Toughie 565 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Toughie 565

Toughie No 565 by MynoT

Hints and tips by Bufo

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty ***Enjoyment **

With this puzzle MynoT passes the half-way stage on his rainbow quest with several answers being connected with the colour green. I found no real difficulty in filling the grid though I did have to then check and confirm a few things.

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Across

1a    Launder duvet? No time. Shaking esteemed too lightly (11)
{UNDERVALUED} An anagram (shaking) of LAUNDER DUVE(T) gives “esteemed too lightly”

9a    Fourth man could make 19 (4)
{SETH} An anagram (could make) of the answer to 19 across gives the fourth man (after Adam, Cain and Abel)

10a    Russian heir cheers waits playing (11)
{TSESAREWICH} An anagram (playing) of CHEERS WAITS gives the eldest son of a tsar. I had to check the spelling here (Chambers gives 8 variants) – it’s not the same as in the horse race

11a    Novice Conservative going the wrong way head first (4)
{TYRO} A novice is obtained by reversing a word for a Conservative but leaving the first letter (head) at the beginning.

14a    Tom perhaps applying weapon to fish (7)
{BOWLING} A weapon for shooting arrows + a fish of the cod family gives the surname of a fictional Tom. Wikipedia informs me that it is a character in Roderick Random or an 18th century song by Charles Dibdin or the fourth movement of the Fantasia on British Sea Songs by Sir Henry Wood, or a bay on the North Island of New Zealand

16a    Liberal leaving a talkative party for wash seen in old bathroom (7)
{AVOCADO} Is anyone going to admit to still having a bathroom suite in this green colour? It is made up of A + talkative with the letter L (liberal) removed + party

17a    Do out of payment for race (5)
{TRIBE} Remove UT (another word for do, the first note of the scale) from a payment to give a race (of people)

18a    Thanks to father for snack (4)
{TAPA} Thanks + father = a light snack or appetizer, especially in Spain. The word is more common in its plural form

19a    Short book is French; that’s hard (4)
{ESTH} The French for “is” + H (hard) gives the abbreviation for a book of the Old Testament

20a    Chief of police, we hear, took action against sham (5)
{PSEUD} P (first letter of police) + a homophone (we hear) of “took action” gives a word meaning “sham”

22a    Hand at French department may show them. So do other hands (7)
{FINGERS} A slang word for hand + a department of SW France gives things found on hands

23a    Work around return of snake to sheet (7)
{TOPSAIL} “To work” goes round a reversal of a snake (think Cleopatra) to give a sheet of canvas found on some boats

24a    Sign is a third of a mile further (4)
{LION} An animal that is a sign of the zodiac is formed from a Chinese unit of distance (about one-third of a mile) + “further”

28a    Old monarch in going down becomes greenish (11)
{VIRIDESCENT} A 3-letter abbreviation of a Latin phrase meaning “Victoria, Empress and Queen” + I’ (in) + a going down gives a word meaning “greenish”

29a    Holiday charge includes tea, we are told (4)
{FETE} A holiday is formed from a charge surrounding T (a homophone of tea)

30a    New kind of dove? It makes good soup (5,6)
{GREEN TURTLE} “New” + a word that can come before dove gives a sea creature which was once commonly used to make soup

Down

2d    Other than old women one who fails to appear for food (4)
{NOSH} Remove O W (old women) from one who fails to appear (2-4) to give a slang word for food

3d    Old Irish Queen’s to die at last (4)
{ERSE} Another name for Irish Gaelic is formed form “the queen’s” + E (last letter of die)

4d    Gullible one not in control in judicial decision (7)
{VERDANT} Take a judicial decision and replace IC (in control) by AN (one) to give a word meaning “gullible” that fits the theme of the puzzle

5d    Act on new fabric (4)
{LAWN} An act (statute) + N (new) gives a fabric that also fits the theme of the puzzle

6d    Imprison a hundred for beginning to subvert Lesotho for example (7)
{ENCLAVE} Take a word meaning “imprison” and substitute C (a hundred) for S (beginning to subvert). This gives a territory entirely enclosed within foreign territory, e.g. Lesotho which is enclosed in South Africa

7d    Jan I dare say is upset after strange end to party (3,5,3)
{NEW YEAR’S DAY} The definition is “Jan I”. It is derived from an anagram (upset) of DARE SAY coming after “strange” + Y (end to party)

8d    Pigment one’s taken from Phyllis after mould is removed from a number (11)
{CHLOROPHYLL} A pigment of the correct colour is formed from PHYLL(IS) (one’s taken) after form (mould) has been removed from an anaesthetic (number)

12d    Attractive young woman sailing close to the wind after garment’s removed although not hot (1,3,2,5)
{A BIT OF FLUFF} A slang, often offensive, term for a sexually attractive woman is made up of the act of sailing a ship close to the wind following “a garment’s removed” without an initial H (not hot)

13d    To write about wife, bridge player for a small amount (11)
{TWOPENNORTH} TO + to write about W (wife) + a bridge player gives a small amount (that wouldn’t cost much)

15d    Narcotic nark (5)
{GRASS} 2 meanings: narcotic(marijuana)/nark (informer)

16d    Sailor fired around (5)
{ABOUT} A common 2-letter abbreviation for a sailor + “fired” gives “around”

20d    Less interesting supporters? That is right (7)
{PROSIER} “Less interesting” = supporters (those in favour) + IE (that is) + R (right)

21d    It’s most stupid to cook tart for holy man (7)
{DOPIEST} “Most stupid” = to cook + tart + ST (saint)

25d    Fruit for catching birds (4)
{LIME} 2 meanings: a citrus fruit/ a sticky substance for catching birds

26d    One right for tree (4)
{ACER} One + R (right) = the maple genus. Compare 24 down in today’s Times crossword: Rook’s after outstanding tree

27d    Get advanced nothing for shrub producing wrong colour here (4)
{ANIL} A (advanced) + nothing gives a shrub producing an indigo dye (which is the wrong colour for the theme of this puzzle)

A doable puzzle but it didn’t particularly grab me

10 comments on “Toughie 565

  1. Although I completed this puzzle, there were a handful that I could not explain why. I had never heard of the nautical term in 12d, nor the chinese unit of distance in 24a. The alternative name for the first note of the scale in 17a was new to me too.
    I cannot say it was the most exciting of puzzles to solve, but at least I learnt something during the process.
    Thanks to MynoT, and to Bufo for the explanations.

  2. Although I finished this fairly quickly, I was unable to work out the whys and wherefores of some of the clues till I saw Bufos’ hints. Many thanks to MynoT for stretching me and Bufo for assisting me with the reasoning behind some clues. (14a in particular ) I didn’t know that 18a could be used in the singular. Super crossword.

  3. I got the sign inference at 24a but it was still my last in having bought a letter.aybe not as green as I expected but still a good solving experience. Thanks to Bufo and to MynoT.

  4. Thanks for the explanations – not too difficult to fill but as said by others a bit of a learning curve – not least the spelling of 10a .
    14a , 24a were both complete guesses until I saw your explanation- thanks to MynoT & Bufo .
    Favourites were 16a & 28a p.s. – isn’t a sheet a bit of rope in yachtic ?

    1. There are several possible spellings for 10a, as it’s a transliteration. This is an unusual variant, but I guess that it was a good fit with other clues for the setter.

  5. Thanks for the debrief Bufo, needed in 3 or 4 clues. “UT” new to me, and still don’t fully understand 12d, though I got it right. And me ex-RN too! I’m sorry to say that our lower deck heads are still in a comely shade of 16a !!!

  6. Several clues I solved but did not like: 20a (slang?); 19a I’ve never abbreviated this book (I only got it because it was an anagram of 9a); 20d wrong meaning to me and surely, in 17a. it is “doh” not “do” and never heard of UT anyway. In my Chambers online dictionary 13d is hyphened but 10a was easy as it was an anagram the same dictionary recognised.
    4d was the only one to defeat me. I got the judicial decision but couldn’t take it from there.
    A crossword in 2 halves I think. Romped through the first half and then struggled.

  7. I was looking forward to the green element of Mynot’s rainbow series but I was quite disappointed. Didn’t like 14, 17 or 19 but I was pleased with 13. When did pennies and twopences etc suddenly become peas and two peas [or is it pees?]. Looking forward to the blue period.

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