Toughie 755

Toughie No 755 by Shamus

Hints and tips by Big Dave

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

This middle-of-the road, in terms of difficulty, Toughie was quite enjoyable. A number of the clues use bits of words, like a trio meaning the first three letters, but you get used to them.

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Across

1a    Tempt European with short time in French resort (6)
{ENTICE} – to get a verb meaning to tempt start with E(uropean) and then add T(ime) inside a French resort

4a    It carries an authoritative stamp and features in a car (8)
{JACKBOOT} – this item of footwear is often used to emphasise the stamp of authority – it’s a charade of two items found in a car (the first is usually inside the second!)

10a    Sailor disheartened in hard Korean group ditching leader is made powerless (9)
{HAMSTRUNG} – drop the middle letter (disheartened) from a three-letter word for a sailor and put this inside H(ard) and a Korean group which manufactures electronic equipment without its initial letter (ditching leader) to get a word meaning made powerless

11a    Conclude in an outrageous way (not half) (5)
{INFER} – a verb meaning to conclude is derived by dropping (not half) the “nally” from the end of an adjective meaning in an outrageous way

12a    Note timeless (7)
{CROCHET} – start with a musical note and drop one of the Ts (time-less) to get this decorative work

13a    By the sound of it, first person noticed ugly landmark? (7)
{EYESORE} – if split (3,4) this sounds like the first person noticed, but it’s actually an ugly landmark

14a    Military cap has to be altered with stunning victory (5)
{SHAKO} – the name of this tall, nearly cylindrical, military cap with a plume was new to me – to get it an anagram (to be altered) of HAS is followed by a stunning victory

15a    Soil dope misplaced in holiday spot? (8)
{POOLSIDE} – an anagram (misplaced) of SOIL DOPE gives a spot for sunbathing while on holiday

18a    Ex-Man U footballer facing trio of reserves, source of solid support (8)
{BUTTRESS} – a former Manchester United, Newcastle United and Birmingham City player is followed by the first three letters (trio) of REServes and the initial letter (source) of Solid to get a support built onto the outside of a wall

20a    Bit player not altogether in next rally (5)
{EXTRA} – this actor who plays bit parts is hidden inside (not altogether) the clue

23a    Mostly relish remains after large stew (7)
{GOULASH} – start with most of relish or taste, usually preceded by “chacun à son” in a well-known phrase, and then put the remains of a fire after L(arge) to get a stew of beef, vegetables, onions, and paprika

25a         Pleasing story about man on board in Malaysian capital (7)
{LIKABLE} – an adjective meaning pleasing or amiable is derived by putting a story or untruth around a two-letter abbreviation for a sailor itself inside the abbreviated form of the capital of Malaysia

26a         What might attract a queen, say, by a lake in Asian country (5)
{NEPAL} – start with a mint-like plant attractive to cats (a queen, say) and add the A from the clue and L(ake) to get a mountainous Asian country

27a         Way of working retained by eccentric stymied in shameless conduct (9)
{IMMODESTY} – put the two-letter abbreviation for a way of working inside (retained by) an anagram (eccentric) of STYMIED to get this shameless conduct

28a         A worthless person right off in government department done away with? (8)
{GAROTTED} – put A and a worthless person without the final R (right off) between G(overnment) and D(epartment) to get one spelling of a verb meaning done away with or killed by strangulation

29a         Lay on short job in magazine lacking cover (6)
{IMPOSE} – this verb meaning to lay on or enforce is derived by putting most of a four-letter job inside an American weekly news magazine without its initial T (lacking cover)

Down

1d           Expert in morality, ancient character, one getting a lot of stick possibly (8)
{ETHICIST} – this expert in morality comes from a charade of ancient character, a letter (Ð or ð), used in Old English, I (one) and an anagram (possibly) of a lot of STIC(K)

2d           Jerry’s rival with former pop star snubbed in house (7)
{TOMBOLA} – Jerry’s cartoon rival is followed by most of (snubbed) the lead singer of T Rex (former pop star) to get a type of bingo (house) especially one played for money in the armed services

3d           Extremely tough shaver’s mistake? (3-6)
{CUT-THROAT} – this adjective meaning extremely tough could, if unhyphenated, be a shaver’s mistake

5d           Some appealing source of light possibly (10,4)
{ANGLEPOISE® LAMP} – in this &Lit (all-in-one) clue an anagram (possibly) of SOME APPEALING and the initial letter (source) of Light gives a source of electric light

6d           Cut unpleasant person getting uppity with minimum of excitement (5)
{KNIFE} – this verb meaning to cut is derived by reversing (getting uppity) an unpleasant person and then adding the initial letter (minimum) of Excitement

7d           Fine fellow among soldiers having trouble (last at front) describing a jeep? (3-4)
{OFF-ROAD} – put F(ine) and F(ellow) inside (among) some ordinary soldiers and then add some trouble in which the final letter has been moved to the front of the word to get a description of a jeep or similar vehicle

8d           Revolving structure kept by fighter ruthlessly in revolution (6)
{TURRET} – this revolving structure on a military vehicle is hidden (kept by) and reversed (in revolution) in the clue

9d           I let police chum off regarding some exams? (8-6)
{MULTIPLE-CHOICE} – an anagram (off) of I LET POLICE CHUM gives a type of exam in which a question is accompanied by several possible answers from which the candidate must try to pick the correct one.

16d         Drink, we hear, with male after party in Arab territory (9)
{SHEIKHDOM} – what sound like a cold drink made of flavoured milk which is whisked until it is frothy is followed by M(ale) after a two-letter party to give this Arab territory

17d         Longing to import drug in Eastern government recalled in novel (4,4)
{JANE EYRE} – put a longing (3) around (to import) Crosswordland’s usual drug, put all of this inside E(astern) and a form of government like that formerly used in India and then reverse the lot to get a novel by Charlotte Brontë

19d         Priest interrupts one taking interest in rebel? (7)
{USURPER} – put P(riest) inside (interrupts) someone who charges, usually excessive, interest to get a rebel

21d         Mexican food containing a lot of fish and sauce (7)
{TABASCO} – put some Mexican food around (containing) a lot of a fish of the sea perch family to get this hot pepper sauce

22d         Drink say getting award with its contents stirred (6)
{EGGNOG} – this drink is derived from the abbreviation of the Latin for say / for example followed by an award in which the middle letters are rearranged  (contents stirred)

24d         Earmark a large area in France (5)
{ALLOT} – this verb meaning to earmark comes from a charade of the A in the clue, L(arge) and an area in southern France

Once again, a pleasant but not over-taxing start to the Toughie week

Sorry for the delay but I’ve had a busy morning with the Parish Council accounts, for which I do the bookkeeping, being audited!