Toughie No 3117 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Toughie No 3117

by StephenL  

Toughie No 3117

Hints and tips by StephenL

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BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ****

Hello everyone from a blue skies South Devon coast. Late August is providing us with some welcome sunshine.

The universally admired Robyn kicks off the Toughie week with another excellent demonstration of his craft. I found today’s puzzle high on enjoyment and about average for this setter as far as difficulty goes.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a Desperate to appear smart in clubs and bar repeatedly (6-6)
CLEVER-CLEVER: The abbreviation for Clubs and a rigid bar (not a nightclub as Robyn wants you to think) repeated.

9a Doorman stripped off for scrap (5)
OUNCE: Remove the outside letters (stripped off) from a common term for a doorman at a nightclub perhaps.

10a Author types rubbish the wrong way (9)
GENERATOR: The plural of the word genus (types) and a reversal of some rubbish in the sense of nonsense.

11a Rhetorical device in short stanza penned by American Gothic writer (10)
APOSTROPHE: Insert a stanza without its last letter into (penned by) the single-letter abbreviation for American and an author with the Christian names Edgar Allen.

12a Work over Communist Manifesto’s conclusion (4)
REDO: An informal name for a communist and the final letter of manifesto.

13a Rogue stops working for bagmen? (7)
CADDIES: Put together a name for a rogue (think Terry Thomas maybe) and a word for stops working or breaks down completely.

15a Tennis shot — I’m not certain it’s a winner (7)
SMASHER: Follow an overhead shot in tennis with the usual two-letter interjection indicating uncertainty. A real smiler.

17a Kelvin wearing rubber ring in Scottish seaside region (7)
KINTYRE: A charade of the single-letter abbreviation for Kelvin, a preposition that could mean wearing and a rubber ring that’s fitted to a wheel of a motor vehicle.

19a Writes down votes against eating junk (7)
NOTATES: Insert a three-letter synonym of junk into the plural of a word used to give a negative response.

21a Part five in a light meal (4)
BITE: A synonym of a (small) part and the fifth letter of the alphabet.

22a Never getting upset with wine, favouring most of soft drinks (10)
SHOCKPROOF: Place SOF(t) from the clue around (drinks) a German white wine and the usual three-letter word indicating in favour of. Very smart.

25a Affliction for someone scoffing too much beef? (9)
BELLYACHE: A very clever cryptic definition based upon a beef being a complaint, the solution meaning complain persistently.

26a Appropriate square in Paris (5)
SEIZE: Appropriate here is a verb. The solution is the French word for a square number.

27a Making advances, fancy that inspiring figure Heather keeps close (12)
MONEYLENDING: One of those clues that’s easier to solve than explain. Place an interjection expressing surprise (fancy that) around a number and follow it with some heather placed around (keeps) a synonym of close in the sense of finish.

Down

1d American digs opponent of Labour Party (5)
CONDO: Digs here is not a verb but a noun. Put together an abbreviated name for the party that sits opposite Labour in The Commons and a two-letter synonym of party in non-political sense. Here’s a great new American song that one way or another has generated a huge amount of interest across the pond

2d Chosen railway lines providing thrill (9)
ELECTRIFY: A synonym of chosen is followed by the abbreviation for RailwaY placed around (lines) a synonym of providing as a conjunction.

3d Fully occupy the centre of Vienna? It’s disgusting! (7)
ENGROSS: The two centre letters of ViENna and a word much favoured by the younger generation expressing disgust

4d Pieces of cake which could be about 8.3 feet? (7)
CINCHES: This synonym for pieces of cake in the sense of something being easy could if split 1,6 whimsically be 8.3 feet based upon the Roman numeral for 100.

5d Lugs ambassador’s case in different directions (4)
EARS: The outer letters (case) of AmbassadoR inserted into two abbreviatied directions.

6d Beg to welcome children for a bit of ballet (9)
ENTRECHAT: A synonym of beg or beseech placed around the abbreviation for CHildren. I had an old friend who was an ex dancer at The Royal Ballet so knew this.

7d Adopted by Gucci, a sombre, revolutionary design (6)
MOSAIC: Hidden (adopted by) and reversed (revolutionary).

8d Republican admitted to illicit affair in the Mail? (6)
ARMOUR: Insert (admitted to) the abbreviation for Republican into a secret affair. Mail here has nothing to do with correspondence!

14d Artist put on a tragic opera, wanting its prelude (9)
DONATELLO: Start with a synonym of put on in the sense of wear, add A from the clue and a tragic opera without (wanting) it’s opening letter or prelude.

16d Fresh paint, kind of white for starters (9)
ANTIPASTI: Anagram (fresh) of PAINT followed by a kind of white wine.

17d Grills or foolishly bakes cakes black (6)
KEBABS: Another clue where the containment indicator fits seamlessly into the surface read. An anagram (foolishly) of BAKES contains (cakes) the abbreviation for Black. The solution is a noun.

18d Right drunkard’s utterance, interrupting with others (7)
ETHICAL: Insert an amusing utterance often attributed to drunks in a cartoon say into an abbreviated Latin phrase (2,2) meaning “and others”.

19d Particle of inert gas probed by English university (7)
NUCLEON: Place an inert gas around (probed by) the abbreviation for a university based in London.

20d With such regularity, Oscar’s lost temper (6)
SOFTEN: A phrase meaning with such regularity (2,5) loses one of the letters represented by Oscar. The solution is a verb.

23d Approving of the opening words of Ode to Charles? (5)
OKING: If we split the solution, the participle form of a two-letter verb used to approve something, 1,4 we can see the two words that could typically open an ode to Charles.

24d Some bits of times table, content forgotten
BYTE: A synonym of times and the outside letters of TablE

As Gazza commented on this setter’s Sunday puzzle it would be easier to highlight the clues I didn’t like. 15,22&25a plus 14&23d were my picks. Which ones were your “smashers”?

22 comments on “Toughie No 3117”

  1. Another excellent puzzle from Robyn – thanks to him and to SL.
    I didn’t know the 1a term but the wordplay was clear.
    Candidates for the top spots for me were 15a, 25a, 2d, 8d and 14d.
    I hope that’s not an SL selfie at 9a.

  2. Stephen makes light of this but it could have been an Elgar for me. Put a few in but struggled. Thanks to SL for explaining sometimes “the obvious”. Thanks also to Robyn

  3. An excellent and most enjoyable puzzle that was teasingly awkward in places, but all very nicely and fairly clued. Trying to find a favourite is difficult, as the whole grid was a delight, but I will go for 2d.

    My thanks to Robyn for the challenge and to SL.

  4. Another pearler from Robyn. Too many favourites to mention but I especially liked 18D. Lovely surfaces and wit throughout, as per usual. Thanks to him, and SL, of course.

  5. Having been away from home for a couple of days, it did take a minute or two when I woke up to remember it was Tuesday. Then when I solved this excellent crossword, I did wonder if I’d got the day wrong as it was the level of difficulty I’d expect to find on a Friday.

    Lots to enjoy, my particular favourite being 4d

    Thanks to Robyn and Stephen

  6. I found this really challenging but supremely enjoyable with 2d my favourite of many ticked clues, closely followed by 4d in second place.

    I know it’s in the BRB but I really don’t like the condensed form of okaying that is the answer to 23d.

    Many thanks to Robyn and to SL.

  7. Many thanks to StephenL for the excellent elucidation (I hope your eye is better!) and to those hardy souls venturing into Toughie-land. Generally speaking, I try to make the mid-weekers a little bit gnarlier, and the Sundays somewhat smoother.
    Wishing everyone an excellent week.

    1. Good to hear from you and thanks once again for a challenging and most enjoyable puzzle.

    2. Many thanks for popping in Robyn and for another in a long line of top-notch puzzles, much appreciated.
      My eye is a little better thanks, it’s a slow process but I’m getting there.

  8. I’m glad that CS deemed this to be Friday level, I eventually had to enlist the help of our blogger to get me across the finishing line. Still don’t really understand why this setter is given a Tuesday slot.
    My top three were 13&25a plus 18d – I’m far more into humour than particles!

    Thanks to Robyn and to Stephen for the very helpful review.

  9. This was mostly way beyond me. I needed the hints for large parts of it. Far too difficult for me to find it enjoyable. Thanks to Robyn anyway and to SL for the hints.

    2. A synonym for times (as in maths) + table with its contents forgotten, ie removed = another way to say eight (computing) bits, or so.

  11. I indeed found that a little gnarlier than Robyn on Sunday. Those starting to make a foray into the Toughiesphere would be most welcome on Sunday.
    The very precise 4d amused me today but the Scottish seaside ran it close. The road from Tarbert to Campbeltown is the “Long and Winding Road” to Paul McCartney’s farm and a very pleasant cycle ride.
    Thanks to Robyn and Stephen

  12. A little trickier than we often see on a Tuesday and excellent fun throughout.
    Thanks Robyn and SL.

  13. I usually find Robyn quite difficult to solve – taking some time to get into. So this was a tad tricky for a Tuesday but good fun with some clever clues. Standouts were 26a and the ingenious 4d.
    Thanks to Robyn and to SL for the blog.

  14. A good and very challenging Thursday Toughie IMV! Unfamiliar with the expression in 1a and the stanza in 11a, but both were very gettable. Not a fan of number = letter, or of OK’ing without the 11a or a ‘one’ after the ‘eleven’. But again both were eminently gettable.

    Ticks afterwards for 17a, 26a, 2d and 14d.

    Many thanks to Robyn and Stephen.

  15. A day late to this. Having breezed through today’s Stick Insect’s Toughie I thought I was on a roll but needed to hit the reveal mistakes button a couple of times & make a correction en route to a laboured finish. Still at least I resisted the excellent hints or a letter reveal & if Sue says it was tough no wonder I found it gnarlier than chewing on a knobbed stick. Haven’t encountered 1a before & wasn’t familiar with 11a being classed as a rhetorical figure but the wordplay for both thankfully clear enough. 4d edged 22a for top spot with plenty of ticks elsewhere.
    Thanks to Robyn & to Stephen – liked the music clip. Hadn’t come across him before so had a listen to some of his other stuff which wasn’t quite on a par with it. Seems to be loads of great new modern country emerging – Tyler Childers, Wyatt Flores, Colter Wall, Sturgill Simpson, Brent Cobb to name a few. Saving you RC guzzle for later on

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