Firstly thanks to Quirister for the swap. We arrived home safely and will now be blogging two days in a row.
It’s always a pleasure to blog a Phi and this was no exception. Precise clueing and often something else to look out for on a Friday.
We don’t think that there is anything special going on here though, apart from Phi wanting to include a more than a fair share of some long answers in the grid.
Thanks again Phi. A lot easier than your recent IQ which we really enjoyed!
THE WOMAN (feminine element) IN WHIT (feminine element of Christian festival) E (first letter or ‘foremost’ in Easter) – thanks to KVa @ 1 for the correction
FIGHT (battle) around or ‘crossing’ L (lake)
ROOT (cheer) LIE (story) around K (king) – thanks to Tatrasman @ 2 for the correction
An anagram (‘unfortunately’) of DISAGREED and REST. We had no idea that the stalwart magazine of our parents’ generation was still going. We once won a hamper as a prize in one of their holiday competitions in the early 70s.
A MALE (a guy) round or ‘securing’ THe missing last letter (‘most of’) + A (area). Almathea, according to Greek mythology was the foster mother of Zeus.
MINUs (short of) missing last letter or ‘largely’ and alternate letters or ‘regular components’ of bEaT
UNE (the indefinite ‘article’ in French as it would appear in Le Monde) VENt (opening) missing last letter or ‘incomplete’
S (son) TETCHY (grumpy) about R (run)
An anagram (‘will be active’) of A REMINDER ENT round A. Mediterranean translates as ‘Middle-Earth’ but the Ents in Lord of the Rings (hence the Middle-Earth connection) were 14ft tall creatures like trees.
LAB (research area) inside or ‘aboard’ LINER (ship)
I (one) NARrOW (bigoted) missing one of the’r’s or ‘half-heartedly’
VERTICAL (‘what this answer isn’t’) TAKE-OFF (impression)
An anagram (‘unfortunately’ – again!) of MORE HOPE MAINLY and R (last letter or ‘ending’ in despair)
WAG (one making joke) TAIL (part of cricket team as in tail-enders)
MEN (chaps) around or ‘besetting’ OTHER (alternate) and H (husband)
A reversal (‘after reflection’) of AS (taking role of) SIREN (seductress). Nerissa was Portia’s maid in the Merchant of Venice.
O (love) inside or ‘accepted by’ I (one) MAN (bloke) all reversed or ‘revolutionary’
HOLE (difficulty) IN around or ‘accommodating’ B (British)
An anagram (‘replaced’) of FAKE HONEST THIEF
T (tense) inside or ‘during’ G (good) ARIA (stage performance) after MAR (damage)
O (old) DC (area of America) inside or ‘covered by’ VAST (extensive)
SO (very much) ORAL (talking) around R (rule)
EG (say) A NET (trap) reversed or ‘set up’ as it is a down clue around or ‘capturing’ E (English)
T (last or ‘ultimate’ letter of rocket) ON ICe (deferred) missing last letter or ‘not entirely’
Thanks, Phi and B&J!
Excellent puzzle and a great blog!
THE WOMAN IN WHITE
If we read the ‘feminine element of Christian festival’ as one block to mean ‘THE WOMAN IN WHIT’, does it sound better?
I really struggled with this. I (try to) do the Indie cryptic over a very early breakfast in bed, and this morning nodded off halfway through. With a refreshed brain I didn’t quite complete it , for some reason couldn’t see ‘in a row’ at 21A.
At 10A, shouldn’t ‘forming’ be part of the definition?
KVa and Tatrasman – agree with you both. We deliberated on both of those and made the wrong decisions! Just off out to get some provisions. Will amend the blog on our return.
For some reason, I found this quite hard. I think you could argue that HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE is an &lit.
We too found this quite hard. IN A ROW was our LOI, and we had an unparsed VIDCAST for 15dn (it fits the definition but we couldn’t explain IDC). Plenty to like, including the long answers of which our favourite was MEDITERRANEAN. Not sure, though, if everyone’s GK would extend to AMALTHEA (we had to check in Brewer) and LI’L ABNER.
Thanks, Phi and B&J.
At least there appears to be some consensus as regards the trickier bits. I was beaten by IN A ROW – the crossers are all vowels and I did not see ‘bigoted’ = NARROW, which it does but it’s not the kindest of synonyms for the solver or VODCAST, even with all the crossers. Like allan_c, I thought it would be a VID something but, since I didn’t twig either VAST or DC, that ended up as a Reveal too.
I’d vaguely heard of LIL ABNER but not of AMALTHEA though I was able to assemble that one from the WP. Likewise NERISSA – that is one tough piece of GK to expect of the solver. I was very taken with the clue for MEDITERRANEAN but then I am a Tolkien fan. (My test solver has just advised me not to use Uruk-Hai in a clue, given how many folk are NOT familiar with LOTR. ‘Monster’ seems a tame alternative. Phi could get away with Ent as it’s anagram fodder so familiarity with the ‘entymology’ is unnecessary 😀 )
Thanks Phi and B&J
Gave up the unequal struggle towards the end I’m afraid, but enjoyed the clues I did manage to solve, so thank you to Phi and to Bertandjoyce for clarifying things. Only knew LI’L ABNER from the musical film, seen decades ago on television, and forgot he was originally a cartoon. We must have skipped the nastier bits of Greek mythology at school, but Wikipedia tells me that AMALTHEA was a she-goat. We did do The Merchant of Venice though.
Often, people say here how easy a crossword was and I’ve totally failed to finish it. So it was odd today to get through most of this on short train journey, going up to London for a concert when other people have been finding it hard.
I couldn’t remember who AMALTHEA or NERISSA was, but the answers were obvious.
The only one I couldn’t get was 21ac, but when I got home I looked at the clue again and it came out almost immediately.