Toughie 497

Toughie No 497 by Petitjean

Hints and tips by Bufo

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

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

A perfectly reasonable puzzle but I never really warmed to it.

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Across

1a    Explain advantage of the dole (5,7)
{STATE BENEFIT} “Explain advantage” gives something of which the dole is an example

9a    Went inside, wreathed in smoke, to relax (7,2)
{LIGHTEN UP} EN (the inside of went) goes inside a phrase meaning “to set fire to a cigarette in order to smoke it”

10a    Flat bitter? That is unusual (5)
{EERIE} Flat bitter is bitter with no head. So remove the first letter from what bitter is an example of. Then add IE (that is)

11a    Sad, bad laddism not dead (6)
{DISMAL} An anagram (bad) of LAD(D)ISM (dead = D)

12a    Stick out for diamonds in genuine setting (8)
{PROTRUDE} “For” + D (diamonds) in “genuine”

13a    Huge number in short turned out to be sufficient (6)
{ENOUGH} An anagram (turned out) of HUGE NO (number in short)

15a    Hatred of European Union rule replacing British jubilation (8)
{EUPHORIA} A hatred of the European Union would be an EU ******. Replace B (British) by R (rule)

18a    Somewhat mild praise? (8)
{BLANDISH} 2 meanings: somewhat mild/praise

19a    Launch unexpected attack on leading hospital doctor in Australia (6)
{AMBUSH} An abbreviation for a doctor goes inside AUS (Australian) + H (hospital)

21a    ‘Snoop before loop’ — beginner’s second-rate poetry (8)
{DOGGEREL} Take the rapper Snoop **** + before + L (first letter of loop)

23a    One doing wrong is blue (6)
{INDIGO} I (one) + an anagram (wrong) of DOING

26a    Arterial route with a junction in unfinished road repair (5)
{AORTA} An artery is given by A + T (junction) in an anagram (repair) of ROA(D)

27a    Starting first dance after eight, say, is daft (9)
{SCREWBALL} S (first letter of starting) + an eight (as in a boat) + a dance

28a    Some setters sloppily accepting ‘the ultimate in technology’ for ‘hi-fi’ (6,6)
{STEREO SYSTEM} An anagram (sloppily) of SOME SETTERS goes round Y (the ultimate in technology)

Down

1d    Southern fatso the first to leap in making a big splash (7)
{SPLODGE} S (Southern) + a fat person goes round L (first to leap)

2d    Origin of Adidas, for instance, is sponsorship (5)
{AEGIS} A (first letter of Adidas) + the abbreviation for “for instance” + IS

3d    A nerd gets hopelessly out of touch (9)
{ESTRANGED} An anagram (hopelessly) of A NERD GETS

4d    Essentially quiet nature of volatile mount (4)
{ETNA} This volatile mount is hidden in quiET NAture

5d    Curious about one poem composed on Top Shop (8)
{EMPORIUM} “Curious” goes round I (one) and this goes after an anagram (composed) of POEM to give a large shop

6d    With cigarette end found in pint, turned awkward (5)
{INEPT} E (cigarette end) goes inside an anagram (turned) of PINT

7d    Fussy 4/4 beat (4-4)
{FROU-FROU} An anagram (beat) of FOUR is repeated. This is a new word for me and I was expecting an adjective meaning “fussy” but none of my dictionaries give an adjectival use

8d    Avenge suffering in UN location (6)
{GENEVA} An anagram (suffering) of AVENGE gives the headquarters of many of the agencies of the UN

14d    Hothouse Kid who played trombone without emotion (8)
{ORANGERY} KID *** was a jazz trombonist. He goes round an emotion to give a hothouse where fruit trees are grown

16d    Why Enigma Variation writer isn’t Elgar (9)
{HEMINGWAY} An author’s surname is an anagram (Variation) of WHY ENIGMA

17d    Glasses so restricted boxing adjudicator (8)
{ASSESSOR} The answer is hidden (boxing) in glASSES SO Restricted

18d    Old man housed in unfinished Denby development was warmer before retirement (6)
{BEDPAN} Father (old man) goes inside an anagram (development) of DENB(Y) gives something that was used to warm the bed

20d    Tough cowl on chimney (7)
{HOODLUM} Cowl + chimney gives a tough

22d    Force out old performers (5)
{EXACT} “To force out” is given by old + performers

24d    Get unfit from being a member of a gym? (5)
{INAPT} “Unfit” is derived form “being a member of” + A + one of the usual abbreviations for gym

25d    Spirit of almost entirely hollow braggadocio (4)
{BRIO} Remove the middle 7 letters from br(aggadoc)io

Sorry about the briefer than usual hints but I’m very pushed for time this morning