Phi has provided our last mid-week puzzle of this week, so no surprises there.
I found this to be a medium-difficulty puzzle through which I made steady progress. I think I am happy with my overall parsing of the clues today. I haven’t spotted any ghost theme, but one may indeed have eluded me – any offers?
My favourite clues today were 13, 19, both for smoothness of surface; and 14, for the inclusion of two sporting references in the wordplay.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | SCHUBERT | School driving service having little time for composer
SCH (=school) + ÜBER (=driving service) + T (=time); the reference is to the German composer Franz Schubert (1797-1828) |
| 05 | MAIDEN | Woman and chap catching fish
IDE (=fish, related to the chub) in MAN (=chap) |
| 10 | AQUATIC | Run from a couple of pints, I see, preferring water
A + QUA<r>T (=a couple of pints, i.e. imperial measure; “run (=R, on cricket scorecard) from” means letter “r” is dropped) + I + C (=see, in textspeak) |
| 11 | DRIPPED | Duct, initially slashed open, leaked
D<uct> (“initially” means first letter only) + RIPPED (=slashed open) |
| 12 | RE-ENLISTED | Departs after various tree lines joined up again
*(TREE LINES) + D (=departs); “various” is anagram indicator |
| 13 | LAME | Unconvincing criticism after book put out
<b>LAME (=criticism, rap; “after book (=B) put out” means letter “b” is dropped; a lame argument or excuse is unconvincing |
| 15 | BLOOD | Family line in dismissive comment by daughter
[L (=line) in BOO (=dismissive comment)] + D (=daughter) |
| 17 | PEDANTIC | Insisting on accuracy, with film about Italian poet being back to front
EDANT (DANT-E=Italian poet; “being back to front” means last letter moves to from”) in PIC (=film, i.e. picture) |
| 19 | HEIRLOOM | Irish facilities when passing through border a thing of the past?
[IR (=Irish) + LOO (=facilities, toilet)] in HEM (=border, of garment) |
| 20 | WAYNE | Film star to fade with the advent of talkies?
Homophone (“with the advent of talkies”) of “wane (=beginning to fade, of fame, star, say); the reference is to US actor and director John Wayne (1907-79) |
| 21 | DUCK | Shun // love
Double definition: to duck is to shun, dodge, e.g. responsibility AND love is a zero score in tennis |
| 22 | JON PERTWEE | Doctor Who, once new with jet power, possibly, and added energy
*(N (=new) + JET POWER) + E (=energy); “possibly” is anagram indicator; the reference is to British actor Jon Pertwee (1919-96), who was the third Doctor from 1970-74 |
| 26 | AEOLIAN | Fix odd bits of opera making comeback with assistance of the wind
NAIL (=(to) fix, pin) + O<p>E<r>A (“odd bits” means odd letter only are used); “making comeback” indicates reversal |
| 27 | STATION | Position young man to welcome French film-maker
TATI (=French film-maker, Jacques) in SON (=young man) |
| 28 | HUDDLE | Hot and confused situation with no money for conference
H (=hot, such as on tap) + <m>UDDLE (=confused situation; “with no money (=M)” means letter “m” is dropped); informally, a huddle is a secret conference |
| 29 | FECKLESS | Unreliable force making wild assaults after losing leader
F (=force, in physics) + <r>ECKLESS (=making wild assaults; “after losing leader” means first letter is dropped); feckless is helpless, feeble, hence “unreliable” |
| Down | ||
| 01 | STAR RUBY | Small delay in securing sources of unique blue gemstone
S (=small, of sizes) + [U<nique> B<lue> (“sources of” means first letter only) in TARRY (=delay, linger)]; a star ruby is one that shows a star-shaped luminous figure as a result of reflected or transmitted light |
| 02 | HOUSE | The man taking control of old American parliament
[O (old, as in OT) + US (=American)] in HE (=the man) |
| 03 | BATTLEDORE | Encounter to be satisfactory regarding ancient sport
BATTLE (=encounter, confrontation) + DO (=be satisfactory, pass muster) + RE (=regarding, about); battledore is an old form of badminton, played with a light bat and a shuttlecock |
| 04 | RACES | French are supporting vehicle after elevating Formula One events
RAC (CAR=vehicle; “after elevating” indicates vertical reversal) + ES (=French are, i.e. the French for “(you) are” from the verb être) |
| 06 | AVID | Keen supporter’s offering, bagging victory at the outset
V<ictory> (“at the outset” means first letter only) in AID (=supporter’s offering, assistance) |
| 07 | DEPRAVITY | Corruption – Department’s a very pit, outrageous
*(D (=department) + A VERY PIT); “outrageous” is anagram indicator |
| 08 | NUDGE | Revolutionary for one to request payment hint
E.G. (=for one, say) + DUN (=request payment, importune); “revolutionary” indicates reversal |
| 09 | ADDENDUM | Area most foolish to accept dead end – something extra needed
[D (=dead) + END] in [A + DUM<b> (=foolish; “most” means last letter is dropped)] |
| 14 | ANSWER BACK | Retort from S Warne upset rugby player
*(S WARNE) + BACK (=rugby player); “upset” is anagram indicator |
| 16 | OVERCROWD | Finished squabble involved in recording mob
OVER (=finished, done) + [ROW (=squabble, tiff) in CD (=recording, of music)]; to mob is to crowd around, swarm around, overrun |
| 17 | PROPOUND | Suggest the Brexiteer mindset?
Cryptically, a Brexiteer mindset would be pro (the) pound! |
| 18 | CEVENNES | Still not in Paris, occupying cold Southern French region
[EVEN (=still, yet) + NE (=not in Paris, i.e. in French)] in [COLD (=C) + S (=south)]; Cévennes is a region in south-central France |
| 21 | DEATH | Runs out in shortage? That’s the end
DEA<r>TH (=shortage, lack); “runs (=R, on cricket scorecard) out” means letter “r” is dropped |
| 23 | PASTE | Glue, and where it is in the dictionary?
Cryptically, the word “glue” is to be found “past (the letter) e” in the dictionary! |
| 24 | WRITE | Record Welsh ceremony
W (=Welsh) + RITE (=ceremony) |
| 25 | PILL | Remedy for // an annoying person
Double definition: a pill is a dose of medicine, remedy AND a tiresome person |
SCHUBERT’s DEATH And The MAIDEN (1824, a bicentenary) [or cricket: MAIDEN OVER[crowd] & DUCK]
Frankie G just pipped me to pointing out the Schubert theme, though maybe there’s more to it than Death and the Maiden string quartet. Didn’t know it was its bicentenary though. Thanks Phi and RatkojaRiku.
A nice and steady post-lunch solve for me — and for once I even spotted the theme! Just needed the full parsing for NUDGE. Thanks R and P.
I did wonder if it was Schubert’s birthday. He’s in the FT as well. (In a clue so that’s no spoiler.) If there are other elements to the theme beyond the three spotted by FrankieG, I am blind to them unfortunately. HEIRLOOM, FECKLESS and ANSWER BACK make my podium today in a solid puzzle.
Thanks Phi and RR
Well I didn’t know that it was the quartet’s bicentenary either. But the music was used in a film that was meant to be called Death and the Maiden but ended up being called THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD.
Slight change of nuance there, I reckon. It was a compendium film: four stories set in the same house. The last one starred Jon Pertwee playing a character called Paul Henderson.
The perils of Wiki-Googling your own name…
Having blasted through the most of top half of this I thought I was going to breeze through in no time. But I hit several stumbling blocks in the bottom half and it ended up taking about 35 minutes. Which is still well below my average for an Indy puzzle. Had no idea of the Schubert piece, but all 3 of those clues went in without a hitch anyway.
I have just realised that the two 4 letter answers I struggled with make another phrase – LAME and DUCK.
Thanks to Phi and RatkojaRiku for the blog.
Lovely 20 minuter to finish the day.
Had to come here to check the parsing for CEVENNES – must remember NE for not in future.
NUDGE reminds me of one of my first mainframe programming jobs in the 1980s, producing “dunning letters”. For a time I thought they were named after Mr Dunning so have remembered DUN ever since.
Thanks to setter and blogger!
Thanks both. Late to comment as currently in Sydney, so perhaps my slight issue is jet-lag inspired, but in PROPOUND I simply disagree that Brexit had anything to do with preserving our currency, as it wasn’t under question or ever likely to be subject to the referendum. So, a double question mark in the clue for me, but perhaps by the time we reach NZ I shall be nearer to Phi’s thinking.
Thanks to RR, and to the setter for the sparkling PHIday entertainment. Maybe not intended as part of the theme, but I note that the famous London-based AEOLIAN String Quartet recorded the piece in question in 1960.
@TFO if you google ‘UKIP logo’ you will see how the pound was used as a symbol by brexiteers – despite as you say not being the subject of the referendum. As for the crossword – I was with @rocket blasting through the top half then frustrated by a few lower down. Always enjoy a Phi puzzle though!