Phi continues to tease us on Fridays with fair clues that often put a smile on one’s face when the penny drops.
A good mix of general knowledge was required today with three geographic references (TASMANIA, NOVA SCOTIA, MAR DEL PLATA), literature/writing (LOUISA [May Alcott], DIARY, FALSTAFFIAN), history and entertainment in one (ANDREWS SISTERS), science (FLYING FISH, BIFOCALS, and INCH), and words & phrases (AD LIB, EAT ONE’S HAT, TILDE) among other topics.
Perhaps UNSHRIVEN and INAMORATA were the least well known entries. I always associate INAMORATA with the Hippopotamus Song by Flanders &Swann which contains the wonderful line ‘His INAMORATA adjusted her garter’
I didn’t spot any acrostics, ninas or pangrams today, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t something hidden in there.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
| 1/29
|
WWII act upset war’s dissenters (7,7)
|
Anagram of (upset) WAR’S DISSENTERS
|
ANDREWS [SISTERS] (American close harmony singing group, active during the Second World War)
|
| 5
|
An island with 2,000 retaining one’s belief system (7)
|
AN + I (island) + (MM [2000 in roman numerals] containing [retaining] IS [one’s])
AN I M (IS) M |
ANIMISM (the attribution of a soul to natural objects and phenomena; GE Stahl’s theory [1720] that the soul is the vital principle and source of the phenomena of animal life; belief system)
|
| 9
|
Recipe’s striking claim, offering no starter for meal (5)
|
R (recipe) + (BOAST [striking claim] excluding the first letter [offering no starter] B)
|
ROAST (reference a ROAST dinner or a hog ROAST; meal)
|
| 10
|
Peculiar case involving unknown lock – a nice spot to be in (4,5)
|
(Anagram of [peculiar] CASE containing [involving] Y [letter often used to indicate an unknown value in mathematics]) + HAIR (lock [of HAIR])
EAS (Y) C* HAIR |
EASY CHAIR (example of a nice spot to be in
|
| 11
|
Exotic angling target: fine tale-telling, then fellow is heading for home (6,4) | F (fine, on lead pencils) + LYING (tale-telling) + F (fellow) + IS + H (first letter of [heading for] HOME)
|
FLYING FISH (a fish that can leap out of the water and glide in the air for a short time on its long pectoral fins, as if flying; exotic angling target)
|
| 12
|
Fellow‘s fake identity’s incomplete (4)
|
COVER ( an apparently genuine identity, job, etc used as a front, especially by spies; fake identity) excluding the final letter (incomplete) R
|
COVE (man; fellow)
|
| 14
|
Alcott? See her country embracing independence (6)
|
LO (see!) + (USA [country of {LOUISA May Alcott}; her country] containing [embracing] I [independence])
LO U (I) SA |
LOUISA (reference LOUISA May Alcott, American author of Little Women and other novels)
|
| 16
|
Deliberate extravagance where you target Everest? (4,4,)
|
HIGH CAMP (deliberate extravagance)
|
HIGH CAMP (base for final assault on Mount Everest; higher up the mountain than Everest BASE CAMP) double definition |
| 18
|
Commission to reduce wild behaviour in island (8)
|
TASK (commission) excluding the final letter (to reduce) K + MANIA (wild behaviour)
|
TASMANIA (Australian island)
|
| 19
|
Mistakes betray in time (6)
|
RAT (betray) contained in (in) ERA (time)
ER (RAT) A |
ERRATA (mistakes)
|
| 21
|
Shape gender choice? (4)
|
F (female) + OR + M (male) giving a gender choice
|
FORM (shape)
|
| 22
|
Avocations shocked province (4,6)
|
Anagram of (shocked) AVOCATIONS
|
NOVA SCOTIA (province of Canada)
|
| 25
|
Entire old US city’s included in request (9)
|
(O [old] + LA [Los Angeles]) contained in (in) INVITE (request)
INVI (O LA) TE |
INVIOLATE (not broken; entire)
|
| 26
|
Most of excuse about diamonds is improvised (2-3)
|
(ALIBI [excuse] excluding the final letter [most of] I) containing (about) D (diamonds)
A (D) LIB |
AD LIB (impromptu; improvised)
|
| 28
|
Savvy about new place for puzzle (7)
|
NOUS (common sense; savvy) containing (about) (N [new] + PL [place])
NO (N PL) US |
NONPLUS (perplex completely; puzzle)
|
| 29 | See 1 across
|
|
SISTERS
|
| Down | |||
| 1/27
|
Ill-treatment (losing tail) besetting Irish plane (6)
|
(ABUSE [ill-treatment] excluding the final letter (losing tail]) containing (besetting) IR (Irish)
A (IR) BUS |
AIR [BUS] (brand of aeroplane)
|
| 2
|
Endless skill in home woodwork? Here’s a log (5)
|
(ART [skill] excluding the final letter [endless] T) contained in (in) (DIY [do-it-yourself; home woodwork])
DI (AR) Y |
DIARY (log)
|
| 3 | Be surprised and make amends in unseemly haste (3,4,3) | ATONE (make amends) contained in (in) an anagram of (unseemly) HASTE
E (AT ONE’) S HAT* |
EAT ONE’S HAT (be very surprised if something turns out contrary to one’s expectations)
|
| 4
|
Rising prices should be receiving of reprimand (3,3)
|
(FEES [prices] reversed [rising; down clue]) containing (should be receiving) OF
SEE (OF) F< |
SEE OFF (reprimand)
|
| 5
|
Hit man? Special forces interrupting a second offence (8)
|
(SAS [Special Air Service]) contained in (interrupting) (A + S [second] + SIN [offence])
A S (SAS) SIN |
ASSASSIN (a person who, usually for a fee or reward, or for political reasons, kills by surprise or secretly;hit man)
|
| 6
|
Easy thing to throw off cap a short distance (4) | CINCH (something easy) excluding the first letter (throw off cap) C
|
INCH (short distance)
|
| 7
|
Girlfriend in Italy’s upset at a city-dweller there (9)
|
(AT + A + ROMAN [city dweller of Rome, Italy] + I {International Vehicle Registration for Italy]) all reversed (upset)
(I NAMOR A TA)< |
INAMORATA (woman in love; girlfriend, from an Italian word INNAMORATA)
|
| 9
|
South American city parted with llama sadly (3,3,5)
|
Anagram of (sadly) PARTED and LLAMA
|
MAR DEL PLATA (Argentinian coastal city)
|
| 11
|
Roguish employees brought in to fix a fighter plane up (11)
|
STAFF (employees) contained in (brought in to) ([NAIL {fix} + A + F {fighter plane as in F-15, F-16 etc}]) all reversed [up])
F A L (STAFF) IAN< |
FALSTAFFIAN (like or relating to Shakespeare’s Falstaff, ie corpulent, jovial, humorous, dissolute and irrepressibly impudent.roguish)
|
| 13
|
Road collision mostly blocks this (not important) (5,5,)
|
(RD [road] + [CLASH {collision} excluding the final letter {mostly} H]) contained in (blocks) THIS
THI (RD CLAS) S |
THIRD CLASS (not important – perhaps a little bit harsh as a definiiton. For example, I know a few people with THIRD CLASS degrees who went on to have very successful careers)
|
| 15
|
Shun criminal in two minds say, having offered no confession (9)
|
Anagram of (criminal) SHUN + RIVEN (torn apart; possibly in two minds over something)
UNSH* RIVEN |
UNSHRIVEN (having made no confession)
|
| 17
|
Story picked up over pubs relinquishing earliest glasses (8)
|
FIB (lie; story) reversed (picked up) + (LOCALS [pubs] excluding the first letter [relinquishing earliest] L)
BIF< OCALS |
BIFOCALS (spectacles; lasses)
|
| 20
|
Pet, one tucking into salad veg (6)
|
A (one) contained in (tucking into) CRESS (a salad vegetable)
C (A) RESS |
CARESS (pet)
|
| 23
|
Trend includes line identifying diacritical mark (5)
|
TIDE (trend) containing (includes) L (line)
TI (L) DE |
TILDE (diacritical mark ~)
|
| 24
|
Spanish city’s uplifted in seasonal festival (4)
|
LEON (city in North West Spain) reversed (uplifted; down clue)
NOEL< |
NOEL (Christmas; seasonal festival)
|
| 27
|
See 1 down
|
|
BUS
|
Thanks duncanshiell and Phi,
A very nice blog and a great puzzle.
I quite often have problems finishing off Phi’s puzzles. With this one I moved confidently and fairly quickly through it, before staring at my final clue – 23d – for a while. Eventually I decided that “tolne” must be a word.
Just goes to prove what they all say – it’s never over ~ fat lady sings.
I had all of the necessary GK and vocabulary so this puzzle was towards the easier end of Phi’s spectrum, for me at least. The NE went in straight away and from then on the rest of the answers came relatively quickly. An enjoyable solve nonetheless. TASMANIA was my LOI after FALSTAFFIAN.
Found this a bit harder than the usual Phi. Had to drag UNSHRIVEN from the memory bank and stared at 12A, my last one in, for ages.
Two minor quibbles with blog of 25A. “Old” should not be underlined. INVIOLABLE means cannot be violated, INVIOLATE means has not been violated; they are not synonyms and the latter is not an old version of the former.
Thanks to Phi and duncanshiell.
Thanks, Duncan, for the usual comprehensive blog. But just to pick up a minor point about 25ac: INVIOLATE means ‘not broken’ rather than ‘cannot be broken’. And thanks to Phi, of course.
Also thanks to muffyword – your comment about de fat lady made me smile!
Sorry, gwep, you got in there while I was still typing.
gwep and allanc_c @ 3 and 4
Sorry about the errors in the blog at 25 across, all corrected now. I got by myself into a mess by not reading properly the comment in Collins that INVIOLATE is a less common word for INVIOLABLE
Thanks Phi for a generally very enjoyable crossword and Duncan for the blog.
It is almost a trademark of Phi’s to have two answers meeting in the NW and SE corners in the way 1ac/29ac and 1dn/27dn do in this puzzle. I am not a fan of this, or any other construction in which the same answers cross more than once. Lovely once you have got one of the answers, but a bit of a pain if you are stuck on both. In this case the down clue went in from one checked letter as soon as I read it. I got stuck for a while on the across clue, because after Anax yesterday I was trying to find an anagram of “world war two act”. I should have counted the letters after the word “upset” earlier than I did – my problem, not anyone else’s.
24dn: A more serious grumble on this one, and an issue that has been raised before. To my mind this is a completely ambiguous clue, because “uplifted in” is a perfectly good reversal indicator (in a down clue) preceding the material to be reversed. Having said that, I have no quarrel with those who are happy to accept the occasional ambiguous clue as long as the crossword as a whole has only one solution, using the checked letters to resolve the ambiguity.
Despite my dissatisfaction with 24dn, I should say that Phi remains one of my favourite setters.
I’d never really thought about those answers crossing more than once, Pelham. It was a pretty solver-friendly grid otherwise, so perhaps that’s why it didn’t bother me. My personal pet hate is having a gateway clue crossing with a solution that depends on solving it.
Liked this one, with only FALSTAFFIAN being outside of my normal vocabulary. COVE always reminds me of the Dear Bill letters in Private Eye, supposed correspondence between Denis Thatcher and Bill Deedes.
Thanks to Duncan for the blog and to Phi for the puzzle.
I really enjoyed the teasing wit involved in this puzzle but couldn’t get the bottom left corner out. So, thanks for the blog and the puzzle: pleasure, frustration, then smiling relief and understanding. Ace!
And the Nina?
Phi @10: Hint 1, please?
Must admit Nina over my head, bit of a flying mini theme. Hmm
I did tell Eimi this was seasonal but obscure: start with NOËL INCH and think music and geography
I’m on the side of this seemed more difficult than the usual Friday Phi. The bottom left corner needed some assistance, although 12ac was my last in.
Anyone else notice we had CARESS two days in a row?
And no, I can’t see the Nina.
Phi @13: That gives me Christmas Island. I can see Cook Islands at 9ac (ROAST), the Isle of Man at 12ac (COVE), and Virgin Islands at 25ac (INVIOLATE), but I do not see a musical connection. Any more hints?
Hints harder without giving the game away. There are four Christmas Islands referenced in the puzzle, three geographical, one musical.
Sorry to be late to the party, but I got the nina (I think). As well as Noel Inch, there are Christmas Islands in both Tasmania and Nova Scotia, and the Andrews Sisters had a hit in 1946 called Christmas Island. Obscure indeed!
Tatrasman@17: That makes a lot more sense than my suggestions @15. I am better on the type of Nina where words are hidden in the unchecked letters or spanning parts of answers.
Late in the day I know but a busy Christmas Friday and looming delight of a Phi puzzle meant leaving this to enjoy with my Saturday morning coffee? Am I alone in delaying this enjoyable pastime?
Great puzzle and Nina! Completed former but defeated by latter (darn you, Phi!)
Loved your “till de” play, Muffyword.
Initially misled by 5ac. Had “Cosmism” which is a belief system and, of course, Cos is an island. As this was one of my first in, I was understandably(?) sidetracked. Was I alone in this – I wonder if it was a deliberate trap from Phi?!!
BTW Churchill ‘only’ achieved a third class degree. I recall a newspaper leader some years ago opining that the very best people had thirds!