Toughie 769

Toughie No 769 by Shamus

Hints and tips by Bufo

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

I enjoyed this puzzle even though I found it to be at the easy end of the Toughie spectrum. There were some nice clues and all were perfectly fair.

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Across

1a    Facilities offered by hospital defended by European in contractual ambiguity? (8)
{LOOPHOLE} Facilities (a lavatory) + H (hospital) inside an inhabitant of a certain European country = a possible contractual ambiguity

5a    Lots getting food on board (6)
{STACKS} Lots = food inside SS (i.e. on board steamship)

9a    Restrained nerve shown by NI politicians (7,2)
{BOTTLED UP} ‘Restrained’ = a slang term for nerve (courage) + an abbreviation for a political party founded by Ian Paisley

11a    Dogsbody, fellow kept by active type (5)
{GOFER} A dogsbody = F (fellow) inside an active type

12a    Woman’s Indian food lacking note — typifying some tea? (6)
{HERBAL} A pronoun indicating “woman’s” + a kind of Indian cookery (5) from which a musical note has been removed = an adjective describing some teas

13a    Column composed about film, one representing a sell-out? (5,3)
{UNCLE TOM} An anagram (composed) of COLUMN around a 1982 Spielberg film = a fictional character whose name has come to represent a black person who behaves in a subservient manner to white people

15a    I’m a grade men land when lacking in substance possibly (6,7)
{MIDDLE MANAGER} The answer is an anagram (possibly) of I’M A GRADE MAN LD (land without the middle letters). The whole clue also provides the definition

18a    Footballer, rough new sort with no end of aggressiveness around official? That’s in character (6-7)
{CENTRE-FORWARD} This is a footballer who plays in an attacking position. Take an anagram (rough) of NEW ORT (sort without the last letter of aggressiveness) and put it round the man who controls a football match. Then put the result inside a character (eccentric person)

22a    Number right away around a set of books before judge — such fits context perfectly (3,5)
{MOT JUSTE} ‘To number’ less the letter R (right) goes round a set of books (part of the bible) and J (judge) to give a French term for a word which fits the context exactly

23a    Celebratory song found in ‘Iolanthe’ maybe (6)
{ANTHEM} A celebratory song is hidden in IolANTHE Maybe

26a    Game and tragic king, not a figure of authority? (5)
{RULER} The abbreviation for a game + a tragic Shakespearean king with the letter A removed = a figure of authority

27a    Slight possibility with description of nave lecturer put out? (3,6)
{OFF CHANCE} The answer means a slight possibility. Remove L (lecturer) from where the nave may be found in a church

28a    US chat-show host backed in case of levity not involved with others (6)
{LONELY} A reversal of the surname of a US chat-show host (whose first name is Jay) goes inside LY (first and last letters of levity) to give ‘not involved with others’

29a    Bird, one obtaining gold for skill (8)
{PORRIDGE} Bird (a prison sentence) is derived from a game bird by replacing ART (skill) by OR (gold)

Down

1d    A lot of work at the NY Met with timeless subject in opera (2,6)
{LA BOHEME} Remove the last letter from the US spelling of a word meaning work. Add a subject with the letter T (time) removed and you get the name of an opera by Puccini

2d    Aquatic animal captured in hot territory (5)
{OTTER} An aquatic animal is hidden in hOT TERritory

3d    Bag that’s grey in students’ residence (7)
{HOLDALL} A large strong bag = grey (getting on in years) inside a students’ residence

4d    Admired figure left at front in bathing area (4)
{LIDO} Take an admired figure and move the letter L (left) from the back to the front. This gives a bathing area

6d    Accompany someone uninvited pouring out Northern language (7)
{TAGALOG} ‘To accompany someone uninvited’ (3,5) loses the letter N (Northern) to give a language of the Philippines which often appears as an answer in crosswords

7d    Bit of common fare I ate after ordering — here? (9)
{CAFETERIA} An anagram (after ordering) of C (first letter of common) FARE I ATE gives somewhere where you might order common fare

8d    Grab windfall profits initially in wake of some players on pitch (6)
{SCRUMP} The definition is ‘grab windfall’ where windfall refers to a piece of fruit blown off a tree. It is derived from P (first letter of profits) following a group of players on a rugby pitch

10d    Exercise provided in new joint largely? It has folded elements (8)
{PENKNIFE} A two-letter abbreviation denoting exercise + ‘provided’ inside a joint of the body with the last letter missing = an implement with folding blades

14d    A revolutionary leader imbibing a lot of wine and dry liqueur (8)
{AMARETTO} A Chinese revolutionary leader (3) goes round the first two letters of a class of wine (3) and dry (not consuming alcohol) to give an Italian liqueur flavoured with almonds

16d    Fellow touring college in shimmering heat left event at games? (9)
{DECATHLON} A university fellow goes round C (college) inside an anagram (shimmering) of HEAT and L (left) to give a multi-discipline event at the Olympic Games

17d    Endless colour found in a divine English novel (4,4)
{ADAM BEDE} A colour (seen on traffic lights) with the last letter removed goes inside A DD (divine) E (English) to give the title of a novel by George Eliot

19d    Disengaged sort of network containing latest in smut (7)
{NEUTRAL} ‘Disengaged’ = an adjective describing a type of network in computing round T (the last letter of smut)

20d    Person with stock managed singer (7)
{RANCHER} A person with stock (cattle) = ‘managed’ + the name of a popular singer

21d    Unprincipled officer heartlessly interrupting laid-up Buddhist monk (6)
{AMORAL} ‘Unprincipled’ = OR (first and last letter of officer) inside a reversal (laid-up) of a Buddhist monk

24d    Journalistic figurehead given more of an edge? (5)
{HONED} I assume that the journalistic figurehead is an HONorary EDitor. Hence ‘given more of an edge’

25d    Hairstyle in Algarve city getting ruffled at the front (4)
{AFRO} A hairstyle characterised by thick, bushy curls is derived from the name of a city in the Algarve with the first two letters transposed

Short but sweet