Toughie No 2960 by Elgar
Hints and tips by Dutch
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment *****
To my surprise I had a full grid in 2* time, which is definitely a first for me with an Elgar. However, it then took me quite a bit more time to parse 24a properly! A most enjoyable puzzle with lots of clever clues
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Lying low following its administration? (5,4)
TRUTH DRUG: A cryptic definition – after being administering this, you would lie less
8a I’ll manage a port — or rum, as the bar is free (7,6)
HARBOUR MASTER: An anagram ( … is free) of OR RUM AS THE BAR
11a Feel anxiety failing to open lock (5)
TRESS: Take a 6-letter word meaning ‘feel anxiety’ and remove the first letter (failing to open)
12a Ground in use, our opposition suppressing us (5)
THEME: Inside USE, place a 4-letter pronoun for ‘our opposition’ then supress us
13/18/21a Something despicable awaiting, as these rankings will somehow show? (5,2,3,5)
SNAKE IN THE GRASS: An anagram (… will somehow show) of AS THESE RANKINGS
16a Not have much wonderful cooking — fed rotting leaves (3,3)
RUN LOW: An anagram (cooking) of WONDERFUL from which an anagram (rotting) of FED is subtracted (leaves)
17aa Channel crossing’s end, say (6)
GUTTER: The last letter (end) of crossing plus another word for say
19a So everybody’s gone off this idea? (6)
NOTION: Splitting the answer (3,1,2) suggests everyone’s gone off
20a Treacherous bosun’s a few to select from (6)
UNSAFE: Hidden ( … to select from)
24a Dispensed good sense having gone adrift? (5)
SOSED: An all-in-one. You might have done this if you were stuck adrift in the sea somewhere. An anagram (dispensed) of GOOD SENSE without (having … adrift) the letters for GONE
26a What’s used to fence in west-facing power base (5)
SABRE: Reverse hidden ( in west-facing …)
27a A sign, by the way, that’s it for the on-coach entertainment (9,4)
DIVERSION ENDS: A sign you might see when a detour is over could also be interpreted as no more on-coach entertainment
28a Wrapping 900 sandwiches rotating B, L & T? (9)
CLING FILM: The Roman numeral for 900 contains (sandwiches) a cycling (rotating) of something you put inside a sandwich exemplified by BLT
Down
2d Dingbat on upstairs of Routemaster? (5)
REBUS: A short word meaning ‘on’ goes above (upstairs of) what a Routemaster exemplifies
3d I can fly, but ultimately you can’t — no wings! (6)
TOUCAN: The last letter (ultimately) of but, then ‘you can’t’ without the outer letters (no wings)
4d Check question material (6)
DAMASK: A word for check or block plus a word for question
5d Defeated group taking a stirrup cup? (5)
UPSET: Split (2,3), the answer suggests a group on horseback
6d A potentially costly case of pop? (9,4)
PATERNITY SUIT: A cryptic definition which plays on ‘case’ and ‘pop’
7d A heavenly sight, waltzing so delectably: I must cut in (9,4)
CELESTIAL BODY: An anagram (waltzing) of SO DELECTABLY containing (must cut in) I
9d Evergreen twinkling of Sinatra’s eyes (it’s fine to be swept away) (4,5)
STAR ANISE: An anagram (twinkling) of SINATRA’s E(yes), with an affirmative word for it’s fine removed (to be swept away)
10d Questioned about mission as commando? (9)
DEBRIEFED: The answer could also relate to ‘going commando’
13d As woodcutter may be without a wheel (5)
SWING: A 6-letter verb that could be what a woodcutter may be doing, but without the A
14d Seductress’s out of bounds chambers (5)
ANTRA: A 7-letter seductress without the outer letters (out of bounds)
15d Issue gets 5 accommodating Hermia’s father (5)
EGEUS: Reverse hidden ( … 5 accommodating)
22d Why About a Boy? (6)
REASON: A short word meaning about or concerning, A from the clue, and another word for boy
23d Leave Hooray Henry in Kent? (3,3)
SET OFF: Split (2,4), the answer could describe a Kentish Hoorah Henry
25d Remain in good health after end of Covid (5)
DWELL: A word meaning ‘in good health’ follows the last letter (end) of Covid
26d Going topless too fashionable? (5)
SWELL: A (2,4) phrase meaning ‘too’ but without the first letter (going topless)
Lots of great clues – I particularly enjoyed the free bar (8a) and the I can fly! (3d). Which clues were your favourites?
I, too, had a relatively fast solve with this, just a couple of parsing issues dragging it out a tad. I think the ‘easier’ completion actually made it more enjoyable, and I fully appreciated the clue structures. As for a favourite, 3d closely followed by the multiple anagram at 13a, which got me started.
Thanks to Elgar and Dutch.
There I was congratulating myself having finished an Elgar when Dutch brings me back to earth saying it’s only a **. Oh well. I was on a brief high until the blog was posted. Thanks to Elgar for posting a crossword for Charlie Average and for Dutch explaining some of my bung ins.
Great stuff as ever, but that must be the quickest I’ve ever finished an Elgar (albeit, like Dutch, needing a fair amount of post-solve parsing to ‘properly’ finish … mostly on 12a) Faves 1a (things were looking up when that went straight in), 16a, 27a, 28a, 3d, 9d & 23d. Thanks Elgar and Dutch
I can’t claim to have been anywhere near as fast as the other commentators but it was the first Elgar i have ever completed. Thanks to all.
Relatively doable , the anagrams helped.
Thanks to al concerned.
Couldn’t believe I was doing an Elgar until I finally needed the hints for 15d and17a. Still don’t quite get the filling in 28a but the roman numerals made the answer fairly obvious. Lots to enjoy, 6d my fave,but the easier clues did at least mean I could go out for a walk on Friday afternoon for once! Thanks to all.
The filling is exactly that, FIL + LING rotated.
Here we are and only 6 comments! Are there any lurkers out there or is this a puzzle just for a select extra brainy few? Thank goodness for the back page!
Hey JB, don’t despair, though this was undoubtedly one of Mr. Enigma’s easier offerings, it still required a high degree of crossword solving ability to get a full grid. I shudder when our two regular Friday setters (Mr. E & Mr. O) add their stamp to the action, but I still give it a go. I am sure we are not alone in finding their puzzles “out of our league”, but quite a few regulars manage OK, so wish them well!
Note: I’m proud to own-up to having completed just two out of goodness knows how many Friday “trials” without using the hints, but even then every electronic gizmo at my disposal was necessary to get there. Yes, there must be any number of lurkers struggling with these……but the heading is Toughie, and it’s only a puzzle, after all!
Failed on 12a, couldn’t equate GROUND with THEME. Also had to google to get Hermia’s father. A bit on the lighter side for a toughie.
Well I had a go as I usually do and found that I managed a few unaided so then used the excellent additional hints from Dutch but ground to a halt three quarters of the way through and realised even with the answers I wasn’t going any further! Many thanks to Dutch and Elgar. Now I need a cup of tea and hot water bottle and feel tired enough to sleep. Will have another go next week.
Another solver here who thought he was getting better – easiest Elgar ever, perhaps? I did parse 24a but had to check that the answer exists, as I’ve never heard of it. Like NNI I couldn’t equate the definition with the answer at 12a, but OK… and it took me ages even with Dutch’s excellent (as always) hints to parse 28a, but it didn’t help that for some reason I decided that the numeral for 1,000 is L, when I know perfectly well that it isn’t. Hey ho.
Granny Helen, don’t give up
Chambers has ‘A ground for action’ under theme.
Did anyone spot the Nina? I missed it, but just got an email from Elgar. In the outer unch of the double unches, there is an 8-letter clockwise grass to make the snake feel at home
oh, thanks Dutch .. was feeling very smug about “completing” before this! Very nice, thanks again Elgar
What does “sosed” mean ?
I can’t find it anywhere !
SOSed. To have sent out an SOS signal. Took me a while. SOS as a verb is in chambers. C
Thank you !
Also . . . pretty well every collection of 5 letters is a word if you play scrabble, but I do find that going to such extremes is not enjoyable. Hey ho.