Toughie No 2482 by Silvanus
Hints and tips by Yosser Hughes
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Good Morning from Downtown L I where I am clearing out and selling off fourteen years of stuff. It is amazing just how much junk Saint Sharon has accumulated in that time in contrast to my treasures.
Today’s Tuesday Toughie has a few tortuous moments and many delights. We spend a lot of time in reverse. I won’t name those which tortured or delighted as one man’s meat is another man’s poison.
Upon completion look out for the two little treats Silvanus has provided. I have used both renovating our house over the last year. [I’m sure our blogger used more than the two ‘treats’ when working on his new house – he appears to have found the two at the top and bottom of the grid, but missed the four at the sides, although he’d probably have been blacksmithing to use the final one! CS]
Solved to a mixture of The Clash. The Rolling Stones. Stevie Wonder. Robert Plant and Alison Krause
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a 1,000 in currency is 500 in sterling (6)
MONKEY: A letter used to represent 1000 is inserted into a general term for currency to give a slang term used by the racing fraternity meaning £500
5a Rick, miserable individual, with name for wasting time (6)
WRENCH: An unfortunate or unhappy person needs the letter representing time changing to the letter representing name in Crosswordland
10a Biblical patriarch’s two separate accounts (5)
ISAAC: Two abbreviations required. One for an Individual Savings Account (dontcha just love them) and one simply for account
11a Fool pursues looker, hot washer-upper? (9)
DISHCLOTH: A four-letter fool follows a four-letter looker (these days more likely to be found in Crosswordland’s dictionary of archaic terms than out on the street). All followed by the abbreviation for hot
12a Places to undergo surgery with large knife (7)
SCALPEL: An anagram (to undergo surgery) of PLACES is followed by the abbreviation for large
13a Some Seventies girl I observe back in platforms (3,4)
OIL RIGS: The answer lies hidden within the words of the clue. The word some indicates as much. The word back indicates that it is reversed.
14a Mostly dreary news circulating in Wolverhampton? (9)
WANDERERS: An anagram (circulating) of most of the word DREARy combined with the word NEWS
17a Copper, perhaps recently married, retired (5)
METAL: A word meaning most recently is followed by the abbreviation for married. All is reversed to find an example of what copper is
18a Artist conceding to pinching good joint of meat (5)
GIGOT: Remove (conceding) TO from an Italian artist’s name and insert (pinching) the abbreviation for Good
19a Sack Susan, oddly regarded as revolutionary type (4,5)
SANS SERIF: Begin with a word meaning to sack or dismiss from service. Add the odd numbered letters of the beautiful name Susan. Add the word as which our setter Silvanus has generously gifted to us. Once again, we are reversing all that we have as clued by the word revolutionary
21a Evangelist is dull coming to the point (7)
MATTHEW: The word Evangelist at the beginning of a clue is usually a giveaway. There were only four Evangelists and three of those have only four letters. The evangelist with seven letters can be found by taking a word meaning dull and adding the word the from the clue and a compass point
23a Most important position of power within company? (7)
CENTRAL: This word meaning most important describes the position of the abbreviation for Power in COMPANY
25a Outside court, ten mean to reform law (9)
ENACTMENT: An anagram of the outside letters of the word CourT together with TEN MEAN
26a Fruit that’s old and turning bad (5)
OLIVE: The abbreviation for old is followed by the reversal of a word meaning bad or wicked
27a Bob moving around, say, beginning to distract golfer (6)
SLEDGE: A two-letter latter term meaning for example or say is followed by the first letter of the word distract and the name of a golfer, first name Ernie. Select reverse gear to find a form of transport also known as a bob whichever way round you put it.
28a Severely criticise dreadful film company? (6)
HAMMER: A double definition, the second being a much loved and much lampooned maker of cheesy horror films
Down
2d Airline breaches order by American president (5)
OBAMA: Our national airline is surrounded by the Order of Merit and the abbreviation of American
3d Thrill place with each tango skirt’s useful feature (4,5)
KICK PLEAT: The first word is a synonym of a thrill or high. The second consists of abbreviations for places and each followed by the letter represented by Tango in the phonetic alphabet. Did you even know such a thing existed? [Yes – a feature of my school uniform for many years – CS]
4d Unknown poem has line to sing (5)
YODEL: A mathematical unknown is followed by a short poem and the abbreviation for line
5d State Swiss banks neglected fraud crime (9)
WISCONSIN: Remove the outer letters of the word sWISs. Add a noun meaning a fraud. Add a crime against morality.
6d Top 40 on the radio (5)
EXCEL: Spoken quickly this sounds like what you would say for forty in Roman numerals
7d Singer in The Corrs unusually failing to hold note (9)
CHORISTER: Anagram (unusually) of IN THE CORRS minus the abbreviation for note
8d Talk about one extremely satisfying flipping puzzle! (6)
JIGSAW: A word meaning to talk (better than war war) sits around the letter that looks like the number one and the outer letters of the word satisfying
9d Cheat caught by Interpol finally, is he wrongly being imprisoned? (6)
CHISEL: The single letter abbreviation for caught and the final letter of the word Interpol are filled with an anagram (wrongly) of IS HE
15d When evening begins, declared champion goes over defeat (9)
NIGHTFALL: A homophone (declared) of Champion (think chivalry) is followed by a word meaning a defeat
16d Drug found on Welsh criminal before, in another location (9)
ELSEWHERE: The abbreviation for the drug 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine is followed by an anagram (criminal) of Welsh. This is followed by the poetic form of the word before.
17d Team at last is playing well — fake news? (9)
MISINFORM: The final letter of the word team and the word is from the clue are followed by a term split 2,4 meaning playing well.
18d Male wearing waistcoat makes cocktail (6)
GIMLET: The abbreviation for Male is surrounded by a type of light padded waistcoat
20d More rounded university students originally enjoyed visiting France (6)
FULLER: One abbreviation of university. Two abbreviations for students or learners. The first letter of the word enjoyed. All placed within an abbreviation of France
22d Worried daughter joining hospital will get disliked (5)
HATED: A word synonymous with worried (which causes problems every time a setter uses it) follows the abbreviation for hospital and succeeded by the abbreviation for Daughter
23d Happen to see game (5)
CATCH: A double definition. The second being a ball game.
24d Increase in applause quietly dissipating (5)
RAISE: A word meaning applause or acclaim has the musical notation for quietly removed
Toughie Puns. Do you see what I see? Thanks for that crypticsue
I’m confused. Is the explanation of 22d the wrong way round?
Took a bit of unraveling but this puzzle was not as difficult as I first thought. Lots of implements, too many to list, so we are all ready for a bit of DIY.
Like the combination at 1a and 5a ; likewise 27a and 28a
Slang meaning of 9d new to me. We live and learn here!
Sorry – the stand-in editor didn’t have much time between MP sending me the crossword to check and put on the blog for him and having to go out. I have now corrected his, possibly deliberate, error. As he says in his prologue, MP is extremely busy getting rid of the fixtures and fittings from the Green Man and I’m quite surprised he found time to do the blog at all.
Never deliberate mistakes with the hints Sue but I do like to put. Picture of Tennyson up when the answer is Longfellow
We enjoyed this offering from Silvanus but missed the tools top and bottom, very clever. **/****. 10A and 26A have appeared elsewhere recently and may be acquiring chestnut status. COTD 3D but only because we could work out the answer but then had to use the BRB as this was new to us.
In contrast to JB I found this more difficult than I thought at first. The LH side was a breeze and the top right fairly straightforward, but the bottom right corner proved much more resistant [largely as I just couldn’t “see” 19a]. So that has to be a COTD, along with 16d and the clever 6d. Can’t find any more tools beyond the perimeter, except 12a.
Is the awful noise at 4d really a form of singing?
Thanks to Silvanus and “Yosser”
A puzzle of two halves for me, the left one was a ** and the right one was a **** ,both enjoyable so going for a ***/**** so agreeing
with MP,s. A wide range of excellent cluing from Silvanus ,favourites 1a ,18a and 14a
28a brought a smile.
Thanks MP for the parsing of 19a and the tool pics!
Two top class crosswords today.
CrypticSue added the illustrations.
Took me a while, but I got there–with a bit of e-help–in the end, even though I didn’t know the jargon for 4 or 5a, nor had I ever heard of 3d (isn’t the language wonderfully accommodating?) And I failed to notice all of the implements throughout! However, I very much enjoyed the layman’s challenge and learned a lot (didn’t I?). Favourites: two CsOTD, 6 and 17d, 19a, 23d. Thanks to Yosser and CS for the review and to Silvanus for the education. **** / ****
Many thanks to Yosser and CS and to all those who have kindly left comments.
One day last year I happened to see a sign for “Edging Tools” in my local garden centre, and that was the inspiration for the perimeter solutions. I normally steer clear of themes, but once in a while I may throw one into the mix.
A very happy birthday to Jane as well!
Thanks for the great puzzle, Silvanus, and for joining us.
Thanks very much for popping in, Silvanus.
I thought this was brilliant. Nicely challenging, great cluing, superb surfaces, and a theme which hasn’t resulted in any obscurities.
With plenty of candidates for favourite, I’ll select 23a which was the one which took me the longest to parse.
Many thanks, Silvanus.
Many thanks for popping in Silvanus and also for your birthday wishes – not to mention providing another excellent puzzle to mark the occasion!
My instinctive favourites were 1a&5d but I also managed to pack my podium with 13,27&28a plus 2&16d.
Think I was slightly surprised that RD didn’t have an ‘americanism’ comment to make about that particular meaning of 9d, it struck me straightaway. Maybe it’s just that his reflections on same have ‘got to me’ so often in the past?
Must remember to make regular checks on your shopping destinations in future – obviously gives a heads-up where any potential themes are concerned!
I had heard of the slang meaning of 9d but wasn’t aware of its provenance although I thought it sounded like an Americanism. I did look it up in both Chambers and Collins. Neither assigns it as an American term.
You are of course quite correct as far as the BRB is concerned although on-line dictionaries certainly attribute it as being N. American and I’ve always understood it as being a definition from our friends across the pond. Can’t say that I’ve ever heard it used in the UK but perhaps I just don’t have enough acquaintances who move in those circles!
Came to this late last night in the bath as is my wont and too late/lazy to go and get my phone to comment. I thought this was a lovely tight crossword beautifully clued, so much to appreciate. I hope I am not too, too late for you to pick this up. (Maybe I liked it so much because I finished it with no recourse to hints. But that of course is the skill of the setter to point us in the right direction cryptically and make us feel clever!
I am sure I am not the first but the answers to 1 across & 5 across could be read as one word as well as 27 & 28 across, at 1 across is the roman numeral for a thousand in the hints wrong, the letter stated in the hints can be used as a thousand but is it a roman numeral I would love to know. Thank you to Silvanus and Yosser Hughes for all you do.
Quite right. M is the Roman numeral. It’s K for Kilo that we want. Although Toughies are not published until 2.00pm so lots of time for solving parsing and writing explanations unless life gets in the way as it did this morning. It’s rushing that leads to mistakes. Hopefully no such limitations next time.
Well, amazing! my first completed Toughie was last week, and I have done it again today. It’s taken me a long time but I really enjoyed it. Didn’t know 9d meant a cheat but it was in the theme of tools. Wasn’t until I finished i realised the 1a and 5a, and 27a and 28a connection. Probably won’t achieve this again for a while. But thanks to Silvanus and Yosser Hughes, great stuff.
Many thanks to Silvanus, MP and especially to CS. By stepping in she allowed me to attend the SpaMedica in Birmingham for the YAG Laser treatment that means I can now see out of both eyes.
Excellent news, BD.
Excellent fun as usual from this setter and we are kicking ourselves that we failed to notice the theme around the perimeter.
Held up a little in the SE for reasons that don’t make any sense in retrospect, but generally it flowed smoothly for us.
Thanks Silvanus, and MP.
Excellent news BigDave and happy birthday Jane. I thought it was just right for a Tuesday Toughie and fun to have a hidden theme. Thanks to Silvanus, MP and CS for the illustrations (not as appealing as your tomatoes!).
Solved it quite easily but somehow missed the theme.
7d The Corrs one was my favourite …
I would feel more comfortable if comments about what should and shouldn’t be allowed in cryptic crossword puzzles were made elsewhere. The setters should be left to set and editing should be left to the editor. This is a Toughie Crossword puzzle. The pinnacle of attainment for a Daily Telegraph Cryptic Setter. My praise goes out to Silvanus for realising his dream of having a puzzle published in a national newspaper. It’s Toughie territory not Rookie Corner. If it’s in, it’s acceptable. End of.