Toughie 1367 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Toughie 1367

by bufo  

Toughie No 1367 by Kcit

Hints and tips by Bufo

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***

Another non-Toughie which wasn’t much of a challenge

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

8a    Drink for a drifter? It’ll have no great effect (1,4,2,3,5)
A DROP IN THE OCEAN: A drink (as in a **** of the hard stuff) taken where someone drifting at sea will be

9a    Animal sound in cut-off stable-yard? (3)
MEW: The sound of a cat is obtained by removing the last letter from a street or yard of stabling

10a    With temperature dropping, hot air occurs unexpectedly in light and shade (11)
CHIAROSCURO: An anagram (unexpectedly) of HO AIR OCCURS (i.e. HOT AIR OCCURS minus T for temperature)

11a    American deceived about energy at pole (5)
AHEAD: A (American) + ‘deceived’ round E (energy) = at pole (or in pole position)

12a    Dislike going round one Alpine city — go out in the snow? (9)
HIBERNATE: ‘To dislike’ round I (one) and a Swiss city = to go out (be unconscious) at the time of year when it’s snowy

15a    Devoted, used to working around University (7)
DUTEOUS: An anagram (working) of USED TO round U (University)

17a    Wine, note, is coming back in two-thirds of shop business (7)
RETSINA: A Greek wine = a reversal of N (note) and IS inside the first four letters of a 6-letter word for shop business

19a    Count should confine wayward son, it’s agreed (9)
CONSENSUS: A count (of inhabitants) round an anagram (wayward) of SON

20a    Served on board, ignoring worker’s first principles (5)
CREED: ‘Served on board as a member of a ship’s company’ with W (first letter of Worker) removed

21a    Entertainment I do wrong in boring event for charitable end (4-7)
FUND-RAISING: Entertainment + I and ‘do wrong’ inside a boring event.

24a    Wait to take out a King with shot (3)
TRY: Remove A R (king) from ‘to wait’

25a    Statue subsequently incorporated into organ loft he rebuilt (5,2,3,5)
ANGEL OF THE NORTH: ‘Subsequently’ goes into an anagram (rebuilt) of ORGAN LOFT HE to give the Gateshead Flasher

Down

1d    Bullied and taken in after argument between barons (10)
BROWBEATEN: ‘Taken in (food)’ follows an argument sandwiched between B and B (B = baron)

2d    Observed cuddling head of child given a smack (6)
SPICED: ‘Observed’ round C (first letter of Child)

3d    It isn’t shea nuts? I oppose the suggestion (10)
ANTITHESIS: An anagram (nuts) of IT ISNT SHEA

4d    Comic superhero nevertheless runs (4)
THOR: A Marvel Comics superhero based on a Norse mythological deity = ‘nevertheless’ + R (runs)

5d    What boat leads with on its prow, possibly (8)
BOWSPRIT: B (the first letter of Boat) + an anagram (possibly) of ITS PROW. The whole clue provides the definition

6d    Defects not half discerned about each boyfriend (4)
BEAU: Put the first half of a 4-letter word meaning defects in a computer program round ‘each’

7d    Almost finished penning military leader’s cipher (6)
ENCODE: ‘Finished’ with the last letter removed goes round an abbreviation for a military leader to give ‘to cipher’

8d    Supply troop with augmentation to uniform (7)
ARMBAND: ‘To supply weapons’ + a troop

13d    Smart vision, accommodating new tribute to poet (5,5)
BURNS NIGHT: ‘To smart’ + a vision round N (new) = an occasion celebrated with haggis and whisky

14d    Target mouth, swallowing litre and article of food (10)
ALIMENTARY: ‘To target’ and ‘mouth’ go round L (litre) and A (article)

16d    Set aside mistake in cracking egg (8)
OVERRULE: ‘To mistake’ inside an egg

18d    Cry of surprise, finding Clwyd transformed within part of London (7)
ALDWYCH: A cry of surprise round an anagram (transformed) of CLWYD

19d    Dress that’s cooler around rear (6)
CAFTAN: Cooler (prison) round rear (behind)

20d    Compelling information carried by trigonometric function (6)
COGENT: Information inside an abbreviated form of a trigonometrical function

22d    Number heading to game in vain (2,2)
NO GO: An abbreviation for ‘number’ + a board game played with black and white stones

23d    Problematic, not opening for the moment (4)
IFFY: Remove the first letter from a moment (an instant)

Disappointing

13 comments on “Toughie 1367”

  1. This setter performs much better in the Indy than he does here, favourites were 20d and 21a thanks to Kcit and to Bufo for the comments.

  2. I needed a bit of electronic help for 10A and 5D, which were new words to me. Otherwise surprisingly straightforward. I did like 14D. Thanks to Kcit and Bufo.

  3. Thanks to Kcit and to Bufo.
    Not much to say either about this one.
    Simple but good fun.
    I like the word in 15a and the sculpture in 25a.

  4. Whizzed through this puzzle today so I wonder what awaits us tomorrow. Some good clues but no real teasers with 25a as my favourite.

    Thanks to Kcit for the puzzle and Bufo for his review.

  5. I’d say 2* difficulty because the last couple held me up a while, but otherwise agree with your analysis Bufo. I enjoyed12a [lovely definition] 5d [nice all-in-one] and 14d [nice construction and surface].

    Thanks to Kcit and Bufo.

  6. I didn’t exactly whizz through this after making an error with 9a, assuming it was low.I liked 8a, 21a, and 25a. Thanks Kcit and Bufo.

  7. Some interesting little used words in this one, 10a, 15a but, between us, we had heard of them. Our jottings in the margin point to it being far from a write-in for us, although it did not take much longer than the back-pager. We enjoyed it.
    Thanks Kcit and Bufo.

  10. I had not heard of the “light and shade” answer to 10a which caused a little glitch in what seemed otherwise a straightforward toughie puzzle The answers to 4d and 6d came to mind almost immediately but I had not heard of the Marvel hero (my wife likes the TV hero) and I was not too sure of “defects” = “bu??” ( buts, bugs, bums).So it was tricky finishing that corner. On looking up possible answers to 10a it all fell in place

    Many thanks to all

    1. I wouldn’t have known that had I not lived in Italy for many years. Does the expression actually exist in English? Maybe in the arts etc…

  11. I don’t expect to be able to complete a Toughie within a xxxxxxxxbus ride – actually I don’t expect to be able to complete a Toughie. It was initially pleasant but also disappointing in a strange sort of a way.

    Chiaroscuro did come up from time to time in art lessons at school, can’t say it’s a word in regular usage aboard the Clapham omnibus.

    1. Sorry Alan but however long your bus ride took, we don’t actually specify solving times here as it can discourage other solvers who may take longer. Bus rides, cups of tea, pints of beer, are all useful indicators of solving time, but actually minutes/hours/days should not be used.

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