Toughie No 2265 by Stick Insect
Hints and tips by Bufo
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ***
Nothing too arduous today though I did use the fact that it’s a double pangram for 11 across and the last couple of answers.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
7a Cropped hairdo for radio band? (5,4)
SHORT WAVE: ‘Cropped’ + a hairdo = a frequency band in radio communication
8a Zaire drops broadcast support for animal (5)
ZEBRA: ZAIRE with a word meaning ‘broadcast’ removed + Cryptic Sue’s favourite support
10a Status dropping, rockers with spirit will get the minimum to perform? (6)
QUORUM: The name of a rock band with STATUS removed + an alcoholic spirit
11a Extracting coloured liquid left in part of building (8)
WINKLING: A coloured liquid used for writing and L (left) in part of a building
12a Have faith in king facing English city (4,2)
RELY ON: A single letter denoting ‘king’ + E (English) + a French city
14a Six ladies abandoned by Romeo for night services (6)
VIGILS: The Roman numeral for six + young ladies with the letter R (Romeo) removed
16a Silly daughter gets behind (4)
DAFT: D (daughter) + ‘behind’
17a Confuses enemies comprehending sign of error (5)
FOXES: Enemies round the letter that denotes an error
18a Discard vessel (4)
JUNK: 2 meanings: discard as useless/an East Asian sailing vessel
19a Broadcast sound of yearning, crucial for spirit (6)
PSYCHE: A homophone of an audible sound expressing yearning and ‘crucial’ = the soul. spirit or mind
21a Drummer initially sacked by group before week on vacation? Complain! (6)
SQUAWK: A group with the letter D (first letter of DRUMMER) removed + the first and last letters of WEEK
24a Honour two Zulus taken in by the Spanish and English swindle (8)
EMBEZZLE: A British order of chivalry and the letter Z (Zulu) twice inside the Spanish definite article and E (English)
26a You and I reflected after moderate disease (6)
MILDEW: ‘Moderate’ + a reversal of ‘you and I’ = a disease of plants
27a Mock loudly opener from Lancashire getting dismissed (5)
FLOUT: A single letter denoting ‘loudly’ + the first letter of LANCASHIRE + ‘dismissed’
28a Game comes from merging ingredient of beer and whisky (9)
HOPSCOTCH: A plant used to flavour beer + whisky from northern Britain
Down
1d Messed up brush and broom perhaps (5)
SHRUB: An anagram (messed up) of BRUSH
2d Interrupt dancing, barring tango that’s salacious (8)
PRURIENT: An anagram (dancing) if INTERRUP, i.e. INTERRUPT minus T (tango)
3d Wet politician is taken in by influence (6)
SWAMPY: A member of parliament inside ‘influence’
4d A very ordinary wicket to declare (4)
AVOW: A + abbreviations for ‘very’, ‘ordinary’ and ‘wicket’
5d Occasionally rental in posh car may be a problem for traveller (3,3)
JET LAG: Alternate letters of RENTAL inside the shortened form of a brand of up-market cars
6d Netting caught animal without hard work (9)
CRINOLINE: A netting round ships as guard against torpedos = a horned animal with the letter H (hard) removed + work or occupation. I didn’t know this meaning of the answer
9d Jacks drowned, overturning around middle of Severn (6)
KNAVES: The jacks in a pack of cards = a reversal of ‘drowned’ round the middle two letters of SEVERN
13d Former partner embraced by star returning for relationship (5)
NEXUS: A former partner inside a reversal of our nearest star
15d No time for truth, express amusement about one copy (9)
FACSIMILE: A truth with the letter T (time) removed + ‘express amusement’ round I (one)
17d Cook goes around East New Zealand in a state of excitement (6)
FRENZY: ‘To cook in oil or fat’ round E (East) and New Zealand
18d Storage for CD … or for a gold disc? (5,3)
JEWEL BOX: This term for a storage case for a compact disc is also used for a casket for holding valuables
20d By phone, verify means of payment (6)
CHEQUE: A homophone of ‘to verify’
22d Extreme ends of unpleasant mango split (6)
UTMOST: The first and last letters of UNPLEASANT, MANGO and SPLIT
23d Two died next to Brussels church (5)
DEUCE: D (died) + an organisation centred on Brussels + the Church of England
25d Opponents securing game — might they become inflated? (4)
EGOS: Two opponents at bridge round a board game that originated in ancient China
On the cusp of harder back page and easy toughie – I did notice the double pangram
No particular favourites – thank you to Stick Insect and Bufo
Even I noticed the double pangram! Completed early for once. 10A is my favorite, though 19A gets a thumbs up too. Thanks Stick Insect and Bufo.
Much more enjoyable than yesterday’s offering and completed in a very reasonable time **/****. I gave it an extra star for the double pangram, COTD 19A.
It’s impressive to produce a double pangram without any obscurities (although I didn’t know the specific meaning of 6d or the 18d CD storage).
I did think it might be a triple pangram but it only qualifies as such if you count the letters within the answers as opposed to those in the grid (e.g. if you count the letter at the centre of 17a and 13d as two occurrences).
Thanks to Stick Insect for the entertainment and Bufo for the explanations.
My ticks today went to 10a, 6d and 22d.
Nor did I for 18d. At one point I thought the CD was a cross dresser.
I enjoyed this more than yesterday’s, which was a lengthy struggle. This was, as CS remarked almost on a par with a more difficult back pager. I too was unaware of the meaning of 6d used by the compiler, although I bunged it in to finish the puzzle. I rarely notice pangrams but even I became aware that there were two Qs and two Zs. Altogether very enjoyable so I must find time to try the Toughie more often, in future.
I enjoyed this more than today’s back page. 10a favourite. Ta to all.
I found this a thoroughly enjoyable puzzle. I thought I was doing well to recognize that it was a pangram – but I failed to spot that it was a double pangram! How very clever – and as Gazza notes, so free of obscurities. Many thanks to Stick Insect and Bufo.
This was great fun and largely not too difficult, although my last few in did take some time.
Initially I put SHIP in at 18a. I thought this was quite a reasonable double definition but it did hold me up with 6d & 18d, especially as I’ve never come across the CD storage definition for the latter (what a seemingly silly name for that item!) I don’t much like Brussels = EU but it seems to have become acceptable terminology in crosswordland.
I realised at an early stage this was going to be a pangram but I missed the double/nearly triple (very well spotted, Gazza).
10a was my favourite.
Many thanks to Stick Insect and to Bufo.
They say you learn something new every day and I hadn’t heard of the first definition for 18d. Although I got 12a it did puzzle me so ta for Bufo for explaining that one – I had Ely in my head.
You’ve expanded your alias since your last comment so this needed moderation. Both variants will work from now on.
Worked my way quite happily through this one until hitting a brick wall when it came to the CD storage and the nautical definition of 6d. Didn’t register the double pangram but that’s no surprise!
10a way out in front as the winner with a wry smile for 17&28a plus 17d.
Thanks to Stick Insect and to Bufo for the blog.
The SE corner felt a little tougher than the rest, but I still finished in about ** for time for a Toughie. I didn’t spot the fact that it was a double pangram, but a suspicion (!) that it was a pangram helped no end at 21ac which had me well and truly bamboozled for an age. Good fun throughout.
Hi and thanks to Bufo for the review and to all for your comments – always useful and appreciated.
noticed the double pangram too but still struggled on the last few.
thanks to stick insect and to bufo.
I took ages to figure out 11d. The penny dropped, wrongly it now appears, when I guessed CD w as an abbreviation for Christian Dior.
Nice puzzle and great review as usual.
Thanks
Great puzzle which I have yet to finish (it’s downstairs and I’m upstairs and neither I nor Saint Sharon are going to fetch it) Not sure about the posh car in 5d. They are ten a penny round here. Thanks to the setter for the enjoyment so far. Also thanks to Bufo for his as yet unread review
All done. The bottom right held out longest. Superb puzzle. The best of the week so far. Thanks to Stick Insect and thanks to Bufo.