Phi’s back to Phiday this week – normal order restored…..
…except that we have not been able to include the completed grid as we usually do, possibly due to an update to WordPress software (which apparently uses the 27ac editor tool – is this a coincidence?). Hopefully this will be sorted in time for our next blog.
Another great puzzle from our regular Friday setter.
Is there a theme? We can’t find one…. but that’s not unusual. Perhaps Phi will drop in later with a hint (unless of course there isn’t one!).
ACROSS
1 Feeling the heat, put ‘vase’ into search engine….. (7)
BURNING
URN (vase) in BING (search engine)
5 ….to tackle storing it in hot place (7)
FURNACE
FACE (tackle, as in ‘face up to’) round or ‘storing’ URN (‘it’ from 1ac)
9 Current club lacking leadership (5)
RIVER
dRIVER (club) missing the first letter or ‘leader’
10 Superior story, mostly funny, say, after reflection (5-4)
LIEGE-LORD
LIE (story) + a reversal (‘after reflection’) of DROLl (funny) missing the last letter or ‘mostly’ EG (for example – ‘say’)
11 Stone etc hardly rocky in Glasgow region (11)
STRATHCLYDE
ST (stone) + an anagram (‘rocky’) of ETC HARDLY
13 Indian region not quite attaining target (3)
GOAl (target) missing the last letter or ‘not quite’
14 Again suggest America investing in wood after setback (8)
RESUBMIT
A reversal (‘setback’) of US (America) in TIMBER (wood)
15 Decide on making change of direction – and get annoyed? (6)
NETTLE
sETTLE (decide on) with the ‘s’ (south) changed to N (north) – ‘a change of direction’
18 Scoundrel, endlessly lustful, has one crying plaintively (6)
CURLEW
CUR (scoundrel) LEWd (lustful) missing the last letter or ‘endlessly’
21 Standard stories having no little force? (8)
PARABLES
A clue-as-definition: PAR (standard) fABLES (stories) missing the ‘f’ (‘little force’)
23 Target area is missed at the outset (3)
AIM
First letters (at the outset) of Area Is Missed
24 Pig-lad restored with touch of repentance and so on? (8,3)
PRODIGAL SON
Another clue-as-definition: an anagram (‘restored’) of PIG-LAD, R (first letter or ‘touch’ of repentance) and SO ON
27 Innovative printer’s instinctive vigour, mostly about book (9)
GUTENBERG
GUT (instinctive) ENERGy (vigour) missing the last letter or ‘mostly’ round B (book)
28 Again television suppresses this information (5)
INTEL
Hidden or ‘suppressed’ in agaIN TELevision
29 Musk, say, adopting revolutionary arrangement of forces (7)
ECHELON
ELON (Elon Musk) round or ‘adopting’ CHE (Che Guevera, ‘revolutionary’)
30 Sounded alarm over working name not now used for city (7)
RANGOON
RANG (‘sounded alarm’) O (over) ON (working)
DOWN
1 Chivalrous knight throttling one former leader (5)
BORIS
Oh dear, do we have to be reminded?…. we had to check this as we had not heard of Sir BORS, a ‘chivalrous knight’ of King Arthur’s Round Table – he ‘throttles’ I (one)
2 Goes back and runs into soldiers and old soldiers (7)
REVERTS
R (runs) in RE (Royal engineers – ‘soldiers’) VETS (veterans – ‘old soldiers’)
3 Expensive car, with two on board touring becoming grumpy (9)
IRRITABLE
RR (Rolls Royce – ‘expensive car’) in or ‘toured by’ I I (two) TABLE (board)
4 Court, I see, overcome by celebration involving many stars (8)
GALACTIC
CT (court) I C (see) after or ‘overcome by’ (in a down clue) GALA (celebration)
5 I start to eat, tucking into fish, highly-spiced? (5)
FIERY
I E (first letter or ‘start’ of eat) ‘tucking’ into FRY (fish)
6 Old magistrate coming in here eventually (5)
REEVE
Hidden (‘coming’) in heRE EVEntually
7 Surrounded by worry, with doctor called in (7)
AMONGST
ANGST (worry) with MO (doctor) inside
8 Daughter brought in spare pen after revising parts of book (9)
ENDPAPERS
D (daughter) in an anagram (‘after revising’) of SPARE PEN
12 Study article released by university chief (3)
DEN
DEaN (‘university chief’) missing or ‘releasing’ the ‘a’ (article)
14 Conflict in playground? There are four sides to it (9)
RECTANGLE
REC (playground) TANGLE (conflict)
16 Mother country at bottom of English issue (9)
EMANATION
MA (mother) NATION (country) after or ‘at bottom of’ E (English)
17 Avoid working translation of ‘Germinal’ (8)
MALINGER
An anagram (‘translation’) of GERMINAL
19 Upset quieter children in further confrontation (7)
REMATCH
A reversal (‘upset’) of TAMER (‘quieter’) + CH (children)
20 Millions wiped out in heated conflict (3)
WAR
WARm (heated) missing or ‘wiping out’ ‘m’ (millions)
22 Weird hole surrounding lush country (7)
LESOTHO
An anagram (‘weird’) of HOLE round SOT (‘lush’ – as in a drunkard)
24 Criticise American railway board (5)
PANEL
PAN (criticise) EL (American ‘elevated’ railway – as in Chicago)
25 No Scottish firm raised a lot (5)
OCEAN
A reversal (‘raised’) of NAE (Scottish version of ‘no’) CO (company – ‘firm’)
26 Film-maker never supported by network (5)
NOLAN
NO (never) LAN (‘Local Area Network’) – a reference to Christopher Nolan, Oscar-winning film director
Phidays are back and wasnt this a toughie? I never found this easy but what a joy to complete.
Parables is a standout clue with both charade and clue as a whole working perfectly.
I haven’t seen a theme yet
Thanks Phi and Bert and Joyce
Benjamin Britten’s ‘Three Parables for Church Performance’ are The Prodigal Son, The Burning Fiery Furnace and Curlew River.
Thanks Andrew. I always feel a surge of esprit de corps when a contributor explains the theme rather than Phi feeling the need to disclose it.
Saw the biblical words, but no hope of getting Curlew River, based on a Japanese noh play. nho.
Thanks Andrew.
Yes – delightful to be back to a normal Friday! No hope of spotting the theme but spotted plenty of enjoyable clues including LIEGE-LORD, STRATHCLYDE, CURLEW, BORIS, AMONGST, RECTANGLE and REMATCH being my favourites.
Thanks Phi and B&J
For 1d BORIS, other “former leader”s are available here. Yeltsin, or…
…Nemtsov, for example. Thanks Phi & B&J
Great puzzle even though I missed the theme as usual. Liked Parables and Prodigal son. Thanks to Phi for the puzzle and B&J for a helpful blog.
Thanks both. Very enjoyable, although I was never likely to spot or know of the theme. I hesitated with NETTLE as ‘get annoyed’ felt like it lacked an object. I parsed PRODIGAL SON in the main, eventually satisfying myself ‘restored’ as the anagrind suggested an original state we were asked to identify, though I would need the guidance of someone of greater wisdom as to whether a pig features in the story.
I found this easier than usual for Phi, and a bit of a confidence-booster after failing to finish by some distance several times in the last week. So thanks Phi and B&J.
No chance with the theme. Phi seems fond of Britten who is one of my musical blind spots.
I’ll content myself that BORIS AIMed to be a LIEGE LORD. Just hope he doesn’t think he’s the PRODIGAL SON hoping for a REMATCH.
Thanks Phi and B&J.
@TFO – the Prodigal Son works as a swineherd in the parable, so the surface is quite apt.
Found this tough, but not sure exactly why… trying to force in FRAUGHT, where AMONGST was meant to be, might have had something to do with it… quite happy that spotting the theme wouldn’t have helped much..
Thanks Phi n Bertandjoyce