Toughie 2360 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Toughie 2360

by crypticsue  

Toughie No 2360 by Kcit

Hints and tips by crypticsue

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***

My first crossword blog of the New Year brings us a typical Kcit crossword that would, in my view, have done very nicely on the back page of the newspaper towards the end of the week

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a    Suggest bet should exclude new member of rugby team (3,7)
PUT FORWARD Remove or exclude the abbreviation for new from a gamble or bet and then add a member of a rugby team

6a    I advanced in company? This is more of a dismissal (4)
CIAO I (from the clue) and the abbreviation for Advanced inserted into an abbreviation for company to give us an, originally Italian, word used when leaving (a dismissal)

10a    Hurry to reverse European traffic (5)
TRADE A reversal of a synonym for hurry followed by the abbreviation for European

11a    Urban area, part of target unknown movement backed (5,4)
INNER CITY Part of a target next to the bull’s-eye, a reversal (backed) of one of the letters used to indicate a mathematical unknown and an [involuntary] movement

12a    Arab blocking American subject running race (8)
MARATHON The abbreviation for Arab ‘blocking’ the way the Americans refer to the school subject of arithmetic and a two-letter word meaning ‘running’

13a    Almost hungry, having bagged large bird (5)
EAGLE Almost all of a synonym for hungry in the sense of keen into which is inserted (having bagged) the abbreviation for Large

15a    Monarch’s state? Not good, it’s true (7)
REALITY Remove (not) the abbreviation for good from a state of sovereignty

17a    I’m engaged in work with corporation — most favourable outcome (7)
OPTIMUM I’M (from the clue) engaged or inserted between the abbreviation for work and an informal term for that part of your body known as a ‘corporation’

19a    Given a hint about turning up with classic sidekick? (3,2,2)
PUT ONTO A reversal (turning) of UP followed by a classic Western sidekick

21a    Certain British back besieging the French country (7)
BELARUS A reversal of a synonym for certain and the abbreviation for British, the former ‘besieging’ or going round the French female definite article

22a    Peter out after getting elected for production company (5)
INDIE Another way of saying getting elected is followed by (after) a verb meaning to peter out to give us an informal term for an independent record company

24a    Bishop moving with the times in resort (8)
BRIGHTON The abbreviation for Bishop in a game of chess and an adjective meaning trendy, moving with the times

27a    Subversive activity ended by detective in film (4,5)
COUP D’ETAT The newspaper version of this clue very helpfully shows it as 4 1’4 which enables the solver to write the solution in quite quickly and the blogger to take a little longer to work out that you need to insert a two-letter word meaning ended and a three-letter abbreviation for detective into a film or layer of something such as paint

28a    River runs north through garden (5)
RHONE The cricket abbreviation for runs followed by a verb meaning to garden into which is inserted (through) the abbreviation for North

29a    Tail removed from genuine old parrot (4)
ECHO Remove the ‘tail’ or last letter from an adjective meaning genuine or authentic and replace with the abbreviation for old

30a    Decrepit, but given a rousing send-off (7-3)
CLAPPED-OUT Remove the hyphen from this informal term meaning worn out or of no more use and you’d have a way of describing how someone was given a rousing send-off

Down

1d    Crown put away under pressure (4)
PATE Part of a verb meaning put away (food for example) goes under the abbreviation for Pressure

2d    Criticise drink and criticise paintings etc (4,5)
TEAR APART A drink, a verb meaning to criticise and some paintings etc

3d    A theatre, set up in support of ordinary theatrical production (5)
OPERA A reversal (set up) of A (from the clue) and a type of theatre goes after (in support of in a Down clue) the abbreviation for Ordinary

4d    Substantial crew entering river, expending energy (7)
WEIGHTY A rowing crew entering a river without the E at the end of its name (expending Energy)

5d    Function absorbed by meet (3,4)
RUN INTO A verb meaning to function and an informal way of saying absorbed by or enthusiastic about

7d    Chancing to overlook top location for birthday message? (5)
ICING Remove the first letter (overlook top) of a synonym for chancing

8d    Inspiring invention for when the pressure’s off? (6,4)
OXYGEN MASK A cryptic definition of something we are told about in aircraft safety instructions but hopefully never have occasion to use

9d    Love story mostly about love in Paris (Eastern) (8)
ORIENTAL The letter used to indicate love and almost all of a synonym for story go about the French (as used in Paris) word meaning love in the sense of nothing 

14d    Result of visitors from afar giving you a ring on the farm? (4,6)
CROP CIRCLE This cryptic definition made me smile and earned it the award of favourite clue

16d    Suggestion pub venture’s ending in ruin (8)
INNUENDO A pub, the ending of venture and a verb meaning ruin

18d    Scar military officer’s put on sweet overseas trader (5,4)
MARCO POLO A verb meaning to scar or disfigure, the abbreviation for a commanding (military) officer and a popular mint sweet

20d    Small item included in examination dealing with planetary motion (7)
ORBITAL Insert a small item into an examination

21d    Sense of shame, heading off into bar erected with other shops and houses? (5-2)
BUILT-UP Remove the first letter (heading off) from a sense of shame and inserted into a reversal (erected) of a bar

23d    The necessary expression of disgust after party (5)
DOUGH ‘The necessary’ and the solution are both informal terms for money – an expression of disgust goes after a party

25d    Son leaving beach, perhaps, shepherding daughter in crowd (5)
HORDE Remove the S (son leaving) from a beach and insert the abbreviation for Daughter into the result. I did like ‘shepherding’ as an insertion indicator

26d    Aggrieved feelings about a source of fuel (4)
PEAT Insert A (from the clue) into a fit of aggrieved or resentful sulkiness

I’ll be undergoing ordeal by dentist when this blog is published but I look forward to seeing what people thought of the crossword when I return

16 comments on “Toughie 2360”

  1. Very enjoyable although Saint Sharon got the mask which led to me finishing with 6 across. Thanks to CS and Kcit.

  3. Needless to say, I found this appreciably more difficult than our blogger did – something I’m more than used to by now!
    Not to worry, I enjoyed the challenge and would pick exactly the same clues as Gazza did for the winners’ enclosure – 30a plus 8&14d.

    Many thanks and good wishes for a happy New Year to both Kcit and CS.

  4. I agree with CS ratings for enjoyment (***) but just over * for me in terms of time and that this could have been a back pager, but still enjoyable. A couple of penny drop moments when parsing 12a and 19a after the fact, and 8d gets my top spot just ahead of 30a. Thanks to Kcit and CS – hope the dentist wasn’t too painful.

  5. That was fun .
    1a ,8d, 14d, 30a are among my medal winners , as Gaza puts it .
    Thanks to all concerned.

  6. The top half went in pretty quickly but the bottom half put up a fight. I had trouble with the parsing of 27a. I suppose DET is the American abbreviation? Somehow I don’t feel we use it. Had never hear either of the German word for genuine in 29a.
    Thx to setter and blogger.

  7. Certainly harder than one star difficulty for us. A real penny drop when we twigged the classic sidekick in 19a.
    An enjoyable solve for us.
    Thanks Kcit and CS.

  8. Not one star, for sure, here, but no more than middling. Loved the sidekick.

    Belated New Year wishes all round.

  9. More than * in difficulty for me too, but a hugely enjoyable puzzle. It was so nice not to have to go on any endless searches on Google. Many thanks to Kcit and crypticsue.

  10. Definitely ** for difficulty and *** for enjoyment, COTD 8D with 19A a close second. Thanks to all.

  11. Am I the only one who can’t parse 16d?

    An pub = INN, ruin = DO, so

    Venture’s ending = UEN ?

    Other than that, and the flipping resort, I had this done, in ***** time.

    Thanks to all.

  12. I don’t usually do the Toughie, in fact I never do it, but was persuaded this morning. Felt very pleased myself until read CS’s view, which I accept, which would put it on the back page! Got through it all and most of the parsing. Was held up with 8d and 6a but managed to work them out. Will certainly try Kcit again. Favourites 30a, and 4 7 8 9 and 14d. Got Brighton straightaway, perhaps because I was there at Christmas and we have also had Hove in the backpager in the past week. Thanks setter and CS

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