There was one entry I haven’t come across before, but otherwise everything else covered reasonably common words or phrases.
Inevitably with Phi there was a theme. Today we had MARVIN the PARANOID ANDROID (5 down, 18 down and 10 across) from The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy written by Douglas ADAMS (25 across)
The word I didn’t recognise was INANITION at 23 across
I liked the wordplay in TERRIBLE (1 down) with its double containment and its good surface. Other clues I enjoyed today included those for BEING (13 across) with the misdirection involving ‘bat’, and PHYSICS (18 across) with it’s science in the wordplay and the entry
All in all, a good Friday workout from Phi.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
9
|
First-rate European capital backed introducing first of popular shops (7) |
(A ([first rate] + [ROME {European capital}]) all reversed (backed) containing (introducing) P (first letter of [first of] POPULAR) (EM (P) OR IA)< |
EMPORIA (trading centre; shops) |
|
10
|
Operating system and staff involving one (7)
|
AND + (ROD [staff] containing [involving] I [one]) AND RO (I) D |
ANDROID (mobile computing operating system)
|
|
11
|
What bowler will do to score? (3-2)
|
RUN-UP (score, although I think this would be without a hyphen)
|
RUN-UP (a bowler precedes his action with a RUN-UP to the crease)
|
|
12
|
Saw about soldier following very good position? (9)
|
ADAGE (saying; proverb; saw) containing (about) (V [very] + ANT [reference soldier ANTs) AD (V ANT) AGE |
ADVANTAGE (good position)
|
|
13
|
Bat: good example of living creature (5)
|
BE IN (be at the crease in cricket; bat) + G (good)
|
BEING (example of living creature)
|
|
15
|
Dildos, nothing less, strewn in road, a great heap (9)
|
(Anagram of [strewn] DILDOS excluding [less] O [nothing]) contained in (in) LANE (road) LAN (DSLID*) E |
LANDSLIDE (earthfall; great heap)
|
|
17
|
Not an insider but not unknown for ever (7)
|
EXTERNAL (outsider. I can see this a definition of outside, but is it a true definition of outsider?) excluding (not) X (a letter representing an unknown value in mathematics)
|
ETERNAL (for ever)
|
|
18
|
Unusually pushy to exclude university backing for science in this field (7 ) |
Anagram of (unusually) PUSHY excluding (to exclude) U (university) + SCI (science) reversed (backing for) PHYS* ICS< |
PHYSICS (a field of science)
|
|
20
|
I knock fool around (9)
|
PHI (I, the name of the puzzle setter) + LANDER (heavy blow; knock [can be defined as to strike heavily])
|
PHILANDER (flirt or have casual affairs with women; fool around)
|
|
22
|
Point observed after display of sadness in burial chamber (5)
|
CRY (display of sadness) + PT (point)
|
CRYPT (burial ,chamber)
|
|
23
|
I note mother avoiding cartoons etc. with feeling of exhaustion (9)
|
I + N (note) + (MA excluded from [avoiding] ANIMATION [cartoons etc] )
|
INANITION (exhaustion due to lack of nutrients in the blood,)
|
|
25
|
Article condemns unnamed US President (5)
|
A (indefinite article) + DAMNS (condemns) excluding (un) N (name)
|
ADAMS (reference John ADAMS [1735 – 1826], second President of the United States or John Quincy ADAMS [1767 – 1848], sixth President))
|
|
27
|
Growing bitterness recalled in match (7)
|
GALL (bitterness) reversed (recalled) contained in (in) TIE (match) TI (LLAG)< E |
TILLAGE (cultivation; growing)
|
|
28
|
One Church taking care of Lord without much warmth (3-4)
|
I (one) + CE (Church [of England]) + CO (care of) + LD (Lord)
|
ICE-COLD (without much warmth)
|
| Down | |||
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
Dreadful Queen in clan also home to a different sovereign (8)
|
(ER [Elizabeth Regina; Queen]) + L (pound sterling; another kind of sovereign]) both contained separately (in, also home to) TRIBE T (ER) RIB (L) E |
TERRIBLE (dreadful)
|
|
2
|
Range in European country (not Italy) (4)
|
SPAIN (European country) excluding I (International Vehicle Registration for Italy)
|
SPAN (range)
|
|
3
|
Appropriate observation on radio identifying political statements (10)
|
PROPA (sounds like [on radio] PROPER [appropriate]) + GANDA (sounds like [on radio] GANDER [look; glance; observation)
|
PROPAGANDA (the organized spreading of doctrine, true or false information, opinions, etc, especially to bring about change or reform; political statements)
|
|
4
|
Cut length keeping everything aligned (8)
|
(PARE [cut] + L [length]) containing ALL (everything) PAR (ALL) E L |
PARALLEL (aligned)
|
|
5
|
Rock guitarist to spoil rosé? (6)
|
MAR (spoil) + VIN (wine, e.g. rosé)
|
MARVIN (reference Hank MARVIN [1941 – date], lead guitarist of The Shadows)
|
|
6
|
UK river between Nene and Dee, on reflection (4)
|
EDEN (hidden word [between] reversed [on reflection] in NENE DEE) EDEN< |
EDEN (river in Cumbria. There is another one in Kent and there may well be others in Britain)
|
|
7
|
Vital oil bubbling? Limits to truly unpredictable behaviour (10)
|
Anagram of (bubbling) VITAL OIL + TY (first and last letters of [limits to] TRULY) VOLATILI* TY |
VOLATILITY (unpredictable behaviour)
|
|
8
|
Stick giving instruction regarding page layout (6)
|
[put] AD HERE (instruction regarding page layout)
|
ADHERE (stick)
|
|
14
|
Always going to happen, even with reduced ability possibly (10)
|
Anagram of (possibly) EVEN and ABILITY excluding the final letter (reduced) Y INEVITABLE* |
INEVITABLE (certain to happen; always going to happen)
|
|
16
|
One making video-call about various cars in part of city scene? (10)
|
SKYPER (one making a video call [on SKYPE]) containing (about) an anagram of (various) CARS SKY (SCRA*) PER |
SKYSCRAPER (buildings that form part of a city scene in many cities)
|
|
18
|
Hurried round to one in flat having deluded ideas (8)
|
(RAN [hurried] + O [round shape] + I [one]) all contained in (in) PAD (accommodation, often a flat) PA (RAN O I) D |
PARANOID (having deluded ideas)
|
|
19
|
Make space for time in holiday area? (3,5)
|
T (time) contained in (in) SEASIDE (holiday area) SE (T) ASIDE |
SET ASIDE (put to one leave fallow; make space for)
|
|
20
|
Depicts one engrossed by nonsense, … (6)
|
I (one) contained in (engrossed by) PANTS (nonsense) PA (I) NTS |
PAINTS (depicts)
|
|
21
|
… nonsense left after jaunt (6)
|
DRIVE (jaunt) + L (left)
|
DRIVEL (nonsense)
|
|
24
|
What do you mean: "Is a yob primarily"? (1,3)
|
IS + A + Y (first letter of [primarily] YOB) |
I SAY (an exclamation calling attention or expressing surprise; what do you mean?) |
|
26
|
Name not used for single medicinal plant (4)
|
ALONE (single) excluding (not used) N (name)
|
ALOE (plant that yields a bitter purgative drug; medicinal plant)
|
A tad gentler than Radian yesterday. “Marvin” was interesting. About the last on the list of “rock guitarists” (in view of Hendrix, Clapton, Page, Back ,Trower etc etc) but many guitar heroes were first influenced by Hank. He was one of the first in England to play a Strat and with an echo unit, created a sound of his own.
And where are Marvin’s diodes?
Ah yes … TERRIBLE PAIN[t]S down the left side.
I agree with copmus that this did not take as long to solve as the Thursday Radian – about half the time, for me – yet I did find that I still had numerous answers only pencilled in, meaning I didn’t fully understand the clue, when I finished here. Is that just because, having spent more time wrestling with Radian, I had been able to spend more time working them out? Or is it because I’m fundamentally disconnected somehow from Phi’s style? For example, I traditionally consider “run-up” to not be synonymous with “run up”, but Phi does. I recall there was once a similar instance of an apostrophe adrift. I should have this down pat by now, I’ve done enough Phi puzzles!
Anyway, thanks very much, Phi and duncanshiell!
@Phi- probably in his Vox AC30 as I remember. Thanks for puzzle sir.
RUN-UP is simply a two definition clue – the interesting point is that one definition has a hyphen and the other doesn’t. Which enumeration do you choose? Probably impossible to satisfy everyone.
I really enjoyed this puzzle. I saw most of the mini theme after I had entered the relevant answers, but not the TERRIBLE PAIN(t)S part of it, so thanks for the enlightenment Phi. The TERRIBLE/BEING crossers were my last ones in, and I thought both were excellently clued.
Thanks Phi and Duncan
17ac: I think my department is fairly typical of (at least British) Universities, in that our assessment process is overseen by an external examiner, always referred to in conversation as “the external”, which gives you EXTERNAL as a noun. This definition is supported by Chambers 2008.
Actually, on reading my comment @8, perhaps “always” is an overstatement.
Not being a galactic hitch-hiker the theme passed me by but, as with all good crosswords, it wasn’t necessary to know it to solve the puzzle. Had a mental block, btw, with 9ac; I guessed it ended in IA and had P in it somewhere and the only European capital with four letters I could think of for ages was Riga.
Anyway, thanks, Phi and Duncan.
Well, I am a Hitchhiker fan, and I totally missed the theme, probably because I did this in several sessions over the day, and by the time I got ANDROID just now, I’d forgotten PARANOID which I got over twelve hours ago.