Toughie 2263 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Toughie 2263

by Big Dave  

Toughie No 2263 by MynoT

Hints and tips by Big Dave

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

An enjoyable but not overtaxing puzzle in which, for me, no particular clue stands out.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a    Mistake returning eggs for consumption by bishop? On the contrary (5)
ERROR: not the reversal (returning) of some (fish) eggs inside the abbreviated form of address for a bishop but, on the contrary, the other way around

4a    Putting down a floor (9)
ABASEMENT: the A from the clue and a floor of a building beneath the ground floor – initially I entered carpeting as it seemed to fit both parts of the clue

9a    Loves keeping black jewellery (not new) — a ton, making essential accompaniment (9)
OBBLIGATO: two of the letters that represent a score of zero in tennis around (keeping) B(lack), some flashy jewellery without the N(ew), the A from the clue and T(on)

10a    Social position of actors on the radio (5)
CASTE: sounds like (on the radio) the actors in a play

11a    Lens broken by hail put to work (7)
ENSLAVE: an anagram (broken) of LENS followed by a greeting (hail)

12a    Ceramist needs temperature high initially, one argues (7)
THROWER: T(emperature) followed by the initial letter of H[igh] and someone who argues

13a    Some paean the monarchy uses (6)
ANTHEM: hidden (some) inside the clue and defined by the whole clue

15a    One thus joins the jolly line (8)
ISOTHERM: I (one) followed by a two-letter word meaning thus, THE from the clue and our usual jolly soldier

18a    Make-up of middle vessel (8)
EYELINER: middle, as in the middle of a cyclone, followed by a seagoing passenger vessel

20a    Wash and run naked with 1000 changing (6)
STREAM: to get this verb meaning to wash earth, etc. in search of ore start with a verb meaning to run naked, usually at a sporting venue, and change one letter which represents 1000 for another

23a    Manipulator‘s regret over following crowd (7)
MASSEUR: the reversal (over) of a verb meaning to regret preceded by a crowd

24a    A partner going to university, right to be unpaid (7)
AMATEUR: the A from the clue followed by a partner or chum, U(niversity) and R(ight)

26a    King wearing soldier’s jacket (5)
PARKA: K(ing) inside (wearing) an airborne soldier

27a    Spots loco, causing sort of irritation (9)
EYESTRAIN: a verb meaning spots or sees followed by a railway locomotive

28a    Continue through Spain, getting cut off before that (9)
PERSEVERE: a three-letter word meaning through and the IVR code for Spain, the latter preceded by (getting … before that) a verb meaning to cut off

29a    Former translator, then a minor actor (5)
EXTRA: a two-letter word meaning former followed by TR(anslator) and the A from the clue

Down

1d    Exeter judge consuming drug, it’s clear (9)
EXONERATE: the four-letter abbreviation of the Latin name for Exeter and a verb meaning to judge separated by (consuming) the single letter hallucinogenic drug

2d    Puzzle about public transport (5)
REBUS: a two-letter word meaning about followed by a Public Service Vehicle

3d    Anger about trouble in transport cost (7)
RAILAGE: some anger around some trouble – according to Chambers, the definition is mainly used in South Africa so an indication of this, like … in Cape Town, would have been welcome

4d    Article covering festival fire (6)
AWAKEN: he two-letter indefinite article around (covering) a festival

5d    Rejection of a job when variable (8)
APOSTASY: the A from the clue followed by a job, a word meaning when and a mathematical variable

6d    Take in but extract (7)
EXERPT: R(ecipe), which (in Latin) means take, as in take eye of newt and toe of frog, inside a word meaning not including (but)

7d    Golfer and partners in this place? No (9)
ELSEWHERE: the surname of a South African golfer, two bridge partners and a word meaning in this place gives a word meaning not in this place

8d    Associated with those people, the Irish (5)
THEIR: THE from the clue followed by IR(ish)

14d    Possibly rue arrest of one in charge of funds (9)
TREASURER: an anagram (possibly) of RUE ARREST

16d    Notes man-made or manufactured (9)
MEMORANDA: an anagram (manufactured) of MAN-MADE OR

17d    The German scripture before and behind (8)
DERRIERE: the German definite article, some scripture lessons and a poetic word meaning before

19d    Repeat one note with speed (7)
ITERATE: I (one), a note of the scale in sol-fa notation and a speed

21d    Bind rolled oats to go in sandwich (7)
TOASTIE: a verb meaning to bind around (to go in) an anagram (rolled) of OATS

22d    Victoria & Albert allowed European farewell (6)
VALETE: the abbreviation for the Royal Order of Victoria and Albert followed by a verb meaning allowed and E(uropean)

23d    Clear away immigrant from UK? (3,2)
MOP UP: an instruction to reverse an immigrant from the UK to Australia or New Zealand

25d    Practise extortion, to be precise (5)
EXACT: two definitions

The first puzzle of Mynot’s second hundred!

 

13 comments on “Toughie 2263”

  1. This took a teensy smidgeon longer to solve than today’s just under 2* back pager even allowing for a couple of words from ‘Mr Manley’s special book’

    Thanks to MynoT and to BD

  2. An enjoyable complement to today’s back pager, completed at a Toughie gallop – **/***.

    I managed to remember the golfer in 7d after his appearance last week!

    Candidates for favourite – 7d, 17d, and 25d – and the winner is 25d.

    Thanks to MynoT and BD.

  3. A pleasant puzzle – thanks to MynoT and BD.
    My favourite clue was a photo-finish between 17d and 23d.

  4. I found this reasonably enjoyable and not too taxing.

    3d was a new word for me, and I thought that 17d should have had an indication that it is a French word.

    It always takes me a while to remember that “take” = R, although it seems to crop up rather a lot.

    Thanks to MynoT and to BD, particularly for the parsing of 23d which eluded me.

  5. Quite enjoyed this one despite, like BD, trying to make ‘carpeting’ work for 4a. Haven’t come across 3d before today (ugly word) and was very slow to get 4d.
    Favourite was probably 23d.

    Thanks to MynoT and to BD for the review.

  6. Managed this after rather a struggle. Is it a tad harder than usual for a Tuesday, or it just me? Not convinced about 4d and I don’t understand 23d, not that it stopped me bunging it in. Favourites were 9a , 12a and 1d.

    1. For 23d if you apply the second word (up) to the first word you get the short form of an Aussie word for an immigrant from the UK.

      1. I’m being particularly thick. I know pom refers to an immigrant from UK, but how does up fit in?

  7. I don’t often have time to do the Toughie but I found this one very approachable. So thank you to Mynot. Thanks also to BD for the review and the hints for 4d and 6d.

  8. After failing to finish the back pager unaided (foiled by the “checker” clue – I’m not great at general knowledge) I finished this unaided and at a reasonable (for me) pace. There were a number of words in clues or answers I did not know but could guess correctly. I did not fully understand 6d and 23d so thanks to BD. Favourite 17d

    The odds on me finishing tomorrow’s toughie unaided are very long indeed!

    Thanks to setter and blogger

  9. An enjoyable not-Toughie that took less time than today’s back-pager. Mind you, I found today’s back-pager to be particularly tough, so… A good one to start the Toughie week, and no doubt there will be far more taxing ones to end it.

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