Toughie No 974 by Giovanni
Howlin’ At The Moon
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment **
The usual solid puzzle from Giovanni, with the difficulty coming only from obscurities.
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Across
5a Beside a road there is dirty handkerchief (7)
{FOULARD} – A R(oa)D preceded by (beside) an adjective meaning dirty
7a Is your setter game to be a friend abroad? (5)
{AMIGO} – how the setter might say “is your” (2,1) followed by a board game
9a Lavatory sufficed, to be fair (6)
{CANDID} – a slang word for a lavatory followed by a verb meaning sufficed
10a We sit around being entertained by silly men offering story (4,4)
{NEWS ITEM} – an anagram (around) of WE SIT inside (being entertained by) an anagram (silly) of MEN
11a On return the German female’s on phone creating diversion (3,7)
{RED HERRING} – the reversal (on return) the German definite article and follow it with the femal possessive pronoun (female’s) and a verb meaning to phone – once again the online interactive version has dropped the rather essential apostrophe (it would appear that today’s character is actually a right single quotation mark [ ’ U+2019] rather than a genuine apostrophe [ ‘ U+0027])
13a My word is given to supporter losing heart (1,3)
{I SAY} – the IS from the clue followed by a supporter without his middle letters (losing heart)
14a Someone to study heavenly body (or ‘glean sphere’ fancifully) (13)
{SELENOGRAPHER} – an anagram (fancifully) of OR GLEAN SPHERE’
16a See 1 Down
17a Cyclone had dislodged rocky stuff (10)
{CHALCEDONY} – an anagram (dislodged) of CYCLONE HAD
19a Become less severe about cook smelling (8)
{REDOLENT} – a verb meaning to become less severe around a verb meaning to cook or fiddle
20a See some in Paris weep (6)
{DESCRY} – the French (in Paris) for some followed by a verb meaning to weep
22a Irish poet of 21 drinking gallons (5)
{SYNGE} – Irish poet, perhaps better known for his play The Playboy of the Western World – the answer to 21 down around G(allons)
23a Meet with ruin, not working (3,4)
{RUN INTO} – an anagram (working) of RUIN NOT
Down
1d, 16a & 21d Ugandans yell out words in friendly celebration (4,4,4)
{AULD LANG SYNE} – an anagram (out) of UGANDANS YELL
2d Fellow fearless but no good as a high-up civil servant? (8)
{MANDARIN} – a fellow or chap followed by an adjective meaning fearless without its final G(ood)
3d Queen sitting on rug maybe, squashing a small insect (6)
{EARWIG} – Her Majesty’s regnal cypher and a rug or toupee around (squashing) the A from the clue
4d I had rolled over on top of small building and fallen off (10)
{DIMINISHED} – reverse (rolled over) the abbreviated form of “I had” and follow it with a four-letter word meaning small and a building or outhouse
5d Female needing help across road? There’s warmth of affection (5)
{FLAME} – F(emale) followed by a condition that may require help to cross a road
6d Stream possibly for a teacher who is on the move (7-6)
{DANCING-MASTER} – without the hyphen this could indicate an anagram to which the answer is STREAM
8d Outdoor work done finally before pouring rain (4-3)
{OPEN-AIR} – a two-letter musical work followed by the final letter of donE and an anagram (pouring) of RAIN
12d Moses stood on it completely pulverised, we hear (4,6)
{HOLY GROUND} – sounds like (we hear) an adjective meaning completely followed by a verb meaning pulverised
14d Old coins from countries with King or Queen engraved (7)
{STATERS} – some countries around (engraved) the Latin abbreviation which is the same for King or Queen
15d Stress over woman getting upset is something no one wants (8)
{ACCIDENT} – a stress on a syllable around the reversal of a two-letter woman’s name
17d Sort of yarn women kept in basket (6)
{CREWEL} – W(omen) inside a basket used for fish
18d Close company having removed Ecstasy — and its pusher? (5)
{NARCO} – an adjective meaning close and CO(mpany) without the E(cstasy) gives someone who might handle Ecstasy
21d See 1 Down
surely 6d is ….ing master
BD – something not right at 6d – DANCING MASTER?
Thanks to both of you – now corrected
So happy! I finished without hints and even managed to get the ones I’ve never heard of (14A and 14D). Favorites are 9A, 1D, 6D and 12D. Many thanks to Giovanni for such an enjoyable puzzle and to BD for the review.
Some a tad obscure however I fondly remember my old gran telling me that if I didn’t have a clean foulard then I could find one in her crewel. Happy days!
I totally missed the reverse anagram at 6d. Apart from a few that required confirmation, on the whole not too tricky.
Thanks to Giovanni, and to BD.
Very enjoyable crossword from Giovanni today, on the easier side of his normal toughies I thought. Many thanks to Giovanni and to BD for a very entertaining review, ( thanks for the clip of my favourite singer the immortal Hank Williams ).
Good stuff from the Don, favourites were 6d 12d and 14d thanks to Big Dave for the comments.
I enjoyed this very much and didn’t even need the hints – I always read them anyway.
Two new words for me to stick into the brain and hope to be able to retrieve next time I need them – 5 and 14a. I’d never heard of the Irish poet either.
Favourites include 5 and 13a and 3 (for the mental picture) 6 and 18d.
With thanks to Giovanni and BD.
He’s very well known here, more for his plays than poetry, “Playboy of the western world” etc. I wish words new to me would stick, but they rarely do.
I think when you see or hear a new word you’re supposed to use it as often as possible fairly soon after you learn it as this fixes it in your head – some are easier to use in every day conversation than others!
Some new words today; 14a, 17a, 22a, but I thought 2d hilarious!
A couple of words that needed either researching or confirming, so Mrs B and BRB had some work to do. We actually found this a little easier than the back-pager. Maybe because of more familiarity with the setter’s style. Enjoyable, well crafted.
Thanks Giovanni and BD.
A real treat to get a Giovanni on a Tuesday, thank you.Thanks BD too.
Got them all apart from 14d where I resorted to the hint, rather than look up all the possibilities in the BRB. ***/*** for me.
That was fun! Two new words (14D, 17D) but so well clued that they had to be what they were
Thanks to Giovanni for an excellent crossword, to Big Dave for an excellent website, and to BigBoab for his comment over at the Cryptic which encouraged me to tackle the Toughie.
Selenographer? Come, Giovanni. Say ten times “I must not use electronic help to find abstruse words”
I expect most of us use electronic assistance to find abstruse answers from the checking letters though!!
P.S. can anyone think of a clue that works from hornbill to buceros to obscure to abstruse?