It’s another Phi-day!
We found this rather more straightforward than Phi’s recent offerings, but as enjoyable as ever.
We hadn’t come across the shirt at 10ac before – it’s an alternative name for a Hawaiian shirt, and we had to check the definition at 3d as we have only previously come across it as meaning a state of undress.
As usual, we suspect that there might be a theme here, but if there is, we cannot find it. Maybe Phi set himself the challenge of including four 15 letter entries rather than a theme – perhaps he will drop by later, or maybe someone out there will spot something going on.
Hidden in rolE AS EDitor
CARD (eccentric person) SHARP (‘not natural perhaps’ – as in musical notes)
CROSS (angry) WORD (news) SETTER (hound)
An anagram (‘altered’) of TAILOR HAS round or ‘accommodating’ H (height)
M (millions) in a reversal (‘on reflection’) of OIL (fuel)
HEISt (robbery) missing the last letter or ‘left incomplete’ in ATTIC (‘high level area’)
A reversal (‘backing’) of AfRIcAN ‘dismissing’ the ‘f’ (farthing) and ‘c’ (cent)
MP (politician) in fIELd (middle letters only)
ERRING (mistaken) in or ‘blocking’ a reversal (‘return’) of ODD (unusual)
A (American) in NIL (love)
SKY (heavens) LARKIN (Philip Larkin – poet) G (good)
An anagram (‘misinterpreted’) of ADORABLE and MUNDANE
An anagram (‘distributed’) of MILKY BEER
X (times) T (time) ‘included’ in ERA (time)
A cryptic definition – the ‘definition’ s the EXCLAMATION MARK at the end of the clue – a punctuation mark, not words
M (‘monsieur’ – French title for man) in S (second) LOO (‘smallest room’)
DISH (frustrate) A BILL (proposed law) E (European) – a new meaning of the word for us
CROC (crocodile – ‘reptile’) HEaTED (angry) missing or ‘spitting out’ the ‘a’ (article)
RID (free) + a reversal (‘up’) of RE (Royal Engineers – ‘soldiers’)
A reversal (‘turning up’) of WETS (‘no hardliners’)
An anagram (‘possibly’) of ANTI-ANTI-G
A clue-as-definition: an anagram (‘that’s quite wrong’) of RESONANT PARAGON
An anagram (‘winds’) of FAINT + bREEZE (waft) missing the first letter or ‘offering no initial’
HIP (joint) PIE (food) DO (party) M (male)
CO (company) ROLL (start operating) A RY (railway)
N (note) in or ‘aboard’ KEEL (boat)
INtUIT (divine – as in to foretell) missing or ‘giving up’ the first ‘t’ (abbreviation for time)
Double definition – the second being a reference to a the SOLE of a shoe, which might be worked on a shoemaker’s last
Lovely Phiday puzzle. So consistently excellent. Loved the two long anagrams.
I couldn’t see a theme but that per usual
Thanks Phi and Bert&Joyce
I second the comments @1 and in the blog introduction. A very enjoyable puzzle. Likes for HIPPIEDOM and the long entries, particularly 1d! Very cool. Thanks B&J and Phi.
Today is World Food Safety Day
I see a few dishes/food items here and there.
However, it has never been that simple.
Will wait for someone to reveal the theme.
Thanks Phi and B&J!
CLAM, DISH, LOMO, RING, ROLL, PIE, SOLE, NAN, STEW …
World Food Safety Day, eh? Time for that fugu curry, methinks! A typically smooth puzzle from Phi. I am in a bit of a rush so just a quick list of faves – CROSSWORD SETTER, SKYLARKING, ANDROMEDA NEBULA (what a spot!), EXTRA, RIDER, ATTAINING, HIPPIEDOM and INTUIT get my ticks.
Thanks Phi and B&J
PostMark@4
CROC or IDE curry will do? 🙂
Is croc meat legal in the UK?
I suppose Phi or another solver can justify dishabille = lack of attention? It sprang to mind quickly but dismissed and eventually reinstated as ‘it must be that’. Otherwise up to expected standard to thanks Phi and B&J.
Not familiar with the def or the slightly contrived spelling for 3dn … not familiar with HIPPIEDOM altho the clue spelled it out, I needed the crossers before confirming … not aware there is a Kimberley in Aus, wiki tells me 43% speak Afrikaans so that explains that, once u’ve found a good name for a diamond mine, stick with it…
Loved 1dn and the anagrams were top-notch..
Thanks Phi n Bertandjoyce
Thanks both. Didn’t know DISHABILLE in any sense, although I still nearly got it right having entered dashabille as dash more readily conveyed frustrate than dish did. I gave up trying to identify Phi themes long ago for my own personal sanity, but I do check here just in case.
Well, Chambers does have ‘careless attention to one’s dress, appearance, etc’ as the first definition.
I learned yesterday that Friday 7 was International Doughnut Day and Saturday 8 is International Gin Day. Skipped the first but have a range to celebrate the second… However the puzzle was completed several weeks ago and is simply a plain cryptic.
Not having read the clue well enough, I entered CROSSWORD EDITOR for 9ac, which messed up 6dn.
Enjoyable from start to finish. Not familiar with DISH used in the sense of frustrate so that was a case of pick a vowel, any vowel.
Do crossword setters have an exhaustive list of International xxx Day. Gin? Whatever next?
In true South Park fashion I think I learned something today. I associate Kimberley with RSA, or Victoria Wood. I see the Australian one has a solar eclipse on the way in 2028.
Thanks Phi and Bertandjoyce.