It’s not often that I get the opportunity to cover an Indy puzzle so this has been a pleasant change. Phi frequently has a ghost theme and I’m fairly sure that today is no exception. However, if there is one it’s outside my sphere of general (or, as in the case of some of Phi’s themes, specialist) knowledge.
14ac & 25ac could be a hint to point us in the right direction but it’s been well over 50 years since I read any of his works so the content detail has long been forgotten. Anyway, my inability to determine a possible theme did not detract from an enjoyable solve.
Across
4 Reaching score playing in the wet? About time (9)
TWENTIETH – an anagram (playing) of IN THE WET around (about) T (time)
9 Be unhappy about sad tune for a long time (7)
CENTURY – CRY (be unhappy) around (about) an anagram (sad) of TUNE
10 Blows knocking one out received by the French drunk (7)
LEGLESS – G[a]LES (blows knocking one out) in (received by) LES (the French)
11 Prepared state feasts within reason? Not feasible (9)
READINESS – DINES (feasts) in (within) REAS[on] (reason? Not feasible)
12 Meeting to hear soprano and tenor (5)
TRYST – TRY (to hear) S (soprano) T (tenor)
13/1/18 Affair affecting one’s profile? (1,3,2,3,4)
A BIT ON THE SIDE – def. & cryptic indicator
14 No groups recalled inviting in venerable Scottish author (9)
STEVENSON – NO SETS (no groups) reversed (recalled) around (inviting in) VEN (venerable)
17 Mostly fresh indications of tree-trunk where trees aren’t found? (9)
CLEARINGS – CLEA[n] (mostly fresh) RINGS (indications of tree-trunk)
20 Ignorant fellow caught dipping into SF novel (5)
DUNCE – C (caught) in (dipping into) DUNE (SF novel)
22 Bribe used around various dates in European parliament (9)
BUNDESTAG – BUNG (bribe) around (used around) an anagram (various) of DATES
25 Welsh composer spurning love – a brief story (7)
NOVELLA – NOVELL[o] (Welsh composer spurning love) A – Alberich had a very similar clue last Friday in the FT (16ac)
26 Expression of joy with position achieved in cycling trick (7)
WHEELIE – WHEE (expression of joy) LIE (position achieved)
27 Most of journalists retreating in front of doorway, seeing lots of snakes (9)
SERPENTRY – PRES[s] (most of journalists) reversed (retreating) ENTRY (doorway)
28 Country not accommodating Queen’s transport (5)
TRAIN – T[er]RAIN (country not accommodating Queen)
Down
1 Part of Leonardo’s career? As of this year, yes! (5)
OSCAR – hidden in (part of) ‘leonardO’S CAReer’ with an extended def.
2 Torment soldiers on top of crumbling salient (9)
TANTALISE – TA (soldiers) plus an anagram (crumbling) of SALIENT
3 F1 team I involved in online solution? (6)
ÉCURIE – I in (involved in) E-CURE (online solution?)
4 Food flavouring once for you and me (5)
THYME – THY (once for you) ME
5 New recruits stationed initially between choppy Nile and another river (9)
ENLISTEES – S[tationed] (stationed initially) in (between) an anagram (choppy) of NILE plus TEES (another river)
6 Sensible measure of duvet’s inducement to sleep (8)
TOGETHER – TOG (measure of duvet) ETHER (inducement to sleep)
7 One opposing soldiers in the old uprising (5)
ENEMY – MEN (soldiers) in YE (the old) reversed (uprising)
8 Expression of doubt in the case, possibly (9)
HESITANCE – an anagram (possibly) of IN THE CASE
13 I’d invested in small amounts after account revealing chance events (9)
ACCIDENTS – I’D in (invested in) CENTS (small amounts) after AC (account)
14 Components of antimony final element in stone-cleaning powder (9)
SANDBLAST – the chemical symbol for ‘antimony’ is Sb so its ‘components’ are S AND B which is followed by LAST (final element)
15 Head of cattle in wrong farm? A small quantity (9)
SCINTILLA – C[attle] (head of cattle) in SIN (wrong) TILL (farm) A
16 Right down and right-wing? (4-4)
TRUE-BLUE – TRUE (right) BLUE (down)
19 Be sorry for others (second going to prison) (6)
REPENT – REsT (others) with the ‘s’ replaced by PEN (second going to prison)
21 Refusal still upset King (5)
NEVER – EVEN (still) reversed (upset) R (king)
23 Was informed audibly, say, ignoring article giving information (5)
NEWSY – a homophone (audibly) of ‘knew’ (was informed) plus S[a]Y (say, ignoring article)
24 Inexperienced about receiving information? On the contrary (5)
GREEN – GEN (information) around (receiving) RE (about)
Nice puzzle, and there is indeed a theme for which I can see at least eight clues, tho’ what prompted it I have been unable to discover.
CoD for me was NOVELLA I like substitutions in general, and this was very pretty.
Thanks to Gaufrid, especially for letting us Daily solvers know that this was by Phi, to whom many thanks also. Most satisfying.
The first three across clues are the name of a musical and various other clues, e.g. 1dn, 19, and 21 refer to songs therein. You can find out more here.
Thanks, Phi and Gaufrid.
Grant Baynham & allan_c
Thanks for the elucidation, it is a theme that I would never have seen. Hardly surprising since musicals have always been my least favourite form of entertainment.
Occasionally I just put in what I’m listening to! OTTC is a favourite and contains the one line that has come closest to making me fall off my theatre seat laughing. Well worth digging out – I haven’t heard whether last year’s major revival has resulted in a recording.
I was quite certain I hadn’t put as many as eight thematic answers in, but my working copy lists nine, so what does my memory know?
Good puzzle; theme as usual about a light year over my head.
The only one I couldn’t get was ECURIE. Golf starts to look interesting when compared to F1, so of course I’d never heard of it.
Thanks to S&B, and good weekend to all.
Can’t say I’ve ever heard of an F1 team referred to as an Ecurie or am I missing something?
redddevil
Chambers just says “a team of motor-racing cars under individual or joint ownership” so it isn’t specifically an F1 term. Apparently its origin is from the French for ‘a stable’.
Ecurie Ecosse – the famous Le Mans winning team of the 1950s.
Thanks for the blog and comments – we’re not into musicals and we searched using novella, Stevenson and Oscar which needless to say did not lead to anything.
Still, an enjoyable, fairly straigtforward solve. Pleasant way to end the week so thanks to Phi as well.
Happy Bank Holiday everyone.