Big Dave's Crossword Blog

Toughie No 774 by Myops

Heavens above!

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

Tilsit is still in hospital waiting patiently for his operation so he has handed the baton to me.

It’s always a pleasure to review a Myops Toughie as you get the chance to enjoy it twice over. The blue highlighter is out in force today!

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought. You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five stars at the bottom of the post.

Across

1a     S poils of war figuratively? (4)
{ MARS } – this verb meaning spoils is also the name of the Roman god of war

3a     E ccentric person flips over group of stars (5)
{ DRACO } – reverse (flips) an eccentric person and then add O(ver) to get a northern constellation of stars

6a     V et’s box (4)
{ CASE } – a double definition – to vet or check out, typically in the phrase “to **** the joint”, and a box

8a     E veryone coming in cold gets great help in anagram to begin with; the way it’s done here (15)
{ TELEGRAPHICALLY } – put a three-letter word for everyone inside an adjective meaning cold and precede the result with an anagram of GREAT HELP to get the way it’s done in this newspaper

9a     N aughty child starts to enjoy doing everything to obstruct (6)
{ IMPEDE } – start with a naughty child and then add the initial letters of (starts to) three words in the clue to get a verb meaning to obstruct

10a     C ommercial traveller has alarm fitted in as device MOT requires (4,4)
{ REAR LAMP } – put a commercial traveller around an anagram (fitted) of ALARM to get a device that is required in order to pass the MOT

11a     H oney and French toast originally found in old English egg dish (8)
{ OMELETTE } – put a three-letter word for honey, the French for “and” and the initial letter of T oast inside the abbreviation of Old English to get an egg dish

13a     R eligious service in the morning: it’s about time sin must be dealt with (6)
{ MATINS } – this religious service is held in the morning and comes from the Latin for morning – but the definition is “religious service” and it is derived by reversing (it’s about) the two-letter abbreviation for morning and then adding T(ime) and an anagram (must be dealt with) of SIN

15a     I vy League university offers accommodation to fine fellow and bird (6)
{ YAFFLE } – put an Ivy League university around (offers accommodation to) F(ine) and F(ellow) to get this green woodpecker

17a     S crewtop container is rule in India? No, South America, contrariwise (5,3)
{ MASON JAR } – to get this screwtop container, similar to the one invented in the UK by Kilner, construct a charade of the British rule in India, NO, S(outh) and AM(erica) and reverse the lot (contrariwise)

19a     T rumpet about to die down (4,4)
{ BLOW OVER } – a charade of a verb meaning to trumpet and a preposition meaning about gives a phrasal verb meaning to die down

21a     E nrolled Nurse to carry tube for adrenaline shot (6)
{ EpiPen® }  – put an Enrolled Nurse around (to carry) a tube to get an injection device designed for self-administration of adrenaline in medical emergencies

22a     N udes fill out gradually pleasing themselves (4-11)
{ SELF-INDULGENTLY } – an anagram (out) of NUDES FILL followed by an adverb meaning gradually to get a different adverb meaning pleasing themselves

23a     E ye inflammation or is it eye failing to open? (4)
{ STYE } – this eye inflammation is created by dropping the initial letters (failing to open) of three words in the clue

24a     D on’t say anything about yen in recession: you’ll have more withdrawn (5)
{ SHYER } – an two-letter exclamation meaning don’t say anything followed by a two-letter word for about and Y(en) both reversed (in recession) gives an adjective meaning more withdrawn

25a     M asseur generally has to press (4)
{ URGE } –hidden inside (has) the first two words of the clue is a verb meaning to press or encourage

Down

1d     A t border in second American state forming union (9)
{ MATRIMONY } – put AT and a border inside a second or brief period of time and an American state to get a union of man and wife

2d     R eneger’s first to pass or decline (7)
{ RELAPSE } – the initial letter of (first to) R eneger is followed by a verb meaning to pass to get a decline

3d     R ode roughshod over insect with thoracal wings, a cockchafer (3-6)
{ DOR-BEETLE } – put an anagram (roughshod) of RODE around an insect and the outside letters (wings) of T horaca L to get a cockchafer

4d     I s priest cutting short sermon in time to sprinkle holy water? (7)
{ ASPERGE } – put P(riest) inside (cutting) SER(mon) and then put it all inside a long period of time to get a verb meaning to sprinkle holy water – yes, ser. is given in Chambers as an abbreviation of sermon

5d     E uropean agreements board claimed to hear from the other side (5)
{ OUIJA } – a new twist on an old chestnut – combine “yes” in two European languages to get a board claimed to hear from the other side

6d     D iagram heads article about Louisiana fraud (9)
{ CHARLATAN } – start with a diagram and an indefinite article and then insert the abbreviation of Louisiana to get a fraud or impostor

7d     I sraelite king, single, married just after (7)
{ SOLOMON } – this wise Israelite king comes from a charade of a word meaning single, M(arried) and a preposition meaning after

12d     L orna with a fortissimo note, who rose to Berlin’s demands (9)
{ LUFTWAFFE } – start with the surname of Judy Garland’s daughter Lorna and add W(ith), the A from the clue, the musical notation for fortissimo and the third note of the diatonic scale of C major to get the air force who rose to Berlin’s demands

13d     L etter soldiers seal and German who carried it (9)
{ MESSENGER } – start with the name of a letter in the alphabet inside (seal) some soldiers and then add GER(man) to get the person who night have carried a letter

14d     W orm that’s threadlike in form or up to no good (9)
{ STRONGYLE } – to get this parasitic threadworm start with a form or pattern and insert OR reversed (up in a down clue) and the abbreviation of No Good – ok, I’d never heard of it, but I worked it out from the checking letters and the wordplay

16d     O bjective lecturer is bound to cover otorhinolaryngology disorder (7)
{ AILMENT } – start with an objective around (is bound) a L(ecturer) and then add the hospital department that specialises in otorhinolaryngology to get this disorder

17d     R oman 13 down glad to grab copper (7)
{ MERCURY } – this Roman 13 down is derived from an adjective meaning glad around (to grab) the chemical symbol for copper

18d     S aturn’s son taking precedence in celestial order? (7)
{ JUPITER } – this son of Saturn dethroned his father

20d     E ven USA accepts a Wimbledon champion (5)
{ VENUS } – hidden inside the clue is the first name of Serena’s elder sister

There’s a bit of a celestial mini-theme today!