As is the case on most Fridays, Phi provides the challenge.
I am not sure what purpose the word ‘throttled’ is serving in the clue for 2 down. I expect there is something obvious that I am missing.
SUCCUBUS at 1 down was a new word for me, but the wordplay was clear given the crossing letters.
My favourite clue today was the one at 7 down for REAWAKENS with it’s complex construction involving two containments.
I can’t see any obvious link between the entries so I am unable to find a theme. There is a painting called ‘The DREAM of reason produces monsters’ by GOYA but I don’t think a vague link between two entries constitutes a theme.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 |
Luxurious pub I found in town’s knocked over (9) SYBARITIC (luxurious) (BAR [pub] + I) contained in (found in) CITY’S (town’s) reversed (knocked over) SY (BAR I) TIC< |
| 6 |
Very funny person, last to come to the fore in small group (4) TRIO (small group [of three]) RIOT (slang term for a hilarious person) with the final letter T (last) moved to the front (to come to the fore) to form TRIO TRIO |
| 10 |
Directed mark of error to be placed in dictionary (5) COXED (directed a racing rowing boat) X (mark indicating an error) contained in (to be placed in) COED (Concise Oxford English Dictionary) CO (X) ED |
| 11 |
Having been trounced, alas, not in major papers (9) NATIONALS (major daily newspapers are known as NATIONAL dailies) Anagram of (having been trounced) ALAS NOT IN NATIONALS* |
| 12 |
Pulls out expert in beer, mostly after setback (7) UPROOTS (pulls out [of the ground]) PRO (PROfessional [expert]) contained in (in) (STOUT [type of beer]) excluding the final letter T [mostly] and then reversed [after setback]) U (PRO) OTS< |
| 13 |
Not breaking oven in readiness for breakfast? (2,5) ON TOAST (many breakfast items are served ON TOAST) Anagram of (breaking) NOT + OAST (oven used to dry hops or malt) ON T* OAST |
| 14 |
Aviation feature where you’d expect lowering standards (13) UNDERCARRIAGE (on an aircraft, the UNDERCARRIAGE is lowered before landing. There will be published standards for the design and maintenance of UNDERCARRIAGEs) The clue is just a cryptic definition UNDERCARRIAGE |
| 17 |
A group penning paper linked to data transmission? I ‘ll need time to get it (8,5) ACQUIRED TASTE (a liking for something that comes after some experience; something that needs time to get) (A + CASTE [social group or class]) containing (penning) (QUIRE [24 or 25 sheets of paper] + DT [data transmission]) A C (QUIRE D T) ASTE |
| 21 |
Cleans up? Hangs around collecting nothing (7) HOOVERS (cleans up with a vacuum cleaner) HOVERS (hangs around) containing (collecting) O (character representing zero [nothing]) HO (O) VERS – either O could be the one contained |
| 22 |
Turned grey, losing heart with assessment (7) GYRATED (revolved; turned) GY (GREY excluding the central letters RE [losing heart) + RATED (with assessment) GY RATED |
| 24 |
Resting from the rink will keep one at chair (9) OFFICIATE (perform the duties of an officer, such as being the chair of a meeting) OFF ICE (resting from the [ice] rink) containing (will keep) (I [Roman numeral for one] + AT) OFF IC (I AT) E |
| 25 |
About to interrupt mother? Imagine (5) DREAM (imagine) RE (with reference to; about) contained in (to interrupt) DAM (mother, usually of cattle, horses etc) D (RE) AM |
| 26 |
A year’s retrospective following work from artist (4) GOYA (reference Francisco GOYA [1746 – 1828], Spanish artist and print maker) GO (work) + (A + Y [year]) reversed (retrospective) GO (Y A)< |
| 27 |
Historic tax collection arrangement – then it goes wrong – lawyers brought in (5,4) TITHE BARN (formerly a barn for storing the tithe [a tax of one-tenth value of the goods being taxed] in corn paid by a parish) Anagram of (goes wrong) THEN IT containing (brought in) BAR (barristers or advocates, but also loosely lawyers in general) TITHE (BAR) N* |
| Down | |
| 1 |
Demon beginning to corrupt youth in America, bouncing up and down (8) SUCCUBUS (a devil supposed to assume a female body and have sex with men in their sleep) (C [first letter of {beginning to} CORRUPT] + CUB [youth]) + (US [America] reversed [written up in this entry] + US [America] written normally [down in this entry] therefore giving America bouncing up and down) SU< (C CUB) US |
| 2 |
Participant in old war that’s throttled by fighter (5) BOXER (member of a Chinese society hostile to foreigners, the name arising from a Chinese phrase literally meaning ‘righteous harmonious fist’. The clue refers to the BOXER rebellion of between 1899 and 1901) BOXER (fighter) double definition I’m not sure what the word ‘throttled’ is doing. BOXER |
| 3 |
Enquiry forced changes around a broadcasting channel (5,9) RADIO FREQUENCY (a FREQUENCY suitable for RADIO transmission; broadcasting channel) Anagram of (changes) ENQUIRY FORCED containing (around) A R (A) DIO FREQUENCY* |
| 4 |
Country is one investing in fish (7) TUNISIA (Country in North Africa) (IS + I [Roman numeral for one]) contained in (investing in) TUNA (fish) TUN (IS I) A |
| 5 |
Dreadful to-do in vehicle, giving pet access (3,4) CAT DOOR (means of access for a pet CAT) Anagram of (dreadful) TO-DO contained in (in) CAR (vehicle) CA (T DOO*) R |
| 7 |
Again rouses prominent scientists to host a late party in small space (9) REAWAKENS (rouses again) RS (Royal Society; group of eminent scientists]) containing (to host) ([A + WAKE {party following a burial or cremation; party for a ‘late’ person}]) contained in [in] EN [a small space in printing terminology]) R (E (A WAKE) N) S |
| 8 |
Individual keeping place within the same set-up? (2-4) ON-SITE (within the same area) ONE (individual) containing (keeping) SIT (put; place) ON (SIT) E |
| 9 |
Game to catch married woman cuddling German (8,6) CONTRACT BRIDGE (card game) CONTRACT (catch [a disease]) + BRIDE (newly married woman) containing (cuddling) G (German) CONTRACT BRID (G) E |
| 15 |
Insect to persist with cunning (9) DRAGONFLY (insect) DRAG ON (continue slowly and tediously; persist) + FLY (artful; cunning) DRAG ON FLY |
| 16 |
Shame and tears for executioner (8) HEADSMAN (executioner) Anagram of (tears) SHAME AND HEADSMAN* |
| 18 |
Brown, in fancy tins, like some coffee (7) INSTANT (type of coffee that can be made immediately from powder or granules) TAN (brown colour) contained in (in) an anagram of (fancy) TINS INS (TAN) T* |
| 19 |
Most unconventional combination of e.g. and id est (7) EDGIEST (most innovative which often implies most controversial or unconventional) Anagram of (combination of) E.G. and ID EST or Anagram of (combination of) E.G. and ID + EST EDGIEST* or EDGI* EST |
| 20 |
Skimpy swimwear enthralling river crowd (6) THRONG (crowd) THONG (skimpy swimwear) containing (enthralling) R (river) TH (R) ONG |
| 23 |
Articles about source of tenacious Greek character (5) THETA (letter of the Greek alphabet; Greek character) (THE [definite article] + A [indefinite article] giving articles) containing (about) T (first letter of [source of] TENACIOUS) THE (T) A |
I took 2d to be BOER throttling X (by).
Couldn’t see a theme. Did notice words containing OVER, UNDER, ON & OFF but not enough.
Hovis is correct. Boxers rebel rather than engage in war.
No theme today. I do worry that one day you’ll find one I haven’t consciously put there…
BOXER was last one in, even though I’d suspected Boer of being involved and it all hung on COXED. I’m not familiar with the Concise Oxford – though I know it exists – so was wondering if there was a Cambridge English Dictionary or CED into which I had to fit an X but where to find the O? Eventually I put down COXED and checked it, I’m afraid. At which point Duncan’s bothersome ‘throttled’ suddenly leapt out at me.
I loved the anagram for RADIO FREQUENCY, the surface for CONTRACT BRIDGE and the constructions of both TITHE BARN and SUCCUBUS. OFFICIATE came very close to COTD – the definition element was tricky to read but excellent once the penny dropped. But I think my favourite was REAWAKENS even though the surface is not the smoothest: it just revealed the parsing layer by layer ending up with the Royal Society. Very neat.
The slightest of quibbles, and I’m sure it’s in dictionaries and thesauruses, but equating city with town in SYBARITIC seems slightly questionable. Given the regular discussions about what defines the one and distinguishes it from the other.
Thanks Phi and Duncan
Good Friday entertainment with some not commonly used words such as SUCCUBUS and SYBARITIC to kick off with and difficult parsing as in ACQUIRED TASTE (which defeated me) and OFFICIATE.
Favourite was BOXER which had me looking for a theme – dogs, Simon & Garfunkel or sport (and I use the term loosely) – but to no avail. Glad to hear from Phi that there wasn’t one I’d missed.
Thanks to Phi and B&J
[WP @4: strictly off topic but, if your potential search for a Simon & Garfunkel theme means you are at all a fan, I caught the BBC documentary The Harmony Game recently and, even for one who doesn’t particularly follow them like me, it’s a super programme.]
I read enough fantastic fiction to have know SUCCUBUS for a very long time. Obviously not a fan of the TV series Lost Girl about the adventures of a succubus PI.
Never enough comments on a Phiday. Maybe because Phi just keeps doing it, time after time. Agree with Postmark@3 re the detail. Generally do agree with Postmark. Radio frequency my fave. Thanks to Phi and Duncanshiell
Yes. Phi does keep producing to a high standard. BOXER was my favourite. It was a nice moment when box and Cox came together.
Jayjay @7: 😀 Re Phiday, until the late flurry – of three – either side of 8pm, there were only 5 comments. And two of those were from me and one from the setter! I fail to understand why the Indy doesn’t attract more following. No offence to Phi but pretty much all the setters here produce wonderful work.
We agree with Jayjay@7 about the number of comments – it happens on many days, not just Phi-day. We always enjoy Phi’s smooth puzzles and look forward to solving one at the end of the week. It feels a bit like commenting on a mid-week Dac puzzle for those of you who remember him – always satisfying with precise clueing and nothing controversial.
We are however glad that we feel able to read every comment on an Indy puzzle.
Thanks Phi and Duncan.
We must fess up to not always commenting when we could do. When we finish a puzzle we usually look at the 15^2 blog on a tablet, but find writing comments on a tablet a bit of a pain so wait till later when one of us is using the laptop. Sometimes that’s quite late by which time we’ve forgotten what we were going to say – or someone’s said it already.
Anyway, this was an enjoyable puzzle if a bit tricky in places. We took a while to get 1ac having first thought the pub in the clue was PH so that the answer would be —–PHIC; it was only when we realised 1dn was SUCCUBUS because ‘incubus’ didn’t have enough letters that we got SYBARITIC.
We didn’t think 14ac was particularly cryptic, but we liked ACQUIRED TASTE, OFFICIATE and TITHE BARN.
Thanks, Phi and Duncan
Very late to the party am catching up with several days worth of crosswords thus evening,and certainly didn’t want to miss a Phi, I wouldn’t have bothered commenting this late, except for the comments above.
Anyway one little quibble DT for data transmission, its in Chambers so it’s fair enough to clue, but I don’t think it should be in any dictionary at all. In over 30 years of systems IT, telephony and networking of many stripes, I have never once heard DT except as part of a larger abbreviation, it’s just not specific enough to be useful jargon, and too obscure and conversely so all encompassing to be in general usage. After all as I write this I’m performing DT. As will anyone who reads this! It makes no sense as an abbreviation!
Thanks Phi and Duncan.
As we rarely have time on a Friday and were so used to having done Phi on a Saturday in i, post-Covid we tend to print these out and save them til Saturday, often not finishing until Sunday as we’re a bit thick!
Almost always come here and read the comments and live that Phi comes to correct/educate. As I’ve said before, he’s our favorite setter.
Very late indeed to this puzzle but suffice to say that I thought it excellent throughout. 1a&d were both super clues.
Thanks Phi & Duncan for the comprehensive analysis.