We are approaching the weekend and Phi is around as usual to set the Friday Independent crossword.
It’s always fun trying to work out whether Phi has got a theme in his puzzles. I’m guessing not today, but I could well be wrong. I think ,as a complete coincidence, starting from the North West corner, you can see PIG, DOE and CAT in the NW, NE and SE corners running diagonally up or down between the 5th cells up, across or down from each corner. The South West corner doesn’t continue the theme though.
I made fairly steady progress today with a good start in the North West corner.
I liked the clues for HOUSE, CITY, DEFER and UNTYPICAL for their surface.
It’s always a pleasure to solve a Phi crossword. There’s usually something to learn. I worked with someone who was an experienced bell ringer in a local church. He would have known all about TRIPLES, but the term was new to me.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 |
Indecorous finding due – I will look bad (11) UNDIGNIFIED (displaying poor qualities, therefore will look bad) Anagram of (indecorous) FINDING DUE I UNDIGNIFIED* |
| 7 |
Consume meal, beginning to end (3) EAT (consume) TEA (meal) with the first letter (beginning) T moved to the end to form EAT EAT |
| 9 |
Campanologist’s permutations? Attempts to keep place (7) TRIPLES (peals of bells interchanging in three sets of two) – a campanologist is a bellringer TRIES containing (to keep) PL (place) TRI (PL) ES |
| 10 |
Coming out on top – very treacherous in winter around hill (7) VICTORY (coming out on top) V + (ICY [treacherous in winter] containing [around] TOR [hill]) V IC (TOR) Y |
| 11 |
Line taken with arrangement of map tinge regarding colours (9) PIGMENTAL (regulating to colours) Anagram (rearrangement of) MAP TINGE and (with) L (line) PIGMENTAL* |
| 13 |
Optimism with our group taking over power in parliament (5) HOUSE (legislative chamber such as parliament) HOPE (optimism) with US (our group) replacing (taking over) P (power) HO US E |
| 14 |
Urban area: a US example beginning to mature out of disaster (4) CITY (urban area) CALAMITY (disaster) excluding (out of) (A + LA [Los Angeles, an American example of a CITY] + M [first letter of {beginning to} MATURE]) CITY |
| 16 |
Spooner’s very, very close at present (4,3,3) HERE AND NOW (present time) Reverend Spooner would pronounce the entry as NEAR [close] AND HOW [very much indeed] thereby implying very very close HERE AND NOW |
| 19 |
Prominently displayed item‘s role’s tied up with deals (4-6) LOSS LEADER (something prominently displayed and sold at a loss to attract other custom) Anagram of (tied up) ROLES and (with) DEALS LOSS LEADER* |
| 20 |
Protection against water left beside the ocean (4) SEAL (material forming a protective boundary against water) SEA (ocean) + L (left) SEA L |
| 22 |
Half-heartedly ran the match, returning to seek postponement (5) DEFER (put off to another time; seek postponement) REFFED (refereed; ran the march) excluding one of the central letters (half-heartedly) F and then reversed (returning) DEFER< |
| 23 |
Former success at bridge all but limiting one bridge team on the outside (9) EXTRINSIC (external; on the outside) EX (former) + (TRICK [bridge players aim to win a TRICK with each play of a card] excluding the final letter [all but] containing [limiting] (I [Roman numeral for one] + NS [one partnership in a game of bridge is N {North} and S {South}]) EX TR (I NS) IC |
| 25 |
Item seen on Princess, perhaps, or individual in Court (7) CORONET (small crown that could be worn by a princess) (OR + ONE) contained in (in) CT (court) C (OR ONE) T |
| 26 |
Piano recital’s first two pieces played alfresco (4-3) OPEN AIR (al fresco is defined as in the OPEN AIR) Anagram of (played) PIANO and RE [first two letters of [first two pieces] RECITAL) OPEN AIR* |
| 27 |
Story fellow excluded from biography (3) LIE (fiction; story) LIFE (biography) excluding (excluded) F (fellow) LIE |
| 28 |
Crafty woman, woman heading off soldier leading other soldiers to ship (11) ENCHANTRESS (female magician or sorcerer; crafty woman) WENCH (woman) excluding the first letter (head off) W + ANT (reference a soldier ANT) + RE (Royal Engineers; soldiers) + SS ([steam]ship]) ENCH ANT RE SS |
| Down | |
| 1 |
Odd end to day tucking into stew of tuna and pilchard? Not half (9) UNTYPICAL (not like the rest of the group; unrepresentative; odd) Y (last letter of [end to] DAY) contained in (tucking into) an anagram of (stew of) TUNA and PILCHARD (excluding [not] HARD, 4 of the 8 [half] of letters) UNT (Y) PICAL* |
| 2 |
Accomplishing murder? Good (5) DOING (accomplishing) DO IN (kill; murder) + G (good) DO IN G |
| 3 |
Beginning to glean from the past description of fifty years? (6) GOLDEN (denoting a 50th anniversary) G (first letter of [beginning to] GLEAN) + OLDEN (from the past) G OLDEN |
| 4 |
Is welcoming fine conditions (3) IFS (conditions) IS containing (welcoming) F (fine) I (F) S |
| 5 |
Popular volume, impassioned, lacking male participation (11) INVOLVEMENT (participation) IN (popular) + VOL (volume) + VEHEMENT (forceful; passionate) excluding (lacking) HE (male) IN VOL VEMENT |
| 6 |
Sailor with two sets of playing-cards? (8) DECKHAND (ordinary sailor) DECK (pack [set] of playing cards) + HAND (smaller set of playing cards) DECK HAND |
| 7 |
Pop group mostly put out over emcee’s opening persuasive speech (9) ELOQUENCE (expressive and appropriate speech; persuasive speech) ELO (Electric Light Orchestra; English rock band formed in 1970; pop group) + QUENCH (put out [a fire]) excluding the final letter (mostly) H + E (first letter [opening] of EMCEE) ELO QUENC E |
| 8 |
Flavouring ingredient the writer’s upheld in article (5) THYME (herb; flavouring ingredient) MY (the writer’s) reversed (upheld; down entry) contained in (in) THE (definite article) TH (YM<) E |
| 12 |
Article on bungled capture is initially aiding recovery (11) THERAPEUTIC (contributing to recovery) THE (definite article) + an anagram of (bungled) CAPTURE and I (first letter of [initially] IS) THE RAPEUTIC* |
| 15 |
Working party‘s tense attempt to see church (4,5) TASK FORCE (working party) T (tense) + ASK FOR (attempt to see) + CE (Church [of England]) T ASK FOR CE |
| 17 |
Uncertain quantities supplied by eccentric character in remote region (4,5) WILD CARDS (people allowed to compete in a sports event even though lacking the stipulated qualifications; uncertain quantities) CARD (eccentric character) contained in (in) WILDS (remote regions) WILD (CARD) S |
| 18 |
Italian city criminal stifling expression of surprise (8) FLORENCE (Italian city) FENCE (criminal who handles stolen goods) containing (stifling) LOR‘ (Lord!, expression of surprise) F (LOR) ENCE |
| 21 |
Collection of information is in French? Really enjoy getting on top of that (6) DIGEST (periodical abstract of news or current literature; collection of information) DIG (really enjoy) + EST (French for ‘is’) – as this is a down entry the constituent part DIG is ‘on top of’ EST DIG EST |
| 22 |
College splitting in two parts for nobleman (5) DUCAL (relating to a nobleman, in this case a Duke) C (college) contained in (splitting) DUAL (consisting of two parts) DU (C) AL |
| 24 |
Fake source of energy? Disgraceful! (5) SHAME (disgraceful!) SHAM (fake) + E (first letter of [source of] ENERGY) SHAM E |
| 26 |
Eggs on various athletes at the outset (3) OVA (eggs) OVA (first letters of [at the outset] each of ON, VARIOUS and ATHLETES) O V A |
Typo in solution grid – the answer list has 24d correctly spelled.
Not that I’m pointing out a thematic answer or anything…
Phi @ 1
Thanks – I have updated the grid and I’ll go looking again for a theme
Hmm! I suspected there would be something I had missed. It was all going so well! A full solve and parse – so there had to be something to deprive me of a 100% completion and it’s that pesky unspotted theme. And i still can’t see it. There are a few possible word combos like DUCAL CORONET and CITY SEAL but I doubt that’s on the right track.
No idea whether Eileen will pop in again. If she does – it’s Groundhog Day again with a similar couple of coincidental links between G and I. Life imitating art.
Favourites today in a very cleanly clued grid were VICTORY, HERE AND NOW, CORONET, LIE, UNTYPICAL, INVOLVEMENT, DECKHAND, TASK FORCE, DIGEST and DUCAL.
I look forward to enlightenment from others as to the elusive theme. Which is almost certainly staring me in the face! Well done Phi again. And thanks to duncan for the detailed blog.
I’d pick the same favourites as PostMark. One could certainly link a Duke with UNDIGNIFIED, SHAME and CORONET but I don’t think it involved FLORENCE. Our lost LEADER also ennobled some people in an undignified manner, but it doesn’t quite make a theme.
[Petert: thanks so much for popping over to the other place yesterday. Apols for writing to you here but you might pop back, having commented on Phi (I like your ducal links). Hard not to spoil but did you clock the gimmick we set up? If you looked at a second puzzle – possibly. If you didn’t then probably not …]
Goodness: where is everybody today?
Especially where is anyone who can help with the Great Riddler @ 1
Exactly! At this rate, if Phi does pop in to put the three of us to rights, the comments will be bookended by setter and blogger who will account for 40% of the action!
So I shall repeat for both their sakes that it was a damn fine puzzle and I could happily have nominated more than I did. And I always enjoy a colourful and detailed duncan blog.
The theme must be Salman Rushdie novels. SHAME, The ENCHANTRESS of FLORENCE, GOLDEN HOUSE. VICTORY CITY is released in a few days
I am tempted to coin the word “Phiew” for the exclamation you make when someone finally spots the theme. Thanks Rusty S and Phi and Duncan. [PostMark which is the companion puzzle?]
Thanks both. Extra thanks to RS@9 who I’d remind it is protocol to use a pseudonym and not your real name here
[Petert @10: Fez on Feb 2nd]
TFO @11: protocol? I always assumed it was choice. I have no problem at all with anyone who chooses to use their real name.
Rusty @9: assuming Rusty Salmon to be your real name, thanks for putting me out of my misery. Not an author I follow so I’m delighted you made the connection. Well done Phi.
I’m guessing that the Rusty Salmon pointing us to Salman Rushdie is perhaps being pseudonymous.
PostMark@12 I was being sarcastic….if a real Rust salmon is commenting on Salman Rushdie I am delighted
Please don’t tell me it’s not a real name. I was feeling so admiring of Rusty’s parents for their chutz pah
Thanks Phi that was excellent and thanks Duncan for the blog.
This was, of course, gridded at the time of the outrageous attack last year, and the original timing was next week (the day after publication of Victory City). But the editor is there to make sure you don’t get the same words occurring in grids too close together, and so the ones assigned to Feb 3 and Feb 10 have been swapped. The Feb 3 theme is not affected by appearing just one week later.