This is my regular once in four weeks Friday and not surprisingly I find a puzzle by Phi
I think this is just a standard puzzle free from ninas, themes, pangrams, acrostics or anything else, but I’ve been wrong before.
The only thing that nags at me a bit is whether some of the acrosses are taken from the names of films – e.g. Four WEDDINGs and a funeral, 12 years a SLAVE, HUNGER Games for instance but it’s a bit tenuous.
I solved this fairly steadily from top to bottom
PANE as a word to define a page of stamps was new to me. The rest of the entries were words I knew.
I took a while to latch on to ME-TOO for jumping on the bandwagon in the wordplay in 2 down.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
Discovered liquor flowed (7)
|
RUM (liquor) + BLED (flowed) RUMBLED |
RUMBLED (uncovered a deceit or secret activity; discovered)
|
|
5
|
Union faction suppressing most of circulation (7)
|
WING (faction) containing (suppressing) (EDDY [current running back against the main stream, so causing a circular motion in the water; circulation] excluding the final letter [most of] Y) W (EDD) ING |
WEDDING (union)
|
|
9
|
Block sheepish comment about people’s stew (9)
|
JAM (block) + (BAA [sound made by a sheep; sheepish comment] containing [about] LAY [non-professional; ordinary people]) JAM BA (LAY) A |
JAMBALAYA (Creole or Cajun dish made with rice mixed with seafood or chicken, seasonings, etc; a mixture generally; stew)
|
|
10
|
Unpaid worker left in bar (5)
|
L (left) contained in (in) SAVE (except; bar) S (L) AVE |
SLAVE (person kept as property; unpaid worker)
|
|
11
|
Desire German’s association with savage tribesman (6)
|
HUN (member of a powerful savage nomad race of Asia who moved westwards, and under Attila [433-453] overran Europe) + GER (German) HUNGER |
HUNGER (desire)
|
|
12
|
Hint vaguely about right aid for golfer somewhere on the back nine (8)
|
Anagram of (vaguely) HINT containing (about) (R [right] + TEE [aid for golfer]) THI (R TEE) N* |
THIRTEEN (in golf, the back nine comprise holes 10 to 18. so THIRTEEN is one of the holes on the back nine)
|
|
14
|
Obscurity about end to nastier throat problem (4)
|
FOG (cloudy obscurity) containing (about) R (last letter of [end to] NASTIER) F (R) OG |
FROG (the phrase ‘a FROG in the throat’ describes hoarseness; FROG itself can be defined as a swelling in the throat; throat problem)
|
|
15
|
A lot of street’s excessive, having a brick-red colour (10)
|
TERRACE (street) excluding the last letter (a lot of) E + OTT (over the top; excessive) + A TERRACOTTA |
TERRACOTTA (deep reddish-brown colour; brick red colour)
|
|
17
|
American reforms in full: excluding extremists not following their system of government? (10)
|
Anagram of (reforms) AMERICAN contained in (in) (FULL excluding the outside letters [excluding extremists] F and L) U (NICAMERA*) L |
UNICAMERAL (consisting of one chamber, unlike the American system of government that has two chambers, the House of Representatives and the Senate)
|
|
19
|
Be very critical of English sheet of stamps (4)
|
PAN (be very critical of) + E (English) PANE |
PANE (large sheet of stamps issued by the Post Office; half such a sheet separated from the other half by a gutter; a page of a book of stamps)
|
|
22
|
Quaking etc a sudden boost – of this nature? (8)
|
Anagram of (quaking) ETC + TONIC (sudden boost) TEC*TONIC |
TECTONIC (relating to structural changes in the earth’s crust caused by upheavals and other movements within it; of a quaking nature)
|
|
23
|
Problem in photographing US flight arriving early (3-3)
|
RED-EYE (common fault in amateur flash photography which causes the pupils of the subject’s EYEs to appear RED) RED-EYE |
RED-EYE (an overnight aeroplane journey; I think it also applies to short haul flights that take off very early in the morning) double definition
|
|
26
|
Path not allowed in one-third of region (5)
|
OUT (debarred; not allowed) contained in (in) RE (two of the six [one third] letters in REGION) R (OUT) E |
ROUTE (course; path)
|
|
27
|
Staff backed housing millions in temporary accommodation in legislative move (9)
|
CANE (rod; staff) reversed (backed) + (TENT [temporary accommodation] containing [housing] M [millions]) ENAC< T (M) ENT |
ENACTMENT (the passing of a bill into law; legislative move)
|
|
28
|
River infestation furthest from the surface (7)
|
DEE (the name of many rivers in the United Kingdom) + PEST (infestation) DEEPEST |
DEEPEST (furthest from the surface)
|
|
29
|
Entertainment’s on? Second time cancelled? That’s betrayal (7)
|
TREAT’S (entertainment’s) excluding (cancelled) the second T (time) + ON TREASON |
TREASON (betrayal)
|
| Down | |||
|
1
|
Clash of opinions kept up by a hard Indian ruler (5)
|
JAR (clash of opinions) reversed ([kept] up; down clue) + A + H (hard, when describing pencil lead) RAJ< AH |
RAJAH (Indian prince or king)
|
|
2
|
What’s taken from the event? Blokes engaged in jumping on bandwagon mostly (7)
|
MEN (blokes) contained in (engaged in) (ME-TOO [denoting a person or product that imitates another in an attempt to cash in on its success; jumping on the bandwagon] excluding the final letter [mostly] O). ME (MEN) TO |
MEMENTO (something kept or given as a reminder of an event)
|
|
3
|
See next one ruined or wealthy (6)
|
LO (see) + an anagram of (ruined) DEAD (answer to the next clue; next one) LOADED* |
LOADED (rich; wealthy)
|
|
4
|
Not responding, missing every third of ten years (4)
|
DECADE (ten years) excluding (missing) every third letter (every third) C and E DEAD |
DEAD (not responding)
|
|
5
|
Forecaster to get on to solid stuff about a lot of air movement (10)
|
WEAN (accustom a baby or young animal to nourishment other than the mother’s milk; get on to solid stuff) containing (about) (THERMAL [air movement] excluding the final letter [a lot of] L) WEA (THERMA) N |
WEATHERMAN (forecaster)
|
|
6
|
Be keen on people suppressing Society scandal (8)
|
(DIG [understand or approve; be keen on] containing [suppressing] S [society]) + RACE (people) DI (S) GRACE |
DISGRACE (scandal)
|
|
7
|
Least sensible place for eggs? (7)
|
IN A NEST (A NEST is a good place for eggs) INANEST |
INANEST (least sensible)
|
|
8
|
Fruit joke penned by writer of entertainments (9)
|
GAG (joke) contained in (penned by) GREENE (I think this a reference to Graham GREENE [1904 – 1991], English author [writer of entertainments]) GREEN (GAG) E |
GREENGAGE (very sweet variety of plum; fruit)
|
|
13
|
Rising swamp to freeze amidst grass – that’s helpful (10)
|
(FEN [morass, bog; swamp] reversed [rising; down clue] + ICE [freeze]) contained in (amidst) BENT (a type of stiff or wiry grass) BE (NEF< ICE) NT |
BENEFICENT (kindly; helpful)
|
|
14
|
Confused fellow had carnal thoughts about the Queen (9)
|
F (fellow) + (LUSTED [had strong sexual desire; had carnal thoughts] containing (about) ER [Elizabeth Regina; Queen]) F LUST (ER) ED |
FLUSTERED (confused and agitated)
|
|
16
|
Concern about scribbled note identifying colouring agent (8)
|
CARE (concern) containing (about) an anagram of (scribbled) NOTE CAR (OTEN*) E |
CAROTENE (Any of a group of red or yellow pigments; colouring agent)
|
|
18
|
Hold popular item like this, enthralling daughter (7)
|
IN (popular) + (CLUE [an item like 18 across which is itself a CLUE] containing [enthralling] D [daughter]) IN CLU (D) E |
INCLUDE (contain; hold)
|
|
20
|
Eternal, set in turbulent seas (7)
|
GEL (set) contained in (in) an anagram of (turbulent) SEAS A (GEL) ESS* |
AGELESS (timeless; eternal)
|
|
21
|
Riot control in a heated situation? (6)
|
KETTLE (container for boiling water; heated situation) KETTLE |
KETTLE (An enclosed area created by cordons of police officers to control public protesters; riot control) at least a double definition. Possible the whole clue also defines the riot control aspect.
|
|
24
|
Consumed in fire at Enniskillen (5)
|
EATEN (hidden word in [in] FIRE AT ENNISKILLEN) EATEN |
EATEN (consumed)
|
|
25
|
History not for the French test primarily (4)
|
PAS (French for ‘not’) + T (first letter of [primarily] TEST) PAST |
PAST (history)
|
Well, it may not look as if anything’s going on… It’s always nice to get a Nina into an ‘ordinary’ grid.
Graham Greene called his thrillers ‘entertainments’ and his other books ‘novels’.
NB for any clicking through: Website still in hiatus until we work out why just about every computer except two in our house can access it. Whatever it is completely flummoxed the guy we called in today. Hope to find a way to get text things up over the weekend. Things already up are still there though!
I thought there might be a clue-length thing going on, in that each half (top, bottom, left, right) has clues of lengths 4,5,6,7,8,9 and 10. But there’s an extra 7 in each segment too so that puts the kibosh on that …pity.
Very enjoyable puzzle, thanks to Phi and a Duncan.
Contrary to our esteemed blogger, I found this one a tough challenge which fell SW, SE, NW and then NE. I like a bit of GG, but can only spot the obvious name from 8d into 12a and the WP. 14d my COD today and lots more to like in a puzzle that sweated the Hoskinsian brow so thanks to Phi for the enjoyable puzz and to DS for the blog.
In the zone today, I think, because this one came to fruition reasonably easily. Isn’t it strange how one person’s write-in is another person’s what the chuff is going on here? Brains are funny things.
Liked this, with my favourites JAMBALAYA and UNICAMERAL. Several I couldn’t parse, so thanks to Duncan for the blog and to Phi.
Nina? Naah.
Good weekend to all.
I thought it would be nice to have a puzzle of the month…
After Phi’s comment I see it is MARCHPAST, FROGMARCH, WEDDING MARCH, ROUTE MARCH SLAVE, MARCHPANE and perhaps others I have not discovered.
Well spotted Bracoman. Also DEAD March and HUNGER march.
I found this incredibly difficult to get into. I was going out this evening but tried to make a start of it in the afternoon. By the time I went out, I had 8dn, and that was it. Got back about an hour ago and it seemed like ages before I got a second. Finally it came together but I needed help to finish.
I though MARCH-TREASON would be the hardest to spot (an old word for a border raid), but it had to go in because it’s a rare 12-letter anagram. Admittedly it anagrams to the scarcely less familiar STREAM-ANCHOR, but I spotted it without the aid of electronics or word-lists years ago, and it’s stuck in the mind!