Toughie 1216

Toughie No 1216 by Beam

Hints and tips by Bufo

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

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

This is the third week running that I’ve had to work hard! Today I made steady but rather slow progress until I ground to a complete halt with the NW corner still to do. After leaving it for a while I came back to it and managed to do 2 down which led me to 1 across and the rest then followed (but not very quickly). Because of my trials and the fact that it’s taken me a long time to write this blog make me obliged to give it 5* for difficulty. I think the definitions caused me more problems than the wordplay.

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Across

1a    Bad appetite sharing large helping on plate (12)
{ILLUSTRATION} Take a 3-letter word for ‘bad’ (ending with L) and a 4-letter word for ‘appetite’ (beginning with L). Run them together but make them share the L (large). Then add a helping to give a plate (i.e. a picture inserted into a book)

9a    One enthusiastic about business centre? (9)
{FINANCIER} An enthusiast (as in pigeon *******) goes round the middle two letters of business. The whole clue provides a definition

10a    Sort of a bleeding heart story (5)
{FABLE} The middle letters (heart) of sort oF A BLEeding

11a    French director on the subject of film style (6)
(RENOIR} The surname of a French film director (son of a famous artist) = ‘on the subject of’ (2) + a 4-letter word that goes after film to give a style of film in which the darker side of human nature is presented

12a    Rough break ends keeping perfect standard (8)
{BALLPARK} A word meaning ‘rough’ derived from the American sporting scene = the first and last letters (ends) of BreaK round ‘perfect’ and a standard

13a    Covert organisation in virtually traded group (6)
{SOCIAL} The covert organisation is an agency of the US Government. Put it inside ‘traded’ with the last letter removed (i.e. virtually all the word). This gives an informal gathering of a group of people

15a    Softened, and second, faded around mid-life (8)
{MODIFIED} A second (short period of time) + ‘faded’ round the middle letters of lIFe

18a    Congregation’s beliefs overturned creating fuss (8)
{FOLDEROL} A word for a congregation derived from an enclosure for sheep + a reversal of beliefs = fuss (though this definition is not supported by Chambers)

19a    Most fit turning in pursuit set pace (6)
{APTEST} Hidden in reverse in pursuiT SET PAce

21a    Suppress article about resistance facing extreme Left (8)
{THROTTLE} The definite article goes round R (resistance) and a 3-letter abbreviation meaning ‘extreme’ and L (Left)

23a    Police back breaking heartless establishment’s laws (6)
{EDICTS} A reversal of part of a police force inside the first and least letters of EstablishmenT + ‘S

26a    Bump and grind, initially naked? (5)
{NUDGE} G (the first letter of Grind) inside a word meaning ‘naked’ which is used in the phrase ‘in the ****)

27a    Regulars, right before time, almost preferred returning outside (9)
{CLIENTELE} The set of regular customers = right (4) + T (time) inside a reversal of ‘preferred’ with the last letter removed

28a    Incredible writer nearly consuming last of madeleine, notice (12)
{PREPOSTEROUS} The surname of a French novelist with the last letter removed goes round E (last letter of madeleine) and a notice displayed on a wall

Down

1d    Due to get Marks and Spencer briefs … (7)
{INFORMS} ‘Due’ (2,3) + MS (Marks and Spencers) = ‘briefs (tells someone the facts)’

2d    … underwear‘s new range, top to bottom (5)
{LINEN} A generic term for underwear = N (new) + range with the N put at the end (moved from top to bottom)

3d    Start to sell show for the audience? (9)
{SYNDICATE} S (first letter of Sell) + a homophone (for the audience) of ‘to show’. The whole clue provides the definition (to sell a programme for broadcasting by many different stations)

4d    Gunners one down, as you’d recognise, and bust (4)
{RAID} An abbreviation denoting ‘Gunners’ and I (one) and D (down) = a bust (by the police). The ‘as you’d recognise’ is there because D = down isn’t a standard abbreviation but it is one that crossworders use

5d    What makes seasoned sailor? Previously being in Navy (8)
{TARRAGON} An aromatic herb used for seasoning = a sailor + ‘previously’ inside the Royal Navy

6d    Slaughter and cut everyone’s entrails (5)
{OFFAL} ‘To slaughter’ (US slang according to Chambers) + ‘everyone’ with the last letter removed = edible internal parts of an animal (e.g. entrails)

7d    Irritating when catching supporter in view, oddly (8)
{ABRASIVE} ‘When’ (2) round a supporter for female body parts (3) + the odd letters of In ViEw

8d    As blackbird is cooked and pie finally eaten (6)
{BEAKED} Cooked (like the four-and-twenty blackbirds in the nursery rhyme) round E (last letter of piE)

14d    State of US flag, flapping (8)
{COLORADO} The US spelling of a word meaning ‘flag’ + flapping (as a noun)

16d    Dessert in pieces in cool sauce (9)
{IMPUDENCE} Put an abbreviated form of a word meaning ‘dessert’ (3) inside pieces (of a chess set). Then put the result inside ‘to cool (with frozen water)’ to get ‘sauce (cheek)’

17d    Following turn to toilet, endlessly avoid paper (8)
{FOOLSCAP} F (following) + a reversal of a toilet + a 6-letter word for ‘avoid’ with the ends (first and last letters) removed = a non-metric paper size)

18d    Beds town losing head in football season openers (6)
{FUTONS} Sofa beds of Japanese design = a town (which happens to be in Beds) with the first letter removed inside the first letters of Football Season

20d    Adornments of dancers, less attractive flipping (7)
{TASSELS} Hidden in reverse in dancerS LESS ATtractive

22d    Half-loathe Conservatives’ wing protecting ‘one of them‘ (5)
{THEIR} The second half of loaTHE + the abbreviation for the wing occupied by the Conservatives round I (one)

24d    Song of praise by Church member elevated belief (5)
{CREDO} A reversal (elevated) of a song of praise and a member of the Catholic church

25d    Boarding house possibly takes in (4)
{DIGS} I’m hoping that this answer is correct. It means lodgings (e.g. a boarding house) and I’m assuming that ‘takes in’ is another definition but I don’t really see it  [I guess you didn’t get it / take it in!  BD]

I wonder when normal Thursday service will be resumed. Or is this the new normal?