Toughie 661

Toughie No 661 by Shamus

Hints and tips by Bufo

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

I worked steadily through this with the only hold-up being in the SE corner where I had to make up the answer to 25 across before I could get a handle on 23 down. An enjoyable solve that has a bit of an American flavour.

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Across

1a    Drink I raise facing sun with period of time on the sidelines? (6,4)
{WHISKY SOUR} A mixed drink containing a particular spirit and lemon juice is made up of I + hit high in the air (raise) + S (sun) all put inside W (with) and a period of time

6a    Exchange in prisoners recalled (4)
{SWOP} ‘To exchange’ is a reversal of an abbreviated form of prisoners captured during a conflict

9a    Bust indoors not extra large — by him? (5)
{RODIN} An anagram (bust) of INDOORS with OS (extra large) omitted gives the name of somebody who made busts

10a    A set of old books I extract with no end of fervour? (9)
{ANTIQUARY} The wordplay gives A + NT (set of old books = New Testament) + I + ‘extract from an open excavation’ with a letter R (last letter of fervour) omitted. The whole clue provides a definition

12a    One seeking belt transformed rig with rescue (13)
{CRUISERWEIGHT} The belt is one that may awarded to a boxer derived from an anagram (transformed) of RIG WITH RESCUE

14a    Secure establishment conflicted, we hear, with theologian (4,4)
{FORT KNOX} A secure establishment in the USA is a homophone (but not to everybody) of ‘conflicted’ + the surname of a Scottish theologian

15a    A cricket match full of runs becoming leisurely (2,4)
{AT REST} An international cricket match goes round R (runs)

17a    On reflection, Miliband with skill restricts one making offensive speech (6)
{TIRADE} A reversal of the first name of the Labour Party leader + skill round I (one) gives an offensive speech

19a    Pass men with trouble in state (8)
{COLORADO} A mountain pass + OR (men) + trouble gives a US state

21a    Motto that’s blue in rumpus spread around university (1,8,4)
{E PLURIBUS UNUM} The motto of the US (one out of many) is an anagram (spread) of BLUE IN RUMPUS round U (university)

24a    A soft sheep going over plant (9)
{AMARYLLIS} A + a reversal of soft (weak in mind) + a male sheep gives the belladonna lily or a related flower

25a    Club largely sealing approval for exotic tree (5)
{IROKO} A golf club with the last letter missing goes round an approval to give a timber tree of central and W Africa

26a    National symbol is close to bell with a frightening sound (4)
{LEEK} The national emblem of Wales = L (last letter of bell) + an interjection denoting fright (used conventionally in children’s comics)

27a    At sea ketch hid half of tern and duck (3,3,4)
{HIT THE DECK} An anagram (at sea) of KETCH HID TE (half of tern) gives ‘to duck’

Down

1d    Caribbean engineers make communication (4)
{WIRE} An abbreviation denoting Caribbean (think cricket) + the Royal Engineers gives a telegram

2d    Spirited driver’s first with a lot of speed turning up in this? (4,3)
{INDY CAR} A word meaning spirited or animated + D (first letter of Driver) + most (a lot) of a word meaning to speed or go quickly all reversed (turning up) gives an American racing vehicle.

3d    Man getting food produced in upturn during years for noted race (8,5)
{KENTUCKY DERBY} A man’s name + food + a reversal of ‘produced’ inside YY (years) gives an American horse race

4d    Instant record showing game’s exciting (8)
{SNAPSHOT} An instant record when split (4’1 3) gives ‘game’s exciting’ with the game being a children’s card game

5d    Complete mess Sri Lanka ignored (5)
{UTTER} ‘Complete’ = a mess with the IVR for Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) omitted

7d    Dispute produced by Republican in crafty exercise (7)
{WRANGLE} A dispute = R (Republican) inside a crafty exercise

8d    Chatter on the rise? It’s not a ground or place for speaking among Americans (3,7)
{PAY STATION} A reversal of ‘to chatter’ + an anagram (ground) of IT’S NOT A gives a telephone call-box in the US

11d    What could be scribbled in a note’s found among some papers — statistician’s material? (13)
{QUESTIONNAIRE} An anagram (scribbled) of IN A NOTE’S goes inside 24 (or 25) sheets of paper to give a document that may be filled in to give data for statistical analysis

13d    Unconventional way to describe places near centre of old Berlin? (3,3,4)
{OFF THE WALL} A phrase meaning ‘unconventional’ might have describes places near the centre of Berlin for 30 years from 1961

16d    What domestic minder may do with success protecting old customs? (5-3)
{HOUSE-SIT} What domestic minder might do = a success round O (old) customs

18d    Film, perhaps, much of dance around meadows (7)
{RELEASE} A film, perhaps, (just out) = a lively dance with the last letter missing round meadows

20d    Part of clothing found in a jolly secret place (7)
{ARMHOLE} Part of a garment = A RM (jolly = Royal marine) + a secret place

22d    Indian food taken up among unfit labourers (5)
{BALTI} An Indian dish is hidden in reversed form in unfIT LABourers

23d    Burden, we hear, is something attractive to soldiers? (4)
{YOLK} A homophone of a burden is something you might dip soldiers into at breakfast time

The Toughies this week have so far been fairly benign. Will Tilsit suffer for it tomorrow? [Probably not as he has passed the baton to me! We are expecting Firefly, but we could be wrong. BD]