Sunday Toughie 114 (Hints)

Sunday Toughie No 114

by Robyn

 

Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee

 

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I was hoping that Robyn would give us a slightly easier ride for Easter Sunday when the clocks go forward, but I found this “fully” up to Sunday Toughie difficulty

A couple of old coins and an Easter clue were podium contenders but I will pick the animal feeds in 12d and 27a What were your favourites?

We have a slightly uneven 15a and 16d clues and I have hinted just under half so A bonus hint is available for the first to ask

 

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. Don’t forget the Mine of useful information that Big Dave and his son Richard so meticulously prepared for us.

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          Old coat of rags concealing ample bust for models (9)
A prefix for old, the coating letters of rags and an anagram (bust) of ample give us ideal models

11a       Like comic actor‘s crack in sequel that’s shot (12)
I think this is an anagram of in sequel preceded by the crack in one’s lips when exposed to bitter weather, but I am open to alternative interpretations

16a       Letter from India, one put in language from the east (7)
The cruciverbalist’s most useful archaic language is reversed (from the east in an across clue) with the letter that looks like one and the letter that India suggests. I think India belongs in the definition as well as the wordplay and as such appears to be doing double duty

20a       Duff intel going around over offence (7)
A place where you go when highly offended, synonyms of duff and intel around a crickety over

22a       Conformist feeling that lady’s sharp to hold back in sermon (4,8)
The accusative pronoun of that lady, and a synonym of sharp, holds the back letter of sermon

27a       Swift brute, rolling over, loves animal feed (5)
An animal feed of cut and dried grass and a couple of loves roll over to give us a class of animals which are human in form, but which have the understanding and passions of brutes. Jonathan Swift here would keep his capital even if he wasn’t the first word in the clue

29a       Cadge soft drug, at first, for sleeping policeman (5,4)
Start with a slang term for an amphetamine-based drug and add to cadge or beg for and a musical soft

                Down

1d          Fetching dresses make an impression (4)
Dresses here is a containment indicator, in that the first word of the clue contains a synonym of the last three

3d          Mug knocked over with hot drink left for Easter (7)
Ooh a seasonal clue – we didn’t get many at Christmas but a nice little Easter clue for Easter Sunday. Easier for those of a Jewish or Hebrew faith perhaps. A mug who is immature and full of the vital juice of a young tree is reversed over a synonym of a hot beverage and the letter that left suggests. We will be having the 3d Lamb rubbed in garlic and rosemary later today

5d          Identified coins banks provided with old penny (9)
A somewhat unusual term (to me) for coined money and a conjunction for provided followed by a pre-decimal penny

8d          Clue antelope crosses river in remote area (10)
A synonym of clue, that I am providing here, followed by a type of African antelope crossing an abbreviated river

12d       Oats for one head of hotel, wanting European supply (6,4)
Some more animal feed here. In his dictionary Samuel Johnson was quite dismissive of oats;
“A grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people”
Nowadays it is considered a heart-friendly way to start the day and in terms of the crossword it is an anagram of “head of hotel” without E for European

13d       Makes very dear papa paella, say, during parts of match (10)
The letter that Papa suggests and the staple ingredient of paella goes in short parts of a cricket match

19d       Somewhat antipathetic, in essence displaying this? (7)
An all-in-one lurker (somewhat) (displaying this) hidden in the rest of the clue

21d       Green coloured clothes drawn deceptively (7)
A synonym of green in an environmentally aware way clothed by a synonym of coloured

25d       Old French bread accompanying power lunch? (4)
French bread is a term for a historical French five-centime piece, it accompanies an abbreviation of power to give a lunch dish often served with French Onions and French Bread

 

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A song for Easter…

That’s All Folks…