Toughie 563

Toughie No 563 by Excalibur

What Do You Think of it So Far?

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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment *

Same old same old.

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Across

1a    Complimentary to no avail (3,7)
{FOR NOTHING} – a double definition

9a    No. I left after the return game (4)
{LION} – NO I L(eft) is reversed (after the return) to get this big-game cat

10a    Conveys what one does to point out a mistake (4,6)
{PUTS ACROSS} – a phrasal verb meaning conveys or explains could mean points out a mistake if split (4,1,5)

11a    Go fare free? (6)
{STARVE} – a weak cryptic definition of consumes no food

12a    Stopped cold, having entered (7)
{CLOGGED} – a word meaning stopped or blocked is a charade of C(old) and having entered in a journal

15a    Feasts for land-hungry Americans? (7)
{SPREADS} – a double definition

16a    They sing said number in comeback (5)
{DIVAS} – to get these female singers insert a Roman numeral (number) inside SAID and reverse he lot (in comeback)

17a    Psychologically disturbed, or so you say (4)
{SICK} – a word meaning psychologically disturbed sounds like (you say) the Latin for so or thus

18a    Foreign city resident back in bosom of family (4)
{LIMA} – a South American capital city is hidden (resident … in bosom of) and reversed (back) inside the final word of the clue

19a    Closes and stamps (5)
{SEALS} – a double definition – closes or makes airtight/watertight and stamps or impressions

21a    Various forms of reptiles, etc., mutant therein (7)
{ASPECTS} – to get a word meaning “various forms” start with some snakes (reptiles) and then insert (therein) an anagram (mutant) of ETC

22a    Punched hard, dragged off by second (7)
{SLUGGED} – a word meaning punched hard is derived from a word meaning dragged off preceded by S(econd)

24a    First, salt is back on quota (6)
{RATION} – take an abbreviation (2,1) indicating first place and add a slang word for a salt or sailor then reverse all (back) to get a quota

27a    Unfair at the moment — and later, perhaps (3,4,3)
{NOT JUST NOW} – a phrase meaning unfair followed by a word meaning at the moment gives a phrase meaning later, possibly

28a    A time of recession, too (4)
{NOON} – a time of the day that is palindromic

29a    Flower made of cloth? (6,4)
{DAMASK ROSE} – this first word of this flower is also a cloth or material, originally of silk, now usually of linen, woven with a pattern

Down

2d    Burden we’ll pay for? (4)
{ONUS} – this burden, when split (2,2) indicates that we will pay – how many times have you seen this before?

3d    Trying to find answer to Domingo’s ‘Shall I dance for you?’ (6)
{NOSING} – a word meaning trying to find, when split (2,4), could be the answer if Plácido Domingo were to ask ‘Shall I dance for you?’

4d    Unfortunately lacked time before set about (7)
{TACKLED} – an anagram (unfortunately) of LACKED is preceded by (before) T(ime) to get a word meaning set about or undertook

5d    Age it takes to straighten things out (4)
{IRON} – a double definition – the Age that followed the Bronze Age and an implement used to straighten things out

6d    Doctors’ round is so taken up in rumours (7)
{GOSSIPS} – put these doctors in General Practice around IS SO reversed (taken up) to get rumours

7d    Being informed by word of mouth (3-7)
{LIP-READING} – a (cryptic?) definition of gathering what a person says by watching

8d    Sit too much, see? (10)
{UNDERSTAND} – a part-cryptic double definition – split the answer (5,5) and it could mean sit too much; the definition is see or comprehend

12d    Sharing the limelight’s worth a band following Queen (2-8)
{CO-STARRING} – a word meaning sharing the limelight is constructed from worth or price and a band preceded by the abbreviation of the Latin for Queen

13d    Calling for a military takeover (10)
{OCCUPATION} – a double definition – a calling or employment and a military takeover

14d    Many a saintly place and some resorts for sinners? (5)
{DIVES} – the Roman numeral for five hundred (many) is followed by the second part of a town in Cornwall or Cambridgeshire (take your pick), the first part being St., to get some disreputable resorts for sinners

15d    Puts off travelling the slow way (5)
{SAILS} – travels by sea the slow way

19d    Shocked when stood up, getting home mad (7)
{STUNNED} – a word meaning shocked is created by reversing (when stood up, in a down clue) an a home for an animal and a word meaning mad

20d    Mistakes made by backward s-students (4-3)
{SLIP-UPS} – these mistakes are created by reversing (backward) S and some students

23d    Pronounced superior to hand-held kitchen aid (6)
{GRATER} – a word that sounds like (pronounced) superior is a hand-held kitchen aid with a rough surface for rubbing cheese down to small particles

25d    A thing or two of interest to gossip columnists (4)
{ITEM} – a piece of news – possibly about two people having a romantic relationship

26d    Beats by very little in comeback (4)
{TOPS} – a word meaning beats or surpasses means a small amount when reversed

This dreadful grid is the same one that this setter used for Toughie 465. At the time Bufo wrote “At first glance I was put off by the diagram with its double unches (unchecked letters) and what looked like a lot of black squares. It’s definitely not one of the best grids I’ve ever seen.” – enough said!