Toughie No 1180 by Giovanni
Hints and tips by Bufo
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***
I had no problems until I was left with 25 down when the curse of the 4-letter answer struck. I eventually twigged but I have admit that I should have thought of the answer much sooner than I did.
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
1a Oil company storing designs in this place in a field offering many views (11)
{BLOGOSPHERE} The name of a large oil company goes round (stores) designs used as symbols of organisations. This is followed by ‘in this place’ to give a region of cyberspace where people post their views
8a Queen’s rolled over by the man in small bed, old King (11)
{SENNACHERIB} A reversal (rolled over) of the name of an English queen and ‘S + a pronoun denoting ‘this man’ in a small bed = the King of Assyria (705-681 BC). This is today’s Giovanni biblical reference
11a English name in the style of French name (4)
{ALAN} A man’s name = the French for ‘in the style of’ + N (name)
12a Hollow bargain — pound for an article (4)
{DELL} A hollow = a bargain with A (article) replaced by L (pound)
13a Interrupt drink at inn round start of evening (5,2)
{BARGE IN} An inn + an alcoholic drink round E (first letter of Evening)
15a A lot within the rules, but not initially (7)
{AWFULLY} A lot (or very) = ‘within the rules’ with the first letter removed
16a Sorbonne article by academic deceived (3,2)
{LED ON} The French definite article + an academic
17a Bottom of unattractive woman not fine (4)
{RUMP} Remove F (fine) from an unattractive woman
18a Pagan god of love and disharmony (4)
{ODIN} O (love) + disharmony
19a Piggy noises not good from them? (5)
{RUNTS} Remove G (good) from noises that pigs make to give small pigs
21a Clothes worker tucked into items of food (7)
{PANTIES} Worker (insect) inside items of food
22a Name of battle vessel recalled in periodic publication (7)
{ALMANAC} A battle of the Crimean War + a reversal of a vessel
23a Duck in river returning for more than just crumbs! (4)
{LOAF} A reversal of O (duck) in a Cornish river
26a Name of political leader not all like, I reckon (4)
{KEIR} The forename of the man who founded the Independent Labour Party is hidden in liKE I Reckon
27a One to illuminate predicament in the sea for the French (11)
{LAMPLIGHTER} A predicament goes inside the French for ‘the sea’
28a I tend to go wild about writer and study, not involving others (11)
{INDEPENDENT} An anagram (go wild) of I TEND round something to write with and a study
Down
2d Right skinny, by the sound of it (4)
{LIEN} A right is a homophone of a word meaning ‘skinny’. Chambers gives 2 pronunciations for the answer one of which is a homophone of the word meaning ‘skinny’
3d Wicked daughter disappeared with anger unending (7)
{GONERIL} A wicked daughter of King Lear = ‘disappeared’ + ‘to anger’ with the last letter removed
4d Fire in pile that finally gets put out (4)
{SACK} ‘To fire’ = a pile with the letter T (the last letter of that) removed
5d One who’d shuffle around in dance (7)
{HOEDOWN} An anagram (shuffle around) of ONE WHO’D
6d Attack is quick, not quiet (4)
{RAID} Remove P (quiet) from ‘quick’
7d Robber leaps around — someone may get a close shave, being near one (7,4)
{BARBER’S POLE} An anagram (around) of ROBBER LEAPS = something seen outside a men’s hairdressers
8d A man’s claret poured out as wine in a religious ritual (11)
{SACRAMENTAL} An anagram (poured out) of A MAN’S CLARET
9d Female performer alert perhaps with exceptional ardency (5,6)
{BELLY DANCER} A sensuous female performer = what could sound an alert + an anagram (exceptional) of ARDENCY
10d Jack maybe is one sitting on table (7,4)
{PLAYING CARD} This has a one in thirteen chance of being a jack. Am I missing something here or is it just that such a jack may be dealt on to a table?
14d Bond‘s old lover shown in flipping tabloid (5)
{NEXUS} A former lover inside a reversal of the name of a tabloid newspaper
15d Blood carrier, a kind heading off on ambulance initially (5)
{AORTA} A large artery (blood carrier) = A + a kind with the first letter removed + A (first letter of ambulance)
19d Leapers going wrong fall back (7)
{RELAPSE} An anagram (going wrong) of LEAPERS
20d Vehicle outside wood vandalised? (7)
{SLASHED} A vehicle for travelling over snow round a type of wood
24d Glad to be cooler, one taking shelter (4)
{FAIN} Something you use to cool you down round I (one)
25d Eric maybe offering nice brandy (4)
{FINE} 3 meanings: eric maybe (as paid by a murderer to his victim’s family in old Irish law)/nice/ordinary French brandy
26d Piercing sound of footballer Roy (4)
{KEEN} A homophone of the surname of Roy, the former Manchester United and Republic of Ireland captain
A typical Thursday puzzle.
I didn’t think it was typical Thursday – at least 3.75* difficulty for me, including 25d where I put in the solution on the basis of the French brandy bit so thank you for explaining the rest of it. There did seem to be quite a lot of those ‘take a letter away’ clues today too.
Thanks to Giovanni and Bufo.
I thought this was more back-page than a Toughie, thanks to Giovanni and Bufo.
Enjoyed this so thanks to Giovanni and Bufo.
Are the first five letters of 8a a coincidence or was the old king included on purpose? Today is the 20th anniversary of the death of Ayrton Senna – spooky!
I think 8a is just a G trademark dredging for an irrelevant never used word ;) Oh well, only 8 double unches.
Very enjoyable toughie from Giovanni, many thanks to him and to Bufo for the review.
Same here, Bufo. All was straightforward except for 25D. I guessed the correct answer from the checking letters and [fine] brandy but had no idea how Eric and nice fitted the clue. I was also a bit puzzled by 10D but interpreted it as something to do with laying one’s cards on the table. Probably out in left field there, but oh well.
Enjoyable altogether, though. I liked 1A and 27A . Thanks to Giovanni and to you, Bufo, for the review.
I enjoyed this too.
I hadn’t met the words at 14 or 24d or the first definition of 25d, and I was a bit mystified by the table bit of 10d.
I liked 23a. My favourite was 9d.
With thanks to Giovanni and Bufo.
3d and 8a don’t belong in a cryptic crossword in my view as they rely too much on specialised knowledge – I don’t even know how to pronounce 8a never mind being able to spell it
I think 3d and 8a are perfectly fair, even if they are not exactly in every day use, because the clues gave all the information needed to put something very unlikely looking together and look it up to see if it exists – it’s how we learn new words.
As for how to pronounce the king I shouldn’t worry too much – I don’t think he’ll notice if you get it wrong.
@ 10 d I took the meaning of ‘card’ as in ‘Jack’ the lad?
Thanks to all!
I, too was stuck on 25d, Guessed the right answer but would rather have worked it out. The curse of the 4 letter word indeed!
If 3.75* difficulty is right for CS, I am not ashamed in giving this the same score. Many straightforward clues but some head-scratchers.
The four letter words were the ones that gave us most challenge. We got two of the meanings for 25d but missed the Irish one. An interesting coincidental connection between 17a in this puzzle and 14a in the RayT. Enjoyable enough despite the double unches and the twelve 4 letter answers.
Thanks Giovanni and Bufo.
On the gentle side for a Giovanni Toughie, but lots of fun, so 2*/4* by my reckoning. 8a was my favourite. Thanks, Giovanni, for the pleasure, and Bufo for review and hints.
A fun puzzle with some nice clues, but I’m still baffled by the ‘sitting on table’ reference in 10d. Even if we take it as meaning ‘dealt on a table’ it still wouldn’t be ‘sitting’, ‘laying’ maybe. Other than that I enjoyed it. Thanks to Bufo and giovanni.
I needed the hint for 8a (never heard of the bloke) but the rest was fairly straightforward once I realised that 1a wasn’t ‘planisphere’ 3*/3*. Thanks for the review and to the Don for the workout