Phi on a Saturday?
All enjoyable but a few needed checking. We didn’t know who Ko-Ko was in 15d, so had to resort to Google for confirmation – we had already guessed the answer from the definition and the crossing letters.
We have a relevant phrase across the top but we cannot find any further references to the New Year. We can’t help but think the there must be something else going on, especially with the grid splitting the top right from the bottom left, and the inclusion of several rather unusual words at 7d, 8d, 24ac and 26ac. Hopefully Phi will enlighten us later?
Anyway, Happy New Year to one and all!
T (Tesla) FOOTING (foundation) after or ‘associated with’ FIRS (trees)
SURE (agreed) IT around or ‘covering’ F (fine)
ON (working) CU (copper) inside or ‘brought into’ LIB (librarian)
Last characters to helP rewritE thE bilL – The Peel is of course Robert Peel.
An anagram (‘badly’) of BOTCH IT around or ‘touring’ ROMe (Italian city) missing last letter or ‘most of’
POTION (brew) with the P (power) moving back or ‘deferring’
HEAR (learn) around or ‘covering’ cADGE (bum) with first letter removed
I and an anagram (‘renovated’) of MANSION – the ‘going out’ being ‘falling asleep’
USE (purpose) around T (first letter or ‘start’ of tale) inside or ‘penned by’ AN
INTO (very keen on) NATION (country)
DAIs (platform) missing last letter around or ‘bringing in’ L (student)
UN (French for a) AVOCEt (wading bird) without last letter or ‘missing tail’
THE (article) inside or ‘found in’ E (European) PIT (excavation)
An anagram (‘unlikely’) of HINT RE NAUSEA
FE (iron) R (first letter or ‘beginning’ of ruin) VENT (fissure)
gREEK (European) without the first letter or ‘ignoring leader’
CH (church) Y (variable) following TET (military offensive)
A reversal or ‘overturning’ of NO and LOOKER (dish)
ROUt (failure) missing last letter or ‘not entirely’ BAD (dreadful) inside TOUR (concert series)
TIE (obligation) after or ‘pursuing’ NECK (brass)
An anagram (‘handling’) of SUBTRACTIONS
US (American) underneath or ‘supporting’ SUP (drink) POSITIOn (stance) missing last letter or ‘not entirely’
An anagram (‘rocks’) of MORBID around or ‘framing’ an anagram (‘ghastly’) of MOON
Ko-Ko refers to the Lord High Executioner in ‘The Mikado’ who had names of people on a list – check out THIS link for his song
A T (tenor) inside or ‘welcomed by’ SATIE (French composer)
ACHE (pain) inside TRAp (mouth) missing last letter or ‘after cut’
JOSH (to banter) around EP (recording as in extended play) – reference to the Lloyd Webber musical ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat’
SIN (wrong) about G (government)
Ref. 20d, surely Joseph is a Lloyd Webber character not a performer.
At 14D shouldn’t it be cadge not eadge? The only rather rather tenuous theme I can see is a number of things we might be feeling or suffering from at this time of year (surfeit, thrombotic, insomnia, neurasthenia, satiate(d), listless, sigh) but probably my fevered imagination. Thanks Phi and B&J.
Sorry 14A not D.
There isn’t really much going on here. I suspect mine was the only puzzle with even a vague reference to the festivities. It came about because of a calendar, which I commend to you, called Forgotten English, which offers a rare word each day (more or less), with an unusual related fact or event.
But as it is the work of a guy in San Diego, it has an American slant, and it’s surprising what the Americans have forgotten. FIRST-FOOTING turned up earlier this year, and was added to my list of words around which a grid could be built. Indeed, all the 12-letter entries were from the calendar – the other three are less well-known though not, I’d say, actually forgotten yet. But he does pick up a lot of Chambers’ odder corners. However, look out for SIMPER and CRIMP in a future puzzle; words which the US is getting along fine without.
I was thinking of ‘X was Joseph in J&TATD’. In any case, surely every instance sees a performer in the role – I don’t believe the original tours much these days…
Tatrasman@2 – it is a lowercase c with a line through it which makes it look like an e. We always use lowercase letters for those not in the definition but are in part of the wordplay. We then use a strikethrough.
Phi@4 – thanks for dropping in. We wish you a very Happy New Year. We will try and remember SIMPER and CRIMP!
I remembered the “little list” from the odious Peter Lilley speech from 1992. Like many, my sup position will be yes tonight, but no for a while after that. Thanks, both.
Thanks both. Struggled only with the two twelve-letter anagrams, guessing one correctly, the other being a near-miss. TROUBADOUR held me up for longer than it should, by which time the parsing became irrelevant, so grateful to see it here. Also thankful to be reminded it is Saturday
Lovely stuff, Phi. Was this a tad easier than usual or was I in the zone today? Either way it was jolly good fun with some delightful wordplay. Particularly enjoyed OPTION and HEADGEAR. Presume it’s already 2023 where you are so happy new year.
Thanks and happy new year also to Bert & Joyce, always enjoy your blogs. Thanks especially for explaining Ko-Ko – G&S references are wasted on me (but like you I got it from the def and crossers anyway).
When I saw SURFEIT I thought lamphreys, or even palphreys might have appeared but on wrong track. A lovely end to the puzzling year – hugely enjoyed the long quirky words. Happy New Year to bloggers and posters alike…and of course to Phi.
Not the most contemporary of puzzles and a couple of strange surface reads but very enjoyable on the whole.
Couldn’t be bothered to parse LISTLESS but had the rest. HEADGEAR was my definite favourite.
Many thanks and HNY to Phi and to B&J, I’ve learnt a lot from your consistently excellent blogs.
Very, very late to comment but wanted to record my appreciation of a typically fine offering from Phi. I had expected a seasonal theme to emerge after 1a but it wasn’t to be. Three tough long words for which I needed all the crossers as none are in my usual lexicon. Favourites include INSOMNIA, EPITHET, ONLOOKER, BODMIN MOOR and LISTLESS (don’t know the opera but am aware of the list so put two and two together).
Thanks Phi and B&J for the regular fun and HNY.
PM