Sunday Toughie 64 (Hints)

Sunday Toughie No 64

by Zandio

Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

 Zandio gets the toughieness level spot on for me. It is hard to choose between the four long clues so I won’t, but I will pick 27a as my favourite today.
If I haven’t clued anything you need help with please ask, as Big Dave says up there ^ we are all about “putting the words to lights”

Here we go…

 

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 parsing failures, 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 They stick fast, and within two seconds (10)
A synonym of fast as in the “fast” or the dead, followed by two abbreviations for second around and from the clue

10a Slightly pickled, mum tucks into cheese from a certain place (7)
The cheese is French and mum is an anagram (slightly pickled) tucked into it, an informal term for people from a certain place in the West Midlands

12a After sex, she’ll dine out on her partner (7,6)
A cryptic definition of an insect that practises sexual cannibalism

14a With both sides attacking through every stage (3-2-3)
Another all-in-one for the sort of exciting sporting competition where the action goes back and forth

15a They can develop massively while eating cereal (6)
The Massive Oak Tree grows from these

21a Swedish swindler’s silly sentence? (6-7)
A double definition, all-in-one by example? Synonyms of Swedish as a language and swindler as a slippery, shuffling or dishonest person
Betty bought some bitter butter, but the butter Betty bought was bitter, so Betty bought some better butter, better than the bitter butter Betty bought before

26a 

27a Alert when victory in Europe unseats power with show of arms (10)
Victory in Europe Day is celebrated on May 8th here it unseats P for power in someone who remains awake, the kind of garments the two singers above are wearing.

Down

1d Essential articulated tankers park here (4)
A homophone (articulated) of essential is a place where tankers or other large craft “park”

3d Bounder going to palace for partial justice (8,5)
An animal that bounds and a synonym of palace become a tribunal before which a fair trial is unlikely

7d Runner going nowhere needs speed to cover mile run (7)
A synonym of speed covers abbreviations of mile and run, for a creature that is known for running without getting anywhere. The nocturnal activity of such pets has kept many a child sleepless at night.

8d Tournament seed produces cracking spell (4,6)
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves provide a spell for making barriers go away. A sporting tournament for professionals and amateurs alike and a seed cultivated for a light edible oil

11d Many will welcome article about puzzling (13)
Too many to be enumerated welcomes the indefinite article and one of our usual abouts

13d Finished off spinner’s initial spell in action (10)
A synonym of an action around the initial letter of spinner and a spell or period of time

23d That’s alternative therapy, originally performed by him (4)
The original letter of therapy and the male possessive

Could new readers please read the Welcome Post and the FAQ before posting comments or asking questions about the site.
As this is a Prize crossword, please don’t put any ANSWERS, whether WHOLE, PARTIAL or INCORRECT or any ALTERNATIVE CLUES in your comment.
Please read these instructions carefully – they are not subject to debate or discussion. Offending comments may be redacted or, in extreme cases, deleted. In all cases the administrator’s decision is final.
If you don’t understand, or don’t wish to comply with, the conventions for commenting on weekend prize puzzles then save yourself a lot of trouble and don’t leave a comment.

A great song from Supertramp here and Doug has some fine views on education that make the preamble and postamble worth listening to, (skip to 3:15 if you just want the song)