This is my first Phi puzzle of 2023 and one that I would rate as a medium-difficulty puzzle.
I have not spotted any particular theme today, but perhaps other solvers have and will enlighten me/us in due course.
My favourite clues today were 13, 17, 19A and 23, all for smoothness of surface; and the longer entries at 8, for quirkiness of construction, and at 24, for making me smile when I realised what the definition was.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | VAMP | Veal and mashed potatoes for starters with uninspiring accompaniment
V<eal> A<nd> M<ashed> P<otatoes>; “for starters” means first letters only; in music, a vamp is a simple and uninspired improvised accompaniment |
| 03 | PROBABLE | Favouring half-hearted chatter? More than likely
PRO (=favouring) + BAB<b>LE (=chatter; “half-hearted” means one of letter “b”s in the middle is dropped) |
| 10 | PORK SCRATCHINGS | “Swine – S” indicating something you get in a bar?
PORK (=swine) + SCRATCHING (= -, i.e. minus) + S |
| 11 | RE-EXAMINE | King keeping English a source of wealth? Check again
[E (=English) in REX (=king, in Latin)] + A + MINE (=source of wealth, i.e. goldmine) |
| 12 | NAIL | Pin down nothing about American
A (=American) in NIL (=nothing) |
| 13 | UMBRAGE | Anger following university doctor’s offence
U (=University) + MB (=doctor) + RAGE (=anger); to take umbrage is to take offence |
| 15 | TATTOO | Display poor quality stuff in antique shop as well
TAT (=poor quality stuff in antique shop) + TOO (=as well) |
| 17 | PERIOD | Stop holding back passion in school
ERI (IRE=passion; “holding back” indicates reversal) in POD (=school, e.g. of whales); period is a full “stop” at the end of a sentence |
| 19 | BEEF TEA | Worker’s success, getting earlier time for drink
BEE (=worker) + FTEA (FEAT=success; “getting earlier time (=T)” means letter “t” moves to an earlier position in the word) |
| 20 | SKUA | A European country’s returned bird
A + UK’S (=European country’s); “returned” indicates reversal |
| 21 | CHERISHED | Much-loved US singer – is he dead?
CHER (=US singer) + IS + HE + D (=dead) |
| 24 | PULL SOMEONE’S LEG | Actively loosen plums with glee for kid?
*(LOOSEN PLUMS + GLEE); “actively” is anagram indicator; in the definition, “(to) kid” is to tease |
| 25 | RAGGEDLY | Hazy Grey Lady mostly seen around front of Grange irregularly?
G<range> (“front of” means first letter only) in *(GREY LAD<y>); “mostly” means last letter is dropped in anagram, indicated by “hazy” |
| 26 | STUN | Shock reduction in publicity activity?
STUN<t> (=publicity activity); “reduction in” means last letter is dropped |
| Down | ||
| 01 | VAPOROUS | Very active and open to things, but insubstantial
V (=very) + A (=active) + POROUS (=open to things, of substances) |
| 02 | MORSE | Limitation of mysterious English code expert
M or S (=limitation of mysterious, i.e. the first or last letter + E (=English) |
| 04 | RETREAT | French to be taken in by sneak in religious centre
ETRE (=French to be, i.e. the French verb to be) in RAT (=sneak, snitch) |
| 05 | BEHIND THE TIMES | Reading newspaper reports but not-up-to-date?
Cryptically, a person “reading newspaper reports” could well be “(physically) behind (his copy of) The Times”! |
| 06 | BANDICOOT | Marsupial doing nasty things to obtain cod
*(BANDICOOT); “doing nasty things to” is anagram indicator; a bandicoot is a small marsupial mammal native to the Australia-New Guinea region |
| 07 | EASY | Ill without question, though free from pain
<qu>EASY (=ill); “without question (=QU)” means letters “qu” are dropped |
| 08 | AS FAR AS I CAN SEE | Religious office in Abuja randomly interrupted by leaders of atheists and scoffers? Looks like it to me
“leaders (=first letters) of atheists and scoffers” means that letters “a” and “s” are each added twice to AFRICAN SEE (=religious office in Abuja)! |
| 09 | PRAISE | Priest getting extra money for church activity?
P (=priest) + RAISE (=extra money) |
| 14 | BREAK A LEG | Thespian’s wish in acting, getting on after lucky opportunity
BREAK (=lucky opportunity) + A (=acting, as in acting director) + LEG (=on, i.e. side in cricket) |
| 16 | CARDIGAN | ‘Good area swamped in vehicle noise’ – English view of Welsh region
[G (=good) + A (=area)] in [CAR (=vehicle) + DIN (=noise)]; Cardigan is the English name for the Welsh town of Aberteifi |
| 18 | DECIMAL | Hundred I’m investing in transaction, supplied in tens
[C (=hundred, in Roman numerals) + I’M] in DEAL (=transaction) |
| 19 | BRETON | Run into hazard over working description of some French
[R (=run, on cricket scorecard) in BET (=hazard, wager, as verb)] + ON (=working, of machine) |
| 22 | HELOT | Everything puts off top slave
<t>HE LOT (=everything); “puts off top” means first letter is dropped; a helot was one of a class of Spartan serfs |
| 23 | SPAR | Second mate overlooking one part of rigging
S (=second) + PA<i>R (=mate, couple; “overlooking one (=I)” means letter “i” is dropped) |
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