Sunday Toughie 16 (Hints)

Sunday Toughie No 16 by Zandio (Hints)

Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee

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I was expecting Zandio last week but here he is now. Not the hardest of this series so far but still tricky enough to merit the Toughie status. Thanks to the nice long-necked Scot the east was all done and dusted before 15a steered the Sloop into the West. I think I need to check my Individual Saving Account and my investments before fully signing off on the parsings. If you need help with any more some bonus hints are mentioned at the end and as usual I will be lenient with the naughty step, but BD is probably keeping an eye on this NooBee.

As it is a Prize puzzle I can only hint at a few and hope that will give you the checkers and inspiration to go further. I’ll be back just after the closing date with the full blog.

Don’t forget to follow BD’s instructions in RED at the bottom of the hints! I hope I don’t have to redact any comments but I am new at this and don’t want to rock the boat. If in doubt, I’ll rub it out!

Most of the terms used in these hints are explained in the Glossary and examples are available by clicking on the entry under “See also” Where the hint describes a construct as “usual” this means that more help can be found in The Usual Suspects, which gives a number of the elements commonly used in the wordplay. Another useful page is Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, which features words with meanings that are not always immediately obvious.

A full review of this puzzle will be published after the closing date for submissions. Some hints follow: Remember the site rules and play nicely.

Across

1a    Winter event in sierra — promptly take a tumble (8)
According to his weather reports, Senf sees quite a lot of this winter event. I think today’s blog reports a fresh load arrived overnight!. A Nato phonetic code, when something should be done in order to be prompt, and a tumble come together.

5a    Writer needs line after US VP cut one (6)
A former US VP cuts his last letter and adds the one that looks like one and the one that looks like a line.

9a    Turkey’s peak linked to, say, Persian area tunnel (8)
A Persian pet animal, an abbreviation for area, and the thing that turkeys have on their peaks, come together for a tunnel where the remains of the dead are kept.

10a    Figure to get hack’s sound support, first to last (8)
This hack is an animal we ride for pleasure, we want the sound it makes and the support that a golfer uses, put them together and move the first letter to the last.

12a    Dignitary giving service in times past? On the contrary (8)
A religious service in times past would be the wrong way of constructing this, on the contrary, we want an obsolete or poetic term for times past in a religious service.

18a    Clash, second-rate outfit playing Liverpool for instance (8)
This is a clash of style, size or even football talent when Liverpool meets second rate opposition for instance.

I don’t think the FA Cup Final yesterday was an 18a but I hope Terence is not too depressed.

21a    Worked backwards, 101 to 100 … after retiring, it could put you to sleep (8)
The Roman numerals for 101 and 100, “to” from the clue and a synonym of worked are all reversed and put together in the order suggested for something that makes you sleep.

26a    Drill making that woman’s revolutionary listening aids echo (8)
That woman is reversed, followed by things that help you listen and the phonetic code that echo represents.

Down

1d    London area vehicle’s piercing alarm (5)
The point of the compass where the London area lies are pierced by a vehicle.

2d    Slogan about husband and wife drawn in toward breaking up (9)
Usual crossword abbreviations for about, husband and wife go in an anagram of toward.

4d    Old Scottish character with a lot of neck, unreliably sighted (4,4,7)
He is Scottish, has a long neck and sighting him is unreliable if not impossible, but that doesn’t stop shopkeepers in Drumnadrochit from selling all sorts of tat to gullible tourists.

6d    Do some decorating work — note time to go and time to stay (7)
A musical note ( that contains two tees), the first of which is removed but the second one can stay, a decorative handicraft.

12d    Plugs damage beer barrel with metal inside (9)
Synonyms for damage, a beer barrel, the barrel has a silvery metal inside, for the kind of plugs that persuade gullible children to part with parents cash for tartan tat in the shape of 4d

16d    Attendees not as drunk as closer relations (7)
Attendees lose the letters A and S (and add an acute accent) for a French term for the closer relations between countries)

17d    Rip-off getting uniform for nothing — it’s liable to be bent (7)
A synonym of Rip-off, in the sense of theft from the person, swaps the letter represented by uniform for the one that looks like nothing.

That is just over half of an imbalanced (16 across and 13 down clues) I hope that is enough to get you over the line. I found it easier in the east, mainly because that is where the two lurkers (one reversed) and a “bar thinly disguised” anagram lie.

Today’s music is not to my usual taste but after years of tactical voting and dire songs I can’t object to this winning last night. Although I agree with The Telegraph’s music critic. I could have done without the pink lampshade.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/sam-ryder-wuz-robbed-would-hardhearted-object-ukrainian-win/

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