Toughie 949

Toughie No 949 by Elkamere

The Scream!

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

While not as difficult as many of the puzzles that occupy the Friday slot, this one more than makes up for it with the entertainment level.

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Across

1a    Sailor’s fingerprints causing anxiety (6)
{ABDABS} – one of the usual two-letter abbreviations for a sailor followed by a colloquial word for fingerprints

4a    Row about flipping paper hat (6)
{TITFER} – a row or line around the reversal (flipping) of a two-letter abbreviation for a newspaper

8a    A white American rebel in Montana (8)
{MUSCADET} – a white wine is derived by putting the two-letter abbreviation for American and the surname of the leader of a popular revolt inside the two-letter abbreviation for Montana

10a    Sat next to this space, being playful (6)
{FRISKY} – a charade of the day before Sat(urday) and space or the heavens

11a    Fine but primarily pointless game (1-3)
{I-SPY} – an adjective meaning fine or flimsy without its initial letter, which is a compass point

12a    Finding uranium, close call (10)
{UNEARTHING} – the chemical symbol for uranium followed by a close call (4,5)

13a    Actor‘s chance, in game, to get line wrong (5,7)
{BORIS KARLOFF} – a chance inside an animal formerly hunted as game and followed by L(ine) and an adjective meaning wrong or incorrect

16a    An evergreen — some trees don’t die altogether (5,3,4)
{FIRST AND LAST} – an evergreen tree followed by a word for a group of growing plants of a specified kind, especially trees, and a verb meaning don’t die/do remain

20a    Mushroom article by wasted priest (7,3)
{LIBERTY CAP} – an anagram (wasted) of ARTICLE BY followed by P(riest)

21a    Old parts just fit (4)
{BOUT} – O(ld) inside (parts) an adverb meaning just or only

22a    Private nursing home right for playwright (6)
{PINTER} – the abbreviation for a P(riva)TE soldier around (nursing) a word meaning home and followed by R(ight)

23a    Tote bags circle crying TV editor (3,5)
{LOU GRANT} – a verb meaning to tote around (bags) the circular letter and followed by some crying or shouting gives the newspaper editor from a US TV series

24a    Posh car without documents (2-2-2)
{LA-DI-DA} – a Russian car manufacturer around (without) some documents or credentials

25a    Boot that is put on properly (6)
{WELLIE} – the abbreviation of the Latin for “that is” preceded by an adverb meaning properly

Down

1d    Sudden removal of land, but no visual changes? (8)
{AVULSION} – an anagram (changes) of NO VISUAL

2d    Centre of academia — modest attraction? (5)
{DECOY} – the middle two letters (centre) of acaDEmia followed by an adjective meaning modest

3d    Two young men swapping tips in the pits? (3,4)
{BAD LUCK} – swap the initial letters (tips) of two words meaning a young man

5d    Fire with lack of reason given in advance (7)
{INFERNO} – a two-letter word meaning a lack of preceded by (given in advance) a verb meaning to reason

6d    Frequency’s just terrible (9)
{FRIGHTFUL} – F(requency) followed by an adjective meaning just or legitimate

7d    Artillery — the best — firing along enemy line (6)
{RAKING} – the abbreviation for the Royal Artillery followed by a word meaning the best or a person regarded as the finest in their sphere – like Elvis!

9d    Reach toilet, having messed up armchair (11)
{THEORETICAL} – an anagram (having messed up) of REACH TOILET gives an adjective meaning armchair or on paper

14d    50 coming in with disease that’s different in the end? (9)
{INFLECTED} – the Roman numeral for fifty inside an adjective meaning with disease

15d    Independent census a suspect publication (8)
{ISSUANCE} – I(ndependent) followed by an anagram ()suspect of CENSUS A

17d    Soldiers sick in bed (7)
{RETIRED} – a two-letter abbreviation for some soldiers followed by an adjective meaning sick or fed up

18d    Planet makes you shut up about air (7)
{NEPTUNE} – a verb meaning to shut up in an enclosure reversed (about) and followed by an air or melody

19d    Dying to accept one’s decoration (6)
{FINIAL} – an adjective meaning dying or concluding around (to accept) I ( one)

21d    Stand on railway line to see stone (5)
{BERYL} – a verb meaning to stand or exist followed by the abbreviations for R(ailwa)Y and L(ine)

One of the best Elkamere Toughies ever!