It seems this is the last Phiday in the Independent . . .
. . . though our setter has said that he will continue to provide Friday puzzles on his own website for the foreseeable future: see https://phionline.net.nz/2026/10/phidays/.
Enjoyable as always from Phi. A few less common entries but my background in music and science managed to cover most of them, and a bit of Italian helped me to guess 3d. I liked the TEMP ERA, the couple of quintets, and the bird managing not to get caught.
Thanks Phi for all the past crosswords, and (in advance) for keeping them going. And thanks to all those who have commented on these blogs over the 8 years I’ve been doing them.
Definitions are underlined; BOLD UPPERCASE indicates letters used in the wordplay; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | PARALYSE |
Completely stop standard study after article rejected (8)
|
| PAR (standard) + [an]ALYSE (study) without AN (a form of the indefinite article). | ||
| 5 | MONDAY |
Exclamation about working with US lawyer for 24 hours (6)
|
| MY (my! = an exclamation of surprise), around ON (working) + DA (abbreviation for district attorney = US lawyer). | ||
| 10 | SOFT TOUCH |
Source of funds of that kind, frequently closed internally (4,5)
|
| SUCH (of that kind), with OFT (a variant form of “often” = frequently) + TO (closed, describing a door: “pull the door to”) contained in it (internally).
A soft touch = slang for someone who can generally be persuaded to give or lend you money. |
||
| 11 | COBRA |
Horse beginning to rear when meeting a snake (5)
|
| COB (a short stocky horse) + beginning of R[ear] + A (from clue text). | ||
| 12 | EVENING PRIMROSE |
Making things smooth again with words about border flower (7,8)
|
| EVENING (as in “evening out” = making something smooth again) + PROSE (words), around RIM (border). | ||
| 14 | COLLIER |
Dog seen beside river boat (7)
|
| COLLIE (a breed of dog) + R (abbreviation for river).
A ship or boat that carries coal. |
||
| 17 | CHARLES |
King? Both sides led by one in curtailed boardgame (7)
|
| R + L (abbreviations for right and left = both sides), preceded by A (one), contained in CHES[s] (a boardgame) without its last letter (curtailed).
Definition by example: the current King. |
||
| 19 | IRIDIUM |
I deliver iodine? I’m not sure – it’s some kind of element (7)
|
| I + RID (deliver = set free) + I (chemical symbol for iodine) + UM (sound indicating hesitation = I’m not sure).
Chemical element (a silver-coloured metal). |
||
| 20 | TEMPERA |
Paint a period when there were no permanent workers? (7)
|
| A period of time when only temporary workers were employed could be called a TEMP ERA.
Traditional painting medium: pigments mixed with egg yolk or a similar substance. |
||
| 21 | DEPARTMENT STORE |
Leave adviser circling street and head for empty shop (10,5)
|
| DEPART (leave = go away) + MENTOR (adviser), around ST (abbreviation for street), then the first letter (head) of E[mpty]. | ||
| 25 | JAPAN |
Asian country sees censure after agreement in Germany (5)
|
| PAN (censure, as a verb = criticise) after JA (German for “yes” = agreement in Germany). | ||
| 26 | ELUCIDATE |
Cheer, having involved university investigators to explain (9)
|
| ELATE (cheer, as a verb), containing U (abbreviation for university) + CID (abbreviation for Criminal Investigation Department = investigators). | ||
| 27 | YARROW |
Recalled concern about a scented plant (6)
|
| WORRY (concern) reversed (recalled), around A (from clue text).
Flowering plant: whether you call it “scented” or “smelly” is a matter of opinion. |
||
| 28 | LUTENIST |
String player united a couple of quintets to appear in catalogue (8)
|
| U (abbreviation for united) + TEN (2 x 5 = a couple of quintets), contained in LIST (catalogue).
A lute-player. |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | POSTER CHILD |
Commenter on web rebuked about large representative figure (6,5)
|
| POSTER (someone who posts comments online) + CHID (or chided = rebuked), around L (abbreviation for large).
Someone who is a recognisable example of a group. |
||
| 2 | RIFLE |
Search all over, securing lecturer (5)
|
| RIFE (all over = widespread, as in “flu is rife this season”) containing L (abbreviation for lecturer). | ||
| 3 | LATTICINI |
A lot of coffee I see in Italy in Italian glasses (9)
|
| LATT[e] (short for caffè latte = Italian for milky coffee) without the last letter (a lot of . . .) + I C (text-message version of “I see”) + IN (from clue text) + I (abbreviation for Italy).
Plural of latticinio = a piece of glassware made of opaque “milky” white glass, or with white threads forming a pattern within clear glass. It appears that latticini is also Italian for “dairy products”. |
||
| 4 | STUNG |
Distressed a Parisian will abandon stupefying weapon (5)
|
| STUN G[un] (stupefying weapon), without the final UN (the indefinite article in French = Parisian form of “a”). | ||
| 6 | OCCAM |
Old Paul from the Beatles mostly upheld historic philosopher (5)
|
| O (abbreviation for old), then MACC[a] (nickname of Paul McCartney from the Beatles) without the last letter (mostly) reversed (upheld = upwards in a down clue).
William of Occam (or Ockham), 14th-century philosopher, known for the principle Occam’s razor. |
||
| 7 | DE BROGLIE |
Aristocratic scientist’s brother blocking degree over fabrication (2,7)
|
| BRO (slang shortening of “brother”) inserted into DEG (abbreviation for degree), before (over, in a down clue) LIE (fabrication = untruth).
Louis, Duc de Broglie, French theoretical physicist: quantum theory and all that. |
||
| 8 | YEA |
Ultimately they receive a positive vote (3)
|
| Last letters (ultimately) from [the]Y [receiv]E + A (from clue text). | ||
| 9 | SHORT CUT |
Beach reduced? Exclamation of annoyance about council’s initial quick fix? (5,3)
|
| SHOR[e] (beach) without the last letter (cut) + TUT (expression indicating annoyance), around the initial letter of C[ouncil]. | ||
| 13 | ENSLAVEMENT |
Poles in valley uprising and French holding workers in servitude (11)
|
| N + S (North and South Poles), contained in VALE (valley) reversed (uprising, in a down clue), then ET (“and” in French) containing MEN (formerly a standard term for workers). | ||
| 15 | LAID PAPER |
Writing material: help in recording a period (4,5)
|
| AID (help), contained in LP (abbreviation for long-playing gramophone recording) + A (from clue text) + PER (abbreviation for period).
Traditionally-made paper that shows lines from the wire frame it’s made in. |
||
| 16 | REMEMBER |
Recall one of the Engineers? (8)
|
| RE = abbreviation for the Royal Engineers corps in the British Army, so one of them might be called an RE MEMBER. | ||
| 18 | ARMISTICE |
One brought in weaponry with obligation to maintain constant truce (9)
|
| I (one in Roman numerals) inserted into ARMS (weaponry), then TIE (obligation) containing C (mathematical symbol indicating a constant). | ||
| 22 | RONDO |
Some writer on Donizetti identifying piece with recurrent theme (5)
|
| Hidden answer (some . . .) in [write]R ON DO[nizetti].
A musical piece in which the main theme (melody) recurs in alternation with other music. |
||
| 23 | NAURU |
Pacific nation’s new sport bagging gold (5)
|
| N (abbreviation for new) + RU (abbreviation for Rugby Union = sport), containing AU (Au = chemical symbol for gold, from Latin aurum).
A very small island nation in the South Pacific. |
||
| 24 | OMANI |
Arab resident soon upset (5)
|
| IN A MO (slang shortening of “in a moment” = soon) reversed (upset = upwards in a down clue).
A resident of Oman. |
||
| 25 | JAY |
Bird very lucky to avoid Frenchmen (3)
|
| JA[mm]Y (slang for undeservedly lucky) without two M (abbreviation for Monsieur = French title for a man).
Various birds, generally brightly-coloured and noisy. |
I think 10a requires SUCH rather than SO. Had never heard of the posh physicist but wordplay and a google check got there in the end. Other unknown words were all gettable fortunately, LAID PAPER couldn’t be anything else and quite why a lutist needs another word to describe his occupation is beyond me.
Thanks Phi and Quirister, maybe see you on Phi’s own site soon.
Doofs @1: yes, thanks for the correction – now fixed.
Wanted to get in early on this one, rather than sleeping through the comments as I usually do.
Thanks for all your engagement over the years – I’ve put up some thoughts on my 36+ years at the Independent on a new blog post: https://phionline.net.nz/2026/10/the-end-of-the-independent-crossword/. I would love it if you could continue to support Phidays via my site – I’m happy to keep putting up puzzles for you if so. Please also look at last week’s post which Quirister has linked to above. Of course, Pangakupu and Kcit will still appear here, and there’s a Phi IQ on the horizon.
There is a theme in this one – another instalment in a series, though I think the next one (due next month) is particularly neat.
Not to spoil what I think the theme may be, EVENING PRIMROSE might open up a literary source of several solutions.
Ah thanks so much Phi. Always had to sketch a kittler cat when doing your crossword!
Katherine and Simon
Switzerland
Well – looks like this is the Phinal Phi Day puzzle.
What can we say…….?
The first blog we compiled in February 2012 was for a Phi Saturday Prize Crossword. We cannot forget the puzzle Phi compiled as well which had our names across the top -BERTrAND JOYCE. We wondered why Gaufrid had asked us to change our blogging day. What an honour!
We’ll miss our Phi days but we look forward to the ones on your website.
Thanks for the blogs Quirister.
We are blogging the final puzzle tomorrow so we will see you then.
Another fan of TEMPERA. And another who would like to express my thanks for all the Phi day fun. I’m guessing the theme is a Louis MacNeice poem, but not one I’m familiar with. (But thanks for the introduction to Bagpipe Music too)
Thanks both. I got along with most of this, but not quite all, and that has been my typical experience with this setter over many years; frankly, that’s exactly how I’d wish it to be, so more than pleased to carry on through the offered route. How else would we know it is Friday?
Well, it seems to be a fond farewell to the A-Team , P + Q.
A perfect puzzle, perfect blog, a well-hidden and elusive literary theme, and I enjoyed everything.
I was, I confess, misdirected by ARMISTICE/ REMEMBER, (theme?); and the “dog” clue, 14(ac) had me thinking, really…..LASSIER?
COLLIER was the eye-opener.
Like others, and more to follow, I don’t doubt, you will be much missed: Phi, yes, but mostly Ms.Q.
I hope you will both be appearing in a better place, and I am following the links to make sure I join you.
For now, big thanks.
Ian B
Another missed theme for me. Probably because I spend too much time on crosswords to ever read anything.
I tend not to search the internet for solutions. That’s just my M.O. Everything clearly clued today so all filled in but many thanks to Quirister for doing the legwork on the Italian glass and the physicist. Always a clear and thorough blog and today is no exception.
Hopefully sufficient numbers will continue solving Phidays to keep coffee on the table and food in the cat bowls. I’ll be there when I fire up the desktop. Too much of a dinosaur to trust my tablet or phone with anything to do with £s.
Pete.