Toughie 577

Toughie No 577 by Shamus

Hints and tips by Bufo

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

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

This was slightly trickier than I thought it was going to be in that a bit of thought was needed to work out some of the wordplay.

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Across

1a    Twiggy, say, acting beside filming equipment held by European director (without US agent) (4,6)
{BABY BOOMER} Someone born just after WWII (such as Twiggy) is given by A (acting) + BY (beside) + a movable beam that holds an overhead camera or microphone all inside the surname of a Swedish film director with G-MAN (US agent) removed

6a    Acknowledge hotel facing trouble (4)
{HAIL} Acknowledge = H (hotel) + to trouble

10a    Mother boycotted new cinema close to dive — and other in family (5)
{NIECE} An anagram (new) of CINEMA with MA removed + E (close to dive) gives a family member

11a    A special individual broken by origin of ignoble slur (9)
{ASPERSION} A + S (special) + an individual containing I (origin of ignoble) = a slur

12a    A writer coming forward finally to get round a dry place providing neat dispatches? (8)
{ABATTOIR} A + a type of pen with the last letter brought forward goes round A TT (dry) to give a place where cattle (neat) are killed

13a    Pretty drug counsellor’s advice? (5)
{QUITE} A drug counsellor’s advice might well be to **** * (or give up a particular drug). The answer means pretty (somewhat)

15a    Problem faced by trains German article ignored producing disorder (7)
{AILMENT} Remove DER (German article) from something untoward that might happen to a train to get a disorder

17a    Dictionary in study largely associated with northern school (7)
{ROEDEAN} The abbreviation for a large dictionary goes inside “to study” with its last letter removed. Addition of N (northern) then gives the name of a girls’ school near Brighton (and good girls are we!)

19a    Journey taken by unpredictable synod not new? Certainly on reflection (7)
{ODYSSEY} A long journey is given by an anagram (unpredictable) of SYNOD without N (new) + the reversal of a word meaning “certainly”

21a    Companion to mandarin a necessary element say in retirement (7)
{SATSUMA} A fruit related to a mandarin orange is given by a reversal of A + necessary + element. I hope that that’s right where the element is arsenic

22a    Statesman once swapping latest in style for a religious garment (5)
{BURKA} Take the surname of Edmund, a prominent 18^th century politician, and change the E (latest in style) to A. This gives you a garment worn by Muslim women

24a    Rough note composer left before end of symphony (8)
{GRAVELLY} G (note) + a French composer + L (left) + Y (end of symphony) gives a word meaning “rough” which also describes a hill in Birmingham near the M6

27a    A university tutor initially consumed by unusually bitter characteristic (9)
{ATTRIBUTE} A + U (University) T (tutor initially) inside an anagram (unusually) of BITTER gives a characteristic

28a    Leave river with retired volunteers (5)
{EXEAT} Formal leave of absence is given by a river of SW England + a reversal of the abbreviation for a voluntary military force

29a    School given weight on the web? (4)
{ETON} A well-known public school is formed from E- (on the web) + a weight

30a    Mention of plain bachelor associating with corrupt types gradually (4,2,4)
{STEP BY STEP} A homophone of a Russian plain + B (bachelor) + an anagram (corrupt) of TYPES gives “gradually”

Down
1d    Tilt in air bench (4)
{BANK} 2 meanings: (of an aircraft) to tilt in turning/a bench (for rowers in a galley)

2d    One with buzz barely to be moved after swapping bit of alcohol for litre — showing evidence of this? (4,5)
{BEER BELLY} An insect that buzzes + an anagram (to be moved) of BARELY with A (bit of alcohol) replaced by L (litre) gives something caused by excessive drinking

3d    Beef from table cooked (5)
{BLEAT} An anagram (cooked) of TABLE gives “to beef”

4d    Inferior sofa damaged by wine quietly removed (2,1,4)
{OF A SORT} “Inferior” is given by an anagram (damaged) of SOFA + a type of wine with the letter P (quietly) removed

5d    One displaying authority in temper ordinarily (7)
{EMPEROR} Hidden in tEMPER ORdinarily

7d    Excuse in the same place defended by notable figure in ring (5)
{ALIBI} An excuse is given by a 2-letter abbreviation of a Latin word meaning “in the same place” inside a former heavyweight boxing champion

8d    Source of enlightenment followed by tedious talk? It makes one look drawn (7,3)
{LANTERN JAW} A lamp (source of enlightenment) + tedious talk gives a facial feature that gives the face a drawn appearance.

9d    Haunt fine part of hospital accommodating masses (not half) (8)
{FREQUENT} “To haunt” is made up of F (fine) + an abbreviation for a particular hospital department round the first half of a word for masses (services) for the rest of the soul of the dead

14d    A Greek character touring lake died in middle of area getting sharp cut from this? (5,5)
{RAZOR BLADE} For once the Greek character is not a letter of the Greek alphabet but a character in a 1964 film starring Anthony Quinn. A + this Greek character round L (lake) + D (died) all inside RE (middle of aREa) gives something sharp for shaving

16d    Look mostly about special director once being joyful (8)
{ECSTATIC} Take a Latin word meaning “behold” with the last letter removed and put it round S (special) + the surname of a former French film director. This gives you “joyful”

18d    Boiling temperature faced by a lot of overbearing chaps in East close to sun (9)
{EBULLIENT} A word meaning “boiling” is formed from T (temperature) coming after overbearing chaps with the last letter removed inside E (East) N (close to sun)

20d    It comes from dairy ultimately with rough fermenting over time (7)
{YOGHURT} An anagram (fermenting) of Y (dairy ultimately) ROUGH followed by T (time) gives a dairy product

21d    Quiet amateur has energy to circumvent unionist and develop (5,2)
{SHAPE UP} SH (quiet) + A (amateur) + a word for energy going round U (unionist) gives to “develop”

23d    Revolutionary group in poor territory invoking the past (5)
{RETRO} A word for “invoking the past” is hidden in reverse inside poOR TERritory

25d    Noted captain lacking nothing in case of excessively hostile party (5)
{ENEMY} The captain of the Nautilus loses O (nothing) and goes inside EY (case of exceptionally) to give a hostile party

26d    Restrain part of organ (4)
{STOP} 2 meanings: restrain/part of organ

The puzzle was fair enough though I did find some of the clues somewhat convoluted.