Toughie No 3062 by Hudson
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty * – Enjoyment ****
Another entertaining crossword from Hudson with clues to make you smile and others giving the opportunity to learn something new, in my case part of the wordplay for 1d
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought
Across
1a Somewhere in south London, vehicles stop working (10)
CARSHALTON Some vehicles, a verb meaning to stop and the usual two-letter ‘working’. I am always surprised at the idea of this town being in South London – when I was a child, and had my tonsils out in the hospital there, it, and Croydon, were most definitely in Surrey
6a It helps to seal serious cuts and bruises initially (4)
SCAB The initial letters of Serious Cuts And Bruises
9a Where some Americans spin out round Malta (10)
LAUNDROMAT An anagram (out) of ROUND MALTA produces a place where some Americans might go to wash and spin their clothing etc
10a Flag introduction of Aeschylus epic work (4)
SAGA Flag or droop and the ‘introduction’ of Aeschylus
12a Smart Alec at last given prize (6)
CLEVER The last letter of AleC and prize in the sense of force open with a bar
13a One shoots, it’s saved in Tyrolean derby (8)
OLEANDER An evergreen shrub (one shoots) can be found hidden in (saved) tyrOLEAN DERby
15a Discover pastel retro Dior accessory which is out of this world! (8,4)
ASTEROID BELT The inside (dis-cover) letters of pASTEl, a reversal (retro) of DIOR (from the clue) and an accessory
18a Incredible golf competition, it’s broadcast all over the US (7,5)
AMAZING GRACE A synonym for incredible, the letter represented by Golf in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet and a competition combine to give us a song which, particularly in the USA, is immensely popular for both religious and secular purposes
21a Athletes madly rushed round left and right (8)
HURDLERS An anagram (madly) of RUSHED goes round the abbreviations for Left and Right
22a Worn tile is out-of-date (3-3)
OLD-HAT Worn or much used and an item worn on the head (tile being the slang word for the item)
24a Snatch artist visiting the British mainland (4)
GRAB An abbreviated artist ‘visiting’ the abbreviation for the British mainland
25a Lost blood being stabbed by dagger, sadly not looking good (10)
BEDRAGGLED Part of a verb meaning lost blood being ‘stabbed’ by an anagram (sadly) of DAGGER
26a River worry — gallon after gallon extracted (4)
NILE Extract both abbreviations for Gallon (gallon after gallon) from a slight worry
27a Like a stinking primarily Asian bitter resin (10)
ASAFOETIDA An adverb meaning like, A (from the clue) a synonym for stinking and the primary letter of Asian combine to produce a foul-smelling gum resin once used medicinally but now used in Indian cooking. I bet the logophobes will have something to say about this but I think it is a wonderful word for a very smelly powder which I once purchased for an Indian recipe – it was so smelly I think I only used it once!
Down
1d Fabric firm supports turnover of 100,000 in India (6)
CALICO An abbreviated firm goes under (supports in a Down solution) the reversal (turnover) of an alternative spelling of a sum equal to 100,000 Indian Rupees (x xxx)
2d Internet hardware beginning to reach target area (6)
ROUTER The ‘beginning’ to Reach and an area on a target
3d Shiver, top to bottom, if led astray in this northern town (12)
HUDDERSFIELD Move the first letter (top) of a verb meaning shiver to the bottom and then follow with an anagram (astray) of IF LED
4d Circuit cut without oxygen (4)
LOOP A verb meaning to cut goes outside (without) the chemical symbol for oxygen
5d Everyone sheltered by sunroof moved using their hands and knees (2,3,5)
ON ALL FOURS A synonym for everyone ‘sheltered’ by an anagram (moved) of SUN ROOF
7d Bing Crosby’s first agent? (8)
CHANDLER Bing is the surname of one of the Friends in the American TV Series – the first letter of Crosby and an agent will produce his forename
8d Political supporter who wouldn’t dream of “Lowering The Tone”? (8)
BLAIRITE A cryptic definition of someone supporting the Labour Prime Minister who came to power in 1997
11d Scent a good clue for tilting knight in eastern Spain (3,2,7)
EAU DE COLOGNE An anagram (for tilting) of A GOOD CLUE followed by the chess abbreviation for night and the IVR Code for Spain
14d A thousand nitrogen-fed ragweeds ruined planted area (3,7)
KEW GARDENS The symbol for a thousand and the chemical symbol for Nitrogen fed into an anagram (ruined) of RAGWEEDS
16d A bit of butter husband put on a melon? It makes you sick (8)
PATHOGEN A bit of butter, the abbreviation for Husband and a type of melon
17d Queen might produce this musical dance (4-4)
HAIR-BALL A well-known musical and a dance, the queen being a feline rather than a female monarch
19d Cold island? It can be red hot! (6)
CHILLI A cold and the abbreviation for island
20d Grounds to intervene in upcoming raid at sunrise (6)
STADIA Hidden in reverse (intervene in … upcoming) in rAID AT Sunrise
23d Tennis star with good service (4)
GRAF The abbreviation for Good and the abbreviation for one of our armed forces (service)
Straightforward and Floughie, but such huge fun – what’s not to like? Smiles throughout and as Huntsman noted on the other blog, an accessible puzzle, so I do hope those who don’t normally look at the ‘Toughie’ give this one a go.
1a was my LOI (penalty of 25 years away from Greater London and, even then, being very much to the west) only coming to mind when the 2d checking letter went in; as noted elsewhere 27a (lovely clue) is something we have in the store cupboard for Indian recipes – it needs to be used sparingly and fried off in butter/oil with other spices, but adds a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’.
Could cite almost any of the clues for special mention but shall limit to 12a, 15a, 5d and 16d, with COTD 7d. But then again, 14d is quite brilliant – a super surface read and so true; and then there’s the surface of 3d, and and and …
1* / 5*
So many thanks to Hudson for this great puzzle, and thanks also to CS for the review
Gentle fun. 7d was a construction which proved correct. I liked 9a and 8d.
Thanks to CS and Hudson.
What a lovely puzzle. Plenty of concise, elegant and grammatically correct clues. Favourites were 1a, 25a, 14d and 17d. My only criticism [as an old Fogey] is being expected to know characters in a US junk TV series [7d – but it was obvious enough].
A propôs asafoetida CS, unless you’ve chucked it out stick with it but dispense it in tiny amounts with the back end of a teaspoon. I think it’s used in Parsee recipes [no garlic allowed] as a substitute for same. And thanks for the blog. Thanks to Hudson of course.
A very enjoyable puzzle – thanks to Hudson and CS.
I had to verify the Indian unit (1d), the bitter resin (27a) and that Bing was the surname of the Friends character (7d) though all the answers were gettable using the wordplay and checkers.
Top clues for me were 12a, 15a, 8d and 17d.
It always amuses me that the Telegraph (which purports to be a national newspaper) views the 3d town, which is nearer to Plymouth than it is to Inverness, as ‘northern’.
I’m in Cornwall. I regard *Bristol* as being ‘northern’, or at the very least, in the Midlands rather than south west …
That’s my point – the Telegraph regards everything in relation to London, so everything north of Telegraph Towers is ‘northern’. But it’s supposed to be a national paper not a London local paper.
Couldn’t agree more. The Telegraph virtually refuses to publish any Sale Sharks match reports.
I’m from West Cumbria so 3d is definitely in the south as far as I’m concerned.
Living in The Marches on the Welsh border, 3d is most definitely Northern. In fact anything above The Mersey and The Humber are considered “in the North”.
What an enjoyable not-too-tough Toughie this was, with 18a my favourite.
I didn’t need any electronic help except with 7d, for which I Googled “Bing Chandler” having decided that the clue must refer to someone obscure of that name. Google then put me right by informing me that I had the names round the wrong way (not that the right way round is any less obscure to me).
Many thanks to Hudson and to CS.
Always chuffed when the 1st Toughie clue goes in straight away as it so rarely does. A lovely guzzle that was fun to solve unaided from first to (well nearly) last. I’d never come across 28a & had to reach for the BRB for the alternative spelling of the stinky synonym. My THE LIST remark was tongue in cheek so don’t think of myself as a logophobe – once I’d checked to see what it meant. I do marvel at the extent of some people’s vocabulary & capacity to remember less common words – it’s in one ear & out the other with me sadly. Too many good ‘uns to pick out a fav – liked ‘em all including the last one
Thanks to Hudson & CS for the review & explanation of 1d
I see that I’ve lost my pink snake avatar & am now green thingy with sharp looking teeth – I shall miss him
You’ve changed to a pink one now
I also had to rescue your first comment from moderation again
Goodness knows how I remembered 1a but I did, sadly the same could not be said of 7d’s surname! The chosen spelling of 12a’s prize caused an initial problem and 27a required some lego construction followed by a visit to the BRB.
Managed OK elsewhere and certainly enjoyed the solve. Crowded podium housing 15&25a along with 3,16&23d.
Thanks to Hudson and to CS for the review – how I lusted after that jeans-wearing young man back in the day when TV adverts were often amusing and always comprehensible!
I thought I would leave a comment today since the two Telegraph puzzles were very much on the easy side and so time permits. I used to comment quite regularly until about three years ago and then gave up crosswords completely. About 6 weeks ago the Telegraph made a very generous offer for 12 months of puzzles subscription – it would be worth it if I only did RayT/Beam puzzles – so I signed up. I had given up because I very much dislike puzzles with obscure words or general knowledge and there rarely were any puzzles which were harder than a Beam puzzle that stuck to normal vocabulary. I would typically need a dictionary 2 or 3 times a year to complete the approximately 38 RayT/Beam puzzles per annum whereas it would be unusual to tackle a puzzle from a certain setter without encountering 4 or more per puzzle.
After 6 weeks of returning to crosswordland I find (for me) the back page puzzles are typically a bit harder than they were 3 years ago and the Tuesday Toughie has become harder. In contrast I have found both the Friday puzzles easier than before (in the case of the toughie probably because the number of themed puzzles or ones with ninas has been (I think) zero). I really enjoyed the last two Elgar puzzles which I completed without electronic assistance and with only one guess (unheard of in the days of his themed puzzles). Overall it has been an enjoyable return to crosswords.
Today’s puzzle was a bit of an oddity. I finished filling the grid quickly with 5 guesses for obscurities (ie obscure to me, not necessarily others) and confident they were correct (Probably because the obscurities did not cross. 7d is not fun for those who don’t watch soaps and 8d is still a mystery to me). It was not really my type of puzzle – a */* rating. Thanks to CS and the setter
Some interesting observations, Patch. I had a break from regularly doing crosswords that lasted about 20yrs and, when I came back to them a few years ago I found I had forgotten more than I think I ever knew about how to solve them! Like you I found the value of the Puzzles Subscription appealing.
I too think the Tuesday Toughie is often more of a challenge now than it used to be, but with the departure of two regular setters (Jay & Giovanni) I do think the backpages have got easier rather than more challenging over the last year or so.
As to Elgar … I don’t have to go too far back to recall really disliking his puzzles, but with experience and improvement over the years I’ve really started to enjoy them. Mind you, he’s on duty tomorrow, so I may regret my words!
Hope you continue posting, it’s always interesting to read someone else’s observations even if they remain uncommented-on!
Aside from the fact that surely no one in their right mind would spell fetid like that (whatever the blasted BRB says!) this was elegantly brilliant and, as been said, very accessible. I do love a Hudson “toughie”. He’s one of the best, for sure.
Just back from lunch at Staverton, once a main line GWR station now manned by volunteers. The occasional whistle from a steam train was pure nostalgia
A bit more Americana today? They are welcome to 18a, A pity it ever crossed the pond.
My COTD is 15 a. My first one in and how proud I was to solve it!
Finished unaided but it took a bit of time. The first word of 15a held me up. Having only solved a third or so in the surgery car park I had to come back to see why 27a is on THE LIST. I had to focus to spell it correctly but used sparingly it is delicious. You can buy all these things loose in Norwich market which is an excellent market. The stall is run by the grumpiest man ever but a few years ago he did give me my free Hessian Bag even though I was 50p short of the £20 for a free bag. Thanks to Hudson (isn’t that Steve C’s dog?) and CS for explaining the ones I bunged in like the Bing Crosby one and the prize in 12a.
Excellent puzzle as is often the case with this setter. As others have noted, not on the tough end of Toughies but very enjoyable nonetheless. Particularly liked 3d (despite the geographical inaccuracy…), 8d, 15a and 18a.
Many thanks to Hudson and to CS for the blog.
A bit later than usual for me to comment because we have been running around, or given the run around, all afternoon. I completed this fine puzzle this morning, with 7 and 8d my favourites, and couldn’t let the day pass without thanking Hudson for the challenge and CS for her blog.
Along with Chalicea, Hudson is a favourite setter of mine. I managed about three quarters of this before having to resort to CS’s excellent hints to get me across the line. Still, a very satisfying puzzle for me because Toughies usually defeat me (at present but I hope to improve). I know this will have been a “Floughie” for many and that is fine. I am pleased to have got as far as I did. My favourite is the lego clue at 1a because I solved it the moment I read the clue, which spurred me on to tackle the rest.
Thank you, Hudson for the fun challenge and Crypticsue for explaining the ones I could not parse.
Needed the hints for the south east, but really enjoyed this puzzle. Ta to all.
Great fun as per from Hudson. I once read an interview with this setter in which he said his primary aim was to make the solver smile. Well he certainly did that today, non more so than with 1&12a along with 17d, my podium.
Many thanks indeed to Hudson and Cryptic Sue.
Straightforward apart from the ones I couldn’t parse, for that read 1d, 7d (who?) and 16d, 27a was unknown as were the un-parsed parts of the aforementioned. Having said that I rather enjoyed this. Favorite was 3d. Thanks to Hudson and CS. Onwards and upwards, as they say, to the back pager, after briefly checking to see if my late night tongue in cheek comment on yesterday’s toughie got through moderation.
It was the back pager and it didn’t. My reply to Terence @ #33 was deleted even though the same word had been allowed before. It was part of the unmentionable person’s name + ‘ed’ meaning annoyed. I am now a bit ****ed.
Encouraged by seeing the comments from others on the back pager I tried this and was pleased to finish except for 7d and 27a for which I used the hints. Whilst I often look at the toughie I rarely get started, I appreciate this one was on the easy end of the spectrum but it also seemed very enjoyable to the experts.
Many thanks to Hudson, CS for the hints and to the contributors who mentioned the toughie on the blog
Well done, MTF. It doesn’t matter that it was “at the easy end” because Toughies, however others may find them “Floughies”, the clueing always needs a bit more thought than the backpager. Mind you, that is often disputed.
I tackle the Toughie every day. You can tell by the number of times I comment on it how far I get. However, if I don’t tackle it, I will never learn.
Thanks Steve, I usually have a look to see what you or others have had to say and that is my guide to how hard to try. That is where this blog really helps and as you say it’s only by trying and using the hints to learn that you get better.
Having failed abysmally at Friday’s backpager this week, and because of advice that this Toughie was in the more doable camp, I have tried my hand here. Have to say it was a lot of fun, even though I cannot claim to have solved it all without help, it was certainly friendly and within reach. Like CrypticSue, I cannot get used to places now considered part of London, namely Twickenham where I spent my early years, and Richmond where we went for ice skating and posher shops. Loved the picture at 5d, just perfect. Of course I did not get 27a, but 17d more than made up for that. Thanks to Steve Cowling for the tip, CrypticSue for hints, and Hudson for a truly enjoyable puzzle.
Annoyed because the only answer I didn’t get was 17d and I cleared one up this morning!
Surprised myself by solving all but two of the clues of this enjoyable puzzle …
liked 25A “Lost blood being stabbed by dagger, sadly not looking good (10)”.