Another Phi-day challenge today.
As usual, all good fun, not too tricky, but definitely not a write-in either. We’re sure there is a theme in there somewhere, but we haven’t been able to identify it – any thoughts out there?
| Across | ||
| 1/29 | Snatch some sleep with coming back inside (6) | |
| KIDNAP | KIP (some sleep) around AND (with) reversed or ‘coming back’ | |
| 3 | Drink put down after solemn manoeuvres (5,6) | |
| LEMON SQUASH | QUASH (put down) after an anagram of SOLEMN – anagrind is ‘manoeuvres’ | |
| 9 | State poll: Republican victory, ultimately (7) | |
| COUNTRY | COUNT (poll) R (Republican) Y (last or ‘ultimate’ letter of ‘victory’) | |
| 10 | Symbol of rank – encourage version to replace latest in use (7) | |
| CHEVRON | V (version) replacing ‘e’ (last or ‘latest’ letter of ‘use’) in CHE |
|
| 11 | Officer posted to secure gear at sea (8) | |
| SERGEANT | SENT (posted) round or ‘securing’ an anagram of GEAR – anagrind is ‘at sea’ | |
| 12 | Top performer absorbs the old example of stamina (6) | |
| STAYER | STAR (top performer) round or ‘absorbing’ YE (‘the old’) | |
| 14 | Vital knowledge extends beyond this presentation (4) | |
| TALK | Hidden in ‘viTAL Knowledge’ | |
| 15 | Old man again not to be shifted from part of South America (10) | |
| PATAGONIAN | PA (old man) + anagram of AGAIN NOT – anagrind is ‘to be shifted’ | |
| 18 | Star’s bust given odd treatment around end of movie? Most mysterious (10) | |
| ABSTRUSEST | An anagram of STARS BUST (anagrind is ‘given odd treatment’) round E (last letter or ‘end’ of ‘movie’) | |
| 19 | Threat to forest study abstracted from arboreal item (4) | |
| FIRE | FIR |
|
| 21 | Right year to include volume in review (6) | |
| SURVEY | SURE (right) Y (year) round or ‘including’ V (volume) | |
| 23 | Mad scientists in book placed article inside computer networks (8) | |
| LAPUTANS | PUT (placed) A (article) in LANS (computer networks). We had vague memories of the Laputans, but weren’t sure where they came from – for anyone else with a similar uncertain recollection – they live on a flying island in Gulliver’s Travels. | |
| 26 | Study cut that’s kept back supply of coal? (7) | |
| EXAMINE | AXE (cut) reversed or ‘kept back’ + MINE (supply of coal?) | |
| 27 | Subgroup of the French not participating in erotic activity (7) | |
| SECTION | SE |
|
| 28 | Revamped stage degree put together again (11) | |
| DESEGREGATE | An anagram of STAGE DEGREE – anagrind is ‘revamped’ | |
| 29 | See 1 | |
| Down | ||
| 1 | Abandons stimulant? (5) | |
| KICKS | Double definition | |
| 2 | Tattoos – odd source of rumpus in children’s toys (4,5) | |
| DRUM ROLLS | RUM (odd) R (first letter or ‘source’ of ‘rumpus’) in DOLLS (children’s toys) | |
| 3 | Young animals, comparatively small, left to escape (6) | |
| LITTER | LITT |
|
| 4 | Dressing – that may be involved in amnesia, unfortunately (10) | |
| MAYONNAISE | YON (that) ‘involved’ in an anagram of AMNESIA – anagrind is ‘unfortunately’ | |
| 5 | Act in ways that could land you here? (4) | |
| NICK | If you were to NICK (steal) something you could end up in the NICK (jail) | |
| 6 | Quite wrong about singular working dispute (8) | |
| QUESTION | An anagram of QUITE (anagrind is ‘wrong’) round S (singular) + ON (working) | |
| 7 | Gunners replacing third of military force in display (5) | |
| ARRAY | RA (Royal Artillery – gunners) replacing the third letter of AR |
|
| 8 | Man finally entering competition after back problem (9) | |
| HINDRANCE | N (last or ‘final’ letter of ‘man’) in RACE (competition) after HIND (back) | |
| 13 | Organise main prison in nineteenth century London (10) | |
| MARSHALSEA | MARSHAL (organise) SEA (main) | |
| 14 | Go beyond answer about to be encountered in course (9) | |
| TRANSCEND | ANS (answer) C (circa – about) ‘encountered’ in TREND (course) | |
| 16 | Copying cartoon, omitting article, then including it (9) | |
| IMITATION | ||
| 17 | Producing book and associated activity, we hear (8) | |
| BREEDING | B (book) + a homonym (‘we hear’) of READING (associated activity) | |
| 20 | Thrust of half of my cryptic clues (6) | |
| MUSCLE | M (half of ‘my’) + an anagram of CLUES – anagrind is ‘cryptic’ | |
| 22 | One occupying bars – shouldn’t then drive here? (5) | |
| ROADS | A (one) occupying RODS (bars) | |
| 24 | Dawn, revealing some characters in Greece? (5) | |
| SUNUP | NUS (characters from Greece) reversed or UP | |
| 25 | Mega-lake, not one pool (4) | |
| MERE | M (mega) ER |
|
Always miss themes, so no help there. Good fun, with LAPUTANS last in.
27A Minor point: “du” is specifically of the (not just of) in French, so it is “of the” (in) French that is not participating.
Thanks to Phi and Bertandjoyce.
Completed grid starts to resemble a sports stadium.
Mostly straightforward, but didn’t finish: LAPUATANS and MARSHALSEA had me beaten, with the fact that they crossed not helping matters.
Thanks all three.
A little bit trickier than some offerings from Phi, but all eminently solvable apart from 19ac where all I could think of was ‘Lite’ – hidden in ‘arboreal item’ – and naturally couldn’t make sense of the rest of the clue.
As for a theme, all I can suggest is the unches in the 7th and 9th columns where various two-letter combinations might have some meaning: AI (a species of sloth), OK, NM (N and M are often used to stand for names in forms and ceremonies), IR (infrared), EH, ML (could be millilitres?) and RE (about). But perhaps I’m looking too hard.
Thanks, Phi and B&J.
This is a CROSS-word puzzle, of course.
Thanks for the hint Phi –
we have quickly found crossfire, cross-section, cross-examine, cross country, cross-talk, crossroad, cross-kicks, cross-question and cross breeding.
Have me missed any?