Toughie No 1543 by Osmosis
Hints and tips by Dutch
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BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment *****
A cracking puzzle from Osmosis to end the week – I enjoyed this thoroughly, especially the definitions. It took me not too much over normal Toughie time. By the time you read this I’ll be on a train – see you all tomorrow!
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 Mediterranean island discovered by some with a camera (6)
ITHACA: Hidden in the clue (discovered by some) with a camera
4a Unknown pots, first seen at back, most attractive (8)
YUMMIEST: A single-letter algebraic variable (unknown), followed by a word for pots or bellies in which the first letter is moved to the end
9a Religious leader given a kiss in church (6)
CALIPH: A from the clue plus a 3-letter word for kiss all go inside an abbreviation for church
10a Bernice regularly taking course in culinary style (2,6)
EN CROUTE: The even letters of Bernice followed by a course or way
11a Entertainment centre‘s star visiting young girl (3,5)
LAS VEGAS: The name of a first magnitude star goes inside (visiting) a 4-letter word for young girl
13a County borders featured in Surrey magazine (6)
GLOSSY: Four-letter abbreviation of a county in SW England followed by the first and last letters of (borders featured in) Surrey
15a Club‘s rejected elements of One Direction in possession of joint (4,3,6)
WEST HAM UNITED: Find words clued by each of the two “elements” of One Direction (One + Direction) and swap them around (rejected) – to get Direction(4) + One(6), then between them insert (in possession of) a 3-letter joint (of meat)
18a Spinner, new resident in tiny mill town (4,9)
TONY BLACKBURN: This spinner is a disc jockey and “I’m a celebrity – get me out of here” winner. Place the abbreviation for new into a 3-letter word meaning tiny (often applied to dogs), followed by a mill town in Lancashire known (for instance) for its football team
22a Animal‘s stink stifling another one (6)
REEBOK: A verb meaning to stink contains (stifling) a 2-letter abbreviation for someone’s offensive smell
24a In understanding energy, advanced fuel can be created (8)
KEROSENE: Take the 3-letter Scottish word for understanding or knowledge and add the abbreviation for energy, then insert (in) a word meaning advanced or moved upward. “Can be created” is the link between wordplay and definition, and here it comes after the definition – it means the same as “providing fuel”
26a Top-class doctor in France to go back for protection against sun? (8)
UMBRELLA: A single letter representing the top or upper class, a 2-letter abbreviation for doctor, and a reversal (back) of the French word meaning “to go”
27a Intention is to switch over fourth episode of Planet of the Apes (6)
SIMIAN: A 3-letter word mean intention or purpose plus “is” from the clue, all reversed (to switch over) followed by the fourth letter in Planet
28a Saucy stuff from repellent one with cleavage repeatedly showing (4-4)
PIRI-PIRI: Take the Roman numeral for one plus a 3-letter word meaning cleavage or tear, reverse it (repellent) and repeat it
29a News earlier disrupting part of hospital wing (6)
ANNEXE: Take the abbreviation for new twice (news) plus a 2-letter noun/prefix meaning earlier or former, and insert into a 2-letter hospital department
Down
1d Language student female’s expecting at farm? (2-4)
IN-CALF: An ancient South American language followed by the abbreviations for student (learner) and female
2d Harry even catches broadcast somewhere in the Midlands (9)
HALESOWEN: A nickname for Harry and the poetic spelling of even surround (catches) a 3-letter verb meaning broadcast or scatter will give this town just south of Birmingham, apparently famous for making nails
3d Constant battle getting capital to save large plant (7)
CYPRESS: A letter that denotes a mathematical constant followed by a town in Flanders that was the scene of an intense WW1 battle, and the first letter (capital) of save
5d Bone fish, removing head, but keeping tail ultimately (4)
ULNA: Take a 4-letter large, oily fish, remove the first letter and insert the last letter of tail
6d Norma, in reality, hurt in outside lavatory shown as ‘Vacant’ (7)
MARILYN: A 3-letter verb for hurt or damage, then IN from the clue goes outside the first and last letters of lavatory (shown as vacant)
7d Horseplay? (5)
EQUUS: Cryptic definition referring to a stage play
8d Folk-rock band — they would include bass on certain tracks? (3,5)
THE BYRDS: They from the clue goes around (would involve) the abbreviation for bass, then (in abbreviated form) a kind of tracks or ways
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ARVE Error: need id and provider |
12d Religious community remains, some days, withdrawn (6)
ASHRAM: The remains of something burnt plus the reversal (withdrawn) of a 3-letter abbreviation of a calendar month (some days)
14d Scottish swimmer and runner acquiring instant energy (6)
SMOKIE: A runner used in winter sport goes around (acquiring) the informal abbreviation for an instant or short time, followed by the abbreviation for energy.
16d Bug found in container with Eastern fruit (9)
TANGERINE: A 5-letter verb meaning to bug or irritate goes inside a metal container followed by the abbreviation for Eastern
17d Drill with lead put on skip (4,4)
STAR JUMP: Drill as in exercise – another word for lead or main actor followed by a word for skip or leap
19d Australian community involved in dance session (5-2)
BOOZE-UP: Slang 2-letter word for Australian plus a 2-letter abbreviation for a community involving much of Europe go inside a 3-letter word for dance
20d Idealistic Spaniard, dismissing judge, entertaining to detective (7)
UTOPIAN: A 4-letter Spanish first name without the initial J (dismissing judge) goes around TO from the clue and a 2-letter abbreviation for a detective
21d Main French coastal location, not one where spirits are raised? (6)
SEANCE: another word for main, the salt water kind, followed by a French city on the Mediterranean without the letter I (not one)
23d Residue seen on 5/11 and the majority of that month (5)
EMBER: 5/11 is the date of Guy Fawkes night where bonfires would burn down to reveal this answer, which is also formed by most of the letters in the name of the month
25d Rock band given central stages in Dublin? Sure (4)
BLUR: Take the central two letters (centre stage) of Dublin and Sure
Many great clues and hard to choose a favourite. I didn’t see 1a for a while, very good. 19d made me laugh. My favourite I think is the clever 27a. Which clues did you like?
A rare venture into the Toughie for me, enjoying it so far, with not much more than the NE corner done. I paid a visit here early, as I couldn’t see how to parse Wilkie for 14d – not surprising really. I wouldn’t call it much of a swimmer, though, in that state!
Thanks to Osmosis and Dutch – I’ll keep plugging away.
Got there, with a few hints and bung-ins, so the explanations were appreciated. Favourite – don’t know. 27a, perhaps. I really enjoyed it, though. Thanks again.
Excellent way to finish off the toughie week with this challenge from Osmosis. As I’m aware that Kath is lurking in the background, I won’t pick out one particular favourite as virtually all of them are my favourites (see how clever that was). I am now off to prepare myself for tomorrow’s soirée.
Thanks to Osmosis for the puzzle and Dutch for his excellent review. See you all tomorrow.
I had NESSIE for 14d which i thought fitted the clue so perfectly that I was loath to change it. Never heard of the right answer either. In the end I found the areas of knowledge needed for many of the clues eg 2d and 18a as well as the bands was causing so much frustration that I abandoned it with about a third not solved. Looking through the review this morning I appreciate how clever many of them are. So in this case a resounding victory to the setter.
Thanks Osmosis and Dutch.
Massively enjoyable and fully agree with Dutch’s 4*/5* rating. We used electronic help for just one clue – getting a list of relevant islands because we had miserably failed to spot the lurker in 1a. The rest we just banged away at and one by one they yielded but it took a goodly time. 4a was a bung-in and we needed Dutch’s explanation to understand why. Our feeling of achievement at completing such a challenging puzzle was almost immediately followed by a sense of loss that there was no more enjoyment to be had from it. I guess that’s the hallmark of a great crossword.
Favourites were 6d, 15a, 22a, 16d, 14d, 27a, but many others came close to getting a mention.
Smiled at, but didn’t really like, 18a.
Thank you, Osmosis, for that cunning work of art. Thank you, Dutch, for the picture of the umbrella!
Avoiding the hints and comments for now. Not much over regular toughie time, huh Dutch? At my current state of progress, I might finish this by Sunday night…and then again, I might not.
A puzzle of this quality deserves more comments – and the review certainly does. Unfortunately I’m unable to say anything much as I didn’t do the crossword, but am dropping in to affirm my promise to Dutch that I will attempt some Friday Toughies in future. So there it is in writing! Thanks :).
Why are the real crackers always published when I’m on hols? Fully endorse comments from Dutch and Sheffieldsy [City of my youth]. As well as being a terrific puzzle it contains West Ham, The Byrds and Marilyn – three of the best.
Personal favourites amongst many other super clues were 4a [first seen at back] 6d [in outside lav] 19d [lovely] and 21d [ditto].
Many thanks to Osmosis and to Dutch for a fine blog [but Eight Miles High would have been much better at 8d]
Promised that I’d get round to finishing this one but have been somewhat delayed – can’t imagine why.
Didn’t look at a single hint but – does it count that I caught the reviewer somewhat off-guard and prised one answer out of him?
Thanks to Osmosis for a very fair but extremely difficult (for me) puzzle and to Dutch for somehow finding the time on a busy day to bring everyone the blog.
Smiled at your pic for 26a – not only did you find an excuse to include a scantily clad young lady but you also appraised us of her nationality!
Can I really be the only one who picked up on the pangram?
Oh no, I missed the pangram again – well spotted Jane!