Toughie 1229

Toughie No 1229 by proXimal

Vlad still rules, OK!

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

Not yet quite up to the standard set for Friday Toughies by Elgar, but a very pleasant puzzle nonetheless.

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Across

1a    One’s embracing and not about to display restraint (5)
IRONS – I (one) and the S from ‘S around the reversal (about) of a word meaning “and not” gives a form of restraint

4a    Right routes to block South American’s acerbity (9)
SURLINESS – R(ight) and some routes inside (to block) S(outh) and the two-letter abbreviation American

9a    A way swine butts into recording material (9)
CARDBOARD – the A from the clue, the two-letter abbreviation for a way and a male swine all inside a type of recording (relatively modern this time!)

10a    Harry Houdini, bereft of any ego, struggling (5)
HOUND – an anagram (struggling) of HOUD(I)N(I) without

11a    Like some wine poured after halfway through meal? (7)
REDDISH – the second half of [pou]RED followed by a meal

12a    Fungus left over that’s used in some brandies (7)
MORELLO – a type of fungus followed by L(eft) and O(ver)

13a    In recess, house contains silver idols (6)
IMAGES – the reversal (in recess) of a type of suburban house around the chemical symbol for silver

15a    King died, pierced by apparently large invader in the garden (8)
KNOTWEED – K(ing) and D(ied) around (pierced by) a phrase meaning large, expressed as a negative (3,3)

18a    Vague posh character twice interrupting nobles, excitedly (8)
NEBULOUS – the usual character used to represent posh inserted into (interrupting) two different (twice) parts of an anagram (excitedly) of NOBLES

20a    Vessel in reverse to drag fawn (6)
KOWTOW – the reversal of the vessel which you might use to stir-fry followed by a verb meaning to drag

23a    Initially, angler takes bait and tackle (7)
ATTEMPT – the initial letters of two words in the clue followed by a verb meaning to bait or entice

24a    Cutting class, about to go quickly and quietly (7)
SNIPPET – to get this newspaper cutting put a class or group around a verb meaning to go quickly and the musical notation for quietly

26a    Asian city wall has angry guards (5)
LHASA – hidden (guards) inside the clue

27a    Dull auntie oddly entertained by prisoner (9)
INANIMATE – the odd letters of A[u]N[t]I[e] inside a prisoner

28a    Shoot from cultivated leeks cut by father and daughter (9)
SKEDADDLE – this verb meaning to shoot or run off hurriedly is derived from an anagram (cultivated) of LEEKS around (cut by) a three-letter word for father and D(aughter)

29a    Cheesed off after run’s left uncovered (5)
NAKED – start with a colloquial word meaning cheesed off and drop (left) the R(un)

Down

1d    Arouse love to block evil hostile action (9)
INCURSION – a verb meaning to arouse or become subject to followed by O (love) inside a three-letter word meaning evil

2d    Dead-headed rose, used bladed implement (5)
OARED – the initial letter is removed (dead-headed) from a verb meaning rose or increased quickly

3d    Sandwich with fruit, awesome (7)
SUBLIME – a sandwich, so named because of its shape, followed by a citrus fruit

4d    Damage agricultural tool scrubbing yard for head of abbey (6)
SCATHE – start with an agricultural tool and drop (scrubbing) the Y(ard) and replace it with the initial letter (head) of A[bbey]

5d    Basic uniform, stupid to get torn outside (8)
RUDIMENT – U(niform) and an adjective meaning stupid inside (get … outside) a verb meaning torn

6d    Come into popular hospital weary, on reflection (7)
INHERIT – the usual two-letter word for popular followed by H(ospital) and the reversal (on reflection) of a verb meaning to weary

7d    Gold that is found in surgical department makes one exuberant (9)
EBULLIENT – an alternative word for the gold on an archery target and the Latin abbreviation for “that is” inside the usual hospital department

8d    Uncool fellow‘s weird when turning up (5)
SADDO – the reversal (turning up) of words meaning weird and when

14d    Tackled by a biter bizarrely, inform referee (9)
ARBITRATE – an anagram (bizarrely) of A BITER around (tackled by) a verb meaning to inform

16d    Doctor hosting private therapy primarily to stop economic decline (9)
DOWNTREND – D(octo)R around (hosting) a three-letter adjective meaning private or personal and the initial letter (primarily) of T[herapy] and followed by a verb meaning to stop

17d    Made respectful gesture, better to welcome in first to turn up (8)
CURTSIED – an adjective meaning better or recovered from illness around the reversal of the letters that look like the abbreviated form of first

19d    Dance graduate in foreign car (7)
LAMBADA – a graduate in business administration inside a Russian (foreign) car

21d    Take ordinary engineering item (7)
OPINION – this take or viewpoint comes from a charade of O(rdinary) and an engineering item which is usually paired with a rack to turn rotatory into linear motion or vice versa

22d    Avoid the computing scene? (6)
ESCAPE – split as (1-5) this could be, but isn’t, a computing scene

23d    Mythological figure a sailor upset (5)
ATLAS – the A from the clue followed by the reversal (upset in a down clue) of one of the usual words for a sailor

25d    Stunt, parking where taxis park (5)
PRANK – P(arking) followed by where taxis park

Following the (almost) unanimous acclaim for the new spoiler facility I have dropped the curly brackets that have been used on this site for over five years.