[If you’re attending York S&B please see comments 32&33] - here
It’s Friday, it’s Phi, so all’s well with the crossword world.
Perhaps not Phi’s toughest puzzle, but a pleasant way to the end the week. I can’t see any theme or Nina. Despite two Zs, the puzzle is well short of being a pangram. There are a few words with double letters, but not enough to constitute a theme.
This is another puzzle where the scientists get a look in – REAUMUR, PENUMBRAL, GALILEO and ALCHEMIST (although not a valid scientist).
I found HORSEPLAY [8 down] the most difficult clue to handle in terms of separating the definition and the wordplay. I’m still not sure, but I don’t see the whole clue as an &Lit.
This was a puzzle where a wide general knowledge helped.
There was some good misdirection – American political leader @ 10 across, and there are plenty of examples of interesting wordplay – e.g. ‘half of it’ for T in 6 across, ‘move round’ to move the letter O in 14 across and ‘partly’ emptied’ for PY in 20 across.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
| 1
|
Agitated sheriff swallowing concoction of gin and snack food (4,6)
|
Anagram of (agitated) SHERIFF containing (swallowing) an anagram of (concoction of) GIN
FISH F (ING*) ER* |
FISH FINGER (snack food)
|
| 6
|
Facial hair? Half of it remains (4)
|
T (one letter of [half of] the two letter word IT) + ASH (remains)
|
TASH (moustache; facial hair)
|
| 10
|
Swindle taking in American political leader (7)
|
CON (swindle) containing (taking in) AMER (American)
C (AMER) ON |
CAMERON (reference David CAMERON, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom)
|
| 11
|
French physicist runs water to wall in Paris (7)
|
R (runs [in cricket scoring notation) + EAU (French [Paris] or water) + MUR (French [Paris] for barrier or wall)
|
REAUMUR (reference René Antoine Ferchault de REAUMUR [1683 – 1757], French scientist who has a temperature scale named after him)
|
| 12
|
Second Catholic, religious accepting deity in academic style? (9)
|
S (second) + C (catholic) + (HOLY [religious] containing [accepting] LAR [god of a house; deity])
S C HO (LAR) LY |
SCHOLARLY (in academic style)
|
| 13
|
Political group‘s concern about Democrat (5)
|
CARE (concern) containing (about) D (Democrat)
CA (D) RE |
CADRE (group of activists in a revolutionary party, now sometimes widened to any political group)
|
| 14
|
Critical moment to move round grape variety (5)
|
PINOT (POINT [critical moment] with the letter O [round {shape}] moved two letters to the right)
|
PINOT (a variety of both black and white grape)
|
| 15
|
Dead ringer initially seen in ring of shadows (9)
|
(NUMB [dead] + R {first letter of {initially} of RINGER]) contained in (seen in) PEAL (ring)
PE (NUMB R) AL |
PENUMBRAL (describing a partial or lighter shadow round the perfect or darker shadow produced by an eclipse; of shadows)
|
| 17
|
Metal is transmuted after intervention by chap not half this! (9)
|
CH (only two letters of four [not half] CHAP) contained in (after intervention by) an anagram of (transmuted) METAL IS
AL (CH) EMIST* |
ALCHEMIST (someone who claims to transmute metals into gold, and discover the elixir of life) &Lit clue
|
| 20
|
Cold drink partly emptied (5)
|
NIP (drink, usually a small quantity of spirits) + PY (first and last letters only [emptied] of PARTLY)
|
NIPPY (very cold)
|
| 21
|
Most of appetiser repelled Australian singer (5)
|
MEZE (a type of appetiser or hors d’oeuvre served in Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, etc, esp with an aperitif before dinner.) excluding the final letter (most of) E + (OZ [Australian] reversed [repelled])
MEZ ZO< |
MEZZO (mezzo-soprano; voice; singer)
|
| 23
|
Well capturing sound of bird by the same cartoon character (6-3)
|
SO (well!) containing (capturing) (COO [sound of dove {bird}] + BY + DO [ditto; same])
S (COO BY DO) O |
SCOOBY DOO (cartoon dog)
|
| 25
|
Astronomer to be slow withdrawing one constellation (7)
|
LAG (loiter; be slow) reversed (withdrawing) + I [one] + LEO (constellation)
GAL< I LEO |
GALILEO (reference GALILEO Galilei [1564 – 1642], physicist, mathematician, astronomer and philosopher)
|
| 26
|
Vehicle seized by female sailors (7)
|
CAR (vehicle) contained in (seized by) LASS (young woman; female)
LAS (CAR) S |
LASCARS (Oriental sailors)
|
| 27
|
Imaginative new food (no seconds) (4)
|
N (new) + (EATS [food] excluding [no] S [seconds])
|
NEAT (ingenious; imaginative)
|
| 28
|
Sad daughter heading off one embroiled in divorce (10)
|
D (daughter) + (RESPONDENT [defendant in a divorce suit; one embroiled in divorce] excluding the first letter [heading off] R)
|
DESPONDENT (sad)
|
| Down | |||
| 1
|
Fine religious book providing data (5)
|
F (fine) + ACTS (book of the New Testament; religious book)
|
FACTS (data)
|
| 2
|
Picked up my second arrangement of Chopin in Mahlerian style? (9)
|
([MY + S {second}] reversed [picked up; down clue]) + an anagram of (arrangement) CHOPIN)
(S YM)< PHONIC* |
SYMPHONIC (Mahler, one of many composers best known for composing SYMPHONIes)
|
| 3
|
Entirely supporting global unity? (3,3,3,5)
|
FOR (supporting) + ALL THE WORLD (global unity)
|
FOR ALL THE WORLD (entirely)
|
| 4
|
Like sluggish fluid, note during dip on tidal water (3-4)
|
(N [note] contained in (during) NOD [dip]) + RIP (disturbed state of the sea; also a RIP tide)
NO (N) D RIP |
NON-DRIP (like sluggish fluid, e.g. paint)
|
| 5
|
Nobleman supported by that right at the start (5,2)
|
EARL (nobleman) + YON (that) In a down clue EARL is above [supported by] YON
|
EARLY ON (right at the start)
|
| 7
|
Heated, losing head, and ready to fight (5)
|
WARMED (heated) excluding the first letter (losing head) W
|
ARMED (provided with means of defence [or attack]; ready to fight)
|
| 8
|
Rough work, with article pushed down? (9)
|
HORSEPLAY (HOARSE [rough] + PLY [work at steadily]) with the A (indefinite article) moved down [pushed down] the letters
|
HORSEPLAY (rough, boisterous play) I am not entirely sure what the definition is here, as ‘rough’ seems to be involved in the wordplay as well as the definiton. I don’t see the clue as an &Lit.
|
| 9
|
Nest with bantam chick mostly ruined – where’d the water come from? (9,5)
|
Anagram of (ruined) (NEST and [BANTAM CHICK excluding the final letter {mostly} K])
|
CATCHMENT BASIN (variant on ‘CATCHMENT AREA‘ [the area from which a river or reservoir is fed]; wher’d the water come from)
|
| 14
|
One flying black jet into hollow (9)
|
(TAR [make black] + MIG [Russian jet fighter]) contained in (into) PAN (hollow)
P (TAR MIG) AN |
PTARMIGAN (a mountain-dwelling species of grouse; one flying)
|
| 16
|
Disown note about rising support (9)
|
REPUTE (fame; note) containing (about) (AID [support] reversed [rising; down clue])
REPU (DIA<) TE |
REPUDIATE (disown)
|
| 18
|
This month mineral is expected to appear (2,5)
|
INST (instant; the present month) + ORE (mineral)
|
IN STORE (imminent; expected to happen)
|
| 19
|
Pro soldiers filling lines? On the contrary (7)
|
(L [line] + L [line] to give lines) contained in (filling) TROOP (body of soldiers) – i.e. the oppositie of [on the contrary] TROOP contained in LL
TRO (LL) OP |
TROLLOP (prostitute; pro)
|
| 22
|
Hazel daily provides shelter for author’s wife
|
ZELDA (hidden word in [provides shelter for] HAZEL DAILY)
|
ZELDA (reference ZELDA Fitzgerald, wife of author F Scott Fitzgerald)
|
| 24
|
Individual, tense about special opening (5)
|
(ONE [individual] + T [tense]) containing (about) S (special)
ON (S) E T |
ONSET (beginning; opening)
|
Yes Duncan, I agree that it wasn’t one of Phi’s hardest puzzles, but there were still some clues that made me think for a while.
I agree with your wordplay analysis for HORSEPLAY but I also couldn’t see a proper definition there.
REAUMUR went in from the wordplay and with fingers crossed. The way the clue was structured I wasn’t sure if the French word for water was required as well as the French word for wall, but I couldn’t think of an English word “?a?” meaning water that fitted with the other checkers so I went with “eau”.
CATCHMENT BASIN brought back memories of geography lessons from long ago. NEAT was my LOI after I finally got the PTARMIGAN/MEZZO crossers.
Well, not many commenters today …
Maybe it’s because there’s not much to add to Duncan’s fine blog. As he says, nice to see the sciences get a look in.
CADRE my favourite today because of the clever surface; but I’m another one who’s struggling a bit with HORSEPLAY.
Thanks to Phi.
Thanks Duncan. I was hoping someone would explain HORSEPLAY too.
Well, there is a Nina but not one anyone is likely to spot, unless they’d visited an earlier incarnation of one of my webpages. We recently fostered a quartet of kittens (and their mum, Tawai (which is Maori for the birch tree, I think). The kittens were named at the animal rescue centre as Scooby, Zelda, Stella and Carmel. Kitten-sexing being a delicate art, Carmel was subsequently renamed Cameron, and Stella (who is still on the webpage, because we kept her) clearly had to be renamed Natasha because of her tash.
As I’ve said before, one of the most daunting moments in setting a puzzle – for me at least – is filling a blank grid, so having something to seed it is always welcome.
HORSEPLAY: when Eimi commented on this, I said I’d wondered which outlet it had gone to, as it had stuck in my mind as being a bit chancy. I still think it just about works (and as an &lit).
Not many comments because not much to say. I did once see HORSEPLAY clued as “Equus?” which caused me much pleasure. The &lit is definitely chancy – sorry.
r
I thought HORSEPLAY was more horseplay than an &lit…
We’ve only just finished the puzzle – no we didn’t spend all night on it!
We parsed HORSEPLAY as per the blog and were OK with it.
Our last ones in were in the SW corner. Given the timing and the fact that we are making bread for a community market early this morning we didn’t spend any time looking for a nina and came here instead – glad we did!
Thanks Phi and Duncan. A pleasurable start to the weekend!