As is customary on a Friday, we have a Phi crossword today to round off the latest set of midweek puzzles.
I found this to be an enjoyable, medium-difficulty crossword, which I managed to complete unaided. That said, 15 was an unfamiliar adjective for me and needed to be checked in Chambers, while 17A proved tricky to parse.
I suspect that there may be a ghost theme here somewhere, but I haven’t managed to identify anything.
My favourite clues today are 14, for playing with “efficient” and “ineffective”; and 2 and 22, both for quirkiness and originality.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 08 | PACIFIC | Disinclined to fight provided I brought in quiet account
[IF (=provided) + I] in [P (=quiet, i.e. pronto in music) + ACC (=account)] |
| 10 | ACETONE | School has expert around to be source of solution
ETON (=school) in ACE (=expert); the “solution” in the definition is a liquid containing a dissolved substance |
| 11 | OVERTURES | Initial moves regarding stage performers (name withheld) around end of crusade
OVER (=regarding, about) + [<crusad>E (“end of” means last letter only) in TUR<n>S (=stage performers; “name (=N) withheld” means letter “n” is dropped)] |
| 12 | FORUM | University engaged in class meeting
U (=university) in FORM (=class) |
| 13 | DUMAS | French writer of the French majority
DU (=of the French, i.e. the French for of the) + MAS<s> (=majority; “not quite” means that the last letter is dropped); the reference is to French writer Alexandre Dumas (1802-70) |
| 14 | EFFICIENT | Capable? Sadly ineffective, having dropped last two
*(INEFFECTI<ve>); “having dropped last two” means that the last two letters are dropped from the anagram, indicated by “sadly” |
| 16 | MERRILY | The writer runs railway, welcoming one on board with pleasure
ME (=the writer, i.e. Phi!) + R (=runs, i.e. on cricket scoreboard) + [I (=one) in RLY (=railway)] |
| 17 | COMPANY | Military leader with power invested in army of troops
CO (=military leader, i.e. commanding officer) + [P (=power, in physics) in MANY (=army, i.e. large number)] |
| 19 | SALAMANCA | Spanish city unhappily regressing – staff about to follow
SALA (ALAS=unhappily; “regressing” indicates reversal) + MAN (=staff, as a verb) + CA (=about, i.e. circa) |
| 22 | EMEND | Change what anthem and theorem have in common
The words “anthem” and “theorem” both end in –em, so, cryptically, have an “-em end”! |
| 24 | MUSIC | Microphone capturing American singing?
US (=American) in MIC (=microphone) |
| 26 | ASSASSINS | A crime’s involving brazen behaviour from these killers
SASS (=brazen behaviour, impertinence) in [A + SIN’S (=crime’s)] |
| 27 | SNORKEL | Swimming aid: no risk losing one at sea (Spanish article)
*(NO R<i>SK (“losing one (=I)” means letter “i” is dropped) + EL (=Spanish article, i.e. a Spanish word for the); “at sea” is anagram indicator |
| 28 | FOLLIES | Theatrical area enshrining most of old silly things
OL<d> (“most of” means last letter dropped) in FLIES (=theatrical area, i.e. a large area above the front of the stage from which the scenes, etc are controlled) |
| Down | ||
| 01 | UPHOLD | Maintain United pub from former days
U (=united, as in UAE, Man U) + PH (=pub, i.e. public house) + OLD (=from former days) |
| 02 | SCREAMER | Best in series!
CREAM (=best (of)) in SER (=series); a screamer is an exclamation mark in printing slang, hence the definition part of the clue is simply “!” |
| 03 | SCARCELY | Blemish on bit of animation unknown? Hardly
SCAR (=blemish) + CEL (=bit of animation, i.e. a sheet of celluloid) + Y (=unknown, in algebra) |
| 04 | MASSIF | Fool enters motorway heading for furthest mountain region
[ASS (=fool) in M1 (=motorway)] in F<urthest> (“heading for” means first letter only) |
| 05 | REEF | Endangered marine feature unregulated first to last
FREE (=unregulated, e.g. of trade); “first to last” means that the first letter becomes the last letter |
| 06 | SOURCE | Unhappy over limits on cruise provider
SOUR (=unhappy) + C<ruis>E (“limits of” means first and last letters only) |
| 07 | GEOMETRY | Branch of mathematics laid out in grey tome
*(GREY TOME); “laid out” is anagram indicator |
| 09 | FETISHISM | This is involved in feminine worship
*(THIS IS) in FEM (=feminine, in grammar); “involved” is anagram indicator |
| 15 | COMMENSAL | No McMeals dished up at a shared table
*(NO MCMEALS); “dished up” is anagram indicator |
| 16 | MISHMASH | Frenchman is King? Remains in a confused state
M. (=Frenchman, i.e. Monsieur) + IS + HM (=King, i.e. His Majesty) + ASH (=remains) |
| 17 | CLASSIFY | One fellow gets embraced by stylish sort
[I (=one) + F (=fellow)] in CLASSY (=stylish); as a verb, to “sort” is to classify |
| 18 | APERITIF | Sack secretary that’s upset about it as a sort of stimulus
IT in [FIRE (=(to) sack) + PA (=secretary, i.e. Personal Assistant)]; “that’s upset” indicates vertical reversal |
| 20 | LISSOM | Content of journal is somewhat flexible
Hidden (“content of”) in “journaL IS SOMewhat” |
| 21 | NEARLY | Note from the past? Just about
N (=note, as in NB) + EARLY (=from the past) |
| 23 | DESIST | In Germany, it is German to refrain
D (=Germany, in IVR) + ES IST (“it is German”, i.e. the German for “it is”) |
| 25 | CAKE | Casket regularly lost mass
CA<s>KE<t>; “regularly lost” here means every third letter is dropped |
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