Toughie 505

Toughie No 505 by Kcit

Hints and tips by Bufo

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

Another pleasant offering from Kcit which didn’t cause too many problems. The last two in were 12 across and 8 down.

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Across

1a    Hardest areas for development — would include this? (6,6)
{SAHARA DESERT} An anagram (for development) of HARDEST AREAS gives part of Africa that would prove hard for development

9a    TV programme concession involves one (4)
{SOAP} A type of TV programme such as Corrie or ‘Stenders is derived from A (one) inside a concession

10a    Confined area, according to Spooner’s brief comment (9)
{SOUNDBITE} The answer is a brief comment made by e.g. a politician when being interviewed on radio or TV. A Spoonerism of it is a confined area (5,4)

12a    Suggest tent that’s excellent (6)
{TIPTOP} To suggest (e.g. a horse that you ought to back) + a tent (especially a big one at a circus) gives “excellent”

13a    Continue to rant, beginning to traduce Irish parliament (8)
{STORMONT} Continue to rant (5,2) + T (first letter of traduce) gives a suburb of Belfast where the Northern Ireland Executive meet

15a    County, one ready to invest in old money (10)
{LANCASHIRE} An English county is derived from AN (one) + ready (i.e. money) inside the former currency of Italy

16a    Quantity of water filling some receptacle (4)
{MERE} Hidden inside soME REceptacle

18a    What’s closed before ship’s launch? (4)
{TOSS} A 2-letter word meaning closed (as a door might be) + the usual abbreviation for a ship gives “to throw up in the air”

20a    Flower rules field after replanting (5-2-3)
{FLEUR-DE-LIS} An anagram (after replanting) of RULES FIELD gives an iris (or a heraldic design)

23a    Clumsily kiss and run in winter sports venue (3,5)
{SKI SLOPE} An anagram (clumsily) of KISS + “to run with a long stride” gives somewhere you might visit to practise a winter sport

24a    Doctor holding eyeball — one’s obsessed with death (6)
{MORBID} One of the 2-letter abbreviations for a doctor goes round an eyeball and I (one) to give “obsessed with death”

26a    Unconscious after excess drug taken? An anomalous response (3,3,3)
{ODD ONE OUT} Excess drug is an overdose. Use the abbreviation for overdose + taken + unconscious

27a    One director enthralled by ‘Carmen’, maybe, or other opera (4)
{AIDA} I (one) D (director) goes inside a motoring organisation (Carmen, maybe) to give a Verdi opera

28a    Cracked elbow, for a bet? Folly of Biblical proportions (5,2,5)
{TOWER OF BABEL} An anagram (cracked) of ELBOW FOR A BET gives a foolishly conceived lofty structure (Genesis 11.9)

Down

2d    Shock about reduction in range getting agreement (8)
{APPROVAL} Agreement is formed from “to shock” round “to range” without its last letter

3d    Some numerals obscured in addition (4)
{ALSO} Hidden in numerALS Obscured

4d    A rude lust involving love may make you this (10)
{ADULTEROUS} An anagram (may make you) of A RUDE LUST and O (love). The whole clue also acts as the definition

5d    Last fixture must do this (6)
{ENDURE} Fixture must do this (3,3) as must censure, fracture and a few hundred other words. The answer means “to last”

6d    Second in team’s very good — in my view the perfect example (7)
{EPITOME} E (the second letter of team) + very good (2) + “in my view” (2,2) gives the perfect example

7d    Where spirits are in opposition? (3,5,4)
{THE OTHER SIDE} The spiritual world to which one passes after death appears not to be your team but your opponents’ team

8d    Firm informed about evidence of special offer (6)
{COUPON} The usual 2-letter abbreviation for a firm + informed about (2,2) gives a voucher that may entitle one to a special offer

11d    It’s affected the toes a lot with a trace of fungus (8,4)
{ATHLETE’S FOOT} An anagram (affected) of THE TOES A LOT F (a trace of fungus) gives a contagious disease of the foot caused by a fungus

14d    Most of cold meal served up — Prince tucking in — safe for kids? (5-5)
{CHILD-PROOF} A word for cold with it’s last letter removed + a reversal (served up) of meal go round PR (prince) to give “not able to be damaged, opened, worked, etc. by a kid”

17d    Lawyer — a Democrat — about to block election (8)
{ADVOCATE} A lawyer is formed from A D (Democrat) + CA (about) inside an election

19d    Slip, early in the day? Almost fell (7)
{SKIDDAW} To slip (especially sidewards) + daybreak without its last letter (almost) gives a Lakeland fell (3054 feet) that overlooks Keswick

21d    Sexual urge beginning to lapse: I offer love (6)
{LIBIDO} Sexual urge is derived for L (first letter of lapse) + I + offer + O (love)

22d    Designer omitting second note for carpenter? (6)
{PLANER} Remove one of the two letter N’s (note) from a designer and you get someone who uses a particular carpenter’s tool. It doesn’t have to be the second N that you remove!

25d    Greek character taking in new Italian feature (4)
{ETNA} The seventh letter of the Greek alphabet goes round N (new) to give a large Italian feature (the highest peak in Italy south of the Alps)

A perfectly acceptable puzzle