Toughie 257

Toughie No 257 by Kcit

Under False Colours

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

So you’ve raced through today’s Cryptic in record time and you’re looking for something a bit more challenging, but you’re wary of trying the Toughie because you think it will be beyond you? Think again, today’s puzzle is a pussycat, certainly no more difficult than an average Telegraph Cryptic, and easier, in my opinion, than yesterday’s Cryptic. If you’ve never tried a Toughie this is the one to start with.

It’s a perfectly good puzzle with some well-constructed and entertaining clues, but I do feel that the Telegraph is verging on a contravention of the Trades Description Act in describing it as the toughest puzzle on Fleet Street and “our most devious cryptic puzzle ever”. Certainly some Toughies fall into that category, but this one? – no.

Whether you agree or disagree, please feel free to leave a comment.

Across Clues

1a  You’re apprehended — the consequence of a beating? (3,4,2,2)
{THE GAME IS UP} – double definition, the second cryptic – a phrase meaning that capture has put an end to your exploits is also the situation after the beaters have disturbed the game birds and driven them towards the guns. A good attempt at misdirection with “beating”.

7a  Deployment of line or a gun shows weakness (7)
{LANGUOR} – an anagram (deployment) of L(ine) OR A GUN.

8a  Scripture lessons given by Father in modern Scots town (7)
{RENFREW} – string together RE (scripture lessons) and NEW (modern) and put FR (Father) inside.

10a  Description of sprinter consuming energy meal (5)
{FEAST} – is this really a Toughie clue?

11a  Spiteful, throttling one King instead of another (9)
{VICARIOUS} – the definition is “instead of another” – put VICIOUS (spiteful) around A R(ex).

12a  Prince and Queen featuring in part of movie (earlier instalment) (7)
{PREQUEL} – start with P(rince) and then put QU(een) inside REEL.

14a  Ban doctor probing part of head and leave (7)
{EMBARGO} – part of head is EAR – put MB (doctor) inside and add GO.

15a  Flexible shop transaction, backed to take less than a second (7)
{ELASTIC} – shop transaction is SALE – reverse this and add TIC(k).

18a  Old navigational tool, special and still in use (7)
{SEXTANT} – combine S(pecial) and EXTANT (still in use).

20a  Many cheer Rocky’s opponent (4-5)
{ARCH-ENEMY} – an anagram (rocky) of MANY CHEER. Nice surface reading.

21a  Film star contributing to many a good house? (5)
{GABLE} – double definition – the surname of a film star is part of the structure of a house.

22a  Take up level position, being still unconscious (4,3)
{EVEN OUT}- double definition.

23a  Old car journey hard? Little hesitation getting on board (7)
{TRIUMPH} – the definition is old car – start with TRIP (journey), add H(ard) and put UM (little hesitation) inside (on board).

24a  Film bloke in field chasing most of them (3,5,3)
{THE THIRD MAN} – the name of a famous film starring Orson Welles is constructed from a fielding position at cricket which follows THE(m).
ARVE Error: need id and provider

Down Clues

1d  Bible translator foremost in Tewkesbury and Ely, possibly (7)
{TYNDALE} – the name of the Protestant reformer and bible translator who came to a grisly end starts with T (foremost letter of Tewkesbury) and this is followed by an anagram (possibly) of AND ELY.

2d  Become very angry, being clean upset over end of it (5)
{ERUPT} – clean is PURE – reverse this (upset) and add the last letter of iT.

3d  A Queen looking down on opponent’s appearance (7)
{ARRIVAL} – A R(egina) precedes (looks down on, in a down clue) RIVAL (opponent).

4d  Each girl getting cut exhibits pain (7)
{EARACHE} – start with EA(ch) and add most of RACHE(L).

5d  Military position: to fight after second incursion (6,3)
{SENTRY BOX} – shelter for the guardsman – put BOX (fight) after S(econd) and ENTRY (incursion).

6d  Room’s dangerous, missing end, right? (7)
{PARLOUR} – dangerous is PARLOUS – remove the last letter and add R(ight).

7d  Long sentence always found in part of book indicating national honour (4,7)
{LIFE PEERAGE} – a long sentence in prison is LIFE – add PAGE (part of book) with E’ER (poetic form of ever, always) inside.

9d  Dentist’s targets: modest, white, drilled (6,5)
{WISDOM TEETH} – an anagram (drilled) of MODEST WHITE.

13d  In trouble? That’s the standard position! (2,3,4)
{UP THE POLE} – I’ve never heard this phrase used, but it apparently means in a predicament and it derives from the difficulties faced by a sailor having to climb the mast. Cryptically it’s where you would fly a flag (standard).

16d  Pistol, say — nice shot — carried by soldier (7)
{ANCIENT} – an anagram (shot) of NICE inside (carried by) ANT. The reference is not to a firearm but to the character Pistol who appeared as an ancient (meaning ensign in Elizabethan English) in Henry IV Part 2.

17d  A fast runner, he gets ahead of Greek character entering church (7)
{CHEETAH} – the fastest land animal is made from HE and ETA inside CH(urch).

18d  Shifty lawyer, mostly unrelenting after trial (7)
{SHYSTER} – a trial or a shot is a SHY – add most of STER(n).

19d  Source of protein — meal dished up with bun (7)
{ALBUMEN} – an anagram (dished up) of MEAL and BUN.

21d  Author audiobook confuses with Sterne? (5)
{GRIMM} – the surname of the brothers who produced those gruesome fairy tales sounds like (audiobook confuses) a synonym for a word that sounds like (Laurence) Sterne. The use of audiobook is certainly a novel way of indicating this somewhat complicated homophone!

I liked 11a, 20a and 16d today, but my favourite clue is 1a. How about you? – leave us a comment and please remember to vote by clicking on one of the stars below.