Toughie 615

Toughie No 615 by Messinae

Hints and tips by Big Dave

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

Although not too difficult (for me it took less time than today’s back-page puzzle), this was very enjoyable.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought. You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five stars at the bottom of the post.

Across

1a    Plant putting oxygen in the sea (6)
{BRIONY} – an alternative spelling of this wild climbing plant, common in English hedgerows, is created by putting O(xygen) inside a poetic word for the sea

4a    Shrink from sound one records (8)
{ANNALIST} – what sounds like another word for a shrink or psychiatrist is actually someone who records events under the years in which they happened

10a    Carry before mass an object of veneration (5)
{TOTEM} – a charade of a verb meaning to carry and M(ass) gives an object venerated by Native Americans

11a    Sweet juice in Oriental fruit (9)
{NECTARINE} – a charade of a sweet juice, favoured by the Greek gods, with IN and the abbreviation for Oriental gives a citrus fruit

12a    Stir too, cooking this (7)
{RISOTTO} – an anagram (cooking) of STIR TOO gives something an Italian chef might cook

13a    One soaking old ham (7)
{EXACTOR} – the definition here is “one soaking”, in the sense of a racketeer, and it’s a charade of a two-letter suffix used for old and a ham in the theatre

14a    Drop-outs in fifties obtain teenager to groom (4,10)
{BEAT GENERATION} – this 1950s movement of young people who rejected conventional society is an anagram (to groom) of OBTAIN TEENAGER

17a    Plastic explosive in America fatally damaged organ (4,2,3,5)
{NEWS OF THE WORLD} – put a four-letter synonym of plastic and H(igh) E(xplosive) inside another name for the Americas to get a recently-closed newspaper – what, you’ve forgotten all about it already!

21a    One old instrument sent back hint of German threat to shipping (7)
{ICEBERG} – combine I (one), a medieval stringed instrument played with a bow reversed (sent back) and G (hint of German) to get a threat to shipping, particularly the Titanic

23a    One working in theatre: a jerk on a rope performing (7)
{SURGEON} – this theatre is the one in a hospital – a jerk on a rope is followed by a two-letter word for performing

24a    Rattletrap’s part of rubric: abracadabra! (9)
{BRICABRAC} – this rattletrap is hidden inside the last two words of the clue

25a    I’ve no excited last words (5)
{ENVOI} – an anagram (excited) of I’VE NO gives the short stanza concluding a poem

26a    Farceur gets English cross (8)
{TRAVERSE} – I can hear the cries of “unfair!” from the younger solvers! – the name of a playwright who wrote a number of farces is followed by E(nglish) to get a word meaning to cross

27a    Secret police’s arrest (6)
{STASIS} – drop the apostrophe from the possessive form of the East German Secret police to get a word meaning the arrest of blood circulation

Down

1d    It covers up British beating European (8)
{BATHROBE} – this item of clothing covers up after a shower – it’s a charade of B(ritish), a word meaning beating and E(uropean)

 

2d    Not willing to get right off major road in US (9)
{INTESTATE} – an adjective meaning not having made a will before one dies is created by dropping the R(ight) from a major road in the US

3d    Identification upset person controlling admission (4,3)
{NAME TAG} – this badge identifying the person to which it is fixed is created by reversing a person who controls admission to an event

5d    Branch of science battling cancers pushily (7,7)
{NUCLEAR PHYSICS} – this Branch of science is an anagram (pushily) of BATTLING CANCERS

6d    Very hard old rocker (7)
{ADAMANT} – a word meaning very hard or determined, when split (4,3) gives a not-so-old rocker – I preferred the clue in yesterday’s Wee Stinker: Unyielding yielding Goddard (7)

7d           Fool — I spot one being taken in (5)
{IDIOT} – this fool is created from I and a spot with I (one) inserted

8d           The American taxmen will get what belongs to them (6)
{THEIRS} – combine THE and the American taxmen and the result is a word meaning “belongs to them”

9d           Onset of gremlins in foundries ruin cast with insignificant numbers discarded (2,5,7)
{IN ROUND FIGURES} – put G (Onset of Gremlins) inside an anagram (cast) of FOUNDRIES RUIN to get a phrase meaning “to the nearest convenient large number” or “with insignificant numbers discarded”

15d         You and I in reference works solver uses endlessly (9)
{OURSELVES} – a first person plural pronoun for “you and I” is an anagram (works) of SOLVER USE(S) without the final S (endlessly)

16d         They may cause snoring noise Dad put out (8)
{ADENOIDS} – the definition is “they may cause snoring” and they are an anagram (put out) of NOISE DAD

18d         Leak reference in Daily Telegraph? (7)
{SEEPAGE} – if this leak is split (3,4) it could be a reference instructing you to look somewhere else in the newspaper

19d         Weapon held by Europe and America with most enthusiasm (7)
              Most dangerous weapon held by Europe and America (7) – newspaper version
{WARMEST} – put a weapon inside how Europe and America are collectively known to get an adjective meaning  with most enthusiasm
The definition used for the newspaper version is a bit tenuous, to say the least

20d         Bird pecked tasty morsel (6)
{TITBIT} – a charade of a small bird (3) and a word meaning pecked (3) gives a tasty morsel

22d         Fine Australian shrub (5)
{ERICA} – the blood-fine paid by a murderer to his victim’s family in old Irish law is followed by A(ustralian) to get a plant of the heath genus

This puzzle definitely grew on me as I wrote the review.  Welcome back Messinae after a long rest.