It’s a Friday today, so it’s no surprise to see Phi as the Independent setter
There are a few obscure words (for me) in the grid today – CLERESTORY, IDOMENEO and TESSITURA for instance. I can find a few articles on the internet that link the opera IDOMENEO with TESSITURA (vocal range) but I don’t think that’s enough to say there is a theme.
Living in Scotland, BENBECULA is not obscure, but I did struggle a bit with the wordplay trying to get the right fit for letters representing Bed and Breakfast of B and B or B ‘n B.
I’m also not entirely sure that I have the right parsing for IN-OFF so will be interested in solvers’ comments.
I’m getting better at seeing ‘man’ in a clue and thinking ‘Isle of Man’ – see 20 across.
| No | Detail |
| Across | |
| 1 |
Fine at avoiding angry passion (4) FIRE (passion) F (fine) + IRATE (angry) excluding (avoiding) AT FIRE |
| 3 |
With friends at sea keeping you finally right as aquatic performer (10) WINDSURFER (one who rides on a sailboard; aquatic performer) ([Anagram of {at sea} W {with} and FRIENDS] containing [keeping] U [last letter of {finally} YOU]) + R (right) WINDS (U) RFE* R |
| 10 |
Debts linked to charge account, showing greed (9) RAPACIOUS (greedy for gain) RAP (criminal charge) + AC (account) + IOUS (I owe yous; debts) RAP AC IOUS |
| 11 |
India’s capital avoided in intermittent part of break (2-3) IN-OFF (in billiards for example, a stroke in which the cue ball falls into a pocket after striking another ball; part of a [scoring] break) I (India is the international radio communication code for the letter I) + ON-OFF (intermittent) excluding the first letter (capital avoided?) O I N-OFF |
| 12 |
University book capturing college result (7) OUTCOME (result) OU (Open University) + (TOME [book] containing [capturing] C [college]) OU T (C) OME |
| 13 |
Uproar and cheers after receiving first of cream cheese (7) RICOTTA (type of soft Italian curd cheese of sheep’s or cow’s milk) (RIOT [uproar] + TA [thankyou; cheers]) containing (after receiving) C (initial letter of [first of] CREAM) RI (C) OT TA |
| 15 |
Accepted drivers having to enter plant (8) EMBRACED (accepted) RAC (Royal Automobile Club; drivers) contained in (having to enter) EMBED (plant firmly in a mass of matter) EMB (RAC) ED |
| 16 |
Strike sees one leaving London area (5) ACTON (area of London) ACTION (a strike is a form of industrial ACTION) excluding (sees … leaving) I (Roman numeral for one) ACTON |
| 19 |
To dine beside historic King will be marvellous (5) GREAT (very good; marvellous) GR (George Rex; any of King George I to King George VI, historic Kings of the United Kingdom) + EAT (dine) GR EAT |
| 20 |
Man’s place is in his area, mostly unsettled (5,3) IRISH SEA (the Isle of MAN is situated in the IRISH SEA) IS contained in (in) an anagram of (unsettled) HIS and AREA excluding the final letter (mostly) A IR (IS) H SEA* |
| 23 |
Attorney, with some discomfort, representing embassy official (7) ATTACHE (junior member of an embassy’s staff) ATT (attorney) + ACHE (some discomfort) ATT ACHE |
| 25 |
Be enough to feel bad, mostly, about one with cold (7) SUFFICE (be enough) SUFFER (feel bad) excluding the final letter (mostly) containing (about) (I [Roman numeral for one] + C [cold]) SUFF (I C) E |
| 26 |
Success capturing American island or part of island (5) HAITI (the country of HAITI forms part of an island south east of Cuba. The other part of the island is the Dominican Republic) (HIT [success] containing [capturing] A [American]) + I (island) H (A) IT I |
| 28 |
English in lodging house unravelled a clue in Scottish island (9) BENBECULA (small Scottish island in the Outer Hebrides) (E [English] contained in (in) BNB (B’N’B; Bed and Breakfast [lodging house]) + anagram of (unravelled) A CLUE B (E) N’B ECULA* |
| 29 |
Church adopting line regarding fiction: a top-level thing for the church (10) CLERESTORY (an upper storey or part with its own row of windows, especially the storey above the triforium in a church; top level thing for a church) (CE [Church {of England}] containing (adopting) L [line]) + RE (regarding) + STORY (fiction) C (L) E RE STORY |
| 30 |
Dislike not heading for Sahara in expedition (4) HATE (dislike intensely) HASTE (speed; expedition) excluding (not) S (first letter of [heading for] SAHARA) HATE |
| Down | |
| 1 |
Runs company investing in excellent plant product (3-4) FIR-CONE (flower or fruit of a FIR tree; plant product) (R [runs] + CO [company]) contained in (investing in) FINE (excellent) FI (R CO) NE |
| 2 |
Well-regarded Unionist welcomed by theatre board (9) REPUTABLE (well thought of; well-regarded) U (unionist) contained in (welcomed by) (REP [repertory; theatre] + TABLE [board]) REP (U) TABLE |
| 4 |
I’d premonition over ENO dropping new Mozart opera (8) IDOMENEO (opera by Mozart, premiered in 1781) I’D + OMEN (premonition) + ENO excluding (dropping) N (new) ID OMEN EO |
| 5 |
French are gripped by dreadful need (6) DESIRE (need) ES (French for ‘are’) contained in (gripped by) DIRE (dreadful) D (ES) IRE |
| 6 |
Study centre curtailed part of course (3) UNI (UNIversity; study centre) UNIT (part of a course of study) excluding the final letter (curtailed) T UNI |
| 7 |
Wintry weather seeing upturn in cloudbursts or fogs (5) FROST (example of wintry weather) FROST (reversed [upturn; down entry] hidden word in [in] CLOUDBURSTS OR FOG) FROST< |
| 8 |
Hold back official intelligence after leader’s deposed (7) REFRAIN (abstain from; hold back) REF (REFeree; official) + BRAIN (intelligence) excluding the first letter (after the leader’s deposed) B REF RAIN |
| 9 |
Academic blending coal and schist (10) SCHOLASTIC (academic) Anagram of (blending) COAL and SCHIST SCHOLASTIC* |
| 14 |
Description of advert not meant for wide distribution? (10) CLASSIFIED (secret; not meant for wide distribution) CLASSIFIED (descriptive of adverts arranged in categories) double definition CLASSIFIED |
| 17 |
Range‘s stature is rocky (9) TESSITURA (the ordinary range of pitch of a voice or a piece of vocal music) Anagram of (rocky) STATURE IS TESSITURA* |
| 18 |
Perhaps trusty Prince is working with Queen (8) PRISONER (a trusty is a well-behaved prisoner) PR (Prince) + IS + ON (working) + ER (Elizabeth Regina; Queen) PR IS ON ER |
| 19 |
Very clear endless elegance surrounds this setter (7) GRAPHIC (very clear) GRACE (elegance) excluding the final letter (endless) E containing (surrounds) PHI (setter of this crossword puzzle) GRA (PHI) C |
| 21 |
One gallery featured in film (7) ACETATE (film of low flammability) ACE (one) + TATE (reference one of the various TATE art galleries throughout Britain) ACE TATE |
| 22 |
Children’s writer‘s book I found in home (6) NESBIT (reference Edith NESBIT [1858 – 1924], writer of children’s books) (B [book] + I) contained in (found in) NEST (home) NES (B I) T |
| 24 |
Obligation to include separate bits of toilet, not as a oneoff? (5) TWICE (occurring a second time; not as a one-off) TIE (obligation) containing (to include) WC (toilet) where the W and C are included separately T (W) I (C) E |
| 27 |
Reserve cereal having mislaid recipe (3) ICE (reserve) RICE (cereal) excluding (having mislaid) R (recipe) ICE |
For once I have seen the theme. It’s Robert FROST’s poem FIRE and ICE. Indeed it is the last word of each line.
Lovely stuff Phi. A thank you to Phi and Duncanshiell.
But densely failed to parse 19d so thanks to D for that as well.
A very nice puzzle and congratulations to Salad on spotting the theme. I had ON OFF for IN OFF at first but Duncan’s parsing makes sense, though isn’t an in-off the end of a break? Thanks, both.
Petert @3. Not in billiards where it is a scoring shot. Snooker and pool, yes.
Thanks both. I so often fall one or two short in a Phi puzzle. Today I guessed TESSITURA and eked out IDOMENEO from the clear wordplay, as both were unknown owing my music knowledge not pre-dating the 1950s, then achieved my usual success rate by reversing the final two consonants in BENBECULA – I maintain my version sounds better when using a pathetic fake Scottish accent
Missed the theme (good spot Salad @1), but enjoyed what was generally a not too difficult puzzle. Didn’t know TESSITURA though which seemed the most likely arrangement of the remaining letters of the anagram fodder. BENBECULA was helped by having seen a few of those “Scotland Highlands & Islands” programs, most recently with Ben Fogle.
I parsed IN-OFF as did Duncan.
Thanks to Phi and Duncan
We solved this at lunchtime and then had stuff to do. We solved yesterday’s Guardian at teatime and had a query so checked fifteensquared.
Phi was so much more enjoyable and gets 7 comments now including ours – 97 for the Grauniad – we didn’t comment!
Thanks Phi – we missed the theme but that doesn’t worry us. We enjoyed the solve over lunch.
Thanks Duncan – we appreciate your blog even if others don’t comment.
Well done to Salad. I thought this one might be a little obscure. It’s a compact and pointed poem and it wasn’t hard to get all the rhymes in. The average sonnet would be rather trickier.
IDOMENEO, TESSITURA and CLERESTORY were ones I found easy. BENBECULA I knew but had to work out the spelling from the wordplay.
It was TWICE, UNI and IN-OFF that held me up at the end.
Didn’t spot the theme.
Like Dormouse we found IDOMENEO, TESSITURA and CLERESTORY easy. We thought of BENBECULA from the 9-letter length but only wrote it in once we got a couple of crossers. Missed the theme, of course, but a satisfying solve, anyway.
Thanks, Phi and Duncan.
Thanks Phi for a satisfying crossword with RAPACIOUS, FIR-CONE, REFRAIN, and GRAPHIC being my top choices. I missed the theme which would have added to my enjoyment. I somehow figured out the “odd” words but I failed with UNI and IN-OFF. Thanks Duncan for the blog.