Toughie 549

Toughie No 549 by MynoT

Hints and Tips by Bufo

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment **

The last two MynoT puzzles were tinged with red and orange and so it seemed reasonable to assume that this one would have a yellow theme. So it proved. Several answers are things that are coloured yellow and others are words that can follow yellow. I found the puzzle to be fairly easy and it won’t count as one of my favourites.

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Across

1a           Muslim lady to ask character to return (5)
{BEGUM} A word meaning “to ask” comes before a reversal of a Greek letter (character) to give a Muslim woman of high rank in the Indian subcontinent

4a           Hard hat of Scotsman with set of answers to explosive device and no end of luck (6,3)
{JOCKEY CAP} A reinforced cap with a long peak as worn by some on the racecourse is formed from an informal name for a Scotsman + a set of answers + an explosive device (e.g. for a toy gun). From this combination a letter K (end of luck) must be removed

9a           Convert warder with vodka and orange once? (4-5)
{TURN-SCREW} The answer is an archaic name for the tool which is also the name of a cocktail containing vodka and orange juice. It is formed from “to convert” + a slang term for a prison officer

10a        Tear apart queen’s flower (5)
{RIVER} “To tear apart” + R (queen) gives a flower (in its crossword sense of something which flows) which could be Yellow. As far as I am aware this meaning of flower does not appear in any dictionary and therefore should it be used in crosswords?

11a        Raise tax in eastern shelter (7)
{ELEVATE} A word meaning “to raise” is given by Value Added Tax inside E (eastern) shelter

12a        Genuine money’s found inside of lining tissue (7)
{RETINAL} A slang word for money goes inside “genuine” to give a word describing the light-sensitive tissue that lines much of the back layer of the eyeball

13a        Lover boys have primitive energies when drunk (6)
{CUPIDS} Winged figures of young boys representing love are given by primitive energies in psychoanalytic theory inside the drinking vessels which appear in the expression “in one’s ****” meaning under the influence of alcohol

15a        Weather men in Southern Television echoed (8)
{ELEMENTS} The weather is given by MEN inside a reversal of S (Southern) television

18a        Sailor punts first as a guide (4,4)
{POLE STAR} Punts (propels a boat) + sailor gives a guide found in the night sky

20a        Destroyer of prince captured by emeer regularly (6)
{ERASER} This destroyer is given by an Ethiopian prince inside alternate letters of EmEeR

23a        In advance devise homework on network (7)
{PREPLAN} School slang for homework + a local area network gives “to devise in advance”

24a        For example, Sam’s one foul (7)
{UNCLEAN} What Sam is to Americans + AN (one) gives “foul”

26a        Sounds like architect’s hard grind (5)
{GNASH} The answer is a homophone of the surname of the architect responsible for much of the layout of Regency London

27a        Possibly put one air in opera (1,8)
{I PURITANI} An anagram (possibly) of PUT I (one) AIR IN gives the name of Bellini’s last opera

28a        Attack in van (9)
{SPEARHEAD} A rather weak cryptic definition of the front of an attack

29a        Sweep’s black space (5)
{BROOM} “To sweep” is derived from B (black) + room. The answer is also a yellow-flowered shrub

Down

1d           Gilbertian character’s flatter around centre at first (9)
{BUTTERCUP} The name of the bumboat woman in H.M.S. Pinafore is given by “to flatter” (6,2) round C (centre at first). The answer is also a yellow flower

2d           It has spines producing blood around end of fingers (5)
{GORSE} Blood goes round S (end of fingers) to give a prickly shrub with yellow flowers

3d           Cut it to make the grade (7)
{MUSTARD} The answer is a yellow condiment that appears in the phrase “cut the *******” meaning “to make the grade”

4d           Some northbound ox-eyes reject this milk (6)
{JERSEY} A cow of  particular breed is hidden in reversed form in ox-eyes reject. This word can be yellow to a cyclist

5d           Subdue cockney severely, like Noel? (8)
{COWARDLY} “To subdue” + a word meaning “severely” with the initial H missing (as a cockney might say it) gives a word that could be considered to mean like Noel, the English dramatist. The word actually means “yellow”

6d           Funeral attendant to embrace a bishop when rising is a mistake (7)
{ERRATUM} A hired funeral attendant goes round A RR (bishop) and the whole thing is then reversed to give a mistake in writing or printing

7d           Agreements of witches with insects (9)
{COVENANTS} Mutual agreements are given by a gang of witches + social insects

8d           Fairy left in danger (5)
{PERIL} A beautiful fairy + L (left) gives a danger (which can be a yellow one)

14d        This needs to be positive to live (5-4)
{PULSE-RATE} In order to be alive the number of beats of the heart per minute must be greater than zero

16d        One of 15’s cooked mutton, sir (9)
{STRONTIUM} An anagram (cooked) of MUTTON SIR gives a member of the 15

17d        German’s agreement at international organisation to risk disease (8)
{JAUNDICE} The German for “yes” + an international organisation + “to risk” gives a disease in which there is a yellowing of the skin

19d        Brimstone once it catches fire (7)
{SULPHUR} This yellow substance was once called brimstone and it is inflammable

21d        Once again mount and take arm? (7)
{RECLIMB} “Once again mount” is formed from a 3-letter abbreviation of the Latin word for “take” + a member of the body, e.g. an arm

22d        Lined up as O’Sullivan played, we hear (6)
{QUEUED} “Stood in line” is an homophone of how Ronnie O’Sullivan played

23d        Young men attending opening of Parliament for a long time (5)
{PAGES} Young male attendants are derived from P (opening of Parliament) + a long time. They can be yellow if you let your fingers do the walking

25d        Muse about a toad? Not half! (5)
{ERATO} The Muse of lyric love poetry finishes with A TO(ad) but I’m not sure where the first 2 letters come from. If you reverse them you get “about” but there is nothing to indicate this reversal

I thought that there were some weak clues here