Toughie 502

Toughie No 502 by Micawber

Hints and tips by Tilsit

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

Another splendid puzzle from this talented young setter. The puzzle contains a nice mix of challenging clues, plus some moments to make you smile.

It’s good to know that with setters like Micawber (and Paul of The Guardian) the future of crosswords is bright. I’d include Elgar in the young category, but he’s been around since the ark! Good luck to everyone at the gathering in Derby tomorrow, and if you are able to make it, please do. Crossword gatherings are not at all stand-offish or nerdy. In fact Big Dave will personally buy everyone a drink there. (WARNING FROM BD: Claims like this are not necessarily honoured. Your home is at risk if you put a tin of petrol in your microwave and switch it on.)

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought. You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five stars at the bottom of the post. Favourite clues are highlighted in blue.

Across

9a    Politician appearing in Telegraph as opposed to satellite TV? (5)
{CABLE}    We start today with a topical clue, with the name of the Business Secretary recently embroiled in a battle with Rupert Murdoch in his plans for World Domination (Murdoch’s not 9 across’s!). Ironically his surname is another form of TV reception that Murdoch doesn’t use. By the way, he’s the one on the right!

10a    E.g. Cheshire route maps redrafted (9)
{MOUSE TRAP} I did wonder whether this clue is just a bit too clever for its own good.  It’s an anagram (indicated by redrafted) of ROUTE MAPS with a cryptic definition and I think it should possibly have had a question mark to indicate it as such.    The definition, Cheshire, refers to something that would act as a 10 across, as it’s their favourite food.

11a    Graduate’s very good on instrument (7)
{BASSOON} A wordsum. A standard crossword abbreviation for a graduate (Bachelor of Arts). Add to this SO and ON to get the name of this musical instrument.

12a    Give example of negative comeback from inheritance (7)
(GENETIC} If you give an example of something or quote it, you do this and add a short abbreviation for “negative”. Reverse the whole thing (indicated by “comeback”) and you get a word relating to biological inheritance!

13a    Hagar the Horrible’s cry (5)
{AARGH} A nice clever clue. An anagram (indicated by “the Horrible”) of HAGAR gives the sort of cry our Viking friend may utter.

14a    Escort to affirm? (9)
{ACCOMPANY} Another very clever clue. The definition is escort, but the other indication? Look carefully! A firm, in a business sense, is A COMPANY. But if you stammered both words, what would you get?

16a    Tom fixes boat, but that’s not the big picture (9,6)
{THUMBNAIL SKETCH} Think of a famous, vertically challenged, Tom, played on film by Russ Tamblyn. Add to his surname, a word meaning fixes and one for a type of yacht with two masts. You then need to split the phrase made in a slightly different way, and you will get the name of a small rough drawing.

19a    Fruit I put in elaborate entrance (9)
{NECTARINE} Insert the letter I into an anagram (elaborate) of ENTRANCE to reveal the name a small fruit.

21a    A ring of rock (5)
{ATOLL} If you ring a bell you do this. So,

23a    E.g. boerewors? (7)
{SAUSAGE} This threw me completely. I spent ages thinking it was a cryptic clue along the lines of the old “GEGS = Scrambled eggs”- type . I thought it was something to do with the BOER WARS, and started thinking of a cryptic phrase to describe them. However it wasn’t. If you Google “Boerewors”, you will find out immediately what it is. In the spirit of enterprise, here is where you can get them from (and many other fine items!)

http://www.rickythebutcher.co.uk/

25a    Piece of hi-fi equipment was first used in rock (7)
{TWEETER} W, the first letter of “was” goes inside a word meaning to rock or wobble and gives an essential part of a hi-fi system along with the woofers!

27a    One outwardly inured to eccentric scholarship (9)
{ERUDITION} An anagram (indicated by eccentric) of INURED TO goes around I to give a word meaning wisdom, intelligence, etc.

28a    Day 17: there’s something fancy on the table (5)
{DOILY} Add a word meaning 17 down on to D (for Day) to get a fancy item of tableware.

Back, after a nice cup of skinny latte, with the Downs!

Down

1d           Bank payment system taken up by non-union worker? (4)
{SCAB}  The abbreviation for the Banking Automated Clearing System, which is the system that clears cheques and pays Direct Debits and other banking services, is reversed to give the name for someone who breaks strikes or

2d           One assaulting you verbally, getting stuck into six-pack, about to get comeuppance (6)

{ABUSER}   U (you, verbally)  goes into ABS (the six pack, much favoured by Peter Andre and such like) and add the reversal of a short word meaning about.  This gives you a word meaning someone who harangues or hurls invective at you.

3d           A phonebox I vandalised, being unable to connect with abroad? (10)
{XENOPHOBIA}  Someone who has a loathing for things foreign can be found by unscrambling A PHONE BOX I.

4d           A guy getting date with a girl (6)
{AMANDA}  Another word for “a guy” is added to D (for date) and A to give a girl’s name.

5d           American comes up with crushed garlic for medical use (8)
{SURGICAL}  The abbreviation for American is reversed and has an anagram (crushed) of GARLIC to give a word meaning “medical use”.

6d           Stitched up all the points (4)
{SEWN}  If you take one of each of the four points of the compass, you can make a word meaning stitched.

7d           Make extended agreement about rights surrounding antique books (8)
{PROTRACT} A word meaning agreement goes round two abbreviations for right (R) and inside them goes OT (the old testament = antique books).  This complicated trail leads you to a word meaning to extend.

8d           Railway Tavern acquiring around 60 per cent of World’s End? Not likely (10)
{APOCRYPHAL}  RY PH (Railway Tavern [Public House]) goes inside most of a word meaning the end of the World (APOCALYPSE). This gives you a word describing old wives’ tales and suchlike.

13d         Club’s lost villa, island structure blown away (10)
{ASTONISHED}  The name of a Midlands football club, minus its second half, has I (island) + the name of a garden structure added to give a word meaning knocked-out or amazed.

15d         Masked man running around Europe to put things right (4,6)
{MAKE AMENDS}  An anagram (indicated by “running”) of MASKED MAN goes around E

17d         Like Grease, not censored but with ending revised, so released with ‘U’ (8)
{UNCTUOUS}  If something is not censored in film it’s this.  Swap round the last two letters and add a jumble of SO and U to give the description of a person who is a bit slimy and greasy.

18d         Unchanging, heartless Irish fool — that’s my opinion (2,1,3,2)
{AS I SEE IT)  If something is sold like this, it’s unchanged add to it the Irish equivalent of the word “idiot” with its middle letter missing.  Put the two together and you get a phrase meaning “my opinion”.

20d         Range formerly part of camp (6)
{EXTENT}  A word meaning “range” is made up of a word meaning “formerly” as in a former partner, and something found in a camp where people sleep.

22d         Get the better of Oxford fool (6)
{OUTWIT}  An abbreviation for Oxford (University) is added to a word for a fool to produce an expression meaning to get the better of someone.

24d         Surrounded in about 1001 AD (4)
{AMID}  The Roman numeral for 1001 goes inside AD and gives a word meaning surrounded, among.

26d         Echo of lift shafts (4)
{RAYS}   Many of you will know I dislike homophone clues because of the likelihood of different dialogues producing alternative pronunciations.  However this one works.

A word that sounds like one that means to lift is the same as one that means the same as shafts or beams of sunlight.

A splendid puzzle by Micawber and here’s to the next one!