Toughie No 1024 by Shamus
Hints and tips by Bufo
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ***/****
I got the impression while solving this that every other clue contains an anagram. In fact there are only 9 anagrams though they are clustered in the first few across clues and the last few down clues. Still it made a change from the Thursday puzzle two weeks ago that contained no anagrams at all. I found it to be an enjoyable puzzle that caused no major problems.
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 Noisy victor, one entering ground of course (10)
{VOCIFEROUS} V (victor) + I (one) in an anagram (ground) of OF COURSE
6a Famous chanteuse hard for you to ignore? Correct (4)
{EDIT} Chanteuse is meant to suggest a French singer. Take the first name of a famous French singer (The Little Sparrow) and remove H (hard) to get ‘to correct’
9a Avoid egg on muffin ultimately (5)
{SPURN} ‘To egg on’ + N (last letter of muffin)
10a Design of MG is meant to show pulling power (9)
{MAGNETISM} An anagram (design of) MG IS MEANT
12a Volatile paddy in spa produced by ordinary street regulation? (3,3,7)
{PAY AND DISPLAY} An anagram (volatile) of PADDY IN SPA + ordinary = a method of car parking
14a I’d return possibly as unwelcome presence? (8)
(INTRUDER} An anagram (possibly) of I’D RETURN
15a Military bigwig touring ship, dropping in to present minister (6)
{CLERIC} The military bigwig is a commander-in-chief. Put the appropriate abbreviation round a large passenger-carrying ship with the letters IN removed
17a Praise journalist in short review (6)
{CREDIT} The top journalist goes inside an abbreviated form of a word meaning a review
19a Standing source of litter around others close to house (8)
{PRESTIGE} An animal that produces a litter round ‘others’ + E (last letter of house)
21a Bishop, say, reportedly getting share in benefit from tranquil conditions (5,8)
{PEACE DIVIDEND} A homophone (reportedly) of e.g. a bishop (in chess) + a share
24a In Thai capital, political order’s lacking plan for the future? (9)
{INTESTATE} IN + T (first letter of Thai) + an order or class of people in the body politic
25a Actress not married and being without appetite for work? (5)
{IDLER} Remove M (married) from the surname of an American actress to get a being (person) without appetite for work
26a Cut in jacket championed (4)
{ETCH} Hidden in jackET CHampioned
27a Scales perhaps supposed to be picked up for visitor (5,5)
{HOUSE GUEST} Another word for one of the 12 divisions of the Zodiac (e.g. the Scales) + a homophone (picked up) of ‘supposed’
Down
1d Colossal change making vile tile? (4)
{VAST} Putting * ** * turns vile into tile
2d Caught with alcohol, blue-eyed boy that’ll need a grilling (7)
{CRUMPET} C (caught) + an alcoholic drink + a blue-eyed boy = something you might toast under a grill
3d Deception shown in the stand-up industry? (5,8)
{FUNNY BUSINESS} This might also describe the work of a stand-up comedian
4d Prompt music group getting stop in the East End (8)
{REMINDER} An American rock band formed in 1980 + ‘to stop’ as an East-ender might say it
5d Moved manufacture of drug, having imported one? (5)
{URGED} An anagram (manufacture of) of DRUG round E (Ecstasy)
7d Initially delighted US writer marks down classic car (7)
{DAIMLER} D (first letter of delighted) + the surname of a US writer with M (marks) moved from the beginning to later on in the name
8d Fancy a short game after rejecting mostly silent and uncomfortable conditions (5,5)
{TUMMY ACHES} ‘Fancy!’ + A + a board game with the last letter removed all follow a reversal of ‘silent’ with its last letter removed
11d Litany Genesis played could be this? (4,9)
{EASY LISTENING} An anagram (played) of LITANY GENESIS gives a category of modern popular music
13d Record work in pile in academic field (10)
{DISCIPLINE} A record + an anagram (work) of IN PILE
16d What might be represented in RA’s set? (8)
{ARTINESS} An all-in-one clue. An anagram (represented) of IN RA’S SET
18d Big band leader in French company promoted characteristic of some bands? (7)
{ELASTIC} The surname of a German big band leader goes inside a reversal of an abbreviation of the French word Compagnie (Company)
20d Pet eluding eccentric (7)
{INDULGE} ‘To pet’ is an anagram (eccentric) of ELUDING
22d By the sound of it, observed a place for bowls in part of US (5)
{IDAHO} A homophone (by the sound of it) of ‘observed a place where Drake played bowls’
23d Ingenuity about lawyer’s latest legal action (4)
{WRIT} Ingenuity goes round R (last letter of lawyer)
I hope it’s not too warm for you
Good stuff! As I live & breathe I never knew the big band leader at 18d was German!
As far as the heat is concerned it’s forecast to hit 85°F this afternoon which is quite mild compared to where my son is currently ~ 94°F in Jakarta!
Me neither on the big band leader.
I thought this was very enjoyable – thanks to Shamus and Bufo.
Good all round puzzle, fav’s 4d 19a and 22d thanks to Shamus and Bufo.
Far too many anagrams for my personal taste but quite enjoyable nonetheless, thanks to Shamus and to Bufo.
Well, I completed this correctly, so I’m pleased about that. l However, I needed explanations for 1D, the first word of 8D, 16D and 18D. I still don’t understand 8D. I worked out the second word, but I’m lost on the first. and “… all follow a reversal of ‘silent’ with its last letter removed”
I honestly can’t say I enjoyed this very much, with the exception of 22D which was brilliant. Nevertheless, I appreciate all the setters’ talent, as always. Thanks to Bufo for the review…and thanks in anticipation to anyone who can clarify 8D for me.
The first three letters of 8d are a reversal of a four-letter word meaning silent, without words, which has had its last letter removed. The next two are an interjection meaning fancy that, then you have the A from the clue, and almost all of a board game.
Thank you so much! I would never have worked that out in a million years.
A very enjoyable puzzle from Shamus.
Understood them all apart from 27a – Thanks to Bufo for the explanation!
It took me a very long time – (I really should have been doing something more important) – But I have no regrets
I’m sure it didn’t look like this when I posted my comment!
(It took me a very, very long time to make a nice neat link … )
Guilty as charged!
We enjoyed it a lot. Found it a mixture of some very straightforward clues with a few real stinkers scattered among them that took quite some time to parse. 21a and 27a were the last two for us to unravel the wordplay, and 8d was not far ahead of them.
Thanks Shamus and Bufo.
I too enjoyed it a lot .I like solutions that make me smile and although completed 15 hours ago still remember enjoyment .
As I completed in a rush thanks to Bufo for clarification on those I bunged in on definition and intuition (which as it turns out I would have struggled to parse in any event )
Faves 12 ,24 ,3 ,18 .
Disappearing for a while into almost wi fi oblivion so keep happy .
Thanks to Shamus too ,good fun .
Thanks to Shamus and Bufo. A very good puzzle from Shamus, some great clues. Too tough for me I only managed to solve 14 clues, then resorted to Bufo’s excellent hints. Great fun.