Toughie No 3201 by Musaeus
Hints and tips by ALP
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ***
Greetings from a frozen London. I realise such mauve talk will make our friends in the north (Canada, et al) snort but I’ve not been this cold since getting frostbite in two fingers whilst cycling the road (literally) to Damascus many years ago. Brrr.
I have to admit approaching this puzzle with some trepidation. Musaeus is not a setter I’m familiar with and I note that even the peerless Cryptic Sue has doled out some 5* difficulty ratings in the past, which is almost unheard of for her. Even the name is slightly off-putting, reminding me of unhappy days translating Plato and worse back in 1847. It’s also a genus of spiders, I believe, and I’m not terribly fond of those either.
But no. This was a very breezy and jolly jaunt as Tuesdays arguably should be. Here goes…
Across
1a Drivers get lessons on this landscaped area (4,6)
GOLF COURSE: Cryptic definition alluding to where those playing with drivers (of wood or probably carbon these days – Huntsman would know, I don’t!) learn how to ruin a good walk.
6a Postgrad’s time is nuts (4)
MAST: A “degree’s” + the abbreviation for time = a (new to me but in Chambers) word for acorns.
9a Reading article with a new slant (7)
RECITAL: ARTICLE, newly slanted = a read (or musical) rendition, ie a noun, not a verb.
10a Motor belonging to mother with a coloured liner (7)
MASCARA: The usual motor belonging to/inside a diminutive mother and A from the clue = (eye) liner. Invariably black, I thought, but no: it comes in all colours, apparently. The things one learns on here!
12a Lively cheers following popular chief (2,4,7)
IN HIGH SPIRITS: A verb for cheers follows the usual popular + an adjective meaning chief or on top.
14a Member burst a blood vessel rejecting female veggie? (6)
LEGUME: Member/limb + a present tense verb for “burst a blood vessel” less the initial F(emale). Purists may claim this isn’t strictly a vegetable but, hey, there is a question mark!
15a Small fairy and raunchy Dame being successful by their own effort (4-4)
SELF-MADE: S(mall) + the quintessential fairy + DAME carelessly/raunch(il)y.
17a Bit of leg: mostly poor stuff for cobblers? (8)
CALFSKIN: The bit that connects your knee (bone) to your ankle (bone) + a synonym for impoverished, minus its last letter.
19a Jerks back clot in message (6)
SPASMS: A three-letter clot as in chump reversed, inside a three-letter abbreviation for a text message = the cruciverbalist’s favourite jerks.
22a Confused men with name tags, I’m finding poor planning (13)
MISMANAGEMENT: MEN plus/with NAME+TAGS+IM, confused.
24a German going round outside mill (7)
GRINDER: The three-letter abbreviation for German goes round/encloses a synonym for (the) outside layer (of fruit, say) = a (think pepper) mill.
25a Stockings used in blags (4-3)
HOLD-UPS: Double/triple/all-in-one definition for elastic hosiery and blags or heists … and they are sometimes used in them too.
26a Eccentric sort lacking manners round King (4)
CARD: A rascal/sort lacking manners outside/around the common abbreviation for king.
27a Wrapping one of the strings near window husband grabbed (10)
CELLOPHANE: A string instrument near/next to a four-letter synonym for window, with H(usband) inserted. I’ll never forget how to spell this again. Ta Musaeus!
Down
1d Having change of heart, snatch dress (4)
GARB: A word for snatch or seize, with its middle two letters switched around.
2d Charlie admits soft spot – quite the reverse in defeat (7)
LICKING: C(harlie) admitted to/inside a synonym for soft spot as in fondness as opposed to what the initial wordplay suggests, ie “quite the reverse”.
3d Succeed as a chum strutted outrageously (3,3,7)
CUT THE MUSTARD: A CHUM STRUTTED, outrageously.
4d In full, a generation’s waste (6)
ULLAGE: A lurker, hidden in the second, third and fourth words.
5d This term seems to fly with one month gone? (8)
SEMESTER: An anagram/flying of TERM SEEMS, missing one of the two m(onth)s.
7d Coffee – a current one watering-hole picked up (7)
ARABICA: A from the clue to start, then (alternating) current + the Roman one + a drinking spot, all reversed/picked up.
8d Cross with tutors ignoring the compiler’s doggerel, say (10)
TRANSVERSE: A verb meaning tutors/teaches minus (ignoring) the one-letter compiler + a five-letter word for doggerel, for example/say. That apostrophe S in “the compiler’s” irked me but I suppose it can indicate a connecting “has”. Hmm.
11d Sine qua non of Stoicism? Being strong on superior insolence (5,5,3)
STIFF UPPER LIP: Three synonyms for being strong/rigid, superior (as in aristocratic, allegedly) and insolence/cheek.
13d Bad art is left in retreat, marvellous! (5,5)
BLACK MAGIC: L(eft) in a verb for retreat/reverse + ace/brill, etc.
16d Be at odds with Republican getting into fancy ideas, e.g. (8)
DISAGREE: R(epublican) inside (fancy) IDEAS EG.
18d Tight top left for prime of bodybuilders that’s more stout (7)
LUSTIER: A word for a tight-fitting bodice, starting with L(eft) instead of B(odybuilders).
20d Fruit is a necessity when growing up (7)
SATSUMA: A + something vital + a two-letter synonym for when, reversed (growing up).
21d Allow fictional AI character to become mortal (6)
LETHAL: The usual three-letter allow + the computer from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
23d Man perhaps is what’s central for valets (4)
ISLE: IS + (VA)LE(TS.
All very enjoyable. My thanks must go to Musaeus for being so unexpectedly gentle. I liked 14a and 11d the best. What did you make of it?
Jolly and breezy for a Tuesday, definitely at the very friendly end of the Musaeus spectrum
Thanks to him and ALP
,
A very enjoyable start to our Toughie week. I was having difficulty making lustier mean more stout but I bunged it in anyway. Lots of good clues but I’ll give my favourites as17A, 27A and 11D.
Many thanks to ALP for the explanations and Musaeus for the enjoyment.
As I indicated in my comment on the back pager blog, a very approachable and enjoyable start of the Toughie week from Musaeus – 2.5*/3.5*
Candidates for favourite – 1a, 27a, 11d, and 20d – and the winner is 11d.
Thanks to Musaeus and ALP. Let’s hope that Hudson is in a similar frame of mind tomorrow.
Great start to the Toughie week. Thanks to setter; my favourites were 27A & 20D. **/**** for me
Fairly gentle and enjoyable – thanks to Musaeus and ALP.
I suppose that my confusion as to the correct spelling of 27a is due to its sounding a bit like sellotape.
My favourite clue is 11d.
Most enjoyable and, as Senf has said, very approachable – I do hope some of the “I’m backpage only, Toughies are beyond me” crowd give it a go. Good balance of clue types and smooth surface reads: what’s not to like?
Many thanks indeed to Musaeus and also to ALP – a great blog, you’ve settled in well & are evidently “a natural”.
I am not a “back-pager only” type. However, this toughie was very approachable after a slow start. I started with “Where is the obvious anagram?” and used the checkers to help with the rest. Fortunately this was 3d which gave a lot of checkers. I finished this toughie without assistance. I did check the hints aas I could not convince myself that my parsing was accurate!
As usual thanks to the setter, ALP and all contributors. I am not a regular poster, but I read the comments most days.
That’s much appreciated MG, thank you. I certainly agree with your first bit – it would be grand to see more people tackle the toughies, at least early week. This one really wasn’t any harder than your average back pager. Fridays are, of course, a very different story!
Another vote for 11d as favourite clue from this very friendly and accessible puzzle. I echo Mustafa’s thoughts about more people having a crack at the Toughie; it is only by giving it a go that we find out that we are slowly improving as solvers.
Thanks Musaeus and ALP.
I’m very new to the Toughies and agree that it is only by attempting them that we can tell how we are improving. I think this was my 3rd toughie attempted and I’m chuffed that I completed it with just one that I wasn’t convinced of the parsing for. I’m not expecting to be able to do them all but I will try and have a go at them.
Favourite was 27a.
A nice start to the toughie week let’s hope it continues in this vein. For once I managed to parse everything, there’s usually one or two in a toughie I can’t but not today though. Another vote for 11d. Thanks to Musaeus and ALP.
Not that happy with18d but do like 3d
I liked this puzzle, there were a number that required more thought after the first pass but all yielded to a bit of methodical thinking.
Count me as another 11d fan…
I’m sure our reviewer wouldn’t have said no to this one last week instead of the brain mangler he ended up with. Very gentle but perfectly enjoyable & I would think well within the solving capabilities of many who comment on the other side & who won’t attempt it. That said 4d & 6a both required post solve confirmation.
Another vote for 11d as pick of the bunch made even better by one of my fav JT songs in the hint – great recall of the lyric
Thanks to Musaeus & to ALP – as MG says a top review.
Thanks Huntsman, that’s too kind. And I’m so glad to hear that at least one person enjoyed Jake. That brilliant live version never fails to make me laugh. Probably a baffling clip to many, especially as you’ve got to listen all the way through to get the point!
Strangely, I found this more approachable than the backpager. I had a flashback of the Two Ronnies crossword sketch when my internal voice was saying, ‘cobblers … eight letters … 5th letter s …’. Trip to the BRB required for 6a. But otherwise, understandable. Read the hints anyway. As Huntsman and MG say, a very good review. Well done, and thanks.
Finally got a round tuit, after a long list of to do’s
Well worth the effort before bed. I struggled to see a few in the SW but ALP came to the rescue, Thanks to Musaeus and ALP in the immirtal words of those Welsh rockers Man, “Do You Like it Here Now, Are you settling in?”
s-l1200
Probably the best track from that 1971 classic.
Crikey – must be 30 years or more since I’ve listened to anything by Man.
They haven’t aged as well as some from thar era, Deke Leonard did ok (Check out In Search of Sarah and Twenty-Six Horses) and Terry Williams went on to drum for Dire Straits
1*/4* ….
liked 20D “Fruit is a necessity when growing up (7)”