Toughie No 922 by Warbler
All the rage
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Once again Warbler gives us an excellent, if gentle, start to the Toughie week.
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Across
1a International survey provides precedent (4,4)
{TEST CASE} – an international cricket or rugby match followed by a survey or investigation
5a Some think it’s childishly sentimental (6)
{KITSCH} – hidden (some) inside the clue
9a A new molten outburst could yield hydrogen for example (3-5)
{NON-METAL} – an anagram (outburst) of A N(ew) MOLTEN
10a Is vote misrepresented in left-wing council? (6)
{SOVIET} – an anagram (misrepresented) of IS VOTE
12a Though top’s gone missing navigational aid is still going strong (6)
{EXTANT} – drop the initial letter (top’s gone missing) from an old-fashioned navigational aid
13a Alarmingly out of breath Panther pilot finds where to land (8)
{HELIPORT} – an anagram (alarmingly) of (pant)HER PILOT without the pant (out of breath)
15a Corrupt set going before judge and jury ultimately (7)
{PUTREFY} – a word meaning to set followed by a judge of a sporting contest and the final letter (ultimately) of jurY
16a Muscle complaint (4)
{BEEF} – a double definition – muscle or force and a complaint or grievance
20a Having lost stern, sloop drifts into Northern capital (4)
{OSLO} – an anagram (drifts) of SLOO(p) without its final letter (having lost stern)
21a In hospital duty is rigorous (7)
{SPARTAN} – an abbreviated convalescent hospital around a duty or function
25a Player’s initially happy with stroke (8)
{BACKHAND} – a football defender (player) followed by the initial letter of Happy and a conjunction meaning “with” gives a tennis stroke
26a Losing heart ruffian turns ugly? (6)
{UNFAIR} – an anagram (turns) of RUF(F)IAN without its middle letter (losing heart)
28a Priest will get round that woman (6)
{FATHER} – an adjective meaning round or tubby followed by the pronoun for that woman
29a College in the style of US institute will have final year fiasco (8)
{CALAMITY} – C(ollege) followed by in the style of, a US institute and finally Y(ear)
30a Belittle exercise in conversation (6)
{LESSEN} – sounds (in conversation) like an exercise or schoolwork
31a To come to a stop by A-road is normal practice (8)
{STANDARD} – a verb meaning to come to a stop followed the A from the clue and the abbreviation of R(oa)D
Down
1d Decoration shimmeringly glistens at the centre (6)
{TINSEL} – an anagram (shimmeringly) of the inner letters (at the centre) of (g)LISTEN(s)
2d To speak about money that will get a return makes sound sense (6)
{SANITY} – a three-letter word meaning to speak around the reversal (that will get a return) of a slang word for money
3d Most of distinct new fashion is uncluttered (5-3)
{CLEAN-CUT} – all but the final R (most of) of an adjective meaning distinct followed by N(ew) and a word meaning fashion or look
4d Mascara conceals blemish (4)
{SCAR} – hidden (conceals) inside the clue
6d Satirical piece starts to infuriate comedian (6)
{IRONIC} – a bit tricky – a slang word for a gun (a piece is also slang for a gun) followed by the initial letters of (starts to) the final two words of the clue
7d Fancy silver raised work embedded in garment (4-4)
{SLIP-OVER} – an anagram (fancy) of SILVER with the reversal (raised) of an abbreviation for a musical work inside (embedded in)
8d Stolen goods are the in thing (3,5)
{HOT STUFF} – an adjective meaning stolen followed by some goods
11d A class act (7)
{PERFORM} – a three-letter word meaning a, as in 50p a pound, followed by a class
14d Feeling about for nail dropped in booze (7)
{GROPING} – a small nail inside (dropped in) a slang word for booze
17d Fellow unionist’s participation in restoration of old tub is uncertain (8)
{DOUBTFUL} – F(ellow) and U(nionist) inside (participation in) an anagram (restoration) of OLD TUB
18d A staple cooked with a touch of class is soothing (8)
{PLACATES} – an anagram (cooked) of A STAPLE with C (a touch of Class)
19d Keep up feigned animation after love has flown (8)
{MAINTAIN} – an anagram (feigned) of ANIMATI(O)N without the O (after love has flown)
22d I’m delighted with variable energy scheme (6)
{WHEEZE} – an exclamation indicating delight followed by a mathematical variable and E(nergy)
23d Lava is treated as a kind of liquid (6)
{SALIVA} – an anagram (treated) of LAVA IS
24d French vote in favour — Mitterrand finally unravelled (6)
{FRAYED} – FR(ench) followed by a vote in favour and the final letter of MitterranD
27d Nearly all of dough’s gone (4)
{PAST} – drop the final E (nearly all) from a dough or mush
I have decided to stop using the blog’s Facebook page for the photos taken at Cruciverbal Meetings, as some of the albums have been deleted without prior notice – all power corrupts but absolute power corrupts absolutely. The pictures of the recent meeting at Little Venice can be seen here.
Enjoyable enough toughie but hardly scintillating, a few too many anagram type answers for my taste. Thanks to Warbler and BD.
Dave,
The answer to 6D should be IRONIC not IRONY.
Thanks for your kind comments.
A bit ironic! Now corrected.
Gentle but entertaining start to the week thanks to Warbler and to Big Dave for the hints, Dave typo at 6d ,
Thanks to Warbler & to Big Dave. If this is easy, then I’m in for a rough ride for the rest of the week. Had a go, but ground to a halt, needed 12 hints, 6 of which I had to look up.
Glad it wasn’t just me
Hi Poppy, I find the Toughies just that ! I’ve only ever finished two unaided, and one of them was last Thursday when it had a one star difficulty. I hope to improve enough to have a good crack at the Toughies. This blog will get me there one day, I know it.
Gentle and entertaining sums it up for me too. Thanks to Warbler and BD.
Well thanks to CS’s encouragement, I’ve had a go at this (my third Toughie ever). Good learning curve for me, & if I manage to keep going my vocabulary should become impressive. But I needed loads of help!
Many thanks to Warbler, & to BD.
Do keep perservating with the Tougies Poppy – don’t forget that some of us had 40 years experience of DT cryptics before the Toughie puzzles were invented!
Wow, I had no idea. That’s really encouraging, CS, thanks! The sheer speed you demonstrate is (to quote some dear American friends of ours) awesome
You should check out some of her Times on the ‘TimesfortheTimes’ journal!
Puts a lot of potential finalists to shame.
Oooo-er – never heard of that site before & just had a look. I’m creeping back into my burrow now!!
Oh I’m SO grateful that putting solving times is discouraged on this site (while I can see that for the expert solvers, timings must be part of the fun / competition). Perhaps in a hundred years….
You and me me both Poppy, I can only dream! Maybe in 40 years time with all that experience I may get close. Doubtful in the extreme. Gnomethang, do you think we can persuade CSue to enter next year?
22d was the clue that took several looks before the right answer emerged. For some reason I wanted to put in “Cheese” but it would not fit the word-play in any shape or form. A puzzle that kept me smiling from start to finish.
Thanks Warbler and BD.
KiwiColin flying solo.
22d was my last in too. Thanks to Warbler, and to BD.
The usual enjoyable puzzle that we need have come to expect from Warbler. there were a few that weren’t finished on the morning commute but that fell quickly on the return journey .
Thanks to Warbler and BD.
thanks BD for helping me understand the “piece”, entered but why? Thanks also to warbler, Father indeed, i did like that.
Shouldn’t the clue for 29a include ‘first’ instead of ‘final’?
I took final as meaning at the end of the answer. Y is an abbreviation for Year and doesn’t need a separate indication.
I read the clue as meaning the final letter of the answer is the abbreviation for Year.
Cheers.