Toughie No 89 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
View closed comments 

Toughie No 89

by Big Dave  

Toughie No 89 by Kcit

A fair bit harder than yesterday

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ****

Some across clues:

9a Tom Sharpe novel would supply more than one example of this figure
of speech (8 )
An anagram of Tom Sharpe, made singular

10a Accumulation of work is the last thing a lumberjack expects (7)
An easy one to get started

11a Director is against backing it after introduction of video (8 )
One of those convoluted clues that are easy when you spot the wordplay –
v(ideo) is con (against) ti (backing it)

12a American doctrine given no opening in newsgroups (6)
Us (American) + (t)enet gives an internet newsgroup

13a Norse god depicted with style? Nonsense (10)
The Norse god is Balder / Baldr

16a Road quality engaging one to a small extent (9)
The road is, once again, the M1 and the quality is nature

21a Pointless showing a reduction in common sense (4)
Pointless is no use

22a Poison isolated, having seen off a number round church (10)
With stry (stray / isolated having seen off a) you are well on your way

27a Meteor, say, moving backwards – one retained in memory (7)
This one caused me grief – ge (eg / say, moving backwards) + mind (memory)
around i  (one)

The down hints:

2d Staff’s question about a pop music event (8 )
Rod (staff) about “a” + how (question)

3d Mike’s not stirred, giving grudging acknowledgement? (8 )
An anagram of “mikes not”

4d Ministerial boldness over seat (5-5)
Where the ministers sit in the House of Commons

7d Women in the country start to gossip and gossip (7)
W(omen) in China (country) g(ossip)

8d Sudden surprise about energy burden on railways? (7)
Chas McDevitt and Nancy Whiskey sang a song about ——- Train

11d Crude person’s crude endearment in upset again, mistakenly encompassing Queen (9)
Vul (luv / crude endearment upset) + an anagram of “again” (mistakenly) around (encompassing) R (Regina / Queen)

14d Blushing English bumpkin followed by an aroma (10)
E(nglish) + rube (bumpkin) + scent (aroma)

17d Poem’s conclusion that will enthrall me in another way (8 )
Endymion is a poem by John Keats – End (conclusion) + you tell me – mi and yon?

18d Offer supported by one University investing in curious metal (8 )
Bid (offer) + I (one) + u(niversity) inside (investing in) rum (curious)

19d Good behaviour shown by Princes accompanying their mothers? (2,3,2)
You had better mind tour ps and qs for this one

20d Shifting memory captured in film shot (7)
This is the other one that caused me problems – protean (shifting / Chambers: readily assuming different shapes; variable; inconstant; versatile) – rote (memory) in pan (film shot)

Let me know what you think about 17 down

3 comments on “Toughie No 89”

  1. Hmmm, not so good today. There were three I couldn’t figure out at all. With the help of the above I finally got it done. 14d, 17d & 20d were the obstructive ones and I don’t even see 17d even now.

  2. re 17d Endymion. I am afraid I have no further idea than you. Although this answer came up in Toughie 56 set by Elgar. 26a Poetical work having view (end) about year (y) (on) road (mi). I presume!
    All a bit vague I thought at the time.

  3. I put out an appeal for help on AnswerBank and what came back was similar to the analysis I had already published:

    sedge47:
    I puzzled over the wordplay for this one, too. The best I could come up with (not very satisfactory!!) was:
    conclusion = end
    enthrall = hold in bondage = include
    mi = alternative spelling of me
    yon = that way = not this way, so another way.

    Sarrie:
    I think YON = THAT and ME=MI musically

    I’m just going to write it off as a mystery.

Comments are closed.