Phi is moved to Saturday this week to make way for Coot’s celebratory puzzle yesterday.
Another great puzzle from Phi with the usual smooth surfaces and wide variety of clue types. There are a few slightly obscure definitions, but that didn’t spoil the enjoyment.
Is there a theme? We can’t find one – but Phi’s themes are often fairly obscure, so that’s not unusual.
I (one) N (name) I GO (attempt) – Inigo Jones, Renaissance architect
SAX (saxophone – ‘wind instrument’) IF RAGE (‘something in vogue’)
HOUSE (‘Parliament’) after DO (party) LL (lines)
E (eastern) LAND (light)
A reversal (‘reverting’) of TO in (‘stocking’) FORESTS (‘sources of wood’)
A reversal (‘recalled’) of TAN (tangent – ‘function’) I round (‘hosting’) P (president)
CASH (‘the necessary’) vIER (‘four’ in German – ‘from Berlin’) missing ‘v’ (five in Roman numerals)
BEG (request) ON (acceptable) I (one) A
tEXtILE (material) missing both (‘completely out of’) ‘t’s (‘time’)
WEE (go) KNIGHT (gentleman)
PAST (former) A (area)
EG (‘say’) OTIC (‘regarding hearing’) with I’S (one’s) T (tense) inside
NO RLY (railway) round or ‘covering’ THE R (first or ‘initial’ letter of route)
DIE (stop) round (‘incorporating’) a reversal (‘reflection’) of GR (King George – ‘old king’)
KIN (family) DO (fare) F (fine)
MILk (exploit) missing the last letter (‘almost’) LIONS (Rugby team – the British & Irish Lions)
THE (article) in a reversal (‘flipping’) of ROM (‘memory’ – Read Only Memory in computing)
A reversal (‘elevated’) of USE (exercise) round (‘involving’) A
An anagram (‘busy’) of BET SEX LINE
OFF (leaving) + RING (group) after E (last or ‘ultimate’ letter of futile)
BAN (embargo) AN A (articles)
VET (veteran – ‘old soldier’) TA (‘cheers’) round (‘welcoming’) END (conclusion)
RAW (green) B (black) ‘wrapped’ in S (small) TERRY (sort of cloth)
CR (chromium) kEEPING (enduring) missing ‘k’ (potassium)
An anagram (‘rebuilt’) of EACH CITY
TORY (‘political figure’) after (‘overlooked by’) a reversal (‘turning up’) of A GUN (hitman)
A reversal (‘upset’) of TRES (French for ‘very’) following IN (popular)
A (are) in N (new) AIDS (conveniences)
ICKy (offensive) missing the last letter (‘mostly’) in TET (offensive – as in the Vietnam war)
A reversal (‘picked up’) of NO (never) + Y X (unknown quantities – in algebra)
What do Trump’s people have to do with a DOLLHOUSE? I don’t think of it as an Americanism. Is it just house doing clumsy and barely double duty as Parliament and Congress?
Thanks, Bertandjoyce. There are plants called CREEPING SAXIFRAGE and STRAWBERRY BEGONIA. Probably Phi has included others, but my horticultural knowledge is too limited to try unearthing them.
Well spotted Quizzy Bob #2! Can’t add to your finds, though.
Ian SW3 #1, HOUSE is parliament, as per the blog, and DOLLHOUSE is definitely an Americanism: in the UK it’s either doll’s house or dolls’ house.
Thanks to Phi and B&J for an enjoyable start to the day.
A surprise Phi! I thought I’d been through that yesterday… fairly straightforward for a Saturday. Enjoyed it mostly, some took longer than others, but that’s the way of things… not sure a DOLLHOUSE should be specifically for Trump’s people, nor how “acceptable”= “on”, but I’m sure there’s a good explanation (Jayjay#3!). As Bertandjoyce say, it didn’t alter the pleasure. Very much enjoyed the fruits, the “growth of rock”, the use of ESAU, and many others…
Thanks Phi n Bertandjoyce
Thanks Phi and BnJ
Undrell @ 4: how about “That sort of behaviour isn’t on / acceptable”?
Thanks both. If what is suggested is the theme, count me out – I am exhausted having performed a lap of honour for just getting BEGONIA, where I had feared a further unknown. LOI was ICE YACHT where the apparently superfluous ‘in’ within the clue had me barking up the wrong tree (my contribution to the garden topic).
Simon S#5, of course!
Comment #8
@Jayjay #3, your explanation works (kind of) for DOLLHOUSE. I can’t get to a better one. Although if one googles “Trump dollhouse”, there are plenty of Trump-styled accessories one can buy for a dollhouse/dolls’ house!
Like Jayjay, we just understood that DOLLHOUSE is what they call a DOLL’S HOUSE in America – hence the reference to Trump.
We bought a saxifraga stolonifera, which is a hanging plant putting out dangling daughter plants, and is hence called MOTHER of MILLIONS (although the label on ours says ‘thousands’). Digging around I found it was also called CREEPING SAXIFRAGE, and also (though I never found out why) STRAWBERRY BEGONIA. A lovely set of horticultural words with which to – ahem – seed a grid.