Toughie No 1197 by Firefly
Yabba Dabba Doo
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment **
One of the easier Friday Toughies.
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 Basis for a troubled sleep? (7)
{BEDROCK} – this could be an uncomfortable place to sleep – unless your name is Flintstone!
5a Greedy folks would vociferously behave thus at Billingsgate (7)
{SELFISH} – sounds like (vociferously) what folks do at Billingsgate Market (which is, incidentally, now in Poplar)
9a Belabour entertainer with missing notes and falling apart (9)
{REITERATE} – an anagram (and falling apart) of E[N]TERTAI[N]ER without (missing) the two N(ote)s
10a Stupid fool, going after credit (5)
{CRASS} – a fool preceded by CR(edit)
11a Stalks, gets arrested? (5)
{STEMS} – two definitions – stalks of plants and arrests or checks a flow
12a Passage from current examination in English (9)
{INTESTINE} – this passage, a part of the digestive system, is a charade of a two-letter word meaning current or recent, an examination, IN and E(nglish)
13a A dance for Ron and Grace evokes pride (9)
{ARROGANCE} – the A from the clue followed by an anagram (dance) of RON and GRACE
16a Glitches evident in Beeb lip-sync (5)
{BLIPS} – hidden inside (evident in) the clue
17a Pronounced incentive to gain weight (5)
{CARAT} – sounds like (pronounced} an incentive, for a donkey, perhaps
18a Frost in centre affected reserve (9)
{RETICENCE} – a three-letter word for frost inside an anagram (affected) of CENTRE
20a Making a comeback, Emu is sat opposite, not completely in element? (9)
{POTASSIUM} – hidden (not completely) and reversed (making a comeback) inside the clue
23a Academy putting Jock on course (5)
{ASCOT} – A(cademy) followed by a jock from north of the border gives a racecourse putting Jock on course
25a Spike embraces group’s initial suggestion (5)
{TINGE} – a spike around () the initial letter of G[roup]
26a Tidy up dreadfully messy site (9)
{SYSTEMISE} – an anagram (dreadfully) of MESSY SITE
27a Losing every advantage, dissipating early results? Surely they will show themselves? (7)
{LEADERS} – the initial letters of seven words in the clue gives another word for those initial letters
28a Singular form of ‘gantries’ has no ‘I’ (7)
{STRANGE} – an anagram (form) of GANTR[I]ES without (no) the I
Down
1d Stone in arabica (out of Central America) damaged coffee-maker (7)
{BARISTA} – ST(one) inside an anagram (damaged) of ARABI[CA] without the abbreviation for Central America
2d Header over defender’s foot shows tenacity (5)
{DRIVE} – a header or plunge around the final letter (foot) of [defende]R
3d Slip-up with faulty vaulting-horse — broken ulna, out of action (9)
{OVERSIGHT} – an anagram (faulty) of V[AUL]TI[N]G-HORSE without the assorted letters (broken) of ULNA
4d Start-up facilitator reportedly in the buff? (5)
{KHAKI} – sounds like (reportedly) something that facilitates the starting of a vehicle (3,3)
5d Fancy — Tiny Tim’s first to join Miles in saddle (9)
{SWEETMEAT} – this fancy or delicacy is derived from a three-letter word meaning tiny, the initial letter (first) of T[im] and M(iles) inside a saddle
6d Devastator not last in position (5)
{LOCUS} – an insect that devastates vegetation without (not) its final letter (last)
7d Sporting nation, Italy, initially suffering lack of enthusiasm (9)
{INANITION} – a two-letter word meaning sporting or wearing followed by an anagram (suffering) of NATION and the initial letter of I[taly]
8d Husband shoots outfitters (7)
{HOSIERS} – H(usband) followed by some shoots of willow
14d Geller’s aboard a train derailed in romantic spot (9)
{RURITANIA} – the first name of self-proclaimed psychic Geller inside (aboard) an anagram (derailed) of A TRAIN
15d Reflective chap is suspect overlooked by DEA man (9)
{NARCISSUS} – IS and the shortened form of to SUS[pect] preceded (overlooked in a down clue) a slang word for a man from the US Drug Enforcement Administration
16d Bruce navigated round Malacca in ‘Sea Rover‘ (9)
{BUCCANEER} – an anagram (navigated) of BRUCE around another word for Malacca, used to make walking sticks
17d Investment‘s high in architecture (7)
{CAPITAL} – two definitions – money that has been invested and the distinct section at the head of a pillar or column
19d End time among former engineers (7)
{EXTREME} – T(ime) inside a two-letter word meaning former, as in a former partner, and the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
21d Entreat Miliband to raise unprepared material (5)
{SUEDE} – a verb meaning to entreat or beseech followed by the reversal of the first name of the leader of Her Majesty’s Official Opposition
22d Essentials — new wine with sushi for starter (5)
{MUSTS} – a word for new or partially fermented wine followed by the initial letter (starter) of S[ushi]
24d Reading perhaps skirted by killer dog (5)
{CAIRN} – Reading is one of (perhaps) three fundamentals of learning – put its abbreviation inside (skirted by) Abel’s killer
A handful of good clues among many fairly pedestrian ones.
I didn’t enjoy this very much, favourites the two homophones at 4d and 17a thanks to Firefly and to Big Dave for the review.
I was going along nicely until the SW corner. I’d blithely put in plead for 21D, which of course made everything else impossible. It wasn’t until I erased it and took a fresh look that the penny dropped for 20A and most of the rest fell into place. I was then left with 27A and eventually decided on what turned out to be the correct answer but had no idea why. 7D was a new word for me, but doable from the clue. I did like 8D, 15D and 16D. Thanks to Firefly, and to BD for the review and especially the unraveling of 27A.
Many thanks to Firefly and to BD, an enjoyable and not overly taxing toughie and an excellent review.
The weather is forcing me to feed the grey matter instead of the vegetable matter…..it was a stretch for me.
I enjoyed the homonyms.
I had never heard of 7d and resorted to electronic crib and although I wrote in 24d, I needed the hint to make sense of it …doh!…I kept trying to come up with names of obscure fighting dogs.
27a was clever, 21 my last one in and 22d my favourite.
Thx to BD
Easiest Toughie week ever?
Gilbert’s comment has just altered what I was about to say and put me back where I belong.
I enjoyed this very much.
I was defeated by 7d – I’ve never heard of the word and was trying to make it an anagram but not with the right letters.
I liked lots of these clues, probably too many to mention. I think my favourite has to be 3d.
With thanks to Firefly and BD – and an honourable mention to Gilbert for not allowing me to become too big for my boots!
The puzzle kept us smiling throughout the solving process. What more could one ask for. Not the hardest but fun.
Thanks Firefly and BD.
Quite friendly for a Friday toughie. A good accompaniment to the England match on the box.Thx to all.
Absolutely kicking myself at the time it took me parse that blessed dog, made worse that one is saying with me at the moment so not only was I staring at the clue I was staring literally at the answer.
LOL moment at 5a for me anyway. Thanks to Firefly and BD
I enjoyed solving this puzzle in the evening light.
Faves : 1a, 17a, 20a, 6d, 8d & 24d.
1d was last in as I was concentrating on a type of machine but at last the penny dropped!
An enjoyable solve for me ,24 d last in by quite a margin
Thanks to all