Toughie 381

Toughie No 381 by Shamus

Hints and tips by Bufo

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

For the second week running I get a pleasant, non-controversial puzzle. This pangrammatic puzzle is very good. There was nothing I needed to check in the dictionary and I could understand all the wordplay without difficulty. I’m beginning to look forward to my next “stinker” when I’ll be able to have a good moan.

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Across

1a    Page by titled woman about joint trailed by foremost of sleuths — her? (1,1,5)
{P D JAMES} The answer is an authoress of crime novels made up from P (page) + J (joint) in a title of a lady of rank + S (first letter of sleuths)
[Yes, J = joint is in Chambers and allegedly refers to a joint of marijuana – I’ll have to take their word for it! BD]

5a    Friendly fellow appearing in a yarn (7)
{AFFABLE} Put F (fellow) inside a yarn (or story) to give a word meaning “friendly”

9a    A place of pilgrimage containing court and leisure facility (9)
{AQUADROME} The court is a four-sided open space enclosed by a building. The pilgrims are most likely to be Catholics. The leisure facility specialises in aquatic pursuits.

10a    Feature again found in dire curriculum (5)
{RECUR} The answer is hidden in “dire curriculum”

11a    One dumped by backward department getting praise (5)
{EXTOL} “One dumped” indicates a former partner. The department is in the southwest of France.

12a    Sound of cat gathering in the end bird (9)
{KITTIWAKE} A homophone of a word meaning cat (the animal) is followed by a gathering (one often held after a death) to give a type of gull

13a    Lout, I bet, upset close to austere place of incarceration (9)
{OUBLIETTE} An anagram (upset) of LOUT I BET + E (last letter of austere) gives a dungeon with no opening except in the roof (derived from the French for “to forget”)

16a    Fool detaining a name of stature (5)
{GIANT} A slang term for a fool surrounds A N (name) to give someone of abnormally great stature

17a    Frantic behaviour from notorious brothers cited (5)
{CRAZE} The answer is a homophone of some notorious East End twins.

18a    Earnestly sought religious area associated with revolutionary in plot (9)
{BESEECHED} The religious area is a bishop’s diocese, the revolutionary is our old friend Mr Guevara, and the plot is one found in a garden. The answer means “earnestly sought” and “SOUGHT” forms a part of the alternative (more usual) form of the word.

20a    Steps person recalled in a slope being renovated (4,5)
{PASO DOBLE} The answer is a ballroom dance based on a Latin American style of marching. It is made up of a reversal a word for a person inside an anagram (renovated) of A SLOPE

23a    Orwell, maybe, sadly interrupted by institute (5)
{ALIAS} George Orwell is a pen name (an assumed name). An expression of grief interrupted by I (institute) forms the wordplay

25a    Comb sides of tower with pointed instrument (5)
{TRAWL} TR (first and last letters of tower) is followed by a small pointed tool used for piercing holes

26a    Noted chemist varies oil for analysis (9)
{LAVOISIER} An anagram (for analysis) of VARIES OIL gives a Frenchman known as “the father of modern chemistry”

27a    Old actor is hard and boisterous (7)
{LADDISH} The actor (1913-1964) was an “unsmiling, pint-sized tough-guy American star who proved to be just the kind of star that the forties wanted” (Thanks to Mr Halliwell for that description). His surname is followed by IS H (hard) to give a word meaning boisterous or aggressive (like young men)

28a    A German standing in for one in criminal court employment? (7)
{YARDAGE} A G (German) replaces I in the name of a criminal, a drug-dealing Jamaican. The answer relates to an enclosed place near a building

Down

1d    Doctor in lead beginning to offer harmless drug (7)
{PLACEBO} A word meaning to doctor (drinks) goes inside the atomic symbol for lead and is followed by O (the first letter of offer)

2d    Judge to get rid of part of tournament? (5)
{JOUST} J (judge) + get rid of (eject or expel) = a contest between knights

3d    What poet did creatively maybe when consuming English cake (9)
{MADELEINE} The cake is a small, plain sponge cake (Chambers) or a small, fancy sponge cake (Collins). Let the COD have the casting vote – it’s fancy. It is also the name of the rag doll in Bagpuss. Put E (English) inside what a poet might have done (poets write lines).

4d    Common pedigree (5)
{STOCK} 2 meanings. Common (e.g. ***** answer) and pedigree (e.g. of good *****)

5d    Twitching antlers around last of these stags in watchful state (9)
{ALERTNESS} An anagram (twitching) of ANTLERS round E S (last letters of these stags)

6d    Language from afar signified (5)
{FARSI} The answer is hidden in “afar signified”

7d    Composer, amateur engaged by mischievous songwriter (9)
{BACHARACH} The answer is the song-writing partner of Hal David. His name is made up of a classical composer + A in mischievous or cunning

8d    Make time to take in French art that’s serious (7)
{EARNEST} Here’s the French art again, i.e. the second person singular of the verb être. It is put inside make (money by working) + T (time)

14d    Money prohibited, we hear, for supplier of music? (5,4)
{BRASS BAND} A word for money (found where’s there muck) followed by a homophone of a word meaning “prohibited” gives a musical ensemble

15d    Hobby Celt devised for dramatic character (4,5)
{TOBY BELCH} An anagram of HOBBY CELT gives a character from Twelfth Night

16d    Island without area that is right for serving type (9)
{GRENADIER} Remove the A (area) from the end of a Caribbean island and add IE (that is) R (right) to give one who serves in the Army.

17d    A good temperature in California is outstanding (7)
{CAPITAL} A + a two-letter word meaning “good” + T (temperature) are all put inside CAL (California)

19d    Merit in Paris of introduction in court? (7)
{DESERVE} The French word for “of” is followed by what tennis players do to put the ball in play.

21d    Food store around hot place familiar to Indians (5)
{DELHI} This one’s becoming a bit of an old chestnut. Put a place that sells high quality cooked meats and cheeses, etc., round H (hot) to give an Indian city

22d    Green property entered by old diplomat (5)
{ENVOY} The answer is a word for diplomat. It is formed by putting O (old) inside what you might be green with

24d    Island with trade that’s popular among Asians essentially (5)
{IBIZA} A holiday destination in the Med is formed by putting a shortened form of business inside IA (the middle letters of Asians)

Very nice