A standard Friday crossword from Phi today
If there is an overt theme or message in today’s crossword it has eluded me. It looks just like a good commuter crossword with more than a nod to the scientists. There are a couple of horticultural references with ESPALIERED at 13 across and ORCHIDISTS at 16 across. IT enthusiasts get recognised with SCROLL BAR at 21 across, MULTIPROCESSORS at 25 across and DRIVERS at 26 across. RADIO WAVE at 11 across is also in the scientific field. I did wonder if there was some link between the scientific references and alumni of NEWNHAM (1 across) College, but I think that would be too vague to be a theme as all the scientific references are fairly broad.
This was a crossword where I started in the NW corner and made steady progress South and East. The last pair in were the SCROLL BAR / CORELLI crossers at 21a / 17d
Over two thirds of the clue had some form of container and contents element to them.
I enjoyed the puzzle but thought the clues for ESPALIERED at 13 across was a bit forced. I assume that PEARL’D is an abbreviation for PEAR WOULD, but it just looks a bit odd when written. Perhaps I’m missing something.
The clue that took me longest to parse was the one involving A1 and I groaned when I finally saw it!
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
| 1
|
Cambridge college establishing base for education in London borough (7)
|
N (last letter of [base for] EDUCATION) contained in (establishing … in) NEWHAM (one of the many London boroughs)
NEW (N) HAM |
NEWNHAM (Women only Cambridge College established in 1871)
|
| 5
|
Sex appeal and love enshrined in theatrical lingerie item (4-3)
|
(IT [sex appeal] + O [love score in tennis]) contained in (enshrined in) CAMP (theatrical
CAM (IT O) P |
CAMI-TOP (lingerie item)
|
| 9
|
Number getting tense and resisting, however (15)
|
NO (number) + T (tense) + WITH (and) + STANDING (resisting)
|
NOTWITHSTANDING (however)
|
| 10
|
Keep quiet about large group showing laziness (5)
|
SH (keep quiet) containing (about) LOT (large group)
S (LOT) H |
SLOTH (laziness)
|
| 11
|
Party accepts Democrat heading US state communication medium (5,4)
|
RAVE (party) containing (accepts) (D [Democrat] + IOWA [American State])
RA (D IO WA) VE |
RADIO WAVE (communication medium)
|
| 12
|
Quantity of water, quantity that’s not cold (4)
|
BATCH (quantity of material) excluding (not) C (cold)
|
BATH (quantity of water)
|
| 13
|
I see pearl’d get arranged thus? (10)
|
Anagram of (get arranged) I SEE PEARL’D
|
ESPALIERED (trained as a fruit tree [e.g. a PEAR tree] to grow across a wooden lattice)
|
| 16
|
Specialist growers rebuked one getting involved in various sorts (10)
|
(CHID [rebuked] + I [one]) contained in (getting involved in) an anagram of (various) SORTS
OR (CHID I) STS* |
ORCHIDISTS (specialist growers [of ORCHIDs])
|
| 18
|
Food item turning up in foremost of spicy dishes (4)
|
UP reversed (turning) contained in (in) SD (first letters of [foremost of] SPICY and DISHES)
S (PU<) D |
SPUD (potato; food item)
|
| 21
|
Register black interior to mark that’s on-screen feature (6,3)
|
(ROLL [register] + B [black on pencils]) contained in (interior to) SCAR (mark)
SC (ROLL B) AR |
SCROLL BAR (a shaded strip at the side of a computer screen, to which the mouse is pointed to scroll down or up; a screen feature)
|
| 23
|
Places first accommodating grand additions to building (5)
|
WINS (places first) containing (accommodating) G (grand,; $1000)
WIN (G) S |
WINGS (additions to building)
|
| 25
|
Sorts compilers out, having university investing in computer equipment (15)
|
Anagram of (out) (SORTS COMPILERS) containing (having … investing in) U (university)
M (U) LTIPROCESSORS* |
MULTIPROCESSORS (computer equipment) |
| 26
|
Runs into various programs (7)
|
R (runs in cricket scoring notation) contained in (into) DIVERS (various)
D (R) IVERS |
DRIVERS (computer programs that control devices)
|
| 27
|
Top brass? Top metal coating article (7)
|
CAP (top) + (TIN [metal] containing [coating] A [indefinite article])
CAP T (A) IN |
CAPTAIN (chief officer; top brass)
|
| Down | |||
| 1
|
Service North is supported by individuals (5)
|
N (North) + ONES (individuals) (this is a down entry so the letter N is supported by the letters of ONES)
|
NONES (a church service originally held at the ninth hour, or three o’clock, afterwards earlier.)
|
| 2
|
Free from intelligence? That encapsulates you (7)
|
WIT (intelligence) containing (encapsulating) THOU (you)
WI (THOU) T |
WITHOUT (free from)
|
| 3
|
Stature‘s something like A1? (6)
|
H + EIGHT(8) H8 is like A1 as A is the first letter of the alphabet and H is the EIGHTh
|
HEIGHT (stature)
|
| 4
|
Religious instructor: old woman’s dressed his hair (9)
|
MA (mother; old woman) + an anagram of (dressed) HIS HAIR
MA HARISHI* |
MAHARISHI (a leading instructor in the Hindu faith.)
|
| 5
|
Director and so on upset about one quoted (5)
|
(D [director] + [ETC {et cetera; and so on}]) all reversed (upset) containing (about) I (one)
(C (I) TE D<) |
CITED (quoted)
|
| 6
|
Fellow’s to blow away, clutching large instrument (8)
|
MAN (fellow) + (DO IN [kill; blow away] containing [clutching] L [large])
MAN DO (L) IN |
MANDOLIN (musical instrument)
|
| 7
|
Inadequate song – and where it’ll disappear? (4,3)
|
THIN (inadequate) + AIR (song)
|
THIN AIR (where things disappear into)
|
| 8
|
Obstinate puritan not right to mind about poster (3-6)
|
(PRIG [puritan] excluding [not] R [right]) + (HEED [mind] containing [about] AD</font> [advert; poster])
PIG HE (AD) ED |
PIG-HEADED (obstinate)
|
| 12
|
Burgeoned, was an economic success, losing nothing getting round failure (9) | (BOOMED [was an economic success] excluding [losing] O [nothing]) containing [around] LOSS (failure)
B (LOSS) OMED |
BLOSSOMED (burgeoned)
|
| 14
|
Caper involved brew of char affected by dangerous bacillus (9)
|
ANTIC (caper) containing (involving) (an anagram of [brew of] CHAR)
ANT (HRAC*) IC |
ANTHRACIC (affected by ANTHRAX, a dangerous bacillus)
|
| 15
|
Difficulties entering shelter on a slope (8)
|
ILLS (difficulties) contained in (entering) HIDE (shelter)
H (ILLS) IDE |
HILLSIDE (slope)
|
| 17
|
Contralto, one accepting lines supplied by rock composer (7)
|
(C [contralto] + I [one]) containing (accepting) (ORE [rock] + LL [lines])
C (ORE LL) I |
CORELLI (reference Arcangelo CORELLI [1653 – 1713], Italian baroque composer)
|
| 19
|
Imprudent woman artist attached to shipping line (7)
|
P AND O (Peninsular & Orient, P&O shipping line) + RA (Royal Academician; artist)
|
PANDORA (woman in Greek mythology who open a box to let out all evil; imprudent woman)
|
| 20
|
Confesses: “Drunk now”? Have a drink later (4,2)
|
Anagram of (drunk) NOW + SUP (drink)
OWN* S UP |
OWNS UP (confesses)
|
| 22
|
Attempts to secure right villains for classic film? (5)
|
BIDS (attempts) containing (secure) R (right)
BI (R) DS |
BIRDS (villains of Alfred Hitchcock’s film of the same name)
|
| 24
|
Bridge team includes American woman (5)
|
SN (South, North two partners forming a team in the card game bridge) containing (includes) USA (American)
S (USA) N |
SUSAN (woman’s name)
|
Excellent blog as always, Duncan. Thank you, especially for explaining HEIGHT, which was the only one I couldn’t parse. Excellent puzzle too – a perfect example of the setter losing gracefully. I liked WITHOUT particularly, because if Phi was addressing the surface toward me, he’d be right, especially when he goes into hard mode.
I think CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN might be making an appearance too …
Captain Corelli has some friends…
I did try to get ‘pearl’d’ restored to my original ‘pear’ld’ but that seems not to have happened. I even went out and hunted up pics of espaliered pear trees, which are apparently perfectly feasible.
I enjoyed this solve, although I found it trickier than the last few Phi puzzles, particularly on the LHS. No surprise that I missed the Captain Corelli’s Mandolin theme, and the CORELLI/SCROLL BAR crossers were also my last two in. I didn’t help myself by confidently typing in “microprocessors” at 25ac without bothering to check the anagram fodder, and it was only when I realised that the answer to 15dn had to be HILLSIDE that I went back to it.
Phi @ 2
Thanks for dropping by.
Well, I’ve just learnt a bit more about Louis de Bernieres and discovered that two of his other novels were NOTWITHSTANDING (9 across) and BIRDS WITHOUT WINGS (22 down, 2 down, 23 across). I should have got the CAPTAIN, but I would never have got the other two.
Literature is not my strong point. We do have a copy of CAPTAIN CORELLI’S MANDOLIN in the house but it is my wife who has read it. I have to admit that my taste in literature is far more escapist and trashy so I’m very pleased to see another Lee Child / Jack Reacher novel has just been published!
Thanks for the Lee Child info Duncan – mind you, we both have read CCM as well!
Annoyed we missed the theme – we really needed to leave more time but have been very busy today.
Many thanks to Phi – good fun as always. Thanks for the blog Duncan – comprehensive as always too!
OK, so with all the computer references, who else thought 12ac was going to be “byte”. In the end, it was my LOI.
Standard it may have been Duncan, and most people didn’t seem to have too much trouble with this one. I found it extraordinarily hard and eventually resigned myself to a whole lot of electronic cheating. Must be losing it, for this morning’s Times took me equally long.