Phiday is here again.
A fairly typical Phi puzzle, though perhaps with a few more loose and/or obscure definitions than usual: more “I suppose that must be it” than “yes, of course”. I liked 14d for the surface image of police officers turning up at a school with treats for the pupils, and 12a which seemed terribly wordy until the crossers led to a possible answer. (I think this phrase might be the title of a poem – look it up – oh, yes, it’s that poem.)
I can’t see a theme today but Phi doesn’t always include one, or if he does it’s often somewhat obscure. Thanks for the puzzle as always.
Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
| ACROSS | ||
| 7 | REMINDER |
Rest will ignore a prompt (8)
|
| REM[a]INDER (the rest = the remainder = what’s left), ignoring the A. | ||
| 9 | POLITE |
Respectful staff around computer department (6)
|
| POLE (staff = long stick) around IT (abbreviation for Information Technology = computer department). | ||
| 10 | GENUS |
Spirit of destiny overlooking one part of family (5)
|
| GEN[i]US (from Roman mythology, the guardian spirit for a person, nation, or place) overlooking I (one in Roman numerals).
In biological classification, a grouping between a family and a species: for example, “cats” (Felidae) is a family, “big cats” such as lions and tigers (Panthera) is a genus, and “lion” (Panthera leo) is a species. |
||
| 11 | TIRESOME |
Dull period around two-thirds of holiday venue (8)
|
| TIME (period) around two-thirds of RESO[rt] (holiday venue).
Dull = tiresome = boring. |
||
| 12 | THIS BE THE VERSE |
Article about English verb thesis misjudged poem with notorious verb (4,2,3,5)
|
| THE (the definite article), around an anagram (misjudged) of E (abbreviation for English) + VERB THESIS.
Title of a poem by Philip Larkin (the phrase is a quotation from another poem by Robert Louis Stevenson). Phi is referring to the “notorious” first line of the Larkin poem, which uses the F-word as a verb. |
||
| 15 | GAIETY |
Walking style around rear of the yard offering a lot of fun (6)
|
| GAIT (manner of walking), around the last letter (rear) of [th]E, then Y (abbreviation for yard). | ||
| 16 | SCOTCH |
Put an end to providing bed in school (6)
|
| COT (a small bed) in SCH (abbreviation for school).
As in “to scotch a rumour” = to stop it by disproving it. |
||
| 18 | DIRECTOR’S CHAIR |
Recording shock about religious figure in boss’s place (9,5)
|
| DISC (recording on vinyl or CD) + HAIR (shock of hair = head of hair, especially if full and untidy), around RECTOR (member of the clergy = religious figure).
Chair occupied by a company director or a film director. |
||
| 20 | FLIPPANT |
Less-than-serious flight for fun, not entirely dreadful (8)
|
| FLIP (flight for fun? – perhaps in the sense of a type of somersault, or playfully tossing something in the air), then PANT[s] (slang for dreadful) without the last letter (not entirely).
UPDATE: Thanks to Petert and FrankieG for pointing out that “flip” can mean a short aeroplane flight, usually a pleasure trip. |
||
| 22 | USUAL |
Text for you in America left in the normal way (5)
|
| U (text for you = abbreviation for “you” as used in text messages) in USA (United States of America), then L (abbreviation for left). | ||
| 24 | BELUGA |
Problem with area housing the Spanish source of caviar (6)
|
| BUG (a problem, especially in computer software) + A (abbreviation for area), containing (housing) EL (a form of “the” in Spanish).
Species of sturgeon from which caviar is obtained. |
||
| 25 | MEDIATOR |
TV and press perhaps rubbish backing negotiation specialist (8)
|
| MEDIA (TV and press perhaps), then ROT (rubbish) reversed (backing). | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | HEDGEHOG |
Offensive person’s secure trade to grab everything (8)
|
| HEDGE (financial trading with some degree of mitigation against risk = secure trade?) + HOG (to take more than one’s fair share = to grab everything).
The word seems to have various slang meanings to describe people, generally uncomplimentary. I’m not sure that it equates directly to “offensive person”, but slang is always tricky to pin down. The usual image of a hedgehog rolling into a spiky ball when provoked would seem to suggest “defensive” rather than offensive. |
||
| 2 | SIGN |
Something bad about good indicator (4)
|
| SIN (something bad) around G (abbreviation for good). | ||
| 3 | WRETCH |
Outcast runs into rainy church (6)
|
| R (abbreviation for runs, in cricket scoring) inserted into WET (rainy) + CH (abbreviation for church).
A morally despicable person, so perhaps someone excluded from polite society. Though of course “wretch” can also mean someone to be pitied for their misfortune (with no implication of guilt). |
||
| 4 | SPUR |
Encourage burst of energy, fading at the end (4)
|
| SPUR[t] (a burst of energy) without the last letter (fading at the end). | ||
| 5 | OLD SCRATCH |
Scar shown by the Devil? (3,7)
|
| Double definition. The mark left after an old injury has healed; or a nickname for the Devil. | ||
| 6 | STYMIE |
Farm building, for me, lacking new block (6)
|
| STY (or pigsty = farm building) + MI[n]E (for me), without the N (abbreviation for new).
Block, as a verb = stymie = to hinder or prevent. |
||
| 8 | DYSPEPTIC |
Gloomy town dead, picking up with second amount of energy injected (9)
|
| CITY (large town) + D (abbreviation for dead), reversed (picking up = upwards in a down clue), with S (abbreviation for second) + PEP (a dose of energy, as in “pep up” or “pep talk”) inserted (injected).
Dyspeptic = suffering from indigestion, but the word is also used figuratively for being gloomy or irritable. |
||
| 13 | STIRRUP-CUP |
Latest drink supplier finally brought in to add energy to tournament (7-3)
|
| Final letter of [supplie]R, inserted into STIR UP (add energy to) + CUP (sports competition = tournament).
A drink offered to guests as they depart: supposedly when they’re already on horseback and have their feet in the stirrups ready to go. |
||
| 14 | VICE SQUAD |
Police team bringing very cool desserts to part of school? (4,5)
|
| V (abbreviation for very) + ICES (ice creams = cool desserts) + QUAD (short for quadrangle = an open area in a school or college with buildings around four sides).
Police team targeting issues such as gambling, illegal drugs and prostitution. |
||
| 17 | HEIRLOOM |
Perhaps Grandma’s to threaten about one item in the will? (8)
|
| HER (belonging to a woman = perhaps Grandma’s) + LOOM (as a verb = to threaten, as in “looming black clouds”), around I (one in Roman numerals).
Something passed down through a family, possibly by a bequest in a will. |
||
| 18 | DULCET |
Sweet song from a couple, including large contralto (6)
|
| DUET (a piece of music for two performers = song from a couple), including L (abbreviation for large) + C (abbreviation for the contralto singing voice, though it’s now more often represented as A for the shorter form “alto”).
As in “dulcet tones” = sweet-sounding. |
||
| 19 | ON TIME |
Going ahead with match, with millions coming in at the right moment (2,4)
|
| ON (going ahead, as in “is the meeting still on this afternoon?”) + TIE (a sports match, as in “cup tie”), with M (abbreviation for millions) inserted. | ||
| 21 | ALAS |
Brought up a lot of vegetarian food, sadly (4)
|
| SALA[d] (vegetarian food), all but the last letter (a lot of . . .), reversed (brought up = upwards in a down clue). | ||
| 23 | UTAH |
American state university upheld capital item (4)
|
| U (abbreviation for university), then HAT (capital item?) reversed (upheld = upwards in a down clue). Yes, “capital” is derived from the Latin for “head” and Chambers says “capital” can mean “relating to the head”, but it still seems a bit tenuous to me. |
On the trickier side of Phi’s oeuvre, but all fair. HEDGEHOG was my LOI with a guess that it had a slang meaning.
For no particular reason I’ve had that line of that poem in my head the last couple of days – I couldn’t have told you its title beforehand, but I grinned when I worked it out.
Thanks both.
If you go for a flip in a plane it is just for fun, I think. My wife’s surname means HEDGEHOG in Polish, apparently because her ancestors were a spiky lot. Thanks, both.
I was not on Phi’s wavelength at all for this one. Some rather obscure selections of definitions and synonyms – latest drink for STIRRUP CUP, spirit of destiny for GENIUS, flight for fun for FLIP, offensive person for HEDGEHOG – as well as some tough constructions like DIRECTOR’S CHAIR and DYSPEPTIC. Easy enough to unravel once the solution is in place but devilishly difficult to use as instructions for assembling wordplay. Tough gig.
Thanks Phi and Quirister
Apart from 12a THIS BE THE VERSE, — (I’m another who knew the poem, but n ot the title)
1d The Mower has “A HEDGEHOG jammed up against the blades, | Killed …”
7a Sad Steps “Is a REMINDER of the strength and pain | Of being young; that it can’t come again,”
and 15a To the Sea bestrides “The miniature GAIETY of seasides”
Thanks Phi and Quirister
Needed the blog for a couple of confirmations of my parsing – which is very unusual for Phi. I assumed it was because I am a bit under the weather but from above blog/comments maybe not usual exemplary standard. Still an almost flawlessly constructed crossword but then I am a big fan of Phi
My parents might well have done that to me but not quite so effectively as Phi this morning. Would have been a DNF were it not for just slapping in Hedgehog at the end more in hope than expectation!
Thanks Quirister. Were it not for the blog I’d still be none the wiser about 13d.
For 20a FLIPPANT: oed.com has ‘FLIP Originally British Military slang. Not in North American use.
I.7.a. 1914– A short period of flying around in an aircraft; a short flight, typically landing back in the same place from where one took off. Now chiefly historical.
Originally used of pilots taking their planes out for operational reasons or training, but subsequently also for leisure.
Sense I.7b apparently develops from this latter use (cf. quot. 1943 at that sense).
I.7.b. 1943– colloquial (chiefly British). A trip or quick tour of a place taken for pleasure in a vehicle or on foot; a short excursion. Now dated.
With quot. 1943, cf. note at sense I.7a.
1943 Flip, a trip in an aeroplane or in a car. J. L. Hunt & A. G. Pringle, Service Slang 32 …’
1d HEDGEHOG – “Offensive person” is straight out of Chambers.
Oed.com has ‘…5. 1597–1660 † Applied to a person who is regardless of others’ feelings; often as a term of obloquy. Obsolete.’
Petert @2, FrankieG @10: thanks for clarifying “flip” – the usage seems vaguely familiar now that you point it out. Not sure why I didn’t check Chambers, which would have agreed.
Thanks FrankieG for the extra Larkin. My dad was at Hull University in the 80s while he was the head librarian. A grumpy bugger, by all accounts.
…and to correct myself @1, it seems I was actually thinking of an excerpt from a love letter, rather than an published poem. Who knew!
5d One more poem, from ‘19 July 1966 (unfinished?) ‘SCRATCH on the scratch pad’: ‘
Scratch on the scratch pad | Rabbit memoranda — | Handkerchiefs and horoscopes, | Holland gowns and grander;
Scratch on the scratch pad | Rabbit memorabilia — | Spectacles and spirit lamps, | Steeple hats and sillier;
Much we buy each market day, | More still obtain: | All, all is carried home | By slow evening train’
Thanks Amoeba@14 for the extra Larkin – That’s his best! 😀
And Thanks Φ&Q
[PS well done Φ for cluing the MEDIA in 25a MEDIATOR with more than one MEDIUM.]
This looked tough at first glance and I hate it when I don’t make instant progress in the NW corner… but it all fell into place pretty neatly working clockwise around from NE. I guessed at a couple of meanings such as for FLIP and GENIUS, but as per Leedsclimber@9 this would have been a DNF if I didn’t suddenly spot my loi HEDGEHOG without understanding the definition.. so not quite a fully satisfactory finish. All fairly clued though.
Thanks both
Amoeba@13. I was there, too. I always claim to have letters from Philip Larkin (alas only overdue library book reminders)
Thanks both. I was another not on the setter’s wavelength for quite a few. I only knew DYSPEPTIC in its digestive sense, and pep for ‘amount of energy’ was the last of several thoughts I trialed. ‘Boss’s place’ for DIRECTORS CHAIR feels loose and non-specific, though I liked the construction. I am glad HEDGEHOG appears to have been retired for over 400 years as an offensive term, so I shall continue to try to avoid running them over.
A complete fail for me today. Never read any poetry so that’s a mystery. Plus beaten by all the ones PostMark@3 lists as having “rather obscure selections of definitions and synonyms”.
As an aside, salad isn’t vegetarian food. Dining out in Spain I’d always specify no meat, no fish, no seafood, no ham, no tuna when ordering a side salad because the last four are considered to be vegetables here.
[El sandwich vegetal … ‘siempre con atún o con pollo.’]
Rather slow going but I made it in the end unassisted. LOI was THIS BE THE VERSE and I then wondered if it was the key to a theme of words from a poem but no, it was just a stand-alone quotation. But thanks to Google I now know the origin of it.
Very late, but just to record this went very smoothly for a change. Obviously on Phi’s wavelength for once. THIS BE THE VERSE being a highlight.