It’s Phi-day again!
Another smooth puzzle from our regular Friday setter.
We had never come across HIEROLATRY (5d) before and Joyce had heard of NABOTH (20d) – a biblical vineyard owner – but until she checked online had forgotten the story about being betrayed by Queen Jezebel. However both clues were reasonably easily solved (with the crossing letters) from the wordplay. We learn something new every day with cryptics – whether we remember these things is obviously up for debate.
As this is Phi, there is probably a theme – but, as has become more and more normal recently, we can’t find one. Any thoughts out there?
FORT (defensive position) in (‘adopted by’) AI (first class- ‘excellent’) motORIsts (middle 3 letters or ‘core’)
A SPICe (flavouring) missing the last letter (‘reduced’)
BOARD (directors) round MB (megabyte – ‘quantity of computer data’)
S (special) SIN (‘bit of naughtiness’) in (‘concealed by’) ROI (French for king)
2 definitions? : OR (gold – or is it ‘shade of gold?) in IVY (‘plant that’s generally green’)
ICED (chilled) in (‘during’) POLO (game) + G (good)
An anagram (‘merry’) of WIDOW, GENT, EH and HINT
A N (new) DIN (racket) SKY (broadcaster) all behind K (king)
CHAS (Charles) M (first letter or ‘heading’ of moon)
TAU (cross) round ABLE (having skill)
Y (last letter or ‘rear’ of shabby) AWNING (window-shade)
The clue initially suggests that T (last or ‘ultimate’ letter or that) should ‘contain’ LEGO (bricks) – ‘on the contrary’ turns the wordplay around with T being ‘contained by’ LEGO
GUT (instinctive) + B (book) in (‘probing’) an anagram (‘manoeuvring’) of GREEN
‘Conspicuous military decorations’ could fancifully be described as WAR BLING
BOOT (kick) round (‘investing’) M (millions) + OWN (have)
An anagram (‘ruined’) of DATES + Y (variable – in maths)
OVID (Roman poet) with the ‘v’ (verse) moved to the front
An anagram (‘possibly’) of IE HOLY ART round R (right) – a new word for us
S (small) SAC (bag) in (‘fed to’) MARE (horse)
UP (‘at university’) WIN (succeed) D (degree)
A + i CHING (system of divination) missing (‘disposing of’) ‘i’ (one)
A reversal (‘set up’) of GRUB ST (street) in PITH (central part)
An anagram (‘melted’) of THE O (ring) in WHIT (‘a little bit’)
I (Italy) + AG (silver) in MINES (pits)
A reversal (‘picked up’) of YE’D (‘you’d once’) round MAGOG (giant figure)
K (1,000) sETTLE (determine) missing (‘avoiding’) the ‘initial’ letter
NAH (‘negative comment for some’) round BOTtle (half missing)
C (first or ‘initial’ letter of crow) A-WING (flying)
A reversal (‘climbing’) of ITEm (‘thing’) missing the last letter (‘without tail’) Y (‘unknown’ – in maths)
All pretty solid stuff (with tiny eyebrow raises for ‘core of’ mot(ORI)sts being three letters rather than one, and for ‘you’d’ = YE’D) but beaten by nho NABOTH. BOT was the easy bit but there are quite a few three letter words that could convey negativity and the ‘for some’ opened up the possibility of foreign language negatives as well. NABOTE, NABOTY, NEBOTE all came to mind; NAH never did so a DNF for me.
Thanks both
Ditto PM @1. Thought about non, tried nay, and only then nah, so a dnf. Foi was a fortiori, with all the more reason, an expression some philosophers are fond of. Nice puzzle, ta Phi and BandJ.
A lot of general knowledge called for, some biblical/ classical/ offbeat.
Not usually my pigeon, but the clues were all fair in cryptic crossword terms.
Not much fun to be had.
GONE WITH THE WIND, 15(ac), so many ways to describe Scarlett O’Hara, as an anagrind, so “merry” simply spoils a good idea.
And it’s all, a bit that way: the clues work, ho-hum.
The solutions…ho-hum. On which basis, there must be a theme, but after VOID/CHASM/ I was YAWNING.
Thanks, B&J
ENBoll& @3 I think you’re missing the point at 15a.
Scarlett was very much a merry widow after her 1st husband was killed in the war so the clue works well in my opinion as a ‘clue-as-def’ or ‘and lit’ depending on your viewpoint.
I don’t do the Friday crossword that often but did enjoy this one.
Thanks to Phi & B&J
Reddd@4
I got it, but thanks for your input. I think she was twice-widowed, thrice married, so “devious” , in my book. for the anagrind.
She was a miserable woman, most times.
If ” merry widow ” suits other solvers, that’s fine.
Still a poor clue, to a weak definition: FILM.
Wow. FILM.
Thanks both. Whilst I enjoyed the struggle, I was destined for a defeat in one or two areas, as I disproved our bloggers’ view re NABOTH and HIEROLATRY by needing a second guess. Answers like A FORTIORI just frustrate me, as teaching Latin in my school had been discontinued along with the description of a boyfriend as a STEADY.
I did recall NABOTH from somewhere. WAR-BLING was last in, but it did make me laugh.