Our regular Phiday challenge.
I found this a bit harder than usual for Phi, perhaps because of some unfamiliar names (particularly 15a, 6d and 7d) – but as usual they were guessable from the wordplay with a few crossers. I liked the anagram in 13a and the strangely displeasing lake in 29a.
I think Phi doesn’t now include a theme in his puzzles as often as he used to; if there’s one here, someone else will have to identify it, because I can’t see anything. Thanks Phi as always.
Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | GRIMALDI |
Ruling family in a bad way, going to supermarket (8)
|
| GRIM (in a bad way) + ALDI (UK supermarket chain).
Name of the royal family in Monaco. |
||
| 5 | BLANCH |
Line in curse – church becoming pale (6)
|
| L (abbreviation for line) in BAN (archaic word for a curse, according to the dictionaries), then CH (abbreviation for church).
Pale, as a verb = blanch = lose colour, for example to go white in the face due to fear. |
||
| 10 | RASTAFARI |
Following West Indian religion, runs a trek around capital of Trinidad (9)
|
| R (abbreviation for runs, in cricket scoring) + A SAFARI (a trek), around the first letter (capital) of T[rinidad]. | ||
| 11 | FORCE |
Power and energy associated with odd character in fact (5)
|
| E (abbreviation for energy), after F OR C (a choice of the odd-numbered characters in F[a]C[t]).
Physicists will no doubt insist that force and power are two separate things, but in common non-scientific usage the two terms can be used in the same way. |
||
| 12 | LAIR |
Competitor not very taken aback? Retreat (4)
|
| RI[v]AL (competitor), without the V (abbreviation for very), reversed (taken aback).
Retreat = lair = a private hiding-place. |
||
| 13 | CONGENITAL |
Not angelic, naughty from birth (10)
|
| Anagram (naughty) of NOT ANGELIC. | ||
| 15 | LE FANU |
Irish horror writer – devotee found in the French University (2,4)
|
| FAN (devotee), inserted into LE (a form of “the” in French) + U (abbreviation for university).
Sheridan Le Fanu, 19th-century Irish writer of Gothic horror and mystery fiction. |
||
| 16 | CHASSIS |
Fruit drink containing a bit of heavenly body (7)
|
| CASSIS (short for crème de cassis, a liqueur made from blackcurrants; cassis can sometimes also refer to a non-alcoholic blackcurrant juice drink) containing the first letter (a bit) of H[eavenly].
Chassis = the body of a vehicle. |
||
| 18 | EMO |
Type of music adopted by the Mods? (3)
|
| Hidde nanswer (adopted by . . .) in [th]E MO[ds].
emo (in Wikipedia). |
||
| 19 | ISTHMUS |
Land in contact with water – this, after storm, mostly a pulpy mess (7)
|
| Anagram (after storm) of THIS, then MUS[h] (a pulpy mess) without the last letter (mostly).
A narrow bridge of land (with water on both sides) connecting two larger land areas, for example Panama. |
||
| 21 | TANGLE |
Opinion following tense, confused state (6)
|
| ANGLE (a viewpoint or opinion) after T (abbreviation for tense). | ||
| 24 | GUILLOTINE |
Deception about good deal in office equipment (10)
|
| GUILE (deception), around LOT (a good deal of something = a lot = a large quantity) + IN.
Office paper-cutting device. |
||
| 26 | LAMA |
Priest in Massachusetts linked to US city (4)
|
| MA (abbreviation for the US state of Massachusetts), after (linked to) LA (abbreviation for the US city of Los Angeles).
A priest or teacher in Tibetan Buddhism. |
||
| 28 | BIDET |
I’d invested in speculative deal for bathroom fitment (5)
|
| I’D inserted into (invested in) BET (a speculative deal). | ||
| 29 | CONSTANCE |
Not a positive view of European lake? (9)
|
| CON (abbreviation for Latin contra, against: a vote against a proposal) + STANCE (view = a position taken in a debate). So a CON STANCE would mean disagreeing with the proposal = a negative view.
A lake on the River Rhine bordering Germany, Switzerland and Austria. |
||
| 30 | EXCUSE |
Forgive former partner’s hint about son (6)
|
| EX (former partner) + CUE (a hint), around S (abbreviation for son). | ||
| 31 | MYRMIDON |
My rendering of Nimrod: a ruffian (8)
|
| MY + anagram (rendering) of NIMROD.
Another word for henchman: someone employed to be violent if necessary without asking questions. |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | GERALD |
Ford, say, developed large hybrid at last (6)
|
| Anagram (developed) of LARGE + last letter of [hybri]D.
For example Gerald Ford, former US President. |
||
| 2 | INSPIRE |
Encourage internet company with passion about Net primarily (7)
|
| ISP (abbreviation for internet service provider) + IRE (passion = anger), around the first letter (primarily) of N[et]. | ||
| 3 | ALAS |
Thailand omitted from maps, sadly (4)
|
| A[t]LAS (a book of maps) without T (the international vehicle registration for Thailand). | ||
| 4 | DIALOGUES |
Face punk band after leader’s left discussions (9)
|
| DIAL (the face of a clock), then [p]OGUES (The Pogues, a Celtic punk band) without the leading letter. | ||
| 6 | LA FONTAINE |
Explosion of national ecstasy around France for French fabulist (2,8)
|
| Anagram (explosion) of NATIONAL + E (abbreviation for the drug ecstasy), around F (abbreviation for France).
Jean de la Fontaine, 17th-century French writer who published collections of fables from various sources translated into French. |
||
| 7 | NERITES |
Religious services in Sunderland area offering sea snails (7)
|
| Rites (religious services) in Sunderland (in the North-East of England, abbreviated to NE) might be called NE RITES.
Nerites (in Wikipedia) |
||
| 8 | HEEDLESS |
Opening of hundred sewers, not supplying North and South? That’s negligent (8)
|
| First letter (opening) of H[undred] + [n]EEDLES (sewers = things that sew) without the N (abbreviation for North), then S (abbreviation for South). | ||
| 9 | WING |
Success with Government faction (4)
|
| WIN (as a noun = success) + G (abbreviation for Government).
Wing = faction = sub-group within a political party. |
||
| 14 | CARMELITES |
Vehicles carrying one thousand of the best nuns (10)
|
| CARS (vehicles), containing (carrying) M (one thousand in Roman numerals) + ELITE (the best).
Members of a religious order originally founded at Mount Carmel in Israel. |
||
| 16 | CO-TENANCY |
Connect with a lost buddy finally? Letter may provide that (2-7)
|
| Anagram (lost) of CONNECT + A, then the final letter of [budd]Y.
A letter (one who rents property to others) might provide co-tenancy (the holding of property jointly by two or more people). |
||
| 17 | SINGABLE |
Like air in wrong end of house (8)
|
| SIN (wrong = bad deed) + GABLE (the triangular wall at the edge of two sloping roof panels = end of house, though it could be at the front of one).
Air = old word for a song; like an air = singable. |
||
| 20 | TRIADIC |
Description of harmony obtained with criminal gang in charge? (7)
|
| TRIAD (Chinese secret society, especially one involved in criminal activity) + IC (abbreviation for in charge).
Triadic = in music, based on chords (triads) consisting of a root note plus the third and fifth above it. |
||
| 22 | LEARNED |
Lecturer received a wage, being scholarly (7)
|
| L (abbreviation for lecturer) + EARNED (received a wage). | ||
| 23 | CAVERN |
Capitals of California and Nevada accommodating State Chamber (6)
|
| First letters (capitals) of C[alifornia] and N[evada], containing AVER (state, as a verb = say). | ||
| 25 | TICK |
It’s a pest for the moment (4)
|
| Double definition. A biting insect; or a short time, as in “I’ll be back in a tick”. | ||
| 27 | ITEM |
Satisfied I picked up article (4)
|
| MET (satisfied, as in “the candidate satisfied the requirements”) + I, all reversed (picked up = upwards in a down clue). |
I think I was lucky today, getting onto Phi’s wavelength early on. LE FANU was a sort of NHO – I have encountered the name but not his work or nationality. NERITES was also new but went in easily from the WP. Likes included CONGENITAL, EXCUSE, MYRMIDON, CARMELITES and SINGABLE.
Thanks Phi and Quirister
Mediumish chewy (Wiglaf’s the other day was harder). Dnk the Irish writer (cool name tho!), and the bell the sea snail rang was very faint. Though punk is not my era I do know of the Pogues … you absorb bits of zeitgeist by osmosis sts. Enjoyable puzzle, thanks Phi and Quirister.
Thanks Phi and Quirister
Not such a normal Phiday puzzle for me at least. Struggled with quite a few which still seems a bit meh. Also spent too long trying anagrams of Saki (who wasn’t actually Irish I now find) and Bram.
Even with my grumbles- every Phi crossword is a joy to solve and beautifully constructed
Unusually, I had no answers that I didn’t fully understand, with Phi or any setter. The only vague theme seems to be the French Connection (Le Fanu, Guillotine, Bidet, La Fontaine) but that’s probably coincidental. Much enjoyed, so thanks Phi and Quirister.
Someone demurred at my fondness for Britten operas recently so I thought I would look elsewhere.
[Oh dear. That might have been me, Phi. Sorry. I’m the same with masses. Latin or German I can listen to. Never in English! ]
A few I hadn’t heard of, but al, clear enough to get the solutions, although the F OR C device evaded me.
Thanks Phi and Quirister. I now feel obliged to search the internet for today’s theme.
More tricky than usual, for me at least… it felt like there’s bits missing from the wordplay, such as “F or C” ? In 11ac, coupled with some tenuous definitions i.e 11ac n CHASSIS is definitely NOT the body of anything, being the frame that things sit on.. nho the snails, but that’s not Phi’s fault.. seems a bit unfair that the Myrmidons have been singled out for being loyal to their king, but they’re not around to argue the point… I liked RASTAFARI, and CARMELITES…
Note to self: add “lost” to anagram indicators..
Thanks Phi n Quirister..
Undrell @ 7 From Chambers – see definition 6:
chassis /shasˈē or -i/
noun (pl chassis /shasˈēz or -iz/)
1 . The structural framework of a motor car to which the movable working parts and body may be attached
2. The framework of a radio, television, etc
3. An aeroplane’s landing-carriage
4. A casemate gun carriage
5. A wooden frame or sash for eg a window (obsolete)
6. A woman’s body (joc sl)
[Cassandra Peterson, aka Elvira – “the sassy lassie with the classy chassis”]
Lots of LAs, ALs; a few LEs; an EL, an IL, a couple of LOs – foreign articles?
Well, this went in quite quickly.
Now that Phi has warned us – Poulenc’s opera DIALOGUES des CARMELITES has a nun called Sister BLANCHe and ends with the nuns going to the GUILLOTINE. (Actually that bit can be a bit farcical as the nuns walk across the stage and the repeated sound of the guillotine takes one singer out of texture until only Blanche remains. She had got away but has returned to join her sisters at the end.)
Thanks for the hint, Phi! I remember a more dramatic Met production, but this is what I could find:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp7YrZ1H05g
for those interested. The usual highly enjoyable puzzle and excellent blog from Quirister.
Blanche’s great friend (and penultimate decapitee) is Soeur CONSTANCE, of course. There’s also a Soeur GERALD, more unexpectedly. I have always found the ending very moving. At the Opera Bastille years ago there was a huge sob at the climax from the English couple in the row in front of us (and his wife seemed pretty upset as well).
I thought Constance and Gerald would come into it somewhere, but I’d have never have got to the right connection. I guess I’m just a Phi-listine.
I’ve been known to get a bit emotional at the end of Manon (ballet, not opera), but both myself and Mrs HA let out involuntary laughs at the end of Swan Lake the first time we saw it at Covent Garden when the doomed couple hurl themselves off the back of the stage into the lake. Oops.
I’m certainly too late but you don’t have to be a physicist to know that power and energy are completely different. But of course I knew what the setter intended. As for the theme….