Toughie No 1060 by Messinae
14-Letter Anagram Day
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Today’s four 14-letter anagrams succumbed more readily than last week’s 15-letter anagrams. This led to a quick problem-free solve. I don’t particularly like all the long answers in a puzzle being clued by anagrams but I suppose it makes up for yesterday’s anagramless 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 Row of houses whose rafters so rickety (4,2,3,5)
{WARS OF THE ROSES} A historical row (conflict) between two Houses is an anagram (rickety) of WHOSE RAFTERS SO
10a Old Indian city has backed faith school (9)
{MADRASSAH} The old name of the Indian city of Chennai + a reversal of HAS
11a More brilliant lights reflected in European river (5)
{NOVAE} Stars that suddenly increase in brightness = a reversal of E (European) and an English river
12a Run out to play instrument with strings on stage (7)
{ROSTRUM} The abbreviation for ‘run out’ + to play an instrument with strings (e.g. a guitar)
13a Helping attractive girl with work (6)
{DOLLOP} A helping = an attractive girl + an abbreviation denoting ‘work’
15a What’s company about? It produces drug (4)
{COCA} The abbreviated form of ‘company’ + ‘about’ = an Andean shrub whose leaves contain a drug
17a Antiviral agent physician’s injected iron men sent back (10)
{INTERFERON} A protein with the ability to inhibit viral growth = a resident assistant physician in a hospital round the atomic symbol for iron and a reversal of men (in the army)
18a Arrange start of espousal with mate handy (4,3,3)
{NAME THE DAY} An all-in-one clue. It is an anagram (arrange) of E (start of espousal) MATE HANDY. The whole clue provides the definition
20a Perhaps Cornish sailor will get to clean the deck (4)
{SWAB} When split (2,2) it could be an able-bodied seaman from the southwest of England
22a Nut‘s part of vegetarian diet (6)
{NOODLE} Nut (blockhead)/something vegetarians eat. I’m not convinced that nut = ******
23a Noah’s upset about an exclamation of praise (7)
{HOSANNA} An anagram (upset) of NOAH’S around AN
26a Chase popular song (5)
{INLAY} ‘To chase (insert)’ = popular + song
27a Order given to marchers certainly leads to support for drill in the back (4,5)
{EYES RIGHT} A drill command given to a group that is marching = ‘certainly’ and a support for a drill in a reversal of THE
28a A standard worry — wonky knee cracking up (3,4,3,4)
{NEW YORK, NEW YORK} A standard (song that has remained popular) from the 1944 musical On The Town is an anagram (cracking up) of WORRY WONKY KNEE
Down
2d Rising tide has Midwest state within range (5)
{ANDES} A reversal of ‘tide’ round the abbreviation for a state in the US Midwest = a mountain range
3d Wakes around middle of day for flight (6)
{STAIRS} ‘Wakes’ goes round A (middle letter of day)
4d Klutz gets in processed seafood — from him? (10)
{FISHMONGER} Another US slang term for klutz (idiot) goes inside a small oblong cake of processed seafood to give a person who sells seafood
5d Boundary in park comprising two hectares (2-2)
{HA-HA} A sunken fence = two occurrences of the abbreviation for hectare
6d Stop phoning Beatle, foremost of Fab Four (4,3)
{RING OFF} One of the Beatles + the first letters of Fab Four
7d Has a very bad argument from which expensive suit may come (6,3)
{SAVILE ROW} An abbreviated form of ‘has’ + A + ‘very bad’ + argument = somewhere in London where you might buy an expensive suit
8d Heroine having a pulse yet being out (8,6)
{SLEEPING BEAUTY} The heroine of a fairy tale who is still alive (with a pulse) when unconscious (out) for 100 years is an anagram (out) of PULSE YET BEING
9d I’m in a rain dance possibly (8,6)
{AMERICAN INDIAN} An all-in-one clue. An anagram (possibly) of I’M IN A RAIN DANCE gives a member of a native tribe who might take part in a rain dance
14d Versatile sportsman allowed to enter cheated appallingly (10)
{DECATHLETE} ‘Allowed’ in an anagram (appallingly) of CHEATED
16d Shortly show up loose woman, about 50, not actually married (6-3)
{COMMON-LAW} ‘To show up’ with the last letter removed + an anagram (loose) of WOMAN round L (fifty)
19d Call on Hunt to put in partner with hospital (5,2)
{TALLY HO} A huntsman’s call = TO round partner and H (hospital)
21d Bird soaring well above quarry (6)
{OSPREY} A reversal (soaring) of ‘well’ + quarry (hunted animal)
24d Engineers snare uprising in African country (5)
{NIGER} A reversal of the Royal Engineers and a snare
25d Kiss / old film star (4)
{PECK} Kiss/the surname of one of the world’s most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1960s
Another pleasant puzzle that was by no means tough
!A without the anagram fodder would have been a good clue to rival ‘Bar of soap’.
A very very gentle Toughie, but then I suppose it is Thursday! Thanks to Bufo and Messinae.
Took me a little while but I got there, all except for 10A, for which I was trying to conjure up an old Indian city as the answer. I enjoyed this puzzle more than today’s cryptic. Thanks to Messinae and to Bufo for the review.
Don’t often try the toughie but found it fairly straightforward after solving the ‘frame’ anagrams -1a and 9d were very witty. Not heard of 10a and needed a little help , otherwise probably a good back page cryptic standard, i did enjoy it, pity it was only a **!
Why is it that every time I complete a Toughie it is marked as ** on this forum !!!
It’s too do with the difficulty level
I know what you mean, the only time I can get into a Toughie is when it’s one or two star for diff.
Osmosis tomorrow.
Thanks to Messinae and to Bufo. Must have been on the gentle side, I only needed three hints, but had 15a as coco, doh! Enjoyed the anagrams, especially 9d & 28a.
Running late as we did not have time yesterday to look at the toughie, so saved it for after breakfast this morning. Pleasant solve, straightforward enough once the boundary anagrams worked out.
Thanks Messinae and Bufo.
I thought this was a really good puzzle with nice surface readings. Perhaps too many marathon anagrams. And I agree !a was spoiled by the anagram part.