Sunday Toughie 26 (Hints)

Sunday Toughie No 26 by proXimal

Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee

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A slightly more benevolent proXimal today, the top half almost rattled off the keyboard but the bottom half slowed things up a bit. I have hinted at exactly half of an evenly balanced 14a/14d clues. I hope we don’t have any late changes today as I haven’t quite recovered from the shenanigans over last week’s lurker that wasn’t.

Nocturnal refreshment was from the Black Sheep Brewery and the Bruichladdich distillery, this morning I am still drinking the slightly too dark Brazilian coffee I referred to last week.

Here goes with the hints…

 

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! I think that sentence is a bit redundant. You have all been so helpful in sorting out prior failures of parsing and I am sure I will need similar help again.

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 Arthur lost at sea with frequent waves (10)
We start with an anagram, indicated by (at sea) If you remember any Physics you may have studied these waves have a frequency between one and ten metres.

10a Bad taste in house with green interior (9)
Start with in from the clue and then a bit of Cockney Rhyming Slang for a house, having a prefix for green inside.

12a Inconclusive list to be shortened before end (13)
A list at the back of a book is shortened by one letter and put before a synonym of end.

19a One buying award in possession of cavalry commander once (8)
The award is the Order of Merit, it goes in the cavalry commander who lost his life in a last stand in Montana 1876.

21a Newly fitted uniform kept by salesman in case (13)
Our usual abbreviated salesman contains the letter that uniform indicates in the Nato code book followed by an adjective to describe where a gun may be kept.

24a Hopelessly drunk in clubs, roll around covered in beer (9)
In from the clue, the Bridge notation for the suit of Clubs, and a type of beer covers the reversal of a bread roll.

27a Dad’s nice playing with son exuding love and sincerity (10)
Another anagram of words 1, 2 and 5 after the letter that love represents has been removed.

 

Down

1d Disheartened lurgy turned nasty (4)
Take the middle out of lurgy and turn it into something nasty.

3d Left craft area, group’s outside finished with it (9,4)
A for area, some plural group’s outside a synonym of finished, and add an adjective that describes someone informed about the latest trends.

4d Raising call for attention upon attack from bee (8)
An interjection to call for attention and an attack from a bee, I feel obliged to defend the humble bee who only employs this attack as a last resort as it is a one-time only weapon, The evil wasp seems to do this for pleasure, but both insects are part of God’s plan so let them go about their business rather than swatting them with a rolled up copy of the Daily (or Sunday) Telegraph.

11d Insect made into meal for sports venue (7,6)
The insect that is also a sport was obvious, the meal less so. To be made into a meal we take a rather unsatisfactory grain or pulse ground to a powder. I can think of better things to have for Sunday dinner.

18d Assembly company not friendly sacking six (7)
Someone who is unfriendly has the Roman numeral for six removed and is attached to our usual company. Six could be equally four and the clue would still work.

20d One delivers uplifting dark whiskey provided by European (7)
Uplifting is a reversal indicator and dark or badly lit is the word that is reversed. It goes on the letter that whiskey represents, a conjunction indicated by provided, and E for European. This person delivers babies and was the occupation of Mama Bee until my elder sister came along.

23d Fish fingers, not starter (4)
To finger, the merchandise perhaps loses its initial to become a slippery fish.

That’s all folks I may be back to decorate with some more pics etc after I have done Mama Bee’s bidding for a while

Today’s music is a bit of a Geordie Anthem.

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