Toughie No 1076 by Messinae
Wot, no Indians?
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
We seem to be getting more than our fair share of easy Toughies this week. Will tomorrow’s more than make up for it? Bufo should be back in this slot next week.
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 Success with aid for winter tourists lacking first independence and right to travel freely (5,1,4)
{HITCH A LIFT} – a three-letter success followed by an aid used to carry winter tourists uphill without the fist I(nternational) and the R(ight)
6a Join an objection (4)
{ABUT} – A (an) followed by an objection
9a Song in North-East — spare a music hall one (6,4)
{NELLIE DEAN} – an original German word for a song inside the abbreviation for the North-East and an adjective meaning spare or skinny gives a famous music hall song
10a State true choice (4)
{PLUM} – sounds like (state) an adjective meaning true or level
12a Novelist left dealing with teacher (6)
{LONDON} – the surname of the author of The Call of the Wild and White Fang is derived from L(eft), a two-letter preposition meaning dealing with or concerning and a university teacher
13a Armed conflict to drive away solicitor (5-3)
{SHOOT-OUT} – an exhortation used to drive something away followed by someone who solicits for custom in an obtrusive, aggressive or brazen way
15a Kindest actor deployed standard resources (5-2-5)
{STOCK-IN-TRADE} – an anagram (deployed) of KINDEST ACTOR
18a The people here that are shooting cowboy film (3,9)
{THE SEARCHERS} – split as (5,7) this could mean the people here that are shooting arrows
21a Criticise scope restricting expert (8)
{REPROACH} – a word meaning scope or jurisdiction around (restricting) an expert
22a Turner watercolour finally creates a stir (6)
{LATHER} – a machine used to turn and shape wood or metal followed by the final letter of watercolouR
24a How to address a Knight of the Round Table correctly (4)
{OKAY} – split as (1,3) this could be how to address King Arthur’s foster brother , one of the Knights of the Round Table
25a Suffering tedium of deb first coming out (5,5)
{BORED STIFF} – an anagram (coming out) of OF DEB FIRST
26a Person who restrains a row (4)
{TIER} – two definitions
27a Agree with Ming toiling in task (10)
{ASSIGNMENT} – a verb meaning to agree into which an anagram (toiling) of MING (the Merciless!) has been inserted
Down
1d Crank‘s commonly used name (6)
{HANDLE} – two definitions
2d Irregular troops made advances to (6)
{TALENT} – the abbreviation for irregular or volunteer troops followed by a verb meaning made advances to or loaned
3d Hospital treated godfather with case of impetigo giving repeated dose (4,2,3,3)
{HAIR OF THE DOG} – H(ospital) followed by an anagram (treated) of GODFATHER with the outer letters (case) of ImpetigO
4d Boy goes with Yankee dame (4)
{LADY} – a young boy followed by the letter represented by Yankee in the NATO Phonetic alphabet
5d It provides beam, sort of wood — length used in stairs (10)
{FLASHLIGHT} – a sort of wood and L(ength) inside (used in) a set of stairs
7d Scotch bonnet needs something to soothe pain in the mouth (8)
{BALMORAL} – this round flat Scottish bonnet with a pompom comes from a charade of something to soothe pain and an adjective meaning in the mouth
8d Vegetables and meats too in the soup (8)
{TOMATOES} – an anagram (in the soup) of MEATS TOO
11d Criminal can do worst to crime-fighter (6,6)
{DOCTOR WATSON} – an anagram (criminal) of CAN DO WORST TO
14d They may deter a murder (10)
{SCARECROW} – a cryptic definition of something that deters the kind of birds that are collectively called a murder
16d Parliament‘s rage over introduction of tax (8)
{STORMONT} – a rage or outburst followed by a two-letter word meaning over or concerning and the initial letter (introduction) of Tax
17d Model office worker delayed (8)
{TEMPLATE} – an office worker followed by an adjective meaning delayed
19d Function takes hour in holy place (6)
{SHRINE} – a trigonometric function around H(ou)R
20d Benefit for able-bodied (6)
{PROFIT} – a word meaning for followed by an adjective meaning able-bodied
23d Malevolent spirit creating endless danger (4)
{PERI} – most of (endless) a danger
Straightforward but enjoyable.
I would have gone for straightforward but very enjoyable.
Thanks to Messinae and BD
3*/4* for me. 14d was my favourite clue. Many thanks to Messinae, and to BD.
I’ll second all that
Good stuff in a very enjoyable solve, favourites were 9a 14d and 18a thanks to Messinae and to Big Dave for the comments.
I really enjoyed this and I could do it although I didn’t find it that straightforward. Toughie confidence has been restored!
I didn’t get 9a and needed the hints to explain a couple of other answers too.
I thought 14d was absolutely brilliant.
With thanks to Messinae and BD.
Needed Mrs B and then Google for 16d. No other major problems but not a quick solve for us. Enjoyable too.
Thanks Messinae and BD.
14d a corker, stumped by 24a, general knowledge lacking till checked. Many thanks BD and Messinae
One of my quiz specialised knowledge thingies is collective nouns so I loved 14d.
A group of cruciverbalists is … ?
I got there in the end, despite my woeful ignorance of cowboy films and Arthurian legend.***/*** for me.
I like the odd collective nouns too ,but put 24a in purely on definition with crossed fingers .Smashing puzzle so thanks to Messinae .Just to be different will make favourite 3d .
Thanks BD ,much appreciated .
Really enjoyable puzzle – thanks to BD and Messinae.
Thanks to Messinae and to Big Dave for the review and hints. A very enjoyable Toughie, but easy enough for me to tackle it, still needed 6 hints. Favourite was 14d. Was 3*/3* for me.
is 8d really a vegetable? seems like a school boy error to me, unless there is another obscure meaning
I agree – they’re not vegetables, they’re fruits but I’m such a Toughie novice that I’d never have the guts to question anything on this page of the blog my own!