Toughie 2927 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Toughie 2927

Toughie No 2927 by Beam
Hints and tips by Gazza

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BD Rating – Difficulty **Enjoyment ***

Thanks to Beam for another enjoyable and not too tricky puzzle. Most of his trademarks are here but there’s no Queen for understandable reasons and no sweetheart.

Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you thought of it..

Across Clues

8a Nearly explode finding mistake (4)
GOOF: a phrasal verb meaning to explode (2,3) without its final letter.

9a Incorrigible kind welcoming Tories’ leader (10)
CONGENITAL: an adjective meaning kind or friendly containing the leading letter of Tories.

10a Red mullet, say, always being caught (8)
FEVERISH: what mullet is an example of contains a synonym of always.

11a Attack ends of excessive beard (6)
GOATEE: a phrasal verb meaning to attack followed by both ends of ‘excessive’.

12a After second service slice flipping cheese here? (9)
MOUSETRAP: string together an informal word for a second or short time, a word for service or benefit and the reversal of a slice or portion.

13a End perhaps providing cold comfort (5)
CEASE: the abbreviation on a tap for cold and a synonym of comfort. I’m not sure why the ‘perhaps’ is needed.

15a Livery  stable (7)
UNIFORM: double definition, the second an adjective meaning stable or consistent.

17a Future of the French? Not great (7)
DESTINY: one of the French words meaning ‘of the’ and the opposite of great.

20a Endless mortar secures loose rocks (5)
SCREE: mortar here is not a weapon but a layer applied to a floor to give it a smooth service. Remove its last letter.

22a Spontaneous former English politician in split (9)
EXTEMPORE: start with a prefix meaning former then insert an abbreviation for English and our usual elected politician into a verb meaning split.

25a American writer, almost beat, getting lyrical (6)
POETIC: join together an American writer known for his macabre works and a verb to beat like a clock without its last letter.

26a China facing retreat returning data (8)
MATERIAL: what china is rhyming slang for followed by the reversal of a beastly retreat.

27a Minister with fortune before press turns (10)
CHANCELLOR: a synonym of fortune and the reversal of a verb to press or flatten (a cricket pitch, say).

28a Not really fair giving corner (4)
NOOK: a more succinct way of saying ‘not really’ and an informal adjective meaning fair or so-so.

Down Clues

1d Morning, since not a person rises (8)
FORENOON: a conjunction meaning since or because and the reversal of a word meaning not a (single) person.

2d Beam’s losing head seeing dessert (6)
AFTERS: the sort of beam that you have in your roof without its first letter followed by its ‘S.

3d Bible is certain about reported tomb? (9)
SCRIPTURE: an adjective meaning certain contains what sounds like a tomb or vault.

4d Thrill of umpteenth rally (7)
ENTHRAL: hidden in the clue.

5d Rule empire including glorious nation, initially? (5)
REIGN: first letters of five words in the clue.

6d Fibrous tissue injured, swathed by dressing (8)
LIGAMENT: a dated adjective meaning injured in the leg is contained in a dressing for wounds.

7d Press copy runs in vacuous press (6)
PAPERS: insert a verb to copy and the cricket abbreviation for runs into the outer letters of press.

14d Sitting in sun around garden yard (9)
SEDENTARY: what our sun is contains a Biblical garden. Append the abbreviation for yard.

16d Fugitive getting away with time inside (8)
FLEETING: a present participle meaning getting away or escaping contains the abbreviation for time.

18d Some tommyrot, arrant, holding up storyteller (8)
NARRATOR: hidden in reverse.

19d Topless intimacy with buxom model (7)
EXAMPLE: intimacy of a carnal nature without its first letter is followed by an adjective meaning buxom or well-endowed.

21d Reluctant to wear Church dress (6)
CLOTHE: an adjective meaning reluctant sits inside one of the abbreviations for church.

23d Possibly mother or father split (6)
PARENT: charade of an affectionate term for one’s father and a split or tear.

24d River found in one’s estate (5)
ACRES: insert the abbreviation for river into a one (in cards, say) with its ‘S.

The clues I liked include 15a, 28a and 14d but my favourite was 19d for its amusing surface. Which one(s) did the business for you?

15 comments on “Toughie 2927

  1. It took me two sittings, last night and again this morning, but I just now had several Damascus moments and joyously finished this terrific puzzle by the master of concision and wit. I loved it. I agree with Gazza that 19d is the creme de la creme, and I also liked 12a, 9a, 8a, & 17a. But what’s not to like? Thanks to Gazza and Beam.

  2. A good lunchtime challenge from Beam. For me the lower half went in fairly swiftly but I was left with a half-dozen in the top half which took me almost as long again – I just could not “see” what was subsequently irritatingly obvious!

    3* / 3*

    Many thanks to Beam and to Gazza

  3. Beamingly beautiful as ever! Podium places for 10,12&17a plus 19d but may have to put in a request for a second podium to go alongside.

    My usual devotions to Mr T/Beam and many thanks to Gazza for the review – loved the OCD cartoon!

  4. I found this slightly easier but no less enjoyable than today’s backpager. Beam at his parsimonious best in terms of words per clue, with 19d a perfect example of his craft.

    Thanks to Mr T and Gazza.

  5. A cracking and not overly difficult Beam puzzle.
    My ticks go 11&17a plus the very Ray T-like 19d but top spot has to go to the LOL 12a, a great clue.
    Many thanks to Beam and Gazza for the fun.

  6. Always enjoy Ray’s offerings, and this was no exception. Not too tricky, though 20a was a bit of a bung in – I’d heard of the word ending in ‘d’, but it didn’t come to mind for ages. Many thanks to Beam and Gazza.

  7. Really enjoyed this but had to look for help with 24d and found it here tvm Gazza 🤗. Your illustration at 7d reminded me of a moment last week when radio 4 announced that the gentleman you have pictured at 26a would be “revealing a large package”. Thank you Mr Beam, great fun.

  8. I haven’t accessed this Toughie, but I always read the H&Ts and comments. 19a is a cracking example of Ray T’s risque schoolboy humour. Very comical and pretty clever!

  9. Terrific stuff from Beam, and I’ll piggy-back on Jane’s podium choices.

    Many thanks to Beam and to Gazza.

    1. Good evening, Mr T, you remembered this time! Maybe you’ve started using ‘post-it’ notes?
      Thank you for another excellent puzzle, always a treat to be savoured.

  10. A real pleasure to solve as ever from this setter.
    A tossup between 15a and 19d for star billing.
    Thanks Beam and Gazza.

  11. I’m afraid I made hard work of this, a bit of the pace all the way through but I persevered and stumbled over the line eventually in two sittings. Favourite was 25a my last but one in. Thanks to Rayt for the (unequal) challenge and Gazza.

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