Toughie No 910 by Excalibur
Hints and tips by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment *
Everything you expect from an Excalibur puzzle.
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 Each even may be very dry inside, done to mush outside (5,6)
{EVERY SECOND} – a phrase meaning each even-numbered item in a sequence is derived by putting VERY and a term used to describe a dry wine with an anagram (to mush) of DONE outside
9a Took heart, call having come through US state (4)
{OHIO} – the inner letters (heart) of tOOk with a two-letter call inside (having come through)
10a Microphone should be used for this coaxing? (7,4)
{TALKING INTO} – two definitions
11a Bringing back drinks from trip (4)
{SPIN} – reverse (bringing back) some small drinks of spirit
14a Put in the post as promised (7)
{ENGAGED} – took on for a job and promised to someone in matrimony
16a Quiet and apt to be easily manipulated (7)
{PLIABLE} – the musical notation for quiet followed by a word meaning apt
18a Composed bars ending with note that’s sharp (5)
{SABRE} – an anagram (composed) of BARS followed by the third note of the diatonic scale of C major gives something that is sharp
19a Great figure — like the top (4)
{VAST} – the Roman numeral (figure) for five followed by a preposition meaning like and the initial letter (top) of The
20a Underwear reveals boob? (4)
{SLIP} – two definitions, the second being a mistake
21a After party passed fool hiding, having taken drugs (5)
{DOPED} – a party followed by PassED without (hiding) a fool
23a Wood, perhaps, for which there’s no pressing need (3-4)
{NON-IRON} – wood could be an example of this and it’s a description of a shirt that doesn’t need pressing
24a Daily drink in twilight (7)
{SUNDOWN} – a daily newspaper followed by a verb meaning to drink or swallow
25a Pull in when I will have left built-up area (4)
{TOWN} – a verb meaning to pull followed by iN without the I (I will have left)
30a Complete lack of form in seconds (2,4,2,3)
{NO TIME AT ALL} – could describe a criminal who has never gone to prison
31a Tend to resent (4)
{MIND} – two definitions
32a Keep canoodling, being very close (4,3,4)
{NECK AND NECK} – this phrase could mean to keep canoodling or kissing
Down
2d Crucial time is lost obtaining bottle (4)
{VIAL} – drop the T(ime) from an adjective meaning crucial
3d Reprobate that’s long in the tooth? (4)
{RAKE} – cryptically defined as a long-toothed garden implement
4d Match left burns on the outside (7)
{SINGLES} – a match in, for example, a tennis tournament is derived from L(eft) inside a verb meaning burns
5d Crack shot? (4)
{CHIP} – two definitions – a crack on a piece of porcelain and a golf shot
6d Restaurant full, even for celebrity? (7)
{NOTABLE} – split as (2,5) this could indicate that a restaurant is full
7d Man, that’s sore! (4)
{CHAP} – two definitions
8d Come back with glass. It’s for the bedroom (11)
{COUNTERPANE} – a verb meaning to come back or retaliate followed by a piece of glass
12d When tennis play begins in prison (7,4)
{SERVING TIME} – this could indicate when to start a game of tennis
13d As an illustration, rollicking song is encouraging (4,2)
{EGGS ON} – the Latin abbreviation of AS an illustration or for example followed by an anagram (rollicking) of SONG
15d He‘s got confounded ball through! (5)
{DAMON} – a man’s name is derived by putting an interjection meaning confounded around (through) the letter that is a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional ball (I still detest this construct)
16d Forces to give said award (5)
{PRIES} – sounds like (said) an award
17d Thunder and lightning beginning to come in further south (6)
{BELLOW} – the initial letter of Lightning inside a word meaning further south or under
21d If you sniff it, will it sniff back? (3,4)
{DOG ROSE} – a truly dreadful cryptic definition of a flower
22d Having done wrong with gun, cast into prison (7)
{DUNGEON} – an anagram (wrong) of DONE around an anagram (cast) of GUN
26d Wanting insect removed — fly (4)
{WING} – drop an insect from the first word in the clue – similar to 17 down in last Saturday’s puzzle
27d Blushing caused by something shocking? (4)
{PINK} – the colour of which shocking is a variation
28d Touched up, are amazing (4)
{STUN} – reverse a word meaning touched or mad
29d Combine to form sound barrier (4)
{BLOC} – this combination of nations to achieve a common purpose sounds like a barrier
Favourite clues are highlighted in blue.
ARVE Error: need id and provider |
“Favourite clues are highlighted in blue.”
Why is “Sarcasm” the lowest form of wit?
Quite pleased with myself. It took a while, but for the very first time I manged to complete a Toughie without any help. I did need the hints to explain the answers to a couple, though, so many thanks, Big Dave.
A gentle start to the Toughie week. Thanks to Excalibur and BigDave.
Straight forward start to the Toughie week thanks to Excalibur and to Big Dave for the comments.
Went well with my coffee. Thanks to setter and D(Maximus)
Welcome to the blog Exgnome
Sorry for the delay but after solving this I wanted to do something more interesting, so I went to watch some paint dry.
Next to Rufus, my favourite setter is Excalibur. Loved this puzzle. It brought a little sunshine into a bleak wintry day. 21d really made me laugh
I enjoyed it too!
I thought it was actually the lack of amusement (2 smiles ) in a straightforward puzzle that perhaps let it down .(Sorry Marcus)
Thanks once again
Well I enjoyed it AND I finished it. I know that it’s not a difficult Toughie.
I needed the hint to explain how ‘wood’ got into 23a
Spent a while trying to make the second word of 21d ‘nose’.
Favourite clues were 32a and 6d.
Thanks to Excalibur and BD.
Hear! Hear! or is it Here! Here!
I thought Excalibur produced a very entertaining puzzle despite the awful grid. (12 wee stinkers!)
(24a – Should be highlighted in blue.)
Hear,hear.I enjoyed being able to solve some of it, after an extremely long and exhausting day.It was much more pleasant than many a back pager.
Gentle but enjoyable, thanks to Excalibur and BD.
At one point I had SLIP in twice, but it did not quite work for 11a (I’ve drunk a few Pils over the years!).
Yes – I nearly did for 11a too – what is the plural of ‘Pils’ though – not a trick question but have no idea and that’s what stopped me.
Pilsen, possibly.
Thanks to Excaliber & Big Dave. Only needed 8 hints to finish, but didn’t really enjoy it.