Toughie No 2243 by Dada
Hints and tips by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Nothing difficult here, apart from explaining the wordplay for 28 Across.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Flip over to dry fish (6)
TURBOT: the reversal (flip over) of TO from the clue and dry, when applied to wine
5a Juice knocked back, have a go at cake (6)
PASTRY: the reversal (knocked back) of some juice is followed by a verb meaning to have a go at
10a European character in a pub in part of California? (5)
ALPHA: the A from the clue is followed by the two-letter abbreviation for a pub inside the abbreviation for a city (part of) in California
11a Grenadier shot, looking at things again (9)
REREADING: an anagram (shot) of GRENADIER
12a One in seven ignores a mean rule (7)
DYNASTY: there are seven of these in a week, drop (ignores) the A from the clue and add an adjective meaning mean or cruel
13a Neanderthal comment by judge on Europeans, one seeking shelter (7)
REFUGEE: the sort of two-letter comment you would expect from primitive (Neanderthal) people preceded by a judge or umpire and followed by a pair of E(uropean)s
14a Everton players initially entering in kit say, blue (9)
DEPRESSED: the initial letters of the first two words in the clue inside (entering) an adjective meaning in or wearing kit or clothes
17a Certain demarcation (5)
BOUND: two definitions – certain or sure and a demarcation or border
18a Two people, second character first (5)
BRACE: people or nation preceded by (first) the second character of the alphabet
19a Ordinal rewritten with tenet (9)
TWENTIETH: an anagram (rewritten) of WITH TENET – you need to know your ordinals from your cardinals!
21a Understands gun in possession of woman (7)
GATHERS: a type of gun followed by a pronoun meaning in the possession of a woman
23a Females penning funny old sketches (7)
DOODLES: some female deer around (penning) an anagram (funny) of OLD
25a Copper’s work, remarkable (9)
ARRESTING: two definitions – what a copper (policeman) does in the course of his duty and an adjective meaning remarkable
26a Black book offered at knock-down price, it’s inferred? (5)
SABLE: B(ook) goes on offer at a knock-down price by being in a selling event
27a Put on, then ushered off (6)
ADDLED: a verbs meaning to put on or increase followed by ushered or directed
28a Old picture, very defining work (3,3)
TOP HAT: having rejected a word meaning very surrounding (defining) a musical work as the wordplay, I can only think that the explanation is that this film is definitive of the outfit usually associated with its star, Fred Astaire
Down
2d One translated secret code for free (5)
UNPIN: one in a foreign language such as French (translated) followed by a secret code used, for example, when withdrawing cash
3d More insolent English supporter (9)
BRASSIERE: an adjective meaning more insolent followed by E(nglish) gives a female support garment
4d Sticky on the road? Drag one’s feet (5)
TARRY: as an adjective it means sticky like a road surfacing material and as a verb it means to drag one’s feet or delay
5d Bird a bit on edge (9)
PARTRIDGE: a bit followed by an edge
6d Hands stick (5)
STAFF: two definitions – hands or workers and a stick or rod
7d Liquid in garage boxes for all to see, one can measure water (4,5)
RAIN GAUGE: an anagram (liquid) of IN GARAGE around the cinematic classification indicating suitable for all to see
8d Open beer perhaps carried out (6)
CANDID: a container, possibly (perhaps) for beer, followed by a verb meaning carried out or performed
9d Old trousers on? Yes! (6)
AGREED: an adjective meaning old around (trousers) a word meaning on or about
15d Pickled spread (9)
PLASTERED: two definitions – pickled or drunk and spread or daubed
16d Met tides, as if at sea (9)
SATISFIED: an anagram (at sea) of TIDES AS IF
17d Last drink, down it goes! (7,2)
BOTTOMS UP: a word meaning last, as in last in a league table, followed by a verb meaning to drink
18d Down-and-out finds something to eat in drinking establishment (6)
BEGGAR: an item of food (something to eat) inside a drinking establishment
20d Step up then as wobbly (6)
HASTEN: an anagram (wobbly) of THEN AS
22d Standing supporter safe, as electric fences off (5)
EASEL: hidden (fences off) inside the clue
23d One in ten, say, like vermouth (5)
DIGIT: there are ten of these, in two groups of five! – a verb meaning to like followed by the two-letter abbreviation for some vermouth when added to a drink
24d Balance tipping in bar billiards (5)
LIBRA: hidden (in) and reversed (tipping) inside the clue
About par for a Tuesday Toughie.
Solved in a time that one would like to see every for a Tuesday Toughie (around the same time as a Ray T or Giovanni back pager)
Apart from having, like BD, to ponder over 28a, I did enjoy the experience. We had over 20 mm of water in our 7d this morning so I didn’t have to ponder much about that clue
Thanks to Dada and BD
I thought that this was a bit trickier than we normally get from a Tuesday Dada (I guess he’s never going to appear in the Telegraph in ‘Paul’ mode however much we’d like him to). Thanks to him and BD.
My ticks went to 26a, 4d and 23d.
For 28a I think that very can mean ‘that’ in a sentence such as ‘I went shopping without my wallet – I was that embarrassed at the checkout’.
**/*** for me and still not sure about 28A. Liked 7D & 15D
A pleasant puzzle to start the Toughie week – not too demanding. I caused a bit of trouble for myself by misspelling “gauge” until I realized my mistake. Otherwise it was only 28a that was awkward. I have vaguely heard of the film but I have never watched it. I wrote in the answer based on the same assumption as Gazza and nothing else mad any sense. I seem to remember being taught at school that it was poor English to use “that” in the sense of “so” or “very” but fashions change.
Many thanks to Dada and Big Dave
OK – so it wasn’t a ‘mega’ Toughie but it was such a good puzzle and I, for one, really enjoyed it. Sorry that it didn’t inspire our blogger. I agree with Gazza over the parsing of 28a which didn’t phase me at all.
An embarrassing number of clues that made my podium so I won’t bother to list them, just say many thanks to Dada for the fun and to BD for manning the fort.
Just beaten BT 8d. I had “landed”, It was left over after my efforts to include “ale” in the answer.
I think it is easier than the back page which is resisting my attempts at the moment.
After yesterday’s torrential rain I, too, must look in my 7d.
What a difference a break makes, The back page has just surrendered.
Considerably more than two star difficulty as far as I am concerned .
25a is my favourite .
Thanks to Dada and Big Dave .
Dada, as ever, kept us smiling and chuckling all the way through this solve. We justified 28a in the same way as Gazza at #2 above.
Thanks Dada and BD.
I fairly hurtled through three-quarters before grinding to a halt in the NW corner which needed a little more thought. Perhaps it was just the shock of having to consider some of the clues in that quarter more seriously which meant that they took about the same time again.