Phi returns to his regular Friday slot this week.
I don’t think there is a theme to the puzzle, but there is added symmetry formed by the unchecked cells in the outer columns with the letters A to G in alphabetical order in column 1 and the same letters in reverse order in column 15. That fact helped with a couple of entries – BRIDGEHEAD and LOAF which were two of my last ones in. My last one in was SNORER as I was convinced for too long that the definition was ‘more annoyed’
I wondered if we were going to get a pangram, but we are short of an M and a Q. It’s fairly common to be short of a Q, but less so to be lacking an M in the grid. M is around the 14th most frequent letter in written English with Q the 24th to 26th depending on which source you look at. Oops! – missed the Q in EQUITY as Paul A has pointed out at comment 2. Oh dear! – comment 4 – I thought there were two letters missing. Brain fade when typing the blog. It’s an M and a Z that are missing!
I liked the clue for EQUITY at 19 down with it’s smooth surface relating to the acting profession. I also liked the clue for CRAG at 11 across using CRAVING and French wine in the wordplay.
It’s a long time since I had to think about a GANTT CHART – 12 down, but it brought back memories.
| No | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
| Across | |||
| 7 | Articles about alcohol leading to chest pain (6) |
(AN [indefinite article] + A [another indefinite article] i.e articles) containing (about) GIN (example of an alcoholic drink) AN (GIN) A |
ANGINA (disease of the heart marked by paroxysms of intense pain, radiating from the breastbone mainly towards the left shoulder and arm; chest pain) |
| 8 | Most prominent councillor conceding (8) |
CR (councillor) + OWNING (acknowledging; conceding) CR OWNING |
CROWNING (greatest; most prominent) |
| 9 | Game had to involve one of the players in an advanced position (10) |
BRIDGE (card game) + HAD containing (to involve) E (East, a player of bridge) BRIDGE H (E) AD |
BRIDGEHEAD (any advanced position seized in enemy territory) |
| 10 | Idle youngster on farm having bounds reset? (4) |
FOAL (young horse; youngster on a farm) with the outer letters (bounds) F and L swapped (reset) to form LOAF LOAF |
LOAF (loiter; idle) |
| 11 | Cliff desiring no French wine (4) |
CRA CRAG |
CRAG (cliff) |
| 13 | Do chatter about Queen and corgi, say (10) |
PRATE (be loquacious; chatter) containing (about) ER [Elizabeth Regina; queen] + PET [a corgi is an example of a pet]) P (ER PET) RATE |
PERPETRATE (commit or execute; do) |
| 15 | Absolutely representing impact of terroir? (4,2,3,6) |
DOWN TO (fault or responsibility of; representing impact of) + THE GROUND (the distinctive quality imparted to a wine by the climate and soil in which its grapes are grown) DOWN TO THE GROUND |
DOWN TO THE GROUND (completely; absolutely) |
| 17 | One’s defeat laid out in American novel (4,2,4) |
Anagram of (laid out) ONE’S DEFEAT EAST OF EDEN* |
EAST OF EDEN (novel by American author John Steinbeck [1902 – 1968]) |
| 18 | Description of work a little curtailed (4) |
SPEC SPEC |
SPEC (SPECification [detailed description of requirements]) |
| 20 | Surface not popular for marine creature (4) |
F FISH |
FISH (marine creature) |
| 21 | Manoeuvre to beat leading figures in horse-racing (6,4) |
JOCKEY (seek advantage by manoeuvring) + CLUB (beat) JOCKEY CLUB |
JOCKEY CLUB (association for the promotion and regulation of horse-racing; leading figures in horse-racing) |
| 23 | American taxmen backtracking, with criminal groups about – they put the heat on (3,5) |
GANGS (criminal groups) containing (about) IRS (Internal Revenue Service; American taxmen) reversed (backtracking) GA (S RI<) NGS |
GAS RINGS (items that provide heat for cooking, for example) |
| 24 | Mistakes? Time to accept reduction in incidence (8) |
ERA (division of geological time) containing (to accept) RAT ER (RAT) A |
ERRATA (mistakes) |
| Down | |||
| 1 | More annoyed about overture from naked disruptive partner in bed (6) |
SORER (more annoyed) containing (about) N (first letter of [overture from] NAKED) S (N) ORER |
SNORER (disruptive partner in bed) |
| 2 | Offer to limit crook’s second time in prison (4) |
BID (offer) containing (to limit) R (second letter of [‘s second] CROOK) BI (R) D |
BIRD (time in prison) |
| 3 | Academic in pursuit of quality accepting nothing allowing no leaks (10) |
WATER (quality) + (PROF [Professor; academic] containing [accepting] O [zero; nothing]) WATER PR (O) OF |
WATERPROOF (impervious to WATER; allowing no leaks) |
| 4 | Very old suggestion each dismissed as ineffectual (4) |
V (very) + O (old) +ID V O ID |
VOID (ineffectual) |
| 5 | Soiling our rocks? Not marvellous (10) |
Anagram of (rocks) SOILING OUR INGLORIOUS* |
INGLORIOUS (disgraceful; not marvellous) |
| 6 | Loosen United? New soccer group’s trimmed soccer team (8) |
U (United) + N (new) + FA‘S (Football Association’S) + TEN (one less [trimmed] than the eleven players one would expect in a soccer team) U N FAS TEN |
UNFASTEN (loosen) |
| 8 | Declare sketch to be rubbish? Get rid of the rubbish! (5,3,5) |
Anagram of (to be rubbish) DECLARE SKETCH CLEAR THE DECKS* |
CLEAR THE DECKS (CLEAR away everything surplus; get rid of the rubbish) |
| 12 | Worker with time to burn limited by great work schedule (5,5) |
(ANT [worker] + T [time] + CHAR [burn]) contained in (limited by) GT (great) G (ANT T CHAR) T |
GANTT CHART (form of bar CHART used to show progress in a production system, showing predicted production figures over a fixed period of time, and updated with actual figures for comparison) |
| 14 | Brought about sex in valley, after going for a climb (10) |
GENDER (sex) contained in (in) DENE (small valley) reversed (after going for a climb; down clue) EN (GENDER) ED< |
ENGENDERED (brought about) |
| 16 | Company backed opera tunes after receipt of new instruments (8) |
CO (company) reversed (backed) + (ARIAS [opera tunes] containing [after receipt of] N [new]) OC< ARI (N) AS |
OCARINAS (fluty-toned wind instruments) |
| 19 | Group of stage performers rather promoting English, play ultimately (6) |
QUITE (rather) with the E (English) moved upward (promoted; down entry) in the word to form EQUIT + Y (last letter of [ultimately] PLAY) EQUIT Y |
EQUITY (Trade Union for actors, singers, models, performers, directors, |
| 21 | Curse Judge in identification of error (4) |
J (judge) + IN + X (symbol that identifies an error) J IN X |
JINX (curse) |
| 22 | One end of coloured string (4) |
The outer or end letters of COLOURED are C and D, so one end only would be C OR D C OR D |
CORD (string) |
What would compilers do without the ocarina? Needed the Nina to get SPEC. Thanks both.
I think there’s a Q in Equity, so why no M? It’s a Mystery. Needless to say I missed the mini-nina. Thanks to Phi and DS.
Paul A @ 2
Yes – missed that, not sure why.
Great minds think… The Nina helped me with the aforementioned BRIDGEHEAD, LOAF and SPEC as well. I didn’t get WATER for ‘quality’, but I see that the sense is given in Chambers.
The Q has materialised, as if by magic, but if there is a Z here, I can’t see it. It’s been a long day.
Thanks to Phi and Duncan
I only twigged the A-G and G-A trick when I had finished, but like everyone else it is a Mystery to me. WATER for ‘quality’ I did remember (which is reassuring, since I learned that meaning from crosswords – it’s to do with gems, I seem to recall). GANTT CHART was a new one, but an excellent example of a specialised term being clearly clued so that you wouldn’t have to resort to the ‘How am I supposed to know that?’ defence.
OCARINA, together with EXTRA and ERATO, are indeed some of the setters’ best friends.
Entertaining puzzle from Phi as always, so thanks to him and to Duncan for blogging. Good weekend to all.
Just the A-G and G-A today as a way of kicking off the grid. Who knows – May do H-N and O-U eventually… I vaguely recollect noticing it was close to a pangram (I think JUNK became JINX as I worked towards it.
I remember the days when you couldn’t plan anything without a Gantt Chart. It’s astonishing how we get by without them now, isn’t it…
We thought of the possibility of GANTT CHART from the wordplay but had to check it in Chambers. Phi – we have managed without one for all our working life.
We struggled with SPEC – if only we had noticed the A-G and G-A.
Thanks Phi for another entertaining puzzle and obviously Duncan for his blog.
We knew about GANTT CHARTs (and actually used one during some home improvements) but had forgotten what they were called so we struggled with 12dn till the penny dropped – and we persisted too long with the idea that 15ac was an angram (represented) of ‘impact of terroir’. But once those difficulties were resolved the rest was pretty plain sailing.
CRAG, GAS RINGS and UNFASTEN were among opur contenders for CoD.
Thanks, Phi and Duncan.
Didn’t – and not having Chambers still don’t – know water=quality.
In what sort of sentence are they interchangeable?
Other than that and not noticing the A-G etc a very pleasant puzzle.
Thanks to S&B
reddevil@9: I’m sure in old books you’d get someone exclaiming something along the lines of, “You are a cad of the first water!” A bit antiquated now.
It was the short 4dn and 18ac that defeated me in the end today/
Just a late minor grumble: about 10 days ago on two consecutive days the setters were criticised for using ‘one’ to clue the letter A more than once in the same puzzle. Just noticed that Phi has used ‘new’ twice to clue the letter N.
Must try to get out of the mindset of using a definition literally or exclusively. e.g. a group of stage actors = EQUITY whereas there are many types of artistes other than stage actors who are members of Equity. Couldn’t think of a collective noun specifically for a bunch of theatre actors. Therefore 19d and 18a (came quickly once I had the E) respectively were my last 2 in.
Lots of very nice clues in this one.
I never see the theme or helpful hints, but do appreciate the work that must go in to create a puzzle like this one.
Thanks to setter and blogger (and the Indy for the free entertainment) as always.