Toughie No 3054 by Django
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****
Django once again telling a story or two for us to solve in what I found was an enjoyable Toughie
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought
Across
1a For example clean up pub with tray found in bar on the counter (7,4)
PHRASAL VERB An abbreviated pub and a tray found in or inserted into a reversal (on the counter) of BAR
7a Mature whiskey discounted for party (5)
GROUP An example of the solution to 1a meaning to mature without (discounted) the letter represented by Whiskey in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet
8a Misleading advert for banking facility (9)
OVERDRAFT An anagram (misleading) of ADVERT FOR
10a Maybe half of Jedward track’s used — but initially one with separate drums (4-3)
TWIN-TUB A person with a sibling born at the same time, eg one half of Jedward followed by the initial letters of Track’s Used But
11a Celebrity sounds like total joke (7)
SOMEONE A homophone of a total and a joke (as in have you heard the xxx about?)
12a Polish nurse embraced by English doctor (5)
EMEND An Enrolled Nurse embraced by or inserted into the abbreviation for English and an abbreviated doctor
13a Possible to work out if, on 1st of December, occasionally lunch can be eaten outside (9)
DEDUCIBLE The first letter of December followed by an adjective meaning can be eaten into which is inserted (outside) the occasional letters of lUnCh
16a A Western power disrupting constitutional vote (5,4)
STRAW POLL A (from the clue) and the abbreviations for Western and Power ‘disrupting’ a constitutional (a walk for the benefit of one’s health)
18a Property covered by revolutionary graffiti artist (5)
TRAIT Hidden (covered by) in reverse (revolutionary) in graffiTI ARTist
19a Be left at home meeting unmarried recluse (7)
INHERIT The usual ‘at home’ and a recluse without the abbreviation for Married (un married)
22a Volkswagen sack drivers found in here? (4,3)
GOLF BAG A Volkswagen car and a sack
23a Issue taking sport to get scholarship (9)
ERUDITION An issue of a book into which (taking) is inserted an abbreviated sport
24a Six superheroes, say — but not minute one who flies in present-day team (5)
VIXEN The Roman numerals for six and some superheroes without (not) the abbreviation for Minute
25a Average beer upset enthusiast (5,6)
EAGER BEAVER An anagram (upset) of AVERAGE BEER
Down
1d Clairvoyant on the radio joined by psychic wanting tip one will readily exploit (9)
PROFITEER A homophone (on the radio) of someone predicting what is to come (clairvoyant) followed by a physic without its first letter (wanting tip)
2d Rumoured grass broken by Russian leader losing cool (7)
REPUTED A type of grass into which is inserted (broken by) the Russian leader without the two-letters at the end of his name meaning fashionable (losing … cool)
3d Exclusive news story lacking source for proof — Times manage with old cartoon (6-3)
SCOOBY-DOO An exclusive news story without (lacking) the first letter (source) of Proof, times used as part of a multiplication sum or measurement, a simple way of saying manage and the abbreviation for Old
4d Drums, changing hands — gets sly looks (5)
LEERS Change the position of the letters representing hands in some drums
5d Mice end up confined to a particular area (7)
ENDEMIC An anagram (up) of MICE END
6d Outside broadcast controlling system for reviewing offside decisions — on reflection it’s well done (5)
BRAVO A reversal (on reflection) of the abbreviation for Outside Broadcast ‘controlling’ or restraining the abbreviation for the system used to review decisions made by a football referee to review offside decisions
7d PIN reset fraudulently after corporation identifies street urchin (11)
GUTTERSNIPE An informal term for the stomach (corporation) followed by an anagram (fraudulently) of PIN RESET
9d Phone agent somehow to support actor, essentially representing US military establishment (3,8)
THE PENTAGON An anagram (somehow) of PHONE AGENT goes after (to support in a Down solution) the ‘essential’ letter of actor
14d Dedication of mounted police unit imprisoning drunk Nigel Farage at last (9)
DILIGENCE A reversal (mounted) of a unit of the police ‘imprisoning’ an anagram (drunk) of NIGEL, the last letter of faragE being added at the end
15d Dog pound opens for hip-hop artist (4,5)
BEAT BOXER A verb meaning to pound goes in front of (opens for) a breed of dog
17d See 20 Down
18d In retirement, focus of civil servant is touring Italy’s capital city by the Med (3,4)
TEL AVIV A reversal (in retirement) of the middle letter (focus) of ciVil and a manservant into which is inserted (touring) the capital letter of Italy
20d & 17 Down Harry Maguire shown party (5-7)
HOUSE-WARMING An anagram (harry) of MAGUIRE SHOWN
21d Judge is more chilling when less secure (5)
TRIER More like a cold season of the year without (less) a verb meaning to secure
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Django today had his exceedingly complex parsing hat on. This was good fun and very rewarding as each piece of the jigsaw dropped slowly into place.
Arriving at the answers for 24a & 21d was the easy part of solving those two clues, but understanding the brilliantly disguised definition in the former and parsing the latter took quite some time.
My podium comprises 10a, 13a & 24a with plenty more ticks all over my page.
Many thanks to Django and to CS.
Great fun – thanks to Django and CS.
It took me ages to realise what the present-day team in 24a is so that’s my favourite clue but I also had ticks beside 1a, 16a and 19a.
Loved it, this setter never disappoints and this was full of his trademark inventive clueing and wit.
I have ticks all over the grid but I particularly enjoyed 16&22&24a plus 2,3&14d. Top stuff.
Thanks to Django and Sue for the review, I’ll echo what you said on my blog yesterday, 2* for difficulty and 5* for entertainment.
Some great clues. Thanks to Django and CS.
Wasn’t hard to spot the setter.
Such a unique and refreshing style.
Didn’t know the artist in 15d but easily checked.
The Jedward appeared not long ago so no problems with this one.
Favourite 25a.
Thanks to Django and to CS.
Still no idea what a 24a is apart from in the vulpine sense or as a rather beautiful aircraft from long, long ago. Fortunately that didn’t matter to get the right answer because the clue was so well constructed. My English O & A Levels, and assorted other exams to those points, did not to my recollection include learning what constitutes a 1a, but the second word had appeared very early and the whole answer was attainable from the clueing.
Everything else pretty straightforward, though with so many very long clues it did rather feel as though one could get two or three RayT crosswords out of that lot and still have a few spare words left over! Some rather strange surface readings but a number of smiles, too. COTD for me the 20d/17d combo, with 11a and 14d taking the next steps on the podium.
2.5 / 2.5
Thank you to Django & CS
I needed the hints to parse 11a, 21d and 24a, the latter like MG at comment 6 above remains a complete mystery to me. Favourite was 3d. Thanks to Django and CS.
For 24 across think of the “present day” sleigh
Thank you I’ve got it now.
Ah, v good, thank you!
Tough but fair and a whole lot of fun!
Great puzzle, enjoyably different in so many ways (forget the surfaces). I especially enjoyed 1a but there’s not a dud in the grid. Anagrams that surprised me as anagrams–now there’s a new wrinkle! Came close to an independent finish but not quite. Never mind, I really enjoyed the challenge. Thanks to CS and Django.
Great puzzle; very entertaining. Thanks to setter. Favourite clues for me 8A, 16A and 18D. **/****
With 21d we struggled to think of the ‘more chilling’ word so could not fully parse that one. Everything else satisfactorily sorted with plenty of smiles and chuckles along the way.
Thanks Django and CS.
Thanks CS. Thanks all.
Started yesterday morning & finished this. Top stuff from one of my dream team of setters.
Thanks to DG & CS
Managed most of it with some electronic help. Thanks to CS I now know there is something called a phrasal verb.