Toughie No 787 by Kcit
Hints and tips by Big Dave
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
Typical Tuesday Toughie fare from Kcit. While not trivially easy, it should be solvable by those who usually give the Toughie a wide berth.
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Across
1a Lad and workman going around in an unpredictable path (6,4)
{RANDOM WALK} – an anagram (going around) of LAD and WORKMAN gives an unpredictable path or, according to Chambers, “a series of processes, quantities, variables, etc. following no discernible pattern”
6a Long story recalled a very entertaining event? (4)
{SAGA} – reverse (recalled) this long story and it could be a very entertaining event (1,3)
9a The sound of a horseman after sunset? (5)
{NIGHT} – what sounds like a man who performed mounted military service in the Middle Ages is actually the period of time that follows sunset
10a Uninterrupted in various instances (9)
{INCESSANT} – this adjective meaning uninterrupted is an anagram (various) of INSTANCES
12a & 21a Here’s the finest belief, I grant (extraordinary attitude towards economy) (3,4,6,2,4,3,4)
{THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE} – Well done if you solved this as an anagram (extraordinary) of HERE’S THE FINEST BELIEF I GRANT rather than guessing it from the checking letters – the answer is an “attitude towards economy”
14a Energy tax, in part withdrawn, would do for skyscraper feature (8)
{ELEVATOR} – put E(nergy) and a tax inside a part in a play reversed (withdrawn) to get a necessary feature of a skyscraper
15a Publishing employee recalled season of reissues initially (6)
{EDITOR} – this employee of a publishing business is derived by reversing a poetic word for a season and adding the initial letters of two words in the clue
17a Naval craft prepared? Only a section (6)
{SUBSET} – a charade of a shortened form of an underwater naval craft and a word meaning prepared gives a section of a larger group
19a Bloke, hot in appearance, going round German city (8)
{MANNHEIM} – get your atlas out! – start with a bloke (3) and then put H(ot) inside the reversal () of an appearance to get this German city at the confluence of the Rhine and the Neckar in Baden-Württemberg, SW Germany
21a See 12 across
24a Circus performer bent iron metal (4-5)
{LION TAMER} – this circus performer is an anagram (bent) of IRON METAL
25a You’ll find the reverse of it in ‘join’ (5)
{UNTIE} – take a word meaning to join and reverse the letters IT to get the reverse of to join
26a Island’s atmosphere presented in radio feature? (4)
{SKYE} – this Scottish island sounds like (presented in radio feature) the atmosphere
27a Old cut in middle of winter could be chronic (10)
{INVETERATE}- start with a word meaning old, as in an old soldier, and drop the final letter (cut) and then put what’s left inside the internal letters (middle) of wINTEr to get an adjective meaning chronic
Down
1d Fifth execution of program producing mysterious character (4)
{RUNE} – split as (3,1) this could be the fifth execution of a program bit it’s actually a mysterious character based on the futhork or ancient Germanic alphabet
2d Close to fastening item of lingerie (7)
{NIGHTIE} – a charade of a word meaning close to and a fastening gives an item of lingerie – eat your heart out Gazza!
3d Apparently where a clock’s hands are located (2,3,4,2,2)
{ON THE FACE OF IT} – this phrase meaning apparently also describes where a clock’s hands are located
4d Hard squeezing into end of shoe, laid up after little blistering (5-3)
{WHITE-HOT} – put H(ard) into the front end of a shoe, reverse the lot and put a four-letter word meaning a little on the front to get an adjective meaning blistering
5d Literature includes one chapter following the rules (5)
{LICIT} – put LIT(erature) around (includes) I (one) and C(hapter) to get an adjective meaning following the rules
7d Not supporting rise in tax mostly limiting profits (7)
{AGAINST} – an adjective meaning not supporting is derived by reversing (rise in a down clue) most of TA(X) around (limiting) profits
8d Blast of steam ruins medicinal substances (10)
{ANTISERUMS} – an anagram (blast) of STEAM RUINS gives these medicinal substances
11d Enjoying misfortune, hence sad, conflicted when probed by psychologist (13)
{SCHADENFREUDE} – the malicious pleasure in the misfortunes of others is derived from an anagram (conflicted) of HENCE SAD around (when probed by) a famous psychologist
13d Poetry, including excellent lines depicting palace (10)
{VERSAILLES} – put some poetry, in the plural, around the two-letter abbreviation for excellent and a couple of L(ine)s to get a palace south-west of Paris
16d Acre dug up without charge — that should make you happy (8)
{CAREFREE} – an anagram (dug up) of ACRE is followed by an adjective meaning without charge to get the feeling that should make you happy
18d Element of coastline around lake: study ledge (7)
{BALCONY} – put a inlet of the sea (element of coastline) around L(ake) and a verb meaning to study to get a ledge
20d Pick artist that’s portrayed Greek heroine (7)
{ELECTRA} – a charade of a verb meaning to pick and the usual artist gives this Greek heroine
22d Promoters promoting American amongst German women (2-3)
{AD-MEN} – to get these promoters start with the German for women and “promote” the A(merican) by moving it to the start of the word
23d Present poster failing to stick (4)
{HERE} – a word that can be spoken to indicate one is present at a gathering is derived by dropping the AD (poster) from a verb meaning to stick
Sorry for the delay, but my internet connection vanished for about an hour.
Workmanlike puzzle from todays setter, last one in 17a favourites 1d 4d and 27a thanks to Kcit and to Big Dave for the comments.
No real problems in this one; last one in was 4d, and 11d was a new word to me.
Thanks to Kcit for a nice puzzle, and to BD for the review.
Nice start to the Toughie week, started off thinkiing it would be diffficult., got to the downs and was away. Lots of lovely penny dropping moments. Thanks to Kcit and BD.
Almost did it again! Couldn’t “see” 1A or !D until I read the hints –thank you B.D. The rest fell into place and gave me much pleasure, thank you Kcit for being my Monday hero!!
So who is your Tuesday hero? :D
A fine start to the Toughie week in my opinion. I came to this late (lunch) then finished it off on the Train with the last two across clues holding out for a bit. Thanks to Kcit and to BD!
Are comments working again yet?
I wasn’t aware that they weren’t working.
I was struggling earlier but all seems fine now :)
Rather liked this, just right for a Tuesday. Thanks Kcit and BD
Found this a nice pleasant solve on a bus journey – it was a reasonably long one!
Two pretty straightforward toughies on the trot now from the backward tick. Enjoyable all the same though.
Hi Nobfire – welcome to the blog.
Thanks. Who knows, might become a regular!
Thanks to Kcit and Big Dave. I actually found this in the doable bracket, ended up four answers short , needed three hints as I got one from the checkers. Very entertaining , favourite was 12&21 across. Had g-string for 2d at one point :-)