Independent 12,422 by Phi – Fifteensquared

It’s Phi-day again.

Another great puzzle from our ‘regular’ Friday setter. We found this one a little trickier than usual, but no less enjoyable.

For once we succeeded in finding the theme – a Nina in the top and bottom rows. Admittedly, we had to ‘investigoogle’ ‘La Donna è Mobile’ to find that it is the title of an aria from Verdi’s opera ‘Rigoletto’. We don’t think there are any other thematic entries, but we are not opera-lovers, so we could easily have missed something.

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS

8. Suppressing anger is far more dispassionate (6)

FAIRER

IRE (anger) in (‘suppressed by’) FAR

9. Source of drink and marijuana given to clubman? (3-5)

TEA-CADDY

TEA (US slang for marijuana) CADDY (‘clubman’ – at a golf club)

10. Oxide reliably breaking down (8)

BERYLLIA

An anagram (‘breaking down’) of RELIABLY – a new word for us

11. Cracked it, entering most of interior (6)

INSANE

SA (sex appeal – ‘it’) in (‘entering’) INNEr (interior) missing the last letter (‘most of’)

12. About to leave road? Keep in place (4)

STET

STreET (road) with ‘re’ (about) omitted (‘leaving’)

14. Book not generating interest or criticism (5)

BLAME

B (book) LAME (not generating interest)

16. Hesitate to oust leader in state (4)

AVER

hAVER (hesitate) missing (‘ousting’) the first letter (‘leader’)

18. Suggestion engineers should be brought in by city (6)

BREATH

RE (Royal engineers) ‘brought’ in BATH (city)

20. US state home to river touching the sea (6)

MARINE

MAINE (US state) round (‘home to’) R (river)

22. Sailor escaping bottom of ocean for a start (4)

SEED

SEabED (bottom of ocean) with ‘ab’ (sailor) omitted (‘escaping’)

23. Sauce a part of canapés today? (5)

PESTO

Hidden (‘a part of’) in canaPES TOday

25. Kick-off of game upset spectators (4)

GATE

G (first letter or ‘kick-off’ of game) ATE (upset)

26. Crowds, perhaps, having hour in river (6)

THREES

HR (hour) in TEES (river) – a reference to ‘three’s a crowd’

28. Meadowlands contributing to unalloyed contentment (8)

PLEASURE

LEAS (meadowlands) in (‘contributing to’) PURE (unalloyed)

30. Impediment bringing in right horse at dressage? (8)

STRUTTER

STUTTER (impediment) round (‘bringing in’) R (right)

31. Charlie, slowly, finally absorbing section of convoluted story? (6)

TWISTY

TWIT (Charlie) Y (last or ‘final’ letter of slowly) round (‘absorbing’) S (section)

DOWN

1. Label meant to be edited? That’s very unfortunate (10)

LAMENTABLE

An anagram (‘to be edited’) of LABEL MEANT

2. No opening for bubbly host (4)

ARMY

bARMY (bubbly) missing the first letter (‘no opening’)

3. Component of toolbox routine took effect (5,3)

DRILL BIT

DRILL (routine) BIT (took effect)

4. A measure of power taken up under old Canadian government? (6)

OTTAWA

A reversal (‘taken up’) of A WATT (measure of power) after (‘under’ in a down clue) O (old)

5. Oyster? Simple to swallow half of it (6)

NATIVE

NAIVE (simple) round (‘swallowing’) T (‘half of it’) – apparently, according to Chambers, ‘native’ can mean ‘native oyster’

6. Area amidst Northern university accommodation provoking illness (10)

NAUSEATING

A (area) in (‘amidst’) N (Northern) U (university) SEATING (accommodation)

7. Study supporting Australian port (4)

ADEN

DEN (study) after (‘supporting’) A (Australian)

13. One of a pair guided through river with hesitation (10)

TWEEDLEDUM

LED (guided) in (‘through’) TWEED (river) UM (hesitation)

15. Silent disease – no additional comment (3)

MUM

MUMps (disease) missing ‘ps’ (additional comment)

17. Voters cheer when Minister, ignoring leader, gets in (10)

ELECTORATE

rECTOR (minister) missing the first letter (‘leader’) ‘getting in’ ELATE (cheer)

19. Good to avoid excessive clamour (3)

HUE

HUgE (excessive) missing (‘avoiding’) ‘g’ (good)

21. Lovers at it frenetically, increasingly under covers (8)

AMORETTI

An anagram (‘frenetically’) of AT IT with MORE (increasingly) inside (‘under covers’)

23. Possibly Afghan remains? Read more about that (6)

PASHTO

ASH (remains) in PTO (‘read more’)

24. Excellent US sports event not getting the bird? (6)

SUPERB

SUPERB~~owl~~ (US sports event) missing (‘not getting’) ‘owl’ (bird)

27. Expedition leaving South – what’s not to like? (4)

HATE

HAsTE (expedition) missing (‘leaving’) ‘s’ (south)

29. Mollusc spurning new trip at sea (4)

SAIL

SnAIL (mollusc) missing (‘spurning’) ‘n’ (new)

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