Toughie No 761 by Excalibur
Utter tripe? by Bufo
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
A fellow blogger (not BD) sent me an email describing this puzzle as “utter tripe”. I wouldn’t quite go that far. I agree that technically it’s not very good but I found it a pleasant enough solve. Maybe it’s because I’m partial to tripe that I’m being generous and awarding it 3* (rather than 2*) for enjoyment. I have now blogged 9 Excalibur puzzles and have given 7 of them 3* for enjoyment. Other bloggers have blogged a total of about 35 Excalibur puzzles and have never awarded more than 2* for enjoyment. What do other people think of them?
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought. You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five stars at the bottom of the post.
Across
5a Startles, sadly, and upsets gentleman entering (6)
{ALARMS} ‘Startles’ = an interjection meaning ‘sadly!’ round a reversal of a man’s title
8a View as potential customer (8)
{PROSPECT} 2 meanings: view/potential customer
9a Arrive dishevelled around lunchtime in holiday venue (7)
{RIVIERA} An anagram (dishevelled) of ARRIVE goes round I (1 pm being lunchtime!) to give a warm coastal district (originally on the Mediterranean)
10a Verbal put-down that’s spot-on (5)
{RIGHT} A homophone (verbal) of ‘put down (on paper)’ = ‘spot-on’
11a How quickly a boozer answers it in the affirmative? (4,1,4)
{LIKE A SHOT} An expression meaning ‘quickly’ or ‘instantly’ could be a question asking a boozer whether they fancy a dram
13a Verse representing day George packed up and left (8)
{DOGGEREL} Bad verse = D (day) + an anagram (packed up) of GEORGE + L (left)
14a Scratch that’s sore (6)
{TENDER} 2 meanings. I could see that the answer means ‘sore’ but I couldn’t see how it means ‘scratch’. I assume it must come from the slang meaning of ‘scratch’ given in Chambers as ‘cash, ready money’ with tender also being cash (as in legal tender). Has anyone got an alternative reading?
17a Little terror insinuated song was rejected (3)
{IMP} A little terror = ‘insinuated’ (7) with a German song removed
19a King’s concerned with the unknown (3)
{REX} ‘King’ = ‘concerned with’ + X (unknown)
20a Seduce with phoney penitence, getting prison release (6)
{ENTICE} ‘Seduce’ = an anagram (phoney) of ITENCE which is penitence with pen (prison) removed
23a Go to pieces and rub out the answers entered? (8)
{DISSOLVE} ‘To go to pieces’ could also be a fanciful word for ‘rub out all the answers entered?’
26a Satin wrap one’s crazy about (it’s how it feels) (9)
{SENSATION} An anagram (wrap?) of SATIN inside an anagram (crazy) of ONE’S gives a feeling
28a Stopped short of a century, which made things better (5)
{EASED} Remove C (a hundred) from a word meaning ‘stopped’ to give ‘made things better’
29a Imagined myself trapped inside: horror! (7)
{DREAMED} ‘Imagined’ = ME (myself) inside horror
30a Find a number is itself divided by five again (8)
{DISCOVER} ‘To find’ = a Roman numeral + IS + another Roman numeral which is one fifth of the first Roman numeral + again
31a Jumps light approaching back street (6)
{STARTS} ‘Jumps’ = a light in the night sky + a reversal of ST (street)
Down
1d With water left, was frugal (6)
{SPARED} Water (a mineral spring) + left (communist) = ‘was frugal’
2d From way back, emblem’s included prancing nag (4-3)
{LONG AGO} ‘From way back’ = an organisation’s emblem round an anagram (prancing) of NAG
3d Indifferent, as a father, to the affliction (9)
{APATHETIC} ‘Indifferent’ = A + father + THE + an affliction
4d Solidified dripping (6)
{ICICLE} A cryptic definition for something formed when dripping water solidifies
5d Before I may join group inside for a drink (8)
{ANISETTE} ‘Before’ goes round I and group to give a cordial or liqueur prepared from aromatic seeds
6d Wrong girl, for a start (5)
{AMISS} ‘Wrong’ = girl preceded by A
7d Besides offering a greater surplus (8)
{MOREOVER} ‘Besides’ = ‘greater’ + ‘surplus’
12d I’m going to… to get sick! (3)
{ILL} A shortened form of ‘I will’ = ‘sick’
15d Life when sixteen’s hectic and not half nice! (9)
{EXISTENCE} ‘Life’ = an anagram (hectic) of SIXTEEN + the last two letters of nice
16d Screen moved into it surreptitiously (2,6)
{IN SCERET} An anagram (moved) of SCREEN inside IT = ‘surreptitiously’
18d Cooked set meals for vegetarian (8)
{MEATLESS} An anagram (cooked) of SET MEALS = vegetarian (as an adjective)
21d Puffball giving bother? (3)
{ADO} Puff (publicity) + O (ball) = bother
22d Eel swimming round us I figure will be hard to catch (7)
{ELUSIVE} An anagram (swimming) of EEL round US + I + a Roman numeral = ‘hard to catch’
24d Implant’s not extracted yet, rumour has it (6)
{INSTIL} ‘To implant’ is a homophone (rumour has it) of ‘not extracted yet’
25d Stand about nude, ruffled at first (6)
{ENDURE} ‘To stand’ = ‘about’ preceded by an anagram (ruffled) of NUDE
27d Step, when there’s a to-do, outside (5)
{STAIR} A step = A inside a to-do
Here’s hoping for something better next Thursday
Thanks Bufo. I would have awarded this 1* difficulty (haven’t done a Toughie in less time than today’s up to now) and probably 2 – 3 for entertainment as I ended up disappointed that I hadn’t had a challenge but not cross and grumpy either.. I even quite liked 23a.
I also thought this was only 1* difficulty and 2* entertainment in fact I didn’t even rate this a Toughie, thanks to Excalibur for trying and to Bufo for the comments.
Thought this was easier than today’s back page cryptic,so agree with the other solvers on difficulty,thanks for the blog Buffo which explained 23a and 30a.was sure i was right but could’nt quite put all the bits together!
Just got to do this one and it was was OK I guess. I’d have gone for **/**
My take on 14a was the same as yours Bufo. Perhaps it’s a Midlands term as I’m very familiar with scratch = cash after living 20 years near Stafford.
Thanks to Excalibur and Bufo.
Now for Araucaria – I may be some time . . . :grin:
No you won’t! :D
No, the Rev was in pretty benign mood today – but fun as usual!
As a mere toughie beginner I quite enjoyed this. I finished it without needing any hints which always boosts the confidence – I think I’ve only ever managed without help once before. I thought there were some clever clues – 11a (that one made me laugh) and 23a and 3, 4, 7 and 24d. With thanks to Excalibur and Bufo.
I quite enjoyed this. Thanks to Excalibur and Bufo for the review.
I needed something to make me smile today and some of the clues here succeeded. I particularly liked 23a, 8a and 10a. Thanks to Excalibur for bringing some joy to a grim day and to Bufo for the review.
Got to the crosswords late today but finished them both (back page and toughie ) in very quick time ( for me ), however, I enjoyed this quite a lot, thanks to Excalibur and to Bufo, I agree with your ratings.
Snob:A person who believes that their tastes in a particular area are superior to those of other people
I don’t understand who you are calling a snob.
I found this reasonably straightforward and fun in parts. 23 raised a smile and 30 is quite clever. Needed Bufo’s hint for 21 and 4 was the last in because I couldn’t get the surface picture out of my mind – a big white basin full of lovely beef dripping with that brown goo at the bottom – probably a banned substance these days. A good clue then!
Thanks to Excalibur and Bufo.
Why “utter tripe”? Or is it a cryptic comment? Excalibur always seems to receive a bad press in these parts.
I enjoyed it! Particularly liked 11a & 23a! Thanks to Excalibur!