We found this a fairly straightforward, but very enjoyable Phiday offering, with the expected smooth surfaces and some crafty misdirections.
We hadn’t come across the French phrase at 24ac before but it was readily solvable from the wordplay once we had the checking letters.
The grid should appeal to those who don’t like a lot of unchecked first letters (only four out of 28 clues).
As it’s a Phi, we’ve looked for a hidden theme or Nina but can’t come up with anything – are we missing something (again!!)
| Across | ||
| 1 | Proposition: line used with woman | |
| LEMMA | L (line) + EMMA (woman) | |
| 4 | Hard work to frustrate game | |
| HOPSCOTCH | H (hard) + OP (work) + SCOTCH (frustrate) | |
| 9 | Warlike? Slight switch in that to describing matrimony | |
| MARITAL | MARTIAL (warlike) with the T and I reversed, or with a ‘slight switch’ | |
| 10 | Food landed around players | |
| ALIMENT | ALIT (landed) around MEN (players) | |
| 11 | Pelt? Managed to secure one having animals in tow | |
| RAIN CATS AND DOGS | RAN (managed) around or ‘securing’ I (one) + CATS AND DOGS (animals) | |
| 12 | Sizeable escapade linked to performance | |
| GIGANTIC | ANTIC (escapade) after or ‘linked to’ GIG (performance) | |
| 14 | Number engaged in pastime curtailed familiar talk | |
| HOBNOB | NO (number) ‘engaged’ in HOBB |
|
| 17 | Attitude’s tense when in hospital and church | |
| STANCE | T (tense) in SAN (hospital) + CE (church) | |
| 18 | Caution harsh cut in currency | |
| PRUDENCE | RUD |
|
| 20 | Brazil, perhaps, providing formidable opposition | |
| A HARD NUT TO CRACK | A play on the fact that a brazil nut would be hard to crack | |
| 22 | Tough event, even nasty – last of three dropping out | |
| IRON MAN | IRON (even) + M |
|
| 23 | Error to follow component of tweet | |
| HASHTAG | HASH (error) + TAG (follow) | |
| 24 | Commons disputed treaties with time | |
| TIERS ETAT | Anagram of TREATIES and TIME (anagrind is ‘disputed’). | |
| 25 | Observe retreating round about scene of battle | |
| YPRES | SPY (observe) reversed or ‘retreating’ round RE (about) | |
| Down | ||
| 1 | Resort lottery disheartened ordinary soldiers | |
| LYME REGIS | L(otter)Y with middle letters removed or ‘disheartened’ + MERE (ordinary) GIS (soldiers) | |
| 2 | Hogarth paintings representing a rigmarole with a dame? | |
| MARRIAGE A-LA-MODE | Anagram of A RIGMAROLE and A DAME (anagrind is ‘representing’) | |
| 3 | Greek left one out in the ocean | |
| ATTIC | AT |
|
| 4 | Source of beef – the loin’s cooked | |
| HOLSTEIN | Anagram of THE LOINS (anagrind is ‘cooked’) | |
| 5 | Place needing city guide when locating public areas | |
| PLAZAS | PL (place) + AZ (city guide) + AS (when) | |
| 6 | Minority rebuked district about opening of library | |
| CHILDHOOD | CHID (rebuked) HOOD (district) around L (first letter or ‘opening’ of Library | |
| 7 | Consequences of indulgence possibly having threatening form | |
| THE MORNING AFTER | Anagram of THREATENING FORM (anagrind is ‘possibly’) | |
| 8 | Dislikes speed, getting seconds to the rear | |
| HATES | HASTE (speed) with the S (seconds) moved to the rear | |
| 13 | Wine, fashionable, lifted American guy | |
| NICODEMUS | MEDOC (wine) + IN (fashionable) reversed or ‘lifted’ + US (American) | |
| 15 | Examples of damage in holiday time | |
| BREAKAGES | BREAK (holiday) + AGES (time) | |
| 16 | Note decorative work around rear of it | |
| CROTCHET | CROCHET (decorative work) around T (last letter of ‘it’) | |
| 19 | Source of fruit (word play’s clear) | |
| PUNNET | PUN (word play) + NET (clear – as in profit) | |
| 20 | Pragmatic type not about to be famous | |
| A-LIST | ||
| 21 | Odd bits of clue, short and very easy | |
| CUSHY | Odd letters of ClUe + SHY (short) | |
There was so much to enjoy in this puzzle by Phi. It was such a pleasure to solve the well-written and humorous clues. Solving the four long clues certainly assisted in completing the rest of the puzzle. I liked 2d, 20a, 7d, 16d, 12a, 10a and my favourites were LYME REGIS, CHILDHOOD, PUNNET, HOBNOB & ATTIC.
On top of all that, I am always very pleased when I think I have parsed all of the clues correctly. So this was a totally pleasurable experience.
New words for me today were TIERS ETAT & LEMMA.
Thanks for the excellent blog, Bertandjoyce.
Thanks, both.
Well, after some tough Indy puzzles earlier this week I was quite pleased to get a straightforward Phi this morning. And the grid was certainly a solver-friendly one.
Michelle is right: plenty to enjoy here today. I thought that HOPSCOTCH was cleverly done and that HASHTAG was nicely contemporary (I don’t do any of this new-fangled stuff, but I certainly knew the term).
Thanks to Phi and good weekend to all.
I agree that this was on the easier side for Phi but very enjoyable nonetheless.
The previously unknown to me TIERS ETAT was my last in, and again, I agree that it was gettable from the wordplay (as long as one has a smattering of French).
There is no obvious nina as far as I can see, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t one.
Quite a relief after yesterday. Thanks b&j and phi nice gentle stuff.
My new words for today were ‘headache’ with ‘upset’ and ‘stomach’.
Luckily Phi came along and distracted me with one of his excellent puzzles.
Well pb guinness clearly isn’t good for you. Nor wine for me as fell asleep on train and missed my stop. Oops very late to bed. Still enjoyed yesterday.