Toughie 764

Toughie No 764 by Micawber

National Elf Service

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

I feel very privileged to be allowed to blog a puzzle of this quality. Humour, clever wordplay and a distinct lack of very obscure words – I loved it – thanks to Micawber for making my day. How did you get on?

Across Clues

1a  Breaking news recently decreased, perhaps (3,3,3,5)
{HOT OFF THE PRESS} – a phrase meaning breaking news in the world of newspapers (which was more meaningful in the old days of typesetting) could also mean still warm after being ironed.

10a  Using internet, managed to back up externally when out of order? (3-6)
{NON-LINEAR} – a word (6) for currently using the internet has a synonym for managed reversed (back up) around it (externally).

11a  Look after round peg in square hole? (3,2)
{SEE TO} – a phrasal verb meaning look after or take care of comes from reversing (round) a peg and placing it between S(quare) and the letter that looks like a hole.

12a  Might infirm pearly queen complain about this individual? (7)
{ONESELF} – LOL – a pearly queen (coming from the East End) might complain about her poor physical wellbeing in these terms (3’1, ‘3) and, of course, being “royal” she wouldn’t use the word “my”. The straight definition is individual.

13a  Attach crushed petals (6)
{STAPLE} – an anagram (crushed) of PETALS.

15a  Balls giving nothing to state-owned bank (4)
{ORBS} – the surface is presumably referring to the shadow chancellor’s policy of imposing higher taxes on the banks. The definition is balls – start with the letter that resembles zero and add the abbreviation for the bank brought low by the activities of Fred the Shred.

17a  One creating a scene in a prom and flipping out? (5,5)
{PRIMA DONNA} – the definition is one creating a scene (i.e. a temperamental person with an inflated view of their own importance). It’s an anagram (flipping out) of IN A PROM AND.

18a  Hammer a nail in the bust (10)
{ANNIHILATE} – a verb meaning to hammer or overwhelm is an anagram (bust) of A NAIL IN THE.

20a  Voting system coming from academic (4)
{PROF} – an abbreviated academic comes from a voting system followed by another word for “from”.

22a  They may enjoy new-found freedom — divorcee does (2-4)
{EX-CONS} – these have finished their porridge. The short word used for a divorcee is followed by a verb meaning does or hoaxes.

23a  Screen online video excerpts on ecstasy (7)
{ECLIPSE} – a verb meaning to screen or obscure is how you might refer to online video excerpts (1-5) followed by E(cstasy).

26a  Stuff the Yorkshire order (5)
{TWILL} – this stuff is a type of woven fabric. The contracted form of ‘the’ used in Yorkshire is followed by an order or decree.

27a  Religious observance and instruction held in Conservative rule (9)
{CRITERION} – the definition is a rule or standard. Insert a religious observance and the abbreviation for religious instruction inside an abbreviation for Conservative.

28a  Afghan saga? (6,3,5)
{SHAGGY DOG STORY} – cryptic definition of what Chambers describes as ‘a whimsically long-drawn-out story, humorous because of its length and the inconsequence of its ending’.

Down Clues

2d  Use trampoline, perhaps, losing breadth and weight (5)
{OUNCE} – what you might do on a trampoline without the B(readth).

3d  Believed love wasted (6)
{OPINED} – a verb meaning believed or formed an opinion comes from the letter resembling zero or love followed by a verb meaning wasted away or languished.

4d  Soldiers in rapid descent into brawl (4-3-3)
{FREE-FOR-ALL} – put the abbreviation for ordinary soldiers inside the type of rapid descent achieved without benefit of parachute.

5d  Mass held by Father Dougal (4)
{HERD} – a mass or large group is concealed (held) in the clue.

ARVE Error: need id and provider

6d  Put forward stewed topside (7)
{POSITED} – an anagram (stewed) of TOPSIDE produces a verb meaning put forward or proposed for the sake of argument.

7d  Calm spot amid storm, beyond poetic setting for writer’s sudden enlightenment (3-6)
{EYE-OPENER} – this is a sudden enlightenment. Start with the calm spot at the heart of a hurricane, then insert a writing implement inside (setting for) a poetic term for beyond.

8d  Southern resort hotel where boy meets girl for old gambling game (5-9)
{SHOVE-HALFPENNY} – this is an old gambling game (still played in some pubs) involving the propulsion by hand of very shiny coins. S(outhern) and a resort close to Brighton are followed by the letter for which hotel is used in the Nato phonetic alphabet and names for a boy and girl.

9d  A licit person, no delinquent, given juvenile custody (2,4,8)
{IN LOCO PARENTIS} – this is a phrase, from latin, describing the role of someone given the responsibility for the custody and well-being of a child. It’s an anagram (delinquent) of A LICIT PERSON NO.

14d  Spill the beans about affair a bit (10)
{SMATTERING} – an informal verb meaning to spill the beans or tell tales goes round an affair or occurrence to make a small amount.

16d  Good example of Australian mammal, no date, in porcelain (4,5)
{BONE CHINA} – the definition here is porcelain. Start with an adjective, from French, meaning good and add the name of the Australian mammal also known as the spiny anteater without its D (no date).

19d  Member leaving equine body after extremely long speech? (7)
{HINDLEG} – cryptic definition of what a donkey may lose as a result (so the saying goes) of someone’s verbosity.

21d  Able to have a good time and suffer alternately (6)
{FLUENT} – this is an adjective meaning able or coherent. Think of two 3-letter words, the first meaning a good time or enjoyment and the second a verb to suffer or allow. Now filter in one letter from each in turn (alternately) to make the answer.

24d  He’s a habit-former (5)
{PRIOR} – double definition, the first being ‘he has a habit’.

25d  Seven years almost up, perhaps, served in exemplary fashion (4)
{ACED} – the definition is served in exemplary fashion (on the tennis court). A word meaning ten years has to be reversed (up) but we only need two-thirds of it, so that’s 6.67 years (i.e. almost seven) of the ten.

If I had to pick out just a few of the ones I enjoyed I’d go for 19d, 24d and 25d, but my very favourite clue is 12a. Let us know what you liked.