Solving Time: 26 minutes
Lots of F’s around in today’s Phi puzzle (including four block
shapes in the corners of the grid). The usual mix of cryptic defs
and good sound clue construction which we havecome to expect from Phi.
Not sure about 25 across, if you can offer a better explanation,
I’d be happy to hear.
ACROSS (* = ANAGRAM / CD = CRYPTIC DEFINITION / Rev = REVERSAL)
1 FISTICUFFS FIST IS with CUFF (Manacle) inside.
8 LARCENOUS COUNSEL* around AR(T) (endless skill).
9 GURU U + RUG (Rev)
10 MINIMA Took me back to Maths at school. MINIM
(Note) + A.
11 FALSTAFF FALS(E) (Not entirely fake) + TAFF – I assume
FLUELLEN was a Welsh chap.
13 PLEASE P (Prince) + LEASE
14 FLASHMAN The archetypal bully. F + LASH = MAN(Y)
19 FLUFFY FLU + FF (Following) + Y
21 FREE FALL REEF inside FALL
23 FRASER ERAS* inside FR
25 FLAG Bit puzzled by this clue. Can’t see
what else it can be, but a flag shouldn’t
grow on a flag. Unless flag is being used as
a paving stone?
26 OPEN SKIES KEEPS ON IS*
27 FRIENDLESS Took me a while to see this too. FRI (could be)
ENDLESS waiting for Saturday.
DOWN
1 FREEMASON FORENAMES*
2 SLOW SOW (Broadcast) with L inside
3 INSTALLS IN + STALLS
4 URGES (S)URGES
5 FIREARM EAR inside FIRM
6 FLAMEPROOF FLAME (Abusively email) + O in PROF.
12 FANCY DRESS CD
15 SCLEROSIS ISLE + CROSS*
16 FEEL GOOD EEL + G (Finally “appearing”) in FOOD
18 FUELLER FULLER with E inside
20 FOSSIL OF (REV) + S + SIL(L)
25 across – not absolutely sure but read it as the plant ‘flag’ (in Concise OED and elsewhere) not growing on a flagstone. A little surreal perhaps. The F theme helped me to finish when I stuggled a bit.
I think Nmsindy is right about flagstone, although it did seem a bit odd to me. Harder than usual today. Had never heard of Fraser (James Earle at any rate, thanks to Google), but I suppose it could be Lady Antonia.