Toughie 862

Toughie No 862 by Firefly

A Load of Rubbish? No! Well…. Yes!

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

Greetings from the Calder Valley. Firefly fills the Friday slot today with an amiable challenge, although it didn’t help me by putting the wrong answer in to 12ac as my first entry!

Nina fans will notice something along the top and bottom rows that link into the theme of 11 across, which also defines a number of answers, hence my title to today’s blog! There are a couple of clues that personally make me suck my teeth, but overall it’s a worthy Friday challenge.

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. Favourite clues are in blue and the definitions underlined to help.

Across

7a    Deposit from the joke shop for detergent? (7)
{SHAMPOO} We start with a double definition clue, the first part of which is cryptic. As a kid you may have been to the joke shop (do they still have them?) and bought one of these to upset your auntie. The name of a fake deposit (yes, that sort of deposit!) is the name of a type of detergent you may use upon yourself. I shall refrain from a picture at this point!

8a    Signboard repainted to avoid British government charges (7)
{INROADS} A word meaning ways in to something is an anagram (repainted) of SIGNBOARD minus B (British) and G (government). Not sure this works as a clue, as it technically asks you to anagram before removing the letters.

10a    Stamps into frightfully posh dump and gets dirty (7,2)
{MUDDIES UP) A word for stamps (think moulds) goes inside an anagram (frightfully)of U (posh) DUMP to give a phrase meaning gets dirty.

11a    Tory leader’s ready to show guts (5)
{TRIPE} A word for meat offal is revealed by taking T, the first letter of Tory and adding something that means ready.

12a    Chilly interviewer? (5)
{PARKY} D’oh! I went for the wrong interviewer. Not Sir David, but the nickname of Barnsley’s second favourite son, which is a dialect word meaning cold. Have to admit I preferred his sporting journalism to his interviewing style, but still prefer that compared to Piers Moron who seems to be the heir apparent. He’s the one on the right in this picture.

13a    Never back sailor to catch river rodent (6,3)
{NORWAY RAT} A type of rodent is revealed by taking an American expression that means ‘Never!’ adding the reversal of a name for a sailor and inserting R (river).

15a    Touring fair we are stirred and stirred again (7)
{REAWOKE} Around (touring) an abbreviation that means everything is fair or fine goes an anagram (stirred) of WE ARE to give something that means stirred once more. Nicely concise clue.

17a    Eastern tree’s grey 11 (7)
{EYEWASH} Take E (Eastern), add the name of a tree found in churchyards and a shade of grey (that’s also a tree) to give something that also means 11.

18a    Name of medication intricately enciphered — to avoid counterfeiters initially (9)
{EPHEDRINE} The name of a medication that I remember my dad taking for his asthma is an anagram (intricately) of ENCIPHERED minus C (counterfeiters’ first letter).

20a    Former trespasses in guest bedroom recalled (5)
{DEBTS} What used to be called trespasses in olden days is hidden backwards in the phrase guest bedroom.

21a    11’s application lost in the hustle of Big Apple (5)
{BILGE} The trendy abbreviation for application is removed from Big Apple and the whole thing rearranged (hustle) to get another definition of 11

23a    Dash off with cousins to collect gumshoe (9)
{SUSPICION} An anagram (off) of COUSINS has the American abbreviation for a gumshoe inserted to give a word that means a dash or small amount of something. Some of you may struggle to find this as a definition, but it is in one or two reference works.

24a    To get through when recalled by prince is of major importance (7)
{EPOCHAL} A historical term meaning of major importance is found by reversing a word meaning to get through or survive something and adding the name of a prince [I think “Bluff King” might have been better here].

25a    Father’s boat providing transportation (7)
{FREIGHT} An abbreviation for Father is followed by a type of boat (and the name of a rowing crew) to give a type of cargo that is transported.

I am handing over to BD to do the downs. See you tomorrow!

Down

1d           11 British trees died internally (10)
{BALDERDASH} – another thematic word – B(ritish) followed by two tries separated by (internally) D(ied)

2d           At Oxford, perhaps, sadness is difficult to hold in check (6)
{UPPITY} – a charade of a two-letter word meaning at university (Oxford, perhaps) and sadness

3d           Not one non-smoker seen, unusually, in 11 (8)
{NONSENSE} – a two-letter word meaning not one followed by the abbreviation of Non-Smoker and an anagram (unusually) of SEEN gives our penultimate thematic word

4d           Dosser‘s breakfast? (6)
{KIPPER} – a double definition – a dosser or sleeper and my favourite breakfast (I have mine with scrambled egg)

5d           Compound for smaller creature than elephant (8)
{URETHANE} – hidden inside the clue (smaller?)

6d           Sickness crushes one here in Africa (4)
{MALI} – an originally French word for sickness (the one that is followed by “de mer” for seasickness) over (crushes) I (one)

7d           These kind of membranes I peel off when less new (13)
{SEMIPERMEABLE} – an anagram (off) of MEMBRA(N)ES I PEEL without the N (when less New) – presumably intended as &Lit, but needs a stretch of the imagination

9d           Arboreal product afforded clean parts of body (5,8)
{SWEET CHESTNUT} – a word meaning clean or fresh followed by two parts of the body

14d         Bar with base put in to shorten span on carriageway (4,6)
{ROAD BRIDGE] – start with a three-letter word for a bar or xxx, then put its final letter (base) inside a verb meaning to shorten, as in to produce a shorter version of a book

16d         Dole out about five hundred and fifty middles for cushions in Asian walled city (3,5)
{OLD DELHI} – an anagram (out) of DOLE around the Roman numeral for five hundred and followed by the Roman numeral fifty and the inner letters (middles} of cusHIons

17d         Seven levels out? (5,3)
{EVENS OFF} – a way of expressing an anagram which results in SEVEN

19d         Middle-earth’s Galadriel, perhaps — the one and only? (6)
{ITSELF} – split as (2’1,3) this is how Middle-earth might describe Galadriel

20d         Pilot left 11 (6)
{DRIVEL} – a verb meaning to pilot followed by L(eft) gives our final thematic word

22d         Inner Circle raises game (4)
{LOOP} – an inner circle, like the notorious inner ring road in Leeds, is derived by reversing (raises) a game similar to snooker

I’m off to London tomorrow and Tilsit will be chairing the Saturday Crossword club.  There will be no cake in the naught corner as crypticsue is bringing it all with her to Wapping, so you will have to provide your own.