We’ve now blogged two Phi puzzles in a row – not that we are complaining, there was a lot to enjoy as usual today. Some lovely smooth surfaces as expected – we particularly liked 13ac, 14ac, 17ac and 19ac. Despite being a write-in, we also thought 27ac was a lovely clue too.
Joyce made an awful mistake blogging our first ever Guardian Genius puzzle when she forgot to change the year when blogging the puzzle for Jan 2015. Thankfully she had her wits about her when scheduling this one!
The last puzzle had a hidden theme but we cannot find anything hidden in the grid today but maybe someone else can.
| Across | ||
| 1 | Singer with business in RAM, possibly diplomatic type | |
| AMBASSADOR | BASS (singer) + A DO (business) inside an anagram of RAM (anagrind is ‘possibly’) | |
| 6 | Leader’s error, putting Society first | |
| SHAH | HASH (error) putting S (Society) first | |
| 10 | Columbus is at sea, ignoring black American tunes | |
| SOUL MUSIC | An anagram of COLUM |
|
| 11 | Scotsman recalled poster’s divine female figure | |
| NAIAD | IAN (Scotsman) reversed or ‘recalled’ + AD (poster) | |
| 12 | Fish, slightly chilled, around front of hole on board | |
| SCHOOLS | COOL (slightly chilled) around H (first letter or ‘front of’ Hole) inside SS (ship) or in other words ‘on board’ | |
| 13 | Possibly he is to make declaration banning church | |
| PRONOUN | PRONOUN |
|
| 14 | Content of argument closed with a snap | |
| TOPIC | TO (closed) with PIC (snap) | |
| 15 | Delegates decline to appear amongst fellows Government sacked | |
| ENTRUSTS | RUST (decline) ‘amongst’ |
|
| 17 | Request certainly giving gratification | |
| PLEASURE | PLEA (request) + SURE (certainly) | |
| 19 | More payment on boarding public transport | |
| BONUS | ON inside or ‘boarding’ BUS (public transport) | |
| 22 | Hat’s damaged, being filled with a good deal of grain | |
| TRICORN | TORN (damaged) around or ‘being filled by’ RIC |
|
| 23 | American is about to regret backing large bloc of countries | |
| EURASIA | A reversal or ‘backing of’ A (American) IS + A (about) + RUE (regret) | |
| 25 | Chap’s first hill climbed? | |
| FELLA | If you listed all the fells or hills you climbed in order, your first one may have been listed as FELL A | |
| 26 | Coffee about to be brought in by friar, the sycophant | |
| FLATTERER | LATTE (coffee) + RE (about) inside or ‘brought in by’ FR (friar) | |
| 27 | Huge? Huge? On reflection, mediocre | |
| SO-SO | OS (outsize – huge) repeated and then reversed or ‘reflected’ | |
| 28 | Unwisely upheld airy veneration of Madonna | |
| HYPERDULIA | An anagram of UPHELD AIRY (anagrind is ‘unwisely’). Once we had a few crossing letters we made a lucky guess. | |
| Down | ||
| 1 | More than one fool experiences losing power | |
| ASSES | ||
| 2 | Hurry into bar, picking up sort of refreshment? | |
| BRUSH-UP | RUSH (hurry) into a reversal or ‘picking up’ of PUB (bar) | |
| 3 | Assail economic works every so often in America | |
| SEMI-OCCASIONAL | An anagram of ASSAIL ECONOMIC (anagrind is ‘works’). | |
| 4 | Serve fruit drink, not cold, but on time | |
| ASSIST | ||
| 5 | Resident military leader’s trophy given to soldier | |
| OCCUPANT | OC (military leader – Officer Commanding) + CUP (trophy) + ANT (soldier) | |
| 7 | Atrocious German article suppressed by royal family mostly | |
| HEINOUS | EIN (German article) inside or ‘suppressed by’ HOUS |
|
| 8 | Dishonest wayward lotus-eaters | |
| HEDONISTS | An anagram of DISHONEST (anagrind is ‘wayward’) | |
| 9 | Proper border control left off getting upset about Australian, according to hearsay | |
| UNCORROBORATED | U (proper) + anagram of BORDER CONTRO |
|
| 14 | County supports suggestion for county officers | |
| TIPSTAFFS | STAFFS (county) underneath or ‘supporting’ TIP (suggestion) | |
| 16 | Exclaim about a lake and marsh being taken over by insect | |
| CRANE FLY | CRY (exclaim) about A + [L (lake) and FEN (marsh) reversed or ‘taken over’] | |
| 18 | What waiter will do, turning up with the French food | |
| EDIBLES | BIDE (what waiter will do) reversed or ‘turning up’ with LES (French for the) | |
| 20 | Hero, knocked over, retaining less than half strength, gets a breather | |
| NOSTRIL | LION (hero) reversed or ‘knocked over’ around or ‘retaining’ STR (less than half of strength) | |
| 21 | Troops of great skill doing for threat | |
| MENACE | MEN (troops) + ACE (of great skill) | |
| 24 | Entrance halls: a test sees length cut | |
| ATRIA | A + TRIA |
|
If I’d known the Radio 3 schedules, I’d have asked for this to appear a day early…
Nice puzzle and blog; 11a was a little easier for those who also do the Concise (as a warm-up).
Thanks, Bertandjoyce. Managed to complete this one, but, as usual, needed help with some of the parsing.
You’ve a typo in 13 – should be Pronounce, not pronounee
Solid stuff as always from Phi. Air a bit blue here when the penny dropped for PRONOUN as had been bamboozled by that one for ages and needed it to finish the NE corner off. Thanks too to Bert & Joyce.
Silly me, I now see that the “ce” is struck out, so it looks like “ee” to me. Time to visit the optician again.
From Phi’s comment, it looks as if there is a hidden theme – so hidden that no-one seems to have found it!
Perhaps if Phi looks in again he can give us another hint.
2 down in conjunction with a well-known playwright is your hint.
While I’m about it, I’ll recommend a book called The Naming of the Shrew, which I knew nothing of all th time of completing this puzzle, but which is an absolute joy for word fans.
Thanks Phi – We looked at the schedule and wondered whether it could be Kiss Me Kate but we’ve both been busy all day either working (Bert) or taking an elderly mother shopping (Joyce). The theme is “Brush up your Shakespeare”.
So far we have found:
Fella – Othello
Flatterer – Cleopatra
Heinous – Coriolanus
Menace – Merchant of Venice
Pleasure – Measure for Measure
Bonus – Adonis
Have we missed any?
The lyrics from Cole Porter’s ‘Brush up Your Shakespeare’ . Excellent!
Most puzzles start with 1 across…
It’s a wonderful song, rather suggestive like a lot of Porter (the heinous/Coriolanus rhyme…), and has been encored every production I’ve seen (indeed, I suspect the later verses are expected to be rolled out as encores). Another nice source of words to build a grid around, and I was pleased to squeeze BRUSH UP in as well, and all in a grid that doesn’t actually yell ‘Nina’ at you.
I wonder if there’ll be one next week…let alone the week after…