The last Phiday of 2023.
A good range of clue types, and the less familiar entries are clearly clued. I liked the pun at 2d, though I can’t help thinking it could have been done in fewer words.
No need to go hunting for a ghost theme today, because Phi has given us a visible one – though it took a while for the penny to drop. “What’s happening on Monday?” is clearly New Year’s Day, at least for those of us using the Gregorian calendar; but how does that fit into the clues? It took a few crossers and an obvious definition for me to realise that we need an anagram (new) of YEAR; simple when you see it. Thanks Phi for the fun as always.
A happy New Year to all Fifteensquared friends, and best wishes for 2024.
Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | DREARY |
Dull doctor: “What’s coming on Monday?” (6)
|
| DR (abbreviation for doctor) + anagram of YEAR (New Year = what’s coming on Monday). | ||
| 4 | BETRAYED |
Reckon what’s coming on Monday will have daughter deceived (8)
|
| BET (as in I bet = I reckon = I’m confident that . . .) + anagram of YEAR (New Year = what’s coming on Monday) + D (abbreviation for daughter). | ||
| 10 | ON THE MEND |
Improving old article by fellows in the centre of London (2,3,4)
|
| O (abbreviation for old), then THE (the definite article) + MEN (fellows) in the centre letters of [lo]ND[on].
On the mend = improving = getting better after an illness. |
||
| 11 | CHAIN |
Tea popular in group of cafes? (5)
|
| CHA (Asian-derived word for tea) + IN (popular = fashionable).
Chain = retail brand with a number of outlets, which may be cafes, restaurants, shops etc. |
||
| 12 | PANOPLY |
Criticise work, largely empty, but a brilliant display (7)
|
| PAN (as a verb = criticise) + OP (short for Latin opus = a musical or literary work) + L[argel]Y without the inner letters (empty). | ||
| 14 | NOMINEE |
Candidate I’m backing – nobody English will accept that (7)
|
| I’M reversed (backing), inserted into (. . . will accept that) NONE (nobody) + E (abbreviation for English). | ||
| 15 | BAIRN |
Local youngster displaying attitude in confines of Brechin (5)
|
| AIR (attitude, as in “walking with a confident air”) in the outer letters (confines) of B[rechi]N.
Scottish and Northern English word for a child = local youngster, for example one from Brechin in Scotland. |
||
| 16 | CATHARTIC |
Purging method adopted by guy with symptom of drunkenness (9)
|
| ART (method, as in “there’s an art to . . .” = a preferred way to do something), contained in (adopted by) CAT (guy = slang for man or person) + HIC (short for hiccup = a symptom of drunkenness). | ||
| 18 | GENTLEMAN |
Fellow offering information: article about return of thaw (9)
|
| GEN (slang abbreviation for general information) + AN (a form of the indefinite article), around MELT (thaw) reversed (return of . . .). | ||
| 19 | TRAMP |
Walk miles to be caught in ambush (5)
|
| M (abbreviation for miles) contained in (caught in) TRAP (ambush). | ||
| 20 | MONEYED |
Male, working, observed to be well-off (7)
|
| M (abbreviation for male) + ON (working, as in “is the power on?”) + EYED (observed = looked at). | ||
| 22 | KIDSKIN |
Child’s relatives hide (7)
|
| KID’S (child’s) + KIN (relatives).
Leather made from the hide of a young goat. |
||
| 24 | SAVER |
Claim provided by small investor (5)
|
| AVER (claim, as a verb = state) next to S (abbreviation for small). | ||
| 25 | ALLEGORIC |
Everybody with self-confidence gets mostly well-off, as implied in symbolic narrative (9)
|
| ALL (everybody) + EGO (self-confidence) + RIC[h] (well-off) without the last letter (mostly). | ||
| 27 | SARGASSO |
Argon vapour very much behind source of some marine obstruction (8)
|
| AR (Ar = chemical symbol for argon) + GAS (vapour) + SO (very much, as in “I so wish that . . .”), all behind the first letter (source) of S[ome].
Type of seaweed that forms large floating masses, especially in the region of the Atlantic known as the Sargasso Sea. |
||
| 28 | PLAYER |
Performer, Poet Laureate: “What’s coming on Monday?” (6)
|
| PL (abbreviation for Poet Laureate, or so the dictionaries tell me) + anagram of YEAR (New Year = what’s coming on Monday). | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | DROOP |
Unproductive day after upturn implies decline (5)
|
| POOR (unproductive, as in poor soil) + D (abbreviation for day), all reversed (after upturn = upwards in a down clue). | ||
| 2 | EXTENSION |
Something added in aspect of awkward encounter when out with new girlfriend? (9)
|
| Definition and cryptic definition: the latter suggests meeting a previous partner (ex) when out on a date with a new one might cause EX TENSION. | ||
| 3 | RYE |
What’s coming on Monday? Not a whisky (3)
|
| Anagram of YE[a]R (New Year = what’s coming on Monday), without the A.
Whisky (or whiskey) made from rye grain. |
||
| 5 | EDDINGTON |
British scientist’s marriage not initially attracting people of fashion (9)
|
| [w]EDDING (marriage) without the first letter (not initially) + TON (fashionable people, or the current fashion). “Attracting” is just a link word between the two, I think.
Arthur Eddington, astronomer and mathematician at Cambridge University in the first half of the 20th century. There’s now a housing development on the edge of Cambridge named after him. |
||
| 6 | RECOMPACTED |
Again consolidated agreement to put in thatching (11)
|
| COMPACT (an agreement or contract) inserted into REED (plant material used for thatched roofs). | ||
| 7 | YEARN |
Long period of time that’s new? (and a hint to eight other clues) (5)
|
| YEAR (period of time) + N (abbreviation for new) – and a hint for the “new year” used in other clues.
Long, as a verb = yearn = earnestly desire something. |
||
| 8 | DUNCE’S CAP |
Plague – about to flee? Not entirely a sign of stupidity (6,3)
|
| DUN (as a verb = plague = to make repeated and annoying demands on someone, especially for the payment of a debt) + C (abbreviation for Latin circa = about = approximately) + ESCAP[e] (to flee) without the last letter (not entirely). | ||
| 9 | AERY |
Visionary: “What’s coming on Monday?” (4)
|
| Anagram of YEAR (New Year = what’s coming on Monday).
Aery = visionary = dreamlike, or descriptive of a noble idea that may not be practicable. |
||
| 13 | PENALTY AREA |
What’s coming on Monday in a planet that’s stormy? One may take a shot here (7,4)
|
| Anagram of YEAR (New Year = what’s coming on Monday), inside an anageam (stormy) of A PLANET.
The area of a football pitch in front of the goal, containing the spot from which penalty kicks are taken. |
||
| 15 | BIGAMISTS |
Substantial obscurities about American criminals (9)
|
| BIG (substantial) + MISTS (obscurities), around A (abbreviation for American).
People committing the crime of bigamy. |
||
| 16 | COMEDIANS |
Stage performers arrive: audience primarily enthralled by loud noises (9)
|
| COME (arrive), then the first letter (primarily) of A[udiences] contained in (enthralled by) DINS (loud noises). | ||
| 17 | THACKERAY |
Author and tense journalist: “What’s coming on Monday?” (9)
|
| T (abbreviation for tense) + HACK (disparaging term for a journalist, especially one writing articles to order for payment), then an anagram of YEAR (New Year = what’s coming on Monday).
William Makepeace Thackeray, 19th-century author. |
||
| 21 | NEVER |
Note what’s coming on Sunday, right? Not once (5)
|
| N (abbreviation for note) + EVE (New Year’s Eve = what’s coming on Sunday) + R (abbreviation for right). | ||
| 22 | KILT |
Reflection of some skirtlike garment (4)
|
| Hidden answer (some . . .), reversed (reflection), in [skir]TLIK[e]. | ||
| 23 | NICER |
More precise governance taken up around college (5)
|
| REIN (governance = control, as in “keeping a tight rein on . . .”) reversed (taken up = upwards in a down clue), around C (abbreviation for college).
Nice, as in “a nice distiction” = precise or very specific. |
||
| 26 | GEL |
Set on climbing (3)
|
| LEG (on = in cricket, the side of the wicket at which the batter stands) reversed (climbing = upwards in a down clue).
Gel, as a verb = set = change from a liquid into a jelly. |
I really liked the What’s coming on Monday clues and deducing that EDDINGTON must be a scientist. Thanks, both.
It’s rare for me to be a beginner in what’s coming on Monday.
I wonder if there’s a theme in this one.
The transparent theme made this far easier than the average Phi, but still enjoyable. Thanks to Quirister and to Phi for giving us such imaginatively themed puzzles throughout the year.
Really enjoyed this one and thinking the setter and blogger both deserve more comments! Thanks to both for a very satisfying start to the day
I can’t find a reference to “ton” with the meaning suggested here.
Jane Penson @6: I wondered about that too, because I only knew the word (with French pronunciation) as meaning “the current fashion”. But Chambers Dictionary (10th edition, 2006) gives “people of fashion” as an alternative sense.
Thanks to Phi for a clever and entertaining puzzle, and to Quirister for a comprehensive blog. Happy New Year!
Happy New Year Phi! See you again 2024.
Thanks Quirister for explaining DUN – saved us looking it up in Chambers.
I’m sorry to say this didn’t do it for me. A clever gimmick, but much more clever-clever than fun, solvable though it was. The combination of indirect anagram and indirect anagram indicator was quite the liberty and a bit wearisome.
Others seem to have enjoyed it, so perhaps I’m in a minority.
Thanks Phi & Quirister.
I loved it. Very clever and entertaining, though I agree that it became easier than usual for Phi once the trick was uncovered. Happy New Year to all, and many thanks to Phi and Quirister.
Fabulous end to a fabulous year of Phi-days. Many thanks to him, and to our esteemed Quirster who edified me on BAIRN.
We usually save Phi to Saturday and once again did so with this. This was on the easier side of Phi’s puzzles for us, Ms DiBosco worked out the new year thing and we were away.
As always, thoroughly enjoyed Phi’s puzzle. Thanks to him and Quirster. HNY all 🙂