Phi’s latest puzzle ushers in the weekend, as custom dictates.
I found this to be a tougher than normal Phi crossword, not least on account of the more unusual items of vocabulary used here at 9, 12, 14, 23 (…) and the lesser-known Waugh novel at 25. However, most of these could be teased out satisfactorily from the wordplay.
My favourite clues today were 4 and 13, for smoothness of surface reading; and the concisely and cleverly clued entries at 5 and 24D.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | EALING STUDIOS | Film company using isolated flicks
*(USING ISOLATED); “flicks”, turns over, is anagram indicator |
| 08 | RELAPSE | Support for trees toppling over after I departed? That’s a setback …
ESPAL<i>ER (=support for trees, i.e. a wooden latticework; “after I departed” means letter “i” is dropped); “toppling over” indicates reversal |
| 09 | PINETUM | … a lot of trees waste away, going to pot
PINE ((to) waste away, under pain or distress) + TUM (=pot(-belly)); a pinetum is a collection of pine trees |
| 11 | FORGE | Fake warning about measure of gravitation
G (=gravitation, in physics) in FORE (=warning, in golf) |
| 12 | ASSEMBLER | Computer program’s more competent, holding confusion back
SSEM (MESS=confusion; “holding … back” indicates reversal) in ABLER (=more competent); in Chambers, an assembler is a program that converts a program in assembly language into one in machine code |
| 14 | ECDYSIAST | Resolved tidy case involving small strip-tease artist
S (=small, of sizes) in *(TIDY CASE); “resolved” is anagram indicator; in Chambers, an ecdysiast is a facetious term for a stripper |
| 15 | KENDO | Martial art’s target encompassed by culmination of fight?
END (=target, purpose) in KO (=culmination of fight, i.e. knockout) |
| 16 | TECTONICS | Investigators seizing stimulant, source of major upheavals
TONIC (=stimulant, boost) in TECS (=investigators, i.e. detectives) |
| 19 | MUFTI | Ordinary dress, awkward person trimmed before returning it
MUF<f> (=awkward person, bungler; “trimmed” means last letter dropped) + TI (IT; “before returning” indicates reversal) |
| 21 | OKAPI | Satisfactory, apparently, to have one African animal
OK (=satisfactory) + AP. (=apparently) + I (=one) |
| 22 | ROYAL GALA | Apple cultivar // reason to put out flags?
Double definition: a royal gala is a mutation of a gala apple AND a reason to put out flags, bunting, for a royal celebration |
| 23 | SCRATCH | Unhandicapped player runs to intercept second dismissal
R (=runs, on cricket scorecard) in [S (=second) + CATCH (=dismissal, in cricket)] |
| 24 | ABUSIVE | I have to follow a police raid, nearly causing harm
A + BUS<t> (=police raid; “nearly” means last letter is dropped) + I’VE (=I have) |
| 25 | BLACK MISCHIEF | Need millions to engage in encouragement to repeat main Waugh novel
[LACK (=need, want) + M (=millions)] in [BIS (=encouragement to repeat, in music) + CHIEF (=main, principal)]; the reference is to the 1932 novel by Evelyn Waugh, set on the fictional African island of Azania |
| Down | ||
| 02 | ALLURED | Tempted you ultimately, in monochromatic clothing?
<yo>U (“ultimately” means last letter only) in ALL RED (=monochromatic, i.e. just one colour!) |
| 03 | IMPRESSIONISTIC | Ironic pessimist sadly describing impact of things seen?
*(IRONIC PESSIMISTIC); “sadly” is anagram indicator |
| 04 | GRENADA | Caribbean island’s reduction in pineapple area?
GRENAD<e> (=pineapple, i.e. hand grenade, colloquially; “reduction in …” means last letter is dropped) + A (=area) |
| 05 | TOP | High point’s end, not start
<s>TOP (=end, cease); “not start” means first letter is dropped |
| 06 | DON’T MAKE ME LAUGH | I want something tragic? That’s ridiculous
Cryptically, if you want something tragic, you would want someone to make you cry, not laugh! |
| 07 | ORTOLAN | English playwright touring US city gets avian delicacy
LA (=US city, i.e. Los Angeles) in ORTON (=English playwright, i.e. Joe Orton (1933-67)); an ortolan is a kind of bunting eaten as a delicacy |
| 08 | REFLECTIONS | Considerations from one judging votes seeing leader removed
REF (=one judging, i.e. referee) + <e>LECTIONS (=votes; “seeing leader removed” means first letter is dropped) |
| 10 | MIRROR IMAGE | Newspaper that is absorbing another publication? It looks exactly the same
MIRROR (=newspaper, i.e. UK tabloid) + [MAG (=publication, i.e. magazine) in I.E. (=that is)] |
| 13 | SATISFY | Weekend day is fairly empty in content
SAT (=weekend day, i.e. Saturday) + IS + F<airl>Y (“empty” means all but first and last letters are dropped); the “content” of the definition is to be read as a verb meaning please, gratify |
| 17 | CHABROL | French director linking tea to British part, mostly
CHA (=tea) + B (=British) + ROL<e> (=part, in play; “mostly” means last letter is dropped); the reference is to French director Claude Chabrol (1930-2010) |
| 18 | IBRAHIM | One book elevated Arab – that chap’s a key Muslim figure
I (=one) + B (=book) + RA (AR=Arabic; “elevated” indicates vertical reversal) + HIM (=that chap); Ibrahim is a prophet in Islam, said to have built the Kaaba in Mecca with his son Ishmael |
| 20 | FRAGILE | Rather weak dossier about newspaper
RAG (=newspaper, often derogatory) in FILE (=dossier) |
| 24 | ASS | Foolish person unaltered? I will go
AS <i>S (=unaltered); “I will go” means letter “i” is dropped |
Two queries – the symmetry is mirror rather than rotational.. and reflections and mirror image appear opposite each other. Coincidence, or is there something else there?
Secondly, the Listener two weeks ago was themed on US Presidents’ second names.
Last week’s was (half) based on French New Wave film directors.
I suspect Phi isn’t snap-compiling echoing crosswords – but this is approaching D-Day hint levels of coincidence.
Thanks Phi!
dnk ECDYSIAST (!) and, as I did not have pen and paper to hand, couldn’t crunch the letters so admit to use of the reveal button. I also could not make sense of BIS in BLACK MISCHIEF – there must be as many musical terms as there are birds, plants, fish or three-letter river names! EALING STUDIOS, FORGE, MUFTI, SCRATCH (dnk it could be a noun in this particular sense), MIRROR IMAGE, SATISFY and FRAGILE were my faves.
Thanks Phi and RR
Foi 14a ECDYSIAST – Coined by H. L. Mencken from ἔκδυσις – “mo(u)lting”, on the model of enthusiast &c. Gypsy Rose Lee was not amused in 1940:
“Ecdysiast, he calls me! Why, the man… has been reading books! Dictionaries! We don’t wear feathers and molt them off… What does he know about stripping?”‘
Knew 9a PINETUM “a lot of trees” from last December, when Pasquale apologised for cluing it in the Latin plural as a single “tree”:
‘PINETA | … tree plantations | Very sorry | Don
Other -eta are available querceta'(oak)’, fraxineta'(ash)’, saliceta'(willow)’, acereta'(maple)’
Knew 7d ORTOLAN from these Citations, one of which accuses François Mitterrand of a crime (and a sin) – he ate a few at his last supper.
Thanks Φ&RR
Why so few comments?
This was more difficult than expected. We needed a search on our Chambers App for ECDYSIAST.
We also noticed REFLECTIONS and MIRROR IMAGE but cannot link those words to anything else in the grid.
Thanks RR for the blog and as ever, thanks Phi for our Phi-day entertainment – a bit later than usual as we have been out and about.
Well, no comments from me till now as I don’t usually get round to starting the crossword till early evening.
There is a record label called BIS. Swedish. I don’t know if that is where they got the name from but I have many of their recordings. (They do a lot of obscure classical repertoire.)
Second occurrence of MUFTI this week in the Indy.
I knew ECDYSIAST. Just couldn’t remember how to spell it.. 🙁
It’s one of life’s unsolved mysteries why the Indy puzzle gets fewer comments than the G.
The stripper beat me even though I had all the letters and it was lucky I’d seen ASSEMBLER last week – Saturday General Knowledge I think.
I read up on the life and times of Mr. Mencken. Not someone I’d have invited to dinner, I think.
Thanks to Phi and RR.
Very late to the feast… usual mixture from Phi… wouldn’t have finished without a dictionary to check spelling and/or meaning of a few, PINETUM, ORTOLAN, ASSEMBLER, THE STRIPPER… managed to get ASS all right …
Took a while but enjoyable..
Thanks Phi n RatkojaRiku
I used this grid several years ago and stumbled on it again. It seems reasonable to point up the unusual symmetry by using thematic entries.
Last week’s Listener still active, I believe…
Re: Listener potential spoiler.
True… but the (apparently trivial) New Wave theme identification is by far the lesser of the unfairness complaints, it would seem…