Toughie No 1859 by Notabilis
Hints and tips by Dutch
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***/**** – Enjoyment *****
A stunningly good puzzle from Notabilis showing some very tidy cluemanship and trademark precision. I enjoyed this immensely. It took me 3* time to complete the grid, but it took a little longer before I had the full parsing for 17a, 19a, and 4d. There is a nina.
As always, definitions are underlined and the hints and tips are intended to help you with the wordplay, should you need it. You can always lick on the I mean CLICK! buttons to reveal the answer. Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Wide bowled by mistake into random bush (10)
STRAWBERRY: The cricket abbreviations for Wide and Bowled plus a verb meaning to mistake go inside (into) a word meaning random or wandering
6a Mass with vessel from Bible gospel (4)
MARK: The physics abbreviation for Mass plus a biblical vessel that save animals from the great flood
9a English empiricist mostly denied freedom of movement? (5)
LOCKE: A word meaning denied freedom of movement (through the turn of a key, perhaps) without the last letter (mostly)
10a Fence’s for changing when not being filmed (3-6)
OFF-SCREEN: An anagram (changing) of FENCES FOR
12a Hazard in road even if in lines protected by stanchion (7)
POTHOLE: A poetic version (in lines) of ‘even if’ goes inside (protected by) a stanchion or upright support
13a Some defamation for family of workers on the fiddle? (5)
AMATI: Hidden (Some …)
15a Give more than enough annually, dividing nothing particularly (7)
OVERPAY: An abbreviation for annually goes inside (dividing) the letter that looks like zero or nothing and a word meaning particularly or extremely
17a Norse goddess, transcendental, with no good portion (7)
HELPING: A 3-letter Norse goddess (daughter of Loki), a transcendental number (see Collins!), and the abbreviation for No Good. This took me a while to parse
19a Honorary point, lacking ne plus ultra, invalidated (7)
TITULAR: A point as in the prong of a fork lacking the final ‘ne’, with (plus) an anagram (invalidated) of ULTRA. Also took me a while to parse but what brilliant use of ne plus ultra!
21a Gentleman taking company in two directions, in a blow to Italy? (7)
SIROCCO: How you might address a gentleman, plus the abbreviation of COmpany, first backwards then forwards (in two directions)
22a Men with tool for drilling socket (5)
ORBIT: A 2-letter abbreviation for men in the army, plus a tool that one attaches to a drill. Socket as in eye socket.
24a Sister keeps copious specimen collection (7)
SAMPLER: An abbreviation for sister contains another word for copious
27a Pioneer to secure Scottish port and volunteer for service? (3,6)
LAY READER: This service is the church kind. A pioneer as in someone who goes first contains (to secure) a 3-letter Scottish port
28a African city‘s stone pile finally moved on a place? (5)
CAIRO: A 5-letter heap of stones in which the last letter (finally) becomes the next one in the alphabet (moved on a place)
29a Perhaps an upper Republican approved interns (4)
DRUG: The abbreviation for Republican is ‘internalised’ by an informal word meaning approved or liked
30a Rebels rise violently against point of view (10)
RESISTANCE: An anagram of RISE plus a point of view or position
Down
1d Most of one’s family raised one’s identity (4)
SELF: A reversal (raised, in a down clue) of a 5-letter word used to describes one’s own family (sometimes with ‘and blood’) without the last letter (mostly)
2d Someone getting torn up about unfilled cannelloni baked dish (9)
RECIPIENT: A verb that means torn up goes around (about) the outer letters (unfilled) of cannelloni plus a baked dish
3d Remove with force or with ease (5)
WREST: The abbreviation for With plus a word meaning ease or relaxation
4d There’s not a million in one shilling without first being frugal (7)
ECONOMY: One shilling (i.e. one acting as a shill) without the first letter contains (there’s …. in) a (2,1) version of ‘not a million’
5d Bound labourer aboard the ship turned brace (7)
REFRESH: Reversal of a bound labourer inside (aboard) a female possessive pronoun that is used to designate ‘the ship’
7d A mountain parrot biting large leader of pack (5)
AKELA: A from the clue, plus the cheeky New Zealand mountain parrot Nestor Notabilis containing (biting) the abbreviation for Large
8d Under mayor Livingstone, say, serenade North London district (10)
KENSINGTON: Under (in a down clue) mayor Livingston’s first name (the ‘say’ indicates definition by example), we have a (4,2) phrase meaning serenade plus the abbreviation for North
11d Minion caught more bleak across lake (7)
CRAWLER: The cricket abbreviation for Caught, plus a 5-letter word meaning more bleak/cold/harsh containing (across) the abbreviation for Lake
14d Jailbird was a pest online, under supervision (10)
CONTROLLED: A 3-letter jailbird plus a 7-letter past-tense verb meaning ‘was a pest online’
16d Variety of tones from female chum? (7)
PALETTE: The answer could be interpreted whimsically as a female chum
18d Brings on something with small charge for attack (9)
INCURSION: A verb meaning ‘brings on’ plus ‘something with a small charge’ – a very small something
20d Remains to be housed around university (7)
RESIDUE: To be housed or to live goes around the abbreviation for University
21d Member of military class laid waste in Masuria (7)
SAMURAI: An anagram (laid waste in) of MASURIA
23d Inlet in Orleans, or marshy water in New Orleans? (5)
BAYOU: An inlet of the sea plus how someone in Orleans, France, would say ‘or’
25d Allowed in charge, having landed outside (5)
LICIT: The abbreviation for In Charge is surrounded (having … outside) by a verb meaning landed
26d Leave note in blood (4)
GORE: A 2-letter verb meaning leave plus the second note on the sol-fa scale
I think my favourite has to be the ‘ne plus ultra‘ clue (9a). Loved 9a, 13a, 24a, 28a, 29a, 30a, and that is just among the across clues. 7d raised a big smile. Which were your favourites?
A nice Toughie; a Nina I could spot and a self-referential clue from our setter (7d) – what more could you want on a Friday morning?
I struggled with this, bar a few simpler clues. 7d & 19a get a nod but 16d is brilliantly daft and so is my favourite today.
Many thanks to Notabilis for the challenge and Dutch for the review. ****/****
A top rate puzzle – thanks to Notabilis and Dutch. Lots to like but I’ll pick out 2d (for the well-disguised definition), 8d and 23d. My top prize goes to 4d for ‘best use of shilling’.
Happy birthday to Jane.
Many thanks, Gazza – I’ve had a great day.
29a took a while as I was thinking along the lines of a boxing strike.
5d was a bit of a bung in.
In 19a, it’s the first time I see that phrase in this form. Always nec plus ultra in French.
21a very topical at the moment. At midnight last night the temperature was still above 30 degrees Celsius.
Thanks to Notabilis and to Dutch.
Managed about two-thirds of this before I went out on my birthday bash – will be back to comment later when I’ve (hopefully) slotted in the remainder – although there was a ‘slight’ amount of alcohol involved in the celebrations!
Happy birthday Jane. Always last to notice.
Have a great evening.
Thank you, JL – a lovely day rounded off by a visit from no.1 daughter and a shared Skype call to no. 2 daughter and my new grandson.
Happy Birthday Jane!!
Thanks, Dutch. I guess we’ll be having our usual rendezvous in the Novotel 6 months from now?
Happy to have finished it early enough in my day to comment. I did enjoy this, though 29A gave me trouble and I couldn’t parse 17A, but I did parse 19A and it’s my favorite. thanks Notabilis and Dutch
Where are these little blue stars coming from?
someone said ‘wish we had a like button’ then BD realised it was available in the latest wordpress release
A very enjoyable week in Toughie Land.
Tue – Dada
Wed – Elkamere
Thu – Beam
Fri – Notabilis
Which was your favourite?
Wot? WordPress doesn’t have a voting system?
It does, but it is tedious to set up and when used previously the response was minimal.
Finally finished although I did have a few bits of GK that needed checking – the empiricist, the Norse goddess and the definition of ‘shilling’.
Very enjoyable, top two places going to 1&16d.
Thanks to Notabilis and to Dutch – especially for the pics at 1&12a!
So Near yet So Far or whatever the expression is – oh dear!
Notabilis is the only Friday Toughie setter that I stand a chance with, apart from the occasional Micawber.
I wasn’t doing too badly until it got to the top right hand corner and than it all went horribly wrong.
I won’t elaborate as it’s all too long and too silly. Oh well, never mind – I did at least try.
Thanks to Notabilis for the crossword and to Dutch for showing me where it could have been better.
Nothing to contribute to the last two days toughies but thanks Kath for your condolences.
Our first answer in and favourite of course was 7d. Excellent fun from start to finish with the final rites being parsing the two that Dutch has mentioned, 17a and 19a. We had a quick look for a Nina when we finished without finding anything so had another look when we read Sue’s comment this morning. Now we can see the linked pairs that make up the puzzle border.
Thanks Notabilis and Dutch.
Thanks for the nudge, 2Ks – there it was, hidden in plain sight! Must admit, the London one was new to me.
PS Also thanks for the birthday wishes – much appreciated.