The usual utterly sound and enjoyable crossword from Phi. You can tell how good it is because (although on the easy side for Phi) it presents its fair share of problems while solving, but all the constructions turn out to be very straightforward.
You’d think that with all those tidy little unchecked letters at the top and the bottom there would have been a message there, but there wasn’t. Such simple messages are apparently too easy for setters nowadays and there will be something a bit harder hidden in the puzzle.
| Across | ||
| 7 | RESTIVELY | Everyone else active (barring first student) in a fidgety way (9) |
| rest {l}ively — nice to see that Phi does what setters often don’t do: there are two Ls in lively, and he indicates which one is to be treated | ||
| 8 | ALIBI | Evidential statement, mostly set down, regarding certain sexual behaviour (5) |
| ali{t} bi — as in bisexual | ||
| 10 | VIE | Contend Conservative isn’t involved in sin (3) |
| vi{C}e | ||
| 11 | THREE-HANDED | Redhead then set to work – with two others? (5-6) |
| (redhead then)* | ||
| 12 | LIBERATED | Free covering, including slate? (9) |
| li(berate)d | ||
| 14 | EASES | Rests and rests, having put away litres (5) |
| ease(l)s | ||
| 16 | TRAPPER | Theatre role recalled hunter (7) |
| (rep part)rev. | ||
| 18 | COTTAGE | Where one could be confined incorporates ostentatious small building (7) |
| c(OTT)age | ||
| 19 | OCEAN | No Scottish company meeting with setback in the main (5) |
| (nae co.)rev. | ||
| 20 | BLACK KEYS | Rugby team all absent taking on board crucial points of contact for players? (5,4) |
| {All} Black(key)s — the players are pianists | ||
| 22 | AEOLIAN HARP | Sad pariah, alone? It’s the sound of the wind (7,4) |
| (pariah alone)* | ||
| 25 | RIB | Make fun of band (3) |
| 2 defs | ||
| 26 | YOUTH | Inexperience contributing to calamity out here (5) |
| Hidden in calamitY OUT Here | ||
| 27 | BUTTERFLY | Flattery given to sly dilettante? (9) |
| butter [= flattery] fly [= sly] | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | ASSEMBLAGE | Rising confusion during a theft leads to end in house construction (10) |
| (mess)rev. in (a blag {hous}e) | ||
| 2 | WINTER | Comic remarks about new monarch getting a frosty time (6) |
| wi{n}t ER | ||
| 3 | HEART-THROB | Attractive guy to try avoiding booze – he relies on barley-water, principally (5-5) |
| hear TT h{e} r{elies} o{n} b{arley-water} | ||
| 4 | BYTE | Quantity of information barely there (content missing) (4) |
| b{arel}y t{her}e | ||
| 5 | PARAKEET | A libertine, stabbing domesticated bird (8) |
| p(a rake)et | ||
| 6 | WIND | Turn victory to defeat at the outset (4) |
| win d{efeat} | ||
| 7 | REVOLUTIONARY | Radical Republican developing (13) |
| R evolutionary | ||
| 9 | INDISPENSABLY | Book appearing in nine displays edited as an absolute necessity (13) |
| (nine displays)* round b | ||
| 13 | DECLARANTS | They claim ‘Degree scale in error’, involving tirade (10) |
| d (scale)* round rant | ||
| 15 | SPACECRAFT | Opening skill displayed by high-flyer (10) |
| space [= opening] craft [= skill] | ||
| 17 | PENLIGHT | Poor situation involving little space and little illumination (8) |
| p(en)light | ||
| 21 | KEPLER | Astronomer to maintain unpleasant look half-heartedly (6) |
| keep leer with both double-e’s reduced to single-e’s | ||
| 23 | OPUS | Work round problems initially presented by America (4) |
| O p{roblems} US | ||
| 24 | NIBS | Wrong to be upset about British writers (4) |
| (sin)rev. round B | ||
*anagram
Sound & enjoyable indeed and 22a, the aeolian harp, came close to beauty.
I have to say I was looking for a little more. In 2d I was trying to find Mike & Bernie Winters, rubbish 70s comics (they weren’t there) and in 11a, I really wanted the ‘red head’ to be a smoker’s ‘match’, thus facilitating ‘match-makers’, working with two others to make a match. Sadly not to be, heigh-ho.
I’m not entirely convinced by ‘black keys’ as ‘points of contact’ for piano players either.
But good fun on the whole.
Thanks to John & Phi and can’t see a theme either. Doubtless we shall be enlightened.
Anyone prepared to hazard a guess at what CD was playing as I gridded this?
This was nice and straightforward, especially for Phi.
Though I wasn’t much taken with the ‘points of contact’ definition either. And 8a doesn’t quite work, does it? A driver sets (someone) down, a passenger alights.
@Phi – I want to say it was an album by The Black Keys, but I’m doubtful..!
Great puzzle. I thought it was going to be a tricky one, but then everything fell into place, thanks to the sound clueing (as always). I particularly liked THREE-HANDED
Thanks to S&B
Phi @2 – me sir, me sir! Chopin’s études, OPUS 10 and 25. We have the following nicknames (none of which were given by the composer):
OCEAN (Op 25 no 12)
BLACK KEYS (Op 10 no 5)
AEOLIAN HARP (Op 25 no 1)
BUTTERFLY (Op 25 no 9
WINTER WIND (Op 25 no 11)
REVOLUTIONARY (Op 10 no 12
And for some of them it might help to be THREE-HANDED.
Phi@2 definitely not Zep 4 (my last play)
Nice puzzle sir.
Enjoyable solve, though more on the medium than easy side for me. 2d my fave today so thanks to Phi for the puzzle and to John for the blog.
How did I miss that? I’ve listened to Chopin’s Etudes hundreds of times and yet I never noticed.
Much to be recommended. Some people don’t know what they’re missing.