Happy Phiday to everyone.
A fun challenge from our usual Friday setter, but I think something might have gone wrong with 6d: see below. Apart from that, it’s well up to Phi’s usual standard: some slightly offbeat definitions and complicated constructions, but all fair.
We generally need to look for some sort of hidden theme in Phi’s puzzles. I completely forgot to look until I’d finished solving and writing up the clues, and couldn’t see it at first – but it’s plain enough when you know what to look for. We’re following the 1960s animated TV series Wacky Races and its characters: Penelope PITSTOP, Dick DASTARDLY, the ANT HILL Mob, the SLAG Brothers, Professor Pat PENDING, Sergeant BLAST and Private MEEKLY, BLUBBER BEAR[market], Peter PERFECT. Dimly remembered from my childhood; thanks Phi for the nostalgia and another fine puzzle.
Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | BANQUETTE |
Meal that’s emptied the seats in a restaurant (9)
|
| BANQUET (a lavish meal) + T[h]E (emptied = middle letter removed).
A padded bench seat, especially one built into the wall of a restaurant. |
||
| 6 | BLAST |
Belgium getting the wooden spoon? Darn! (5)
|
| B (abbreviation for Belgium) + LAST (getting the wooden spoon = a joke prize for a last-placed competitor). Those familiar with the work of Douglas Adams may appreciate the association of “Belgium” with swear-words, though I don’t know if that’s what Phi intended. | ||
| 9 | BLUBBER |
Fat? It’s enough to have one in tears (7)
|
| Double definition. The fat of sea animals such as whales; or someone who blubs = cries. I don’t think “It’s enough to have” is part of either definition, though it seems rather a lot of link words. | ||
| 10 | USELESS |
Dreadful American importing tennis ace (7)
|
| US (American) containing (importing) SELES (Monica Seles, world no. 1 tennis player in the early 90s). | ||
| 11 | PERFECT |
Presumptuous to include iron and carbon? It’s ideal (7)
|
| PERT (presumptuous = cheeky), including FE + C (chemical symbols for iron and carbon). | ||
| 12 | PIT STOP |
The worst and best incident in F1? (3,4)
|
| PITS (the pits = the worst) + TOP (best).
Pit stop, in Formula 1 motor racing = a stop for refuelling or repairs in the middle of a race. |
||
| 13 | LAND-LUBBER |
No sailor, in a blow, left university books (4-6)
|
| L (left) + U (university) + B B (two B = book), all in LANDER (a heavy blow = hit or punch, which “lands” successfully where it is aimed).
Seafarer’s word for someone who prefers to stay on solid ground. |
||
| 15 | ORAL |
Gold filling for male? It’s mouth-based (4)
|
| OR (heraldic term for gold) + inner letters (filling) of [m]AL[e]. | ||
| 17 | SLAG |
Mine waste to give way, swallowing lake (4)
|
| SAG (to give way = collapse), containing L (abbreviation for lake).
Coal dust and mineral waste from mining. |
||
| 19 | BEAR MARKET |
Tolerate police impounding boat when things are declining (4,6)
|
| BEAR (as a verb = tolerate) + MET (short for the Metropolitan Police in London), containing (impounding) ARK (boat).
Bear market = the state of the stock market when people are selling shares in anticipation of a fall in value. |
||
| 22 | DITHERY |
Uncertain Independent article – not exciting to take that in (7)
|
| I (abbreviation for Independent) + THE (definite article), taken in by DRY (tedious = not exciting). | ||
| 24 | PENDING |
Pressure on terminus still to come? (7)
|
| P (abbreviation for pressure) + ENDING (terminus). | ||
| 26 | TRICKLE |
Cause amusement in restricting river to be just a few drops (7)
|
| TICKLE (cause amusement in) containing R (abbreviation for river).
Trickle = a very small or slow flow of liquid. |
||
| 27 | DELETED |
Removed permit to probe record of ownership (7)
|
| LET (permit, as a verb) inserted into (to probe) DEED (a legal document recording the ownership of a building or an area of land). | ||
| 28 | HOLLY |
Seasonal plant entirely ignored by women (5)
|
| [w]HOLLY (entirely) without the W (women). | ||
| 29 | DASTARDLY |
Despicable and lethal, cutting end of rope holding lead actor (9)
|
| D[e]ADLY (lethal), without the E which is the end letter of [rop]E, containing (holding) STAR (lead actor). | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | BEBOP |
Live operation capturing British music genre (5)
|
| BE (live, as a verb) + OP (short for operation), containing B (British).
Jazz style from the 1940s. |
||
| 2 | NEUTRON |
Nuclear component in new German film set in computer game (7)
|
| NEU (“new” in German) + TRON (a film whose lead character enters the world of a computer game). | ||
| 3 | UMBRELLA |
Wobbly bum – visitor upset after removing top and other cover (8)
|
| Anagram (wobbly) of BUM, then [c]ALLER (visitor) with its first letter (top) removed, reversed (upset = upwards in a down clue). I think “and other” is just filler. | ||
| 4 | TURNTABLE |
Key line framed by English painter overlooking latest railway feature (9)
|
| TAB (key on a computer keyboard) + L (line), contained in (framed by) TURNE[r] (J M W Turner, English painter) without the last letter (latest).
A mechanism for turning locomotives round so they can set off in a different direction. |
||
| 5 | EQUIP |
Smart comment supporting team’s second kit (5)
|
| QUIP (smart comment) after (below, in a down clue = supporting) the second letter of [t]E[am].
Kit, as a verb = equip = to provide with equipment. |
||
| 6 | BREATH ?? |
Air about to fill spa feature (6)
|
| RE (about = on the subject of) inserted into (to fill) BATH (something you’d find in a spa): BREATH.
Or maybe not? That’s what I thought and confidently filled in, but the online puzzle says it’s wrong and insists the answer is BLEATS. I can’t make any part of the clue work as a definition for that, never mind the wordplay. I wonder whether Phi and/or the editor decided to change the clue, but for some reason the answer didn’t get changed to match? Maybe it’ll all become clear at some point; if so I’ll update the blog. |
||
| 7 | ABETTOR |
One supporting a chance to retire at the outset (7)
|
| A BET (a chance, as in “a good bet” = likely) + TO + first letter (at the outset) of R[etire]. | ||
| 8 | TEST PILOT |
High-level risk taker I employed in game plan (4,5)
|
| I inserted into (employed in) TEST (an international game in cricket, rugby etc) + PLOT (plan).
Someone who tries out new aircraft, and is therefore doing a risky job high up in the air. |
||
| 13 | LAST-DITCH |
Husband abandoning that child’s distraught at the final moment (4-5)
|
| Anagram (distraught) of T[h]AT CHILD’S with one H (abbreviation for husband) removed. | ||
| 14 | EURIPIDES |
Source of classic drama: detective with regret upset over some days in Rome (9)
|
| PI (abbreviation for private investigator = detective) + RUE (regret), all reversed (upset = upwards in a down clue), then IDES (in the Roman calendar, either the 13th or 15th day of each month, therefore “some days” of the year).
Ancient Greek playwright. |
||
| 16 | MAGNOLIA |
Extended morning taken up with elevating excellent flower (8)
|
| LONG (extended) + AM (morning), all reversed (taken up = upwards in a down clue), then AI (A1 = excellent) also reversed (elevating = upwards in a down clue). | ||
| 18 | ANT-HILL |
A new difficulty besetting most of the colony (3-4)
|
| A + N (new) + ILL (as a noun = difficulty, as in “a cure for every ill”), containing (besetting) TH[e] (most of = all but the last letter). | ||
| 20 | KNITTED |
Knot adjusted without first being tied together? (7)
|
| KN (kn = ISO standard abbreviation for knot = a measure of speed at sea, though “kt” is used as the abbreviation in some contexts) + [f]ITTED (adjusted) without its first letter. | ||
| 21 | MEEKLY |
The writer’s stifling sound of surprise, beginning to laugh quietly (6)
|
| MY (the writer’s), containing (stifling) EEK (an interjection expressing surprise or fear) + beginning letter of L[augh]. | ||
| 23 | YIELD |
Produce that is left in yard (5)
|
| IE (i.e. = abbreviation for Latin id est = that is) + L (left), inside YD (yd = abbreviation for yard). | ||
| 25 | GIDDY |
Odd members of guild duly gutted with instability (5)
|
| Odd-numbered letters from G[u]I[l]D, then D[ul]Y without its inner letters (gutted). |
I’ve been waiting breathlessly for the blog to see if I was the only one with something to bleat about: my failure to parse 6d appears to be down to a glitch rather than ineptitude.
A really nice puzzle from Phi; nice cluing as always and a non-intrusive background theme – I did clock DASTARDLY but failed to recognise the other names. As our blogger says, we’re going back half a century – though I should have remembered PIT STOP if none of the others.
Thanks Phi and Quirister
Thanks both.
BREATH is obviously right and BLEATS obviously wrong, so it must be a ****-up at HQ. Otherwise lots to like.
Liked PIT STOP, DASTARDLY, TURNTABLE and KNITTED.
BREATH
Like others, I expect a correction soon…
Thanks, Phi and Quirister!
6d ruined my morning but I’m in good company it seems and will wait with bated breath for all to be revealed. Otherwise lots to like, for example BEAR MARKET and TURNTABLE. I had no idea about LANDER (I wonder if Tyson Fury talks like that) and was lost parsing KNITTED so a very big thank you to Quirister and to Phi of course.
Well, my grid definitely has BREATH, but I don’t have a great deal to do with production processes, so I can’t really add much in that department.
Rather like Scooby-Doo the Wacky Races franchise sort of continues, I gather, though at a much less obvious level (no feature film, for instance, though attempts have been made as recently as 2018). The Wikipedia page is a mine of info – who’d have thought the Slag Brothers and Rufus Ruffcut were so successful?
Thanks Phi for the clarification: let’s hope the puzzle gets corrected soon.
I thought this was Phi in less DASTARDLY mode. I spotted Dick and Penelope, but didn’t remember all the others. The best that can be said for BLEATS is that at least it’s wacky.
I was doing it online, and eventually had to reveal the answer as I couldn’t see what I had wrong.
I do not know where they got BLEATS from. Doesn’t fit at all, whereas BREATH is clearly RE (about) inside BATH (spa feature)
Disappointed and confused.
No clue on the theme, but a classic example of why PhiDay is my phivorate day of the week. Approachable to someone who’s not from the UK yet a decent workout. Thanks so much to Phi and Quirster!
Relieved to find I’m not the only one perplexed by 6d.
That aside, I found myself nicely tuned in to Phi’s wavelength today and mostly breezed through this. Didn’t spot the theme, of course, but I never do. Very enjoyable. Thanks, Phi and Quirister.
Apologies to all re the gridfill error at 6Dn – me culpa
mea culpa even – not my day
Thanks to Phi, and of course, Quirister.
I rarely contribute to this forum since I am rather less adept than most. But today I celebrate. Finishing the Indy without resorting to aids. A first for me. (I’m 86 so it has taken a while)!
I loved 14d and 19a, the former being last in with ‘ides’ refusing to come to the front….
Edsaid @13: welcome to Fifteensquared, and well done! Hope you continue to enjoy these puzzles for many more years.
Congratulations Edsaid @13
Missed the theme as usual – don’t know why since our children watched the series when it was re-run in the 80s. On the other hand we didn’t have anything to bleat about since we solved on paper from a printout.
EURIPIDES and MAGNOLIA were our favourites.
Thanks, Phi and Quirister.
Well, as someone who prints off the grid in the morning and then fills it in, I had no problem with 6dn.
The theme was obvious, but I couldn’t remember all the names.