Toughie 817

Toughie No 817 by Dada

Hints and tips by Bufo

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****

A very nice puzzle even though it was not very difficult and caused no significant problems.

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Across

1a    The arm designed to pack stream, perhaps — of fire? (5-7)
{FLAME-THROWER} An anagram (designed) of THE ARM goes inside a stream, perhaps (a word often used in crosswords to define a river even though it’s use isn’t justified by Chambers). This gives a weapon that releases a powerful jet of burning liquid

9a    Capital among five I know backwards (4)
{KIEV} The capital of The Ukraine is hidden in reverse in fiVE I Know

10a    Art nicely represented? Yes! (9)
{CERTAINLY} An anagram (represented) of ART NICELY gives ‘Yes!’

12a    Old accommodation beginning to erode recently (2,4)
{OF LATE} O (Old) + a type of accommodation + E (first letter of erode) = ‘recently’

13a    Language observed as single sailor joining a vessel knocked over (8)
{GUJARATI} A language spoken in west India is a reversal of I (single) + sailor + A + vessel

15a    Shorts older, sheen gone (10)
{LEDERHOSEN} An anagram (gone) of OLDER SHEEN gives short leather trousers worn in Germany

16a    Austrian composer a hazard in the main (4)
{BERG} The surname of an Austrian composer (known for Lulu) is what did for the Titanic

18a    Scottish town a slow burner? (4)
{WICK} A town in the far north-east of Scotland is the part of a candle where the flame is produced

20a    Worrying nuclear aim of government in some countries (10)
{UNICAMERAL} An anagram (worrying) of NUCLEAR AIM is the principle of having one legislative chamber

23a    Cold? Then raise the temperature for a tight result (4,4)
{DEAD HEAT} Cold + ‘raise the temperature’ gives a race in which two or more competitors finish level

24a    Bit of light in study for children’s writer (6)
{CRAYON} A narrow beam of light goes inside ‘to study’ to give something a child might write with

26a    Bending elbow, hen imbibing a stiffener (9)
{WHALEBONE} An anagram (bending) of ELBOW HEN goes round A to give a material used for stiffening , e.g. in corsets

27a    Earth needing a drink (4)
{SODA} Earth + A = a fizzy drink

28a    Beautiful — like a punch in the midriff, perhaps? (12)
{BREATHTAKING} A word for ‘beautiful’ or ‘astounding’ also describes the effect that a punch in the midriff might have

Down

2d    Hot stuff! Politician getting something to go on! (8)
{LAVATORY} Hot stuff from a volcano + a right-wing politician = something to go on

3d    Spray used to attack staff (4)
{MACE} 2 meanings: a type of tear gas/a staff carried as a mark of authority

4d    A mover and shaker, when upwardly-mobile? (10)
{TURBULENCE} A cryptic definition of what causes shaking experienced during an aeroplane flight

5d    President on for a second term, one missed? (6)
{REAGAN} the surname of a former US president = ‘on’ + ‘for a second term’ with the letter I (one) removed

6d    Aspirant having to take in decline (7)
{WANNABE} An aspirant (a Spice Girl?) = ‘to take (seize)’ inside ‘to decline’

7d    Moving rashly to restrict dynasty no good where China is an ally? (7,5)
{RHYMING SLANG} An anagram (moving) of RASHLY goes round a Chinese dynasty. This is followed by NG (no good) to give the type of language in which China (plate) means ‘ally’ or ‘mate’

8d    Bird went ahead to get styled (6)
{TITLED} A small songbird + ‘went ahead’ = ‘styled’

11d    Medium that connects you, you, you, you, you and you, might you say? (5,4,3)
{WORLD WIDE WEB} This is a medium that connects people, the abbreviation for which takes much longer to say than the full form and which sounds like ‘you, you, you, you, you and you’ when the ‘yous’ are taken in pairs

14d    Fair thing? Not exactly (10)
{ROUNDABOUT} 2 meanings: a fairground ride/not exactly

17d    Mischievous child the teacher’s standing over, shut up (8)
{IMPRISON} A mischievous child + a reversal of a male teacher + ‘over’ = ‘to shut up (confine)’

19d    Fake fish produced without a head (7)
{CHARADE} A fake (ridiculous pretence) = a fish of the salmon family + ‘produced’ with the first letter removed

21d    Capital investment in birthday I rushed to take up (6)
{RIYADH} The capital of Saudi Arabia is hidden in reverse in birtHDAY I Rushed

22d    Religious education essential to anything but this menace (6)
(THREAT} RE (Religious educaton) goes in the middle of the opposite of ‘this’ to give a menace

25d    Kiss a Hollywood idol (4)
{PECK} 2 meanings: kiss/a Hollywood idol

From an entertainment point of view it’s a pity that it wasn’t a tad more difficult