It’s Phi-day 13th! A scary puzzle?
Not at all scary! Another smooth challenge from our regular Friday setter, which was an enjoyable and fairly straightforward solve. Our last one in was 13ac – we had the answer from the definition and crossing letters, but it took a lot longer than it should have to sort out the parsing.
It’s a Phi, so there is likely to be a theme, but we can’t see one. Is there a connection to ‘Friday 13th’ films? Or to Eugene O’Neill? Or ‘Avatar’? We’re not familiar enough with any of these possibilities, but a brief online search has not uncovered anything. Any thoughts out there?
A reversal (recalled) of TOO (very much) round (‘hosting’) CEL (piece of animation)
DUST (remains) B (first or ‘initial’ letter of bad) + an anagram (‘horribly’) of LOW
An anagram (‘filthy’) of APPEARS WET
Double definition
An anagram (‘variation’) of POULENC + E (last or ‘ultimate’ letter of exquisite)
F (fine) + BY (times, as in multiplication) after (‘pursuing’) LAB (labrador – ‘dog’)
F OR T (the first or last letters or ‘limitations’ of ‘first’)
AIR (song) IN E S S (two sopranos)
ALL (everyone) + U (university) ‘involved’ in ELIA (Charles Lamb)
hAUNT (place regularly visited) missing the ‘h’ – traditionally, Londoners from the East End drop their ‘h’s when speaking
A TA (‘cheers’ – thank you) in (‘enthralled by’) A VR (virtual reality)
TIN (metal) CURE (treatment) round (‘involving’) T (time)
Double definition
I (one) + an anagram (‘active’) of IN EG LIBEL
EST (French for ‘is’) round (‘importing’) CARGO (a load)
LACY (delicate) round EG (‘for one’)
L (line) in CAMP (party)
LIT (drunk) + an anagram (‘rolling around’) of bOTTLE missing the first letter or ‘top off’ + E (last letter or ‘floor’ of lounge). As used in the nursery rhyme and finger-play game – this little piggy went to market ………
TYING (binding) round (‘including’) P (third letter of reports)
An anagram (‘amended’) of TAX NEED TRUMP PLAn missing the last letter (‘curtailed’)
SUE (go to court) round R (first letter or ‘source’ of rotten) + FIRE (discharge)
S (first letter or ‘beginning’ of sink) in BALA (Welsh lake)
WAS SIN (wrong) round (’embracing’) H (hot) BA (graduate)
L I (2nd & 4th – ‘even’ – letters or ‘bits’ of ‘plain’) in OBVIOUS (plain)
N (note) EARTHING (making electrical equipment safe)
HURRaY (cheer) IN G (government) missing (‘withdrawing’) A (America)
ONE (a) ILL (bad) – a reference to Eugene O’Neill
Hidden (‘served’) in ornaTE TRAttoria
RE (regarding) LICk (defeat) missing the last letter or ‘getting cut down’
Philanthropic setting from Phi, great fun and enjoyable wordplays…albeit quite a few obvious definitions telegraphed the solutions.
I struggled with O’NEILL, 20(d), and I wonder why the numerator can’t be (1′ 5) ? The hyphen is used where needed ( as in SURE-FIRE, 4-4 ), so why not the apostrophe?
I think the original Gaelic is possibly ” O NEILL” , so (1,5). Just idle musing.
Anyhow, a super puzzle (and blog), 100% entertaining, no obscurities, impressive variety.
Hats off, Phi and BJ
Beaten at the very end by the intersecting TINCTURE and O’NEILL whom I know of only from crosswords, I’m afraid. And, whilst I am normally relaxed about the perennial issue of how to enumerate an apostrophe’d solution, this was an occasion where an indicator would indeed have been helpful. Should’ve got it from WP, especially as I had the ILL. As for TINCTURE, I was trying to work around putting T into TEMPER to get TEMPTER which could be ‘just a bit’ but it didn’t feel right.
Thanks both
Apart from initially bunging in DEEP DOWN for 5ac as a cryptic def reference to ‘horribly low’ and The Great Depression, all went fairly smoothly, but stuck on the playwright, although O’Neill is one of the few American playwright whose plays I have seen. I should have paid more attention to the wordplay, rather than trying to think of playwrights that would fit. You know you are in safe hands with Phi. Thanks Phi and B&J