Toughie No 122 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Toughie No 122

Toughie No 122 by Kcit

Today’s hints and tips by Big Dave

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** Enjoyment ***

Today’s Toughie is one of the easier ones, which means it’s a good one to start if you haven’t tried them before.  My two star difficulty rating would put it at about three stars for a regular daily cryptic.

[OK BigBoab, there are one or two tricky words, but then you finish this puzzle wiser than when you started!]

Across

1a Turned up with peripherals – rough stuff (6)
{PUMICE} – UP is reversed (turned) and followed by MICE (peripherals / those accursed rodents) to give volcanic lava used for cleaning

4a Show some anger about 40% of trade in garden equipment (8)
{STRIMMER} – a word meaning to be close to an outburst of emotion (show some anger) is placed around TR (the first two letters of / 40% of trade) to give a piece of garden equipment used for cutting grass in areas inaccessible to a lawn mower

9a Permit victor at Agincourt to describe his effect on the French? (6)
{LETHAL} – a great clue – LET (permit) and HAL (King Henry V, the victor at Agincourt – Hal was an affectionate name for Henry used a lot by Shakespeare)

10a Detests carrying wood containers (3-5)
{HAT-BOXES} – these containers for hats are derived from HATES (detests) around (carrying) BOX (wood – box tree)

11a The pace faltered, having to accommodate unknown blockage to view ahead (3-5)
{EYE-PATCH} – faltered signals this anagram of THE PACE which is then to be placed around (accommodate) Y (unknown – usually x,y or z) to give an item that blocks the view ahead

13a Long line encompassing a description of a gland (6)
{PINEAL} – PINE is the usual synonym for long, add L(ine) and put A in between (encompassing) and you have a description of the small organ at the end of an upgrowth from the optic thalami of the brain, that releases melatonin into the bloodstream – how would I do these notes without the help of Chamber’s?

15a Intend nasty worn teapot, nothing less, to show ceramic design (6,7)
{WILLOW PATTERN} – WILL (intend) is followed by an anagram (nasty) of WORN TEAP(O)T without an O (nothing less) to show a popular ceramic design

18a Roaming brother is due to circle European islands (5,8)
{OUTER HEBRIDES} – here roaming signals an anagram of BROTHER IS DUE is to be placed around (to circle) E(uropean) to give some Scottish islands

22a Widow going again to collect first of children (6)
{RELICT} – here RELIT (get the fire going again) is around (to collect) C (first of Children) for an archaic word meaning a widow

24a Beer in France is carrying most weight (8)
{STOUTEST} – the beer is STOUT – and “is” in France is EST, together they give a word meaning carrying most weight

26a Relative penning hot comic strip (8)
{UNCLOTHE} – this time the relative is an UNCLE and he is around (penning) an anagram (comic) of HOT to give a word meaning to strip

27a Run off to cover one in chill – thermal jacket? (6)
{FLEECE} – this thermal jacket comes from FLEE (run off) and (I)CE (cover one in chill) – not too sure about this one; what do you think?

28a Beautiful swimmer overturned my refusals in Aberdeen: ‘Plenty hot to start with’ (3-5)
{SEA NYMPH} – a bit contrived – MY NAES (refusals in Aberdeen / Scottish) reversed (overturned) then Plenty Hot (to start with) give a minor sea goddess (beautiful swimmer)

29a Crude fellows turning on mother with reproach (6)
{STIGMA} – GITS (crude fellows) reversed (turning) the MA (mother) gives a disgrace or reproach attached to a person

Down

1d Vote – and the symbol made? – with the thumb? (6)
{POLLEX} – this word meaning thumb is derived from POLL (vote) and EX (x – the symbol made) – the word meaning big toe is hallux; what’s the betting that comes up soon?

2d Basic intelligence that’s evolved with more time (6,3)
{MOTHER WIT} – a phrase meaning basic intelligence from an anagram (evolved) of WITH MORE and T(ime)

3d Ugly woman engaged in vocation as artist (7)
{CHAGALL} – a HAG (ugly woman) is inside (engaged in) a CALL (vocation) to give an artist

5d & 14d Comradeship that’s remarkable at its prime (4,6)
{TEAM SPIRIT} – a phrase meaning comradeship  comes from an anagram (that’s remarkable) of  AT ITS PRIME

6d I especially note bedding – without question, integral (2-5)
{IN BUILT} – this synonym of integral is derived as I NB (I especially note) (Q)UILT (bedding,  without Question)

7d Second eleven with energy and courage (5)
{MOXIE} – MO (second) XI (eleven in Roman numerals) and E(nergy) give a word meaning courage

8d Ganymede’s staff that’s accommodating of Poseidon’s realm mostly (8)
{ROSALIND} – ROD (staff) around (that’s accommodating) SALIN(E) (of Poseidon’s realm / of the sea / salty mostly) for the real character behind  Ganymede in As You Like It

12d & 25d Staff organisation that prevents trade? (6,4)
{CLOSED SHOP} – a cryptic (or perhaps not so cryptic) definition of an establishment in which only members of a trade union will be employed

16d Segregate broken feature of DVD? (6,3)
{EASTER EGG} – an anagram (broken) of SEGREGATE gives a hidden feature of a DVD

17d Our effort mostly taken on board by grumpy person (8)
{SOURPUSS} – this grumpy person is derived from OUR PUS(H) (our effort mostly) inside (taken) SS (on board / steamship)

19d Iron extracted from monastery building for religious dwelling (7)
{RECTORY} – take FE (chemical symbol for iron) away from a RE(FE)CTORY (monastery building) to get a religious dwelling

20d Garment with central part of cotton? (7)
{DOUBLET} – the central part of cotton is TT, which could be described as DOUBLE T, giving this garment

21d Goddess showing persistence of character? (6)
{ATHENA} – this Goddess of wisdom could be said as A THEN A (persistence of the character A)

23d An amount of really crazy synthetic fabric (5)
{LYCRA} –  a synthetic fabric is hidden (an amount of) in realLY CRAzy

Frenetic activity around Big Dave Towers today as Holly, one of my daughter-in-law’s nieces, is getting married – the first of that generation of the extended family to do so.

Here are the answers (and some pictures of Holly 21 years ago!):

3 comments on “Toughie No 122

  1. WHAAAAT!! 16 down prompts me to ask what kind of DVD’s you boys watch!! Hope the wedding went well.

  2. I think you’ve got the right idea at 27A – though I have a feeling I treated this as a “sandwich”, with “one in chill” as its initial C, inside “FLEEE”, not seeing that it had 3 E’s instead of two.

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