Today sees the publication of Phi’s latest puzzle, although with the technical problems dogging the website right now, it remains to be seen how many solvers will get to read this blog.
I think that I have solved and parsed the (many) clues to my satisfaction today. I felt that there was probably a theme here (around Orwell and 1984?), but I haven’t managed to pin it down.
My favourite clues today were 12, 24D and 30, all for surface; and the semi- & lit. at 14, for concision.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | NEED | After losing heart, gained miss
NE<tt>ED (=gained); “losing heart” means third and fourth letters are dropped |
| 03 | METHUSELAH | Old guy’s drug habit repelled Henry
METH (=drug, e.g. methadone) + USE (=habit) + LAH (HAL=Henry, i.e. the young Henry V; “repelled” indicates reversal); Methuselah was a very long-lived biblical patriarch, hence “old guy”! |
| 09 | FEED | Payment getting daughter a meal?
FEE (=payment) + D (=daughter) |
| 10 | MEDICATION | Negotiation about college drugs, perhaps
C (=college) in MEDIATION (=negotiation) |
| 12 | INDIA | I support province, after reflection
AID (=support, assistance) + NI (=province, i.e. Northern Ireland); “after reflection” indicates reversal; India is used to represent the letter “i” in radio telecommunications |
| 13 | SINCERELY | Expressing honesty after that time with bank
SINCE (=after that time) + RELY (=bank (on)) |
| 14 | ESTAMINET | Men sit and eat abroad – here?
*(MEN SIT + EAT); “abroad” is anagram indicator; semi- & lit., since an estaminet is a continental café |
| 16 | PROOF | In favour of demonstration?
PRO (=in favour) + OF |
| 19 | STRAW | Stone applied to untreated cornstalk
ST (=stone) + RAW (=untreated) |
| 21 | AGAMEMNON | Ancient king, name not supplied, engaging courageous leader of men
[GAME (=courageous, plucky) + M<en> (“leader of” means first letter only)] in ANON (=name not supplied) |
| 24 | VALENTINE | Granted, I may be embraced by blade, a romantic type
[LENT (=granted, conferred) + I] in VANE (=blade, of windmill, propeller) |
| 26 | SIXTY | Pen capturing “nine” as top score in darts?
IX (=nine, in Roman numerals) in STY (=pen, for pigs); sixty, i.e. treble twenty, is the highest score that can be achieved with a single dart |
| 27 | NINETEENTH | Note the inn conjecturally around part of golf course here?
N (=note) + [TEE (=part of golf course) in *(THE INN)]; “conjecturally” appears to be the anagram indicator; the nineteenth (hole) on a golf course is the clubhouse bar! |
| 28 | FOUR | Not quite all the senses: taste John overlooked
F<lav>OUR (=taste); “John (=lav, toilet) overlooked” means letters “lav” are dropped; there are five senses, so four is not quite all of them! |
| 29 | ECHINODERM | Modern ice melting, penetrated by hot sea creature
H (=hot, on tap) in *(MODERN ICE); “melting” is anagram indicator; e.g. sea-urchins and starfishes are echinoderms |
| 30 | ISLE | I fish, nothing less – plenty of water round here!
I + S<o>LE (=fish; “nothing (=O, pictorially) less” means letter “o” is dropped) |
| Down | ||
| 01 | NIFTINESS | Upturn in crime receiving penalties time inside? Smart behaviour
[T (=time) in FINES (=penalties)] in NIS (SIN=crime; “upturn in” indicates vertical reversal) |
| 02 | EMENDATOR | Editor: “Not remade, edited!”
*(NOT REMADE); “edited” is anagram indicator |
| 04 | EMERSON | American philosopher, the writer accepted by old monarch and child
ME (=the writer, i.e. Phi!) in [ER (=old monarch, i.e. Elizabeth Regina) and SON (=child)]; the reference is to American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-82) |
| 05 | HAIRNET | Milliner’s product brought about passion to secure new headwear
[N (=new) in IRE (=passion)] in HAT (=milliner’s product) |
| 06 | SHAKE-UP | Small fish at the surface for a change
S (=small, of sizes) + HAKE (=fish) + UP (=at the surface) |
| 07 | LOIRE | Learning about Italy’s foremost river
I<taly> (“foremost” means first letter only) in LORE (= (traditional) learning) |
| 08 | HANDY | Convenient limitations on heredity?
H and Y are the first and last letters (“limitations”) of “heredity” |
| 11 | PALM | Sabbath withdrawing from song prize
P<s>ALM (=song); “Sabbath (=S) withdrawing” means letter “s “ is dropped; a palm often symbolises victory, hence “prize” |
| 15 | EGG | Breakfast food for one German
E.G. (=for one, for example) + G (=German) |
| 17 | OBNOXIOUS | Nasty – that’s clear? Not very – no mark of error required
[NO + X (=mark of error, e.g. in schoolwork)] in OB<v>IOUS (=clear; “not very (=V)” means letter “v” is dropped) |
| 18 | FANCY-FREE | Fellow unknown in France misrepresented English as uncommitted
F (=fellow) + [Y (=unknown, in algebra) in *(FRANCE)] + E (=English); “misrepresented” is anagram indicator |
| 20 | WINSTON | Orwellian hero secures a good deal
WINS (=secures) + TON (=a good deal); Winston Smith is the main protagonist in George Orwell’s 1949 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four |
| 21 | ANISEED | Cordial article is probing solution to first clue
A (=article, in grammar) + [IS in NEED (=solution to first clue, i.e. 1A in this puzzle] |
| 22 | ABETTOR | One assisting some gambling in rising course
BET (=some gambling) in ATOR (ROTA=course, cycle; “rising” indicates vertical reversal) |
| 23 | EASY | Energy of charred remnants – hydrogen extracted without difficulty
E (=energy) + AS<h>Y (=of charred remnants; “hydrogen (=H) extracted” means letter “h” is dropped) |
| 24 | VENUE | Place planet not entirely close to Neptune
VENU<s> (=planet; “not entirely” means last letter is dropped) + <neptun>E (“close to” means last letter only) |
| 25 | LUNCH | Begin handing out a meal
L<a>UNCH (=begin, start); “handing out a” means letter “a” is dropped |
Thanks RR. Really appreciate the site today and your blog as we could not see what word had the middle taken out for 1ac. We really should have looked in a Thesaurus.
There is a theme but not the one you were thinking of. It’s the Beatles song – When I’m sixty four. Quite a few words from the song are scattered across the grid.
Thanks Phi – is it your birthday today? If so have a good one.
Great to see the site up and working again. Found myself wanting a fry-up after reading 6d. I guess that’s one of the curses of solving so many cryptics.
Wrote too soon. Tried to post this around 12:20 only to find the site had stopped working again. Arrgh!
So fabulous to have the blog and RR back – PhiDay is not PhiDay without 15^2!
Thanks Phi and RatkojaRiku.
27a, NOTE THE INN as fodder didn’t work, and your parsing works, though don’t like TEE = part of golf course (that way, grass and sand are parts of golf course, too) especially NINETEENTH hole itself only exists conjecturally. Kind of messed up &lit? Don’t buy ‘here’ as definition.
illipu @4. I aasume you are thinking of “tee” in the sense of “peg”. But we also talk of, e.g., the ninth tee, referring to where the players tee off, and these are most definitely part of the course.
Hovis @5, thanks. I view you and KVa as experts. I will not challenge you, as my solving skills are nowhere near yours.
I agree tee is part of golf course and it is just that I didn’t like it using up the ‘golf course’. The reference to ‘The inn’, and the NINETEENTH (hole) is a bar only in a golf course etc left me unsatisfied. I almost thought it is an anagram gone wrong. But I know Phi won’t make such mistakes.
It is just me, please ignore.
Happy Belated Birthday, Phi.
When I get older losing my hair | Many years from now
Will you still be sending me a VALENTINE | Birthday greetings bottle of wine
If I’d been out till quarter to three | Would you lock the door
Will you still NEED me, will you still FEED me | When I’m SIXTY–FOUR
You’ll be older too | And if you say the word | I could stay with you
I could be HANDY, mending a fuse | When your lights have gone
You can knit a sweater by the fireside | Sunday mornings go for a ride
Doing the garden, digging the weeds | Who could ask for more
Will you still NEED me, will you still FEED me | When I’m SIXTY–FOUR
Every summer we can rent a cottage | In the ISLE of Wight, if it’s not too dear
We shall scrimp and save | Grandchildren on your knee | Vera, Chuck and Dave
Send me a postcard, drop me a line | Stating point of view
Indicate precisely what you mean to say | Yours SINCERELY, wasting away
Give me your answer, fill in a form | Mine for evermore
Will you still NEED me, will you still FEED me | When I’m SIXTY–FOUR
Thanks Phi & RR
Oops – Forgot to embolden ISLE and I think I’ll include WIGHT because Aardvark used it in the FT 3 days ago. 🙂
H2O
H O
²