Phi is occupying his usual Friday slot, bringing this sweltering week’s suite of mid-week puzzles to an end.
I hope that solvers were able to muster the energy to solve this puzzle, no doubt wafting a fan with one hand and wielding a pen with the other.
I found this to be towards the upper end of the difficulty spectrum for Phi in the Indy. There were a lot of longer entries crammed into this grid, and I found some of the wordplay to be rather elaborate and hard to tease out, such as at 4D and 15A. However, I did manage to parse everything to my satisfaction in the end.
I have not spotted any kind of ghost theme here, but then again, I rarely do? Any offers?
My favourite clues today were 5, 12 and 22, all for smoothness of surface; and 11, for the definition part.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are underlined; a break in underlining separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| ACROSS
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||
| 1 | BOWER |
Hat Liberal discarded in recess (5)
|
| BOW<l>ER (=hat; “liberal (=L) discarded” means letter “l” is dropped); a bower is a shady enclosure or recess in a garden, an arbour | ||
| 4 | VITICIDES |
Problems for wine-makers: six detectives probing links (9)
|
| VI (=six, in Roman numerals) + [CID (=detectives, i.e. Criminal Investigations Department, in UK) in TIES (=links, connections]; viticides are wine pests, hence “problems for wine-makers” | ||
| 9 | MINIMALISTS |
Top celebrities enthralled by notes from some contemporary composers … (11)
|
| A-LIST (=top celebrities) in MINIMS (=notes, in music) | ||
| 10 | NOR |
… and not enthralled by countertenors (3)
|
| Hidden (“enthralled by”) in “counterteNORs” | ||
| 11 | HOSEPIPE |
It may dampen expectation about cooked pies (8)
|
| *(PIES) in HOPE (=expectation); “cooked” is anagram indicator | ||
| 13 | POTEEN |
Youngster pursuing work recalled making illegal booze (6)
|
| PO (OP=work, i.e. opus; “recalled” indicates reversal) + TEEN (=youngster) | ||
| 15 | SERVITUDE |
Bondage TV series not entirely scrapped, receiving backing of the French (9)
|
| UD (DU=of the French, i.e. a French rendering of of the; “backing of” indicates reversal) in *(TV SERIE<s>); “not entirely” means last letter is dropped from anagram, indicated by “scrapped” | ||
| 16 | OCTAL |
Sources in Oxford and Cambridge chat endlessly regarding eights (5)
|
| O<xford> + C<ambridge> (“sources in” means first letters only) + TAL<k> (=chat; “endlessly” means last letter is dropped) | ||
| 17 | ENEMA |
Blokes in A&E returned for medical intervention (5)
|
| MEN (=blokes) in [A + E]; “returned” indicates (full) reversal | ||
| 18 | ROOMINESS |
Aussie creatures surrounding excavations? Lots of space (9)
|
| MINES (=excavations) in ROOS (=Aussie creatures, i.e. kangaroos) | ||
| 19 | COWBOY |
Rancher wary, suppressing expression of pain in front of buckaroo, initially (6)
|
| [OW (=expression of pain) + B<uckaroo> (“initially” means first letter only)] in COY (=wary, shy) | ||
| 20 | DIRTY DOG |
Yard probing juicy gossip over Government scoundrel (5,3)
|
| YD (=yard, in addresses) in [DIRT (=juicy gossip, as in to dish the dirt) + O (=over, on cricket scorecard) + G (=government)] | ||
| 23 | IMP |
Independent politician, a source of funny business? (3)
|
| I (=independent) + MP (=politician, i.e. Member of Parliament); as a maker of mischief, an imp could be described as “a source of funny business” | ||
| 24 | NETHERLANDS |
Country swamping the river in neon lights (11)
|
| [THE + R (=river)] in [NE (=neon, i.e. chemical formula) + LANDS (=(a)lights, comes ashore)] | ||
| 26 | YORKSHIRE |
Factory at first trimmed wages after year in part of Northern England (9)
|
| Y (=year) + <w>ORKS (=factory, plant; “at first trimmed” means first letter is dropped) + HIRE (=wages, for service) | ||
| 27 | WEEDY |
Went quietly, finally exhibiting little strength (5)
|
| WEED (=went (to the toilet), peed) + <quietl>Y (“finally” means last letter only) | ||
| DOWN
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||
| 1 | BUMPH |
Dreadful pub documentation (5)
|
| BUM (=dreadful, dud) + PH (=pub, i.e. public house) | ||
| 2 | WINDSCREEN WIPER |
Twist unsettling re: new prices for car accessory (10,5)
|
| WIND (=twist, turn) + *(RE NEW PRICES); “unsettling” is anagram indicator | ||
| 3 | RIM |
Border in order, though not at first (3)
|
| <t>RIM (=in order, tidy); “though not at first” means first letter is dropped | ||
| 4 | VOLUPTUARY |
Hedonist elevated endless desire, elevated attempt to seize gold, on reflection (10)
|
| VOL (LOV<e>=desire; “endless” means last letter is dropped; “elevated” indicates vertical reversal) + UP (=elevated, raised) + [UA (AU=gold; “on reflection” indicates reversal) in TRY (=attempt, go)]; a voluptuary is a person excessively fond of or devoted to bodily enjoyments or luxury, a sensualist | ||
| 5 | TOSS |
Cast will turn up in Cats, so there! (4)
|
| Hidden (“in”) and reversed (“up”) in “catS SO There”; to cast is to throw, hurl, hence “toss” | ||
| 6 | COSMOLOGIST |
One considering the Universe dispersing stoic’s gloom (11)
|
| *(STOIC’S GLOOM); “dispersing” is anagram indicator | ||
| 7 | DANCE ATTENDANCE |
Wait at a late point of the evening, being between turns on the floor? (5,10)
|
| AT TEN (=at a late point in the evening) in [DANCE (=turn on the floor) + DANCE (=turn on the floor)]; to dance attendance on someone is to wait (assiduously) on them | ||
| 8 | SPRINKLES |
Small place initially without facilities for skating? Not quite – touches here and there (9)
|
| S (=small, in sizes) + P<lace> (“initially” means first letter only) RINK-LES<s> (=without facilities for skating?; “not quite” means last letter is dropped) | ||
| 12 | PRIMA DONNAS |
Publicity group is taking care of pop singer and other divas (5,6)
|
| MADONNA (=pop singer, from US) in [PR (=publicity group, i.e. public relations) + IS] | ||
| 14 | VELOCIPEDE |
With Charlie and I involved, excitedly develop European road transport? (10)
|
| {[C (=Charlie, in NATO alphabet) + I] in *(DEVELOP)} + E (=European); a velocipede was an early form of bicycle, originally one propelled by the feet on the ground | ||
| 15 | SPEECHIFY |
Deliver sermon: quick to dismiss God, capturing Church uncertainty (9)
|
| [CH (=church) + IF (=(an) uncertainty)] in SPEE<d>Y (=quick; “to dismiss God (=D, for Deus) means letter “d” is dropped) | ||
| 21 | GUSTY |
Chap clutching stone, feeling effects of gale (5)
|
| ST (=stone, i.e. unit of weight) in GUY (=chap) | ||
| 22 | ETUI |
Case ends in outcome against you and I (4)
|
| [<outcom>E <agains>T <yo>U] + I; “ends in” means last letters only; an étui is a small sewing case | ||
| 25 | LOW |
Water movement lacking force, lacking strength (3)
|
| <f>LOW (=water movement); “lacking force (=F, as in RAF)” means letter “f” is dropped |
Faves: MINIMALISTS, SERVITUDE (backing…rather than backing of), NETHERLANDS, VOLUPTUARY,
DANCE ATTENDANCE and PRIMA DONNAS.
Thanks Phi and RR.
I thought this was Phi on top form. I agree with Kva about favourites and would add HOSEPIPE.
Thank you Phi and RR! I particularly liked the two uses of “elevated” in w VOLUPTUARY and the two dances in DANCE ATTENDANCE. VITICIDES, POTEEN and BUMPH I didn’t know but they were gettable from the clueing, which was very clear. Thanks for the explanation of LANDS. F btw is for force in physics, too.
I thought force in physics was P, and f acceleration, as in P = m (mass) x f
Roger@4. How unfortunate for you to have had a dyslexic physics teacher!
F=ma
Meanwhile, I enjoyed the prima donnas and the gloomy stoic. Thanks, both.
Bumf is short for bum-fodder, so the ‘bumph’ spelling is a little odd but is in Chambers.
Great stuff which repaid the effort in trying to nail down the often complicated parsing. In the end I failed on working out how D stood for ‘God’ in SPEECHIFY which if I have seen before I’ve forgotten. Hard to pick favourites among so many good ones but I’ll go for the high tech ‘road transport?’ and the ‘place initially without facilities for skating? Not quite’ as the ones that stood out for me.
Thanks to Phi and to RR for the usual excellent blog.