Toughie 771

Toughie No 771 by Osmosis

He’s a rebel!

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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment **

Osmosis makes a legitimate return after sneakily being released in the newspaper instead of Warbler a few weeks ago. As Toughies go, this was fair to middling in difficulty, but I’m not a great fan of some of the wordplay used.

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Across

6a    Flick twig with a crook (2,5,1,5)
{TO CATCH A THIEF} – this 1955 flick or movie, starring Cary Grant and Grace Kelly, is a charade of a verb meaning twig or understand (2,5), the A from the clue and a crook

 

8a    Character in Marathon, around runner’s perimeter area, slips (6)
{ERRATA} – put a Greek character (in Marathon) around the outside letters (perimeter) of RunneR and A(rea) to get these slips or mistakes

9a    Expect record by Yoko and John, ultimately, to go beyond £1000 (6,2)
{RECKON ON} – this phrasal verb meaning to expect is built up from REC(ord) then a two-letter word meaning by or next to and the final letters (ultimately) of YokO and JohN both preceded by an abbreviation for £1000

10a    Opener of canal line to turn on waterworks (3)
{CRY} – the initial letter (opener)of Canal followed by a train line gives a verb meaning to turn on the waterworks

11a    Allowed to purchase books (mid-range of prices) with payment deferred (2,4)
{ON TICK} – start with a two-letter word meaning allowed or correct and then insert (to purchase) some books of the bible and the middle letters (mid-range) of prICes to get a phrase meaning with payment deferred

12a    One confused by pressure cooker that’s electronic? (8)
{NEOPHOBE} – an anagram (confused) of ONE followed by P(ressure), a cooker and E(lectronic) gives someone someone who might be confused by an electronic pressure cooker

14a    Opposing sides in league game keep playing here in France (2,5)
{LE HAVRE} – start with the opposing sides of LeaguE and a game animal and put them around (keep) an abbreviation meaning playing, as in QPR playing Manchester City, to get somewhere in France

16a         Perhaps a real eccentric receives nervous response (7)
{ARTICLE} – the cunningly hidden definition by example here is “perhaps a” – put an anagram (eccentric) of REAL around (receives) a nervous response

20a         Diet of rum – in other words, heavenly (2,3,3)
{TO DIE FOR} – an anagram (rum) of DIET OF followed by a two-letter word meaning  in other words gives a phrase meaning heavenly

23a         Over-emotional teetotal drinks one unit (softly, softly) (6)
{DRIPPY} – an adjective meaning over-emotional or sentimental is derived by putting an adjective meaning teetotal around (drinks) I (one unit) and the abbreviation of the musical notation for softly repeated

24a         What starts old Meldrew grumbling ‘I don’t believe it’? (1,1,1)
{OMG} – the initial letters (starts) of three words in the clue gives textspeak for a phrase meaning “I don’t believe it”

25a         Fringe screened by tense film-maker (8)
{TRUFFAUT} – put a fringe inside an adjective meaning tense to get this French film director

26a         Release unionist husband trapped in corner (6)
{UNHOOK} – a verb meaning to release is derived from U(nionist) followed by H(usband) inside (trapped in) a corner or recess

27a         People occupied in repairing barn doors, here in rural England (7,6)
{NORFOLK BROADS} – put some people inside (occupied) an anagram (repairing) of IN BARN DOORS to get somewhere in rural England

Down

1d           Complaint nieces regularly raised, discussing historic Greece (8)
{SCIATICA} – this medical complaint is derived from the even (regularly) letters of nIeCeS reversed (raised) followed by what sound like (discussing) a name for a triangular promontory of eastern Greece which has Athens as its capital

2d           Agent’s final line of action to enrich financial rate for sportsman (8)
{ATTACKER} – put the final letter of agenT and a line of action inside (to enrich) a financial rate, which is the notional rate of interest on loans or credit payable if the interest was paid and added each year, to get this sportsman

3d           Positive hospital X-ray developed covering new part of body (7)
{PHARYNX} – P(ositive) and H(ospital) are followed by an anagram (developed) of  X-RAY itself around (covering) N(ew) to get a part of the body lying behind the nose

4d           Wounds boosted by firm plaster (6)
{STUCCO} – reverse (boosted in a down clue) some wounds and add the abbreviation for a firm or business to get this plaster used to coat exterior walls

5d           Tripe starts to kick in, giving nasty smell on mum (6)
{KIBOSH} – this tripe or nonsense is built up from the initial letters of (starts to) Kick In, an abbreviation for a nasty smell and a word meaning mum or quiet

6d           Designer name written in concrete near building (7,6)
{TERENCE CONRAN} – this well-known designer is created by putting N(ame) inside an anagram (building) of CONCRETE NEAR

7d           Lottery pay leads to party on boat northwards (8,5)
{FOOTBALL POOLS} – this lottery in which results need to be accurately predicted comes from a verb meaning to pay a bill, a party or dance, and a boat which has been reversed (northwards in a down clue)

13d         F1 help? Good advice turned up (3)
{PIT} – where an F1 driver stops to het help – usually new tyres – is some good advice reversed (turned up in a down clue)

15d         Contend events like tennis, removing tops initially (3)
{VIE} – this word meaning to contend comes from the initial letters of three words in the clue after the original initial letters have been removed (tops off), which is a convoluted way of saying that it’s the second letters of eVents lIke tEnnis

17d         Political activists argued vehemently in street (3,5)
{RED GUARD} – this group of Political activists in Maoist China are derived from an anagram (vehemently) of ARGUED followed by an abbreviated street

18d         Bono perhaps represents royalty in republic (8)
{IRISHMAN} – Bono is one but not The Edge, who was born in England! – put a two-letter word for represents and the title of a monarch inside an Islamic Republic

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19d         Revolutionary clip by broadcasters (7)
{TROTSKY} – This revolutionary was killed with an ice axe by an undercover NKVD agent– he’s a charade of a clip or fair pace followed by broadcasters currently at the centre of a political storm, rather appropriately!

21d         Currently successful position of schoolmaster? (2-4)
{IN-FORM} – this hyphenated word meaning currently successful gives the position of a schoolmaster when the hyphen is replaced by a space

22d         Ensign attached to vessel (6)
{FLAGON} – a charade of an ensign and a word meaning attached to gives this vessel in which alcohol can be sold

Sorry it’s been late, but I had to sort out the hosting problem first.

Sounds good even though The Crystals didn’t actually sing on the record – it’s actually Darlene Love

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