-HORSE | Sweden discussing getting French out of Europe at first? It’s a distraction
S (Sweden) + TALKING (=discussing) + HORS (=French out of, i.e. the French translation of out of) + E<urope> (“at first” means first letter only); a stalking-horse is anything put forward to mask plans or efforts, hence “a distraction” |
| Down | ||
| 01 | WATERFALL | Torrent a worry when climbing, surrounded by rock face
[A + TERF (FRET=worrying; “when climbing” indicates vertical reversal)] in WALL (=rock face, in mountaineering) |
| 02 | OVAL | Rounded shape, place to go over when climbing
LAV (place to go, i.e. loo) + O (=over, in cricket); “when climbing” indicates vertical reversal |
| 03 | GULCH | Ear picked up choir in valley
GUL (LUG=ear; “picked up” indicates vertical reversal) + CH. (=choir); in the United States, a gulch is a ravine or narrow rocky valley |
| 04 | TACTFULLY | A lot of amusement after court probes record with discretion
[CT (=court, in addresses) + FU<n> (=amusement; “a lot of” means last letter is dropped)] in TALLY (=record, account) |
| 05 | EMPLOYMENT | Money laid out in reconstruction of temple largely providing work
*(MONEY) in *(TEMPL<e>); “largely” means last letter is dropped from anagram, indicated by “reconstruction” and, earlier, “laid out” |
| 06 | IMARI | Contents of primarily Japanese porcelain
Hidden (“contents of”) in “prIMARIly” |
| 07 | GENERAL-PURPOSE | Military leader with funds bringing in Petty Officer for a range of jobs
GENERAL (=military leader) + [PO (=Petty Officer) in PURSE (=funds)] |
| 08 | UNFAITHFULNESS | Fun, sin and faults he elaborated – adultery?
*(FUN SIN + FAULTS HE); “elaborated” is anagram indicator |
| 13 | IN GOOD NICK | How fit could a prisoner be?
Cryptic definition: a prisoner could be in a good nick, since “nick” is slang for prison |
| 15 | GREEN BEAN | Waving e.g. banner about source of exotic vegetable
E<xotic> (“source of” means first letter only) in *(E.G. BANNER); “waving” is anagram indicator |
| 16 | DRUGSTORE | Director hurried to secure carpeting for shop
RUGS (=carpeting) in [D (=director) + TORE (=hurried, raced)] |
| 20 | BIOTA | A little area containing zero flora and fauna
O (=zero) in [BIT (=a little) + A (=area)]; the biota is the flora and fauna of a region |
| 21 | URIAH | University covering up Dickensian villain
U (=university) + RIAH (HAIR=covering; “up” indicates vertical reversal); the reference is to Uriah Heep, the villain in Dickens’ 1850 novel David Copperfield |
| 23 | SPUR | Encourage sudden growth? Not entirely
SPUR<t> (=growth); “not entirely” means last letter is dropped |
Very enjoyable. I had URGE for SPUR (s)urge, until the crossers put me right.
Thanks both. Initially entered (S)URGE at 23, which I feel works equally well, but I assume this is considered fair game, where confidence can only be gained where the crossing entry is already solved
Not exactly a walk in the park as there were a few obstacles encountered on the way but we got it all.
NAURU took a bit of sorting out as to which ’round’ meant what and which U derived from ‘Uruguay’
In CHIFFONIER it was good to see ‘of French’ used as anagram fodder instead of to clue DE.
Others we liked were STALKING HORSE and BIOTA.
We can’t see any theme or nina, though – but Phi’s themes are usually ghost themes that you don’t need to know to solve the puzzle.
Thanks, Phi and RatkojaRiku
Today I was determined to spot the Phiday theme.
Alas I am unable to do so despite much googling 🙁
However lovely mix of clues and surfaces I particularly enjoyed fun, sin and faults he elaborated.
Thanks Phi and RR
Thanks Phi for a solid crossword and RR for parsing — I needed explanations for GULCH, TACTFULLY, LIBIDINOUS, and CHIFFONIER. My favourite was WOOL-GATHERING, a new term for me; after reading about its origins I became a fan. I liked WATERFALL, OVAL, and DRUGSTORE but there weren’t any bad clues in the bunch.
Thanks Phi and Ratkojariku! An engaging but steady challenge for me. I could not parse LIBIDINOUS, thanks for that, RR. I created some unnecessary trouble for myself by throwing in multiple plausible but far off guesses for 15A— FIVE STARS, FOUR STARS, and FULL MARKS…but got there in the end thanks to crossers.
Favorites were STALKING-HORSE, WATERFALL, and GENERAL PURPOSE.
In case anyone is looking earnestly I should make it clear that this is a Nina-free puzzle
But Phi, why? Oh, unless you mean it’s Nina-free but with a theme…
Loved it, thanks and also to RatkojaRiku
My first Phi and a pleasant introduction at that. Finished it with breakfast coffee this morning. Thanks for the entertainment.
I also had alternatives distract me with 15a until I had EMPLOYMENT and then it became obvious. I don’t recall having heard of 26a but the construction led me to it and then I checked.
I am new to the Independent crossword stable and bloggers, so thanks for the explanations RatkojaRiku.