Toughie 377

Toughie No 377 by Kcit

Hints and tips by Bufo

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

It was a pleasant, non-controversial puzzle with some nice clues for me to blog this week. There was nothing really obscure in it and for once I had no problems working out the wordplay.

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Across

1a    American, back across Atlantic, passes over money in Chicago (11)
{SPONDULICKS} An American slang term for money is formed by reversing US and putting it round a facetious name for the Atlantic Ocean. This is followed by a word meaning “passes over (in the manner of a tongue)”

10a    Chamber work? Recalled some Schubert etc. obviously (5)
{OCTET} The answer appears backwards in “Schubert etc. obviously”

11a    Blend of garlic oil used in smoking? (9)
{CIGARILLO} An anagram (blend of) of GARLIC OIL gives a small cigar

12a    ‘English marines brought in germ,’ answer islanders (9)
{BERMUDANS} These islanders live in the North Atlantic. Put E (English) + RM (marines) inside a word meaning germ (in a botanical sense). Finish off with an abbreviated form of answer

13a    Medicine that’s almost extremely pleasant? Almost (5)
{TONIC} Two words missing their last letter are combined here as indicated by the two “almosts”. One means “extremely” and the other “pleasant”

14a    Prints from this artist are expensive in Paris (6)
{ESCHER} Translate “are expensive” into French to give the name of a Dutch graphic artist. known for his mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints

16a    One rigged new line with quantity of current for light (4,4)
{NEON LAMP} An anagram (rigged) of ONE + N (new) + L (line) + a unit of current

18a    Arab diplomacy securing English and French object? (8)
{ARTEFACT} AR (Arab) is followed a word meaning “diplomacy” which is put round E (English) and F (French). The answer is a thing made by human workmanship

20a    Attractive man’s affair recalled lust, perhaps (6)
{ADONIS} An attractive young man of Greek mythology is made up of two three-letter parts. Take what lust is an example of and reverse it to give the second part. The first part must equate with “affair” but I’m not entirely convinced by it

23a    Amount one knows about Arkansas girl (5)
{KAREN} A word meaning “range of knowledge” is put round the 2-letter abbreviation for Arkansas to give a girl’s name

24a    Decay that is enveloping whip to punish student (9)
{RUSTICATE} A word for “decay” is followed by IE (that is) put round a whip to give a word meaning “to banish for a time from college because of wrongdoing”

26a    Muses, perhaps, about broken crate for fruit (9)
{NECTARINE} Put the number of the Muses round an anagram of CRATE

27a    Fundamental book, one faithfully reproduced (5)
{BASIC} B (book) + A (one) + the Latin word for “so” which is often printed in brackets to show that something is being faithfully represented even though incorrect or apparently so

28a    Actress showing deep emotions generated in plays (11)
{TRAGEDIENNE} An anagram (plays) of GENERATED IN gives an actress of a certain kind of role

Down

2d    Man’s a favourite with the Queen (5)
{PETER} A word for a favourite + ER (the Queen) gives a man’s name

3d    Gathers stringed instrument is a Japanese speciality (7)
{NETSUKE} A word for gathers (in open-meshed fabric) is followed by the short form of a stringed instrument (think George Formby) to give a Japanese button-like ornament

4d    A lot of relative notice is uncovered (6)
{UNCLAD} Remove the last letter from a male relative and add AD (notice)

5d    Ate half of orange in various diets (8)
{INGESTED} Put NGE (half of orange) in an anagram (various) of DIETS

6d    Unexpectedly take in Rossini’s initial material for horn? (7)
{KERATIN} An anagram (unexpectedly) of TAKE IN R (Rossini’s initial) gives a fibrous protein occurring in horn

7d    Motoring offence evident in Tipperary? (6-7)
{DOUBLE PARKING} Tipperary contains two consecutive letter P’s and P is an abbreviation for *******

8d    Insect cracking open country banana (8)
{PLANTAIN} An insect is put inside open country (especially when treeless) to give a plant related to the banana

9d    Know drink will lead to one episode involving introduction of carnal desire (13)
{CONCUPISCENCE} A word meaning “to know” (which is more often defined as “to study”) is followed by a drink (or what you drink out of) and I (one). C (the introduction of carnal) is then put inside an episode and the final result means “sexual appetite”

15d    Reduced time filling container with grain (3-5)
{CUT-PRICE} The answer means reduced (costing less). T (time) is put inside a container (as in the previous clue) and this is followed by an important cereal food

17d    Ignoring what composer may be doing about note (8)
{SCORNING} N (note) is put inside something a composer of music does

19d    Ruffian vandalised entertainment centre (7)
{FUNFAIR} An anagram (vandalised) of RUFFIAN

21d    Dee’s a river? Just a trickle (7)
{DRIBBLE} D (Dee) + a river in north-west England gives a word for trickle

22d    Sent as soldiers, though lacking power to capture Northern port (6)
{OSTEND} Remove P (power) from the front of a word meaning “sent as soldiers” and the put N (Northern) inside it. This gives a port in Belgium

25d    Article is briefly snatched by man — that’s a crime (5)
{ARSON} A (article) + ‘S (is shortly) inside a man’s name gives a crime

My only criticism is that I didn’t think it was tough enough for a Toughie