Toughie 539

Toughie No 539 by Giovanni

What do you want?

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

A very enjoyable puzzle from Giovanni today. I liked the sixties reference, even though it eluded me at first.

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Across

9a    A particular organ’s characteristic — loud initially (5)
{AURAL} – an adjective meaning of a particular organ, in this case the ear, is built from a distinctive characteristic followed by the initial letter of Loud

10a    Spooner’s endowment thus provides the bread (9)
{SOURDOUGH} – what the Reverend William Archibald Spooner might have said instead of dower so (endowment thus), although I can’t imagine why he would want to, gives bread made from material left over from a previous baking

11a    Virtuous — that’s old saint in attitude (7)
{POSTURE} – put a word meaning virtuous around (in) O(ld) ST (saint) to get an attitude

12a    Faith shown by worker in firm (7)
{ADAMANT} – the required capitalisation of Faith is cleverly hidden by placing it at the beginning of the clue – take the first name of a sixties pop star and add a worker insect to get a word meaning firm or determined

ARVE Error: need id and provider

13a    Make entreaty quietly to gain initiative (5)
{PLEAD} – a verb meaning to make an entreaty is a charade of the musical abbreviation for quietly and a verb meaning to gain the initiative

14a    Jersey’s place for growing up in? (5,4)
{DAIRY FARM} – a cryptic definition of where Jersey cows may be bred

16a    Player in support hugging fellows belonging to famous group (15)
{INSTRUMENTALIST} – this player in an orchestra is constructed from IN, a support or prop placed around some fellows and finally a group of self-styled celebrities (1-4)

19a    Reliable female gets a good person after dodgy dates (9)
{STEADFAST} – an adjective meaning reliable is built from F(emale), A and a good person coming after an anagram (dodgy) of DATES

21a    Country drink knocked back by monarch (5)
{NIGER} – this West African country is created by reversing (knocked back) an alcoholic drink and adding our monarch’s cipher

23a    Before publication script must be sort wanted by group (7)
{TYPESET}- lift and separate the definition “before publication script must be” and what remains, after ditching the padding, is a charade of a sort and a group

25a    Managed, with bag, to obtain loot (7)
{RANSACK} – an unoriginal charade of a verb meaning managed or administered and a bag made of coarse fabric gives a verb meaning to loot or plunder

27a    Amusing or silly person unlikely to win quiz? (9)
{IGNORAMUS} – an anagram (silly) of AMUSING OR gives a person who is unlikely to win a quiz

28a    Fatty stuff I had — fleshy part at the front (5)
{LIPID} – any of a group of chemicals found in bodily tissues, including fats, oils and waxes, is derived from the abbreviation of “I had” preceded by either of the two fleshy parts which form the upper and lower edges of the opening of the mouth

Down

1d           Instrument’s note beginning to fade away (4)
{HARP} – this musical instrument, played by plucking strings, is created by dropping the first letter (beginning to fade away) from a note that has been raised by a semitone

2d           Fish seen in German water when river’s risen (6)
{WRASSE} – to get this brightly-coloured bony fish start with the German word for water and move the final R (River’s risen) up to second position

3d           Woman briefly working for Labour leader struggled (10)
{FLOUNDERED} – a charade of a shortened woman’s name (3) and a phrase that could mean working for the current leader of the Labour party (5,2) gives a verb meaning struggled

4d           Dances organised in tower (6)
{ASCEND} – an anagram (organised) of DANCES gives a verb meaning to tower or rise

5d           It’s boring, not half, helping for a time (8)
{DURATION} – drop the second half (not half) of a four-letter word meaning boring and then add a helping to get a period of time

6d           Notion that’s less than perfect (4)
{IDEA} – one day we will get a new clue for this one! – to get a notion drop the final L from a word meaning perfect

7d           Language you get from one sailor with a vessel capsizing (8)
{GUJARATI} – this Indic language is derive by reversing (capsizing) a charade of I (one), a sailor (3), A and a vessel used for holding and pouring liquids (3)

8d           Saint, passionate old male within — one senses the brightness (10)
{PHOTOMETER} – take the name of the saint who was the first bishop of the Church at Rome and insert a word meaning passionate, O(ld) and M(ale) to get an instrument used to sense the brightness or intensity of light

13d         Plant in collection in container covering one small area (10)
{POINSETTIA} – this plant seems to be a particular favourite of a number of setters, probably because no other word fits the checking letters! – put IN and a collection inside a container and then add I (one) and A (small Area)

15d         Feeling great desire to be making pounds from one year to the next (10)
{YEARNINGLY} – an adverb meaning feeling a great desire is created by putting a verb meaning making money and the abbreviation for pounds sterling between Y(ear) and Y(ear)

17d         Wall-to-wall task for cleaner (8)
{SWEEPING} – a double definition – an adjective meaning  wall-to-wall or all-embracing and a task for the cleaner

18d         One for lunch maybe? (8)
{MEALTIME} – one o’clock, when lunch is often taken, is a definition-by-example

20d         Force hospital into health organisation? (6)
{THRUST} – this propulsive force is created by putting H(ospital) inside a health organisation which is usually preceded by NHS

22d         Gets hold of files after end of meeting (6)
{GRASPS} – a verb meaning gets hold of is created by putting some files used in carpentry after G (end of meetinG)

24d         Half the riches lost? That’s certain (4)
{SURE} – drop the first half (half … lost) of a word meaning riches to get a word meaning certain

26d         Youngsters? Fools! (4)
{KIDS} – a double definition – a noun meaning youngsters and a verb meaning fools

For me this was the best Giovanni Toughie for a while, in spite of the inclusion of a couple of hoary old chestnuts!