Toughie 587

Toughie No 587 by Cephas

Brush up your Shakespeare!

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

Apart from a couple of answers, both of which were obvious from the wordplay, this could have easily been a back-page puzzle.

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Across

1a    Tribal character in charge booted out of football team (4)
{CELT} – to get this tribal character, remove (booted out) the abbreviation for In Charge from the name of a Glasgow football team

3a    Fasten stand after losing time at first (5)
{RIVET} – to get a word meaning to fasten drop the initial T (losing Time at first) from a teapot stand

6a    Cheaply-built, with crack showing after the Spanish returned (4)
{LEGO} – this toy consisting of small interlocking plastic pieces can be used as an adjective meaning cheaply-built – put a crack or attempt after the Spanish definite article has been reversed

8a    Shakespeare’s fast woman (8,7)
{MISTRESS QUICKLY} – a cryptic definition of an inn-keeper from several Shakespeare plays

9a    Record spread of stoppage (3,3)
{LOG JAM} – a charade of a ship’s record and a spread that goes on toast gives a stoppage

10a    Unstable British settling east of drowned valley, in another valley (8)
{VARIABLE} – a word meaning unstable is constructed from B(ritish) to the right (east) of a drowned valley (3) and then inserted inside a poetic word for a valley

11a    Transmutational alchemist with no aspiration to be climber (8)
{CLEMATIS} – an anagram (transmutational) of ALC(H)EMIST without the H (with no aspiration) gives a climbing plant

13a    Following degree, I was first given a posting (6)
{MAILED} – a charade of a higher university degree, I from the clue and a word meaning was in first place gives a word meaning sent a letter

15a    Some forgotten recipe for Madagascan hedgehog (6)
{TENREC} – hidden inside (some) the second and third words of the clue is a Madagascan hedgehog – I bet you’ve never heard of this one!

17a    Beautifying of the universe around and in France (8)
{COSMETIC} – to get a word meaning beautifying put an adjective meaning of the universe around the French for “and”

19a    Cooker being put in is unable to bond (8)
{COVENANT} – put a cooker inside a word meaning “is unable to) and the result is a bond or contract

21a    Book of Numbers in church (6)
{HYMNAL} – a cryptic definition of a book containing numbered songs of praise, used in church

22a    One is fit to eat with it (7,8)
{HEALTHY APPETITE} – a cryptic definition of a very strong desire to eat

23a    Horses with no room in yard? On the contrary (4)
{STUD} – these horses kept for breeding are created by dropping the Y(ard) from the end of a room

24a    November is a new month (5)
{NISAN} – a charade of N(ovember), IS from the clue and N(ew) gives a month in the Jewish calendar

25a    Joy in church’s area when bishop retires (4)
{GLEE} – to get this word meaning joy drop the B(ishop) from the land attached to a parish church

Down

1d    Company member’s allowed to be participating in wrongdoing (9)
{COMPLICIT} – a charade of CO(mpany), a Member of Parliament and an adjective meaning allowed or permitted gives a word meaning participating in wrongdoing

2d    Angela’s cooking savoury dish (7)
{LASAGNE} – an anagram (cooking) of ANGELA’S gives an Italian savoury dish

3d    Loft extension, say, may be turned over for joint sufferer (9)
{RHEUMATIC} – reverse (turned over) two words that give a loft extension, and the result sounds like (say) this person who suffers from pain in the joints

4d    With regard to two passport stamps: one missing article (3-1-3)
{VIS-À-VIS} – a hyphenated word meaning with regard to is created from a passport stamp followed by another from which the final A has been dropped (missing article)

5d    Interpret second half right — it’s less inaccurate (5)
{TRUER} – drop CONS from the first half of a verb meaning to interpret and add R(ight) to get an adjective meaning less inaccurate / more accurate

6d    Money-making vital cure dispensed (9)
{LUCRATIVE} – an adjective meaning moneymaking or profitable comes from an anagram (dispensed) of VITAL CURE

7d    Girl one brought to shelter in place of miracles (7)
{GALILEE} – a charade of a girl, I from the clue and shelter gives a place where miracles were performed

12d    Wimpy Ltd remake determined by demand (6-3)
{MARKET-LED} – an anagram (wimpy) of LTD REMAKE gives a word meaning determined by commercial demand

13d    Distorted spin has me confused (9)
{MISSHAPEN} – an adjective meaning distorted is an anagram (confused) of SPIN HAS ME

14d    Cutie taking in European clubs then summer in Nice wearing a low-cut dress (9)
{DÉCOLLETÉ} – start with a cutie or attractive young woman, insert E(uropean) and C(lubs) and then add the French (in Nice) for summer to get an adjective meaning wearing a low-cut dress

16d    Galloped into hospital department, being caustic (7)
{ERODENT} – put a word meaning galloped on horseback inside Crosswordland’s usual hospital department to get an adjective meaning being caustic

17d    Stop filming young lady’s arm (7)
{CUTLASS} – a charade of the word used to stop filming and a young lady gives an arm or weapon

18d    Cartoonist having (7)
{TENNIEL} – the English cartoonist who illustrated Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass is an anagram (disposition) of LENIENT

20d    Pale like bird (5)
{ASHEN} – an adjective meaning pale can be split (2,3) to mean like a female bird

Why not enter the 3D Crossword Championship in August?