Toughie 1255

Toughie No 1255 by Petitjean

What we need is some R&R with a G&T

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

Petitjean tends to polarise opinions but when he’s in his quirky mood he’s one of my favourite setters. Today’s puzzle includes a number of expanded abbreviations in the same format. I did enjoy it and I would probably have finished it more speedily if I hadn’t had a mental block in the NW corner.

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 Clues

9a Cram tool shed and get hacked off (5)
SHORN – start with a verb to cram or force into an inadequate space and from that take away (shed) a gardening tool.

10a Foodies try game rejected by department store (9)
GOURMANDS – string together a try or attempt, the reversal (rejected) of the fifteen-a-side game and the high street department store (1,3,1) selling knickers and nuts.

11a Dirty fellow (East-ender) tore into food with teeth (7)
DENTATE – the bloke who was given the sobriquet ‘dirty’ in the BBC soap opera is followed by the end letter of East and a verb meaning tore into food.

12a Dramatist covering end of political conspirator (7)
PLOTTER – the dramatist who wrote ‘Pennies from Heaven’ containing the end letter of political.

13a Count Bruce’s top basslines — with odd exceptions (5)
BASIE – the first (top) letter of Bruce followed by the even letters of basslines.

14a Liberal censures new protection (9)
SUNSCREEN – an anagram (liberal) of CENSURES followed by N(ew).

16a Less than serious event, for instance, a kind of opera with no pace or dancing (3-3-5,4)
EGG-AND-SPOON RACE – string together the abbreviation meaning for instance, a kind of opera (1,3,1) and an anagram (dancing) of NO PACE OR.

19a Contest whose participants must get used to taking stick (5,4)
RELAY RACE – cryptic definition of a team event on the athletics track.

21a Forster bumped into tourist in Cornwall (5)
EMMET – the initials of the novelist Mr Forster and a verb meaning bumped into.

23a Left around 100 worked up (7)
EXCITED – a verb meaning left (the stage, perhaps) containing the Roman numeral for 100.

25a Speaking about conditions? (2,5)
ON TERMS – this phrase means speaking, in the sense of being in a friendly relationship. A preposition meaning about is followed by conditions or stipulations.

27a England and Hodgson claiming funky music may be sort that carries a message (6,3)
ERRAND BOY – E(ngland) followed by the forename of Mr Hodgson their current football manager with the abbreviation for a type of funky music (1,3,1) inserted.

28a Stars love return of classic Hollywood genre (5)
ORION – the letter that looks like love or zero is followed by the reversal of a type of film (usually a thriller or detective film involving menace and sexual tension) from the classic Hollywood era.

Down Clues

1d Enjoyed Subaru’s edgeways cornering (4)
USED – hidden (cornering) in the clue.

2d Thingamy‘s activities (6)
DOINGS – double definition, the first a catch-all term for something you can’t put a name to.

3d Self-styled popular celebrity on left’s unknown (2,4,4)
IN NAME ONLY – a charade of an adjective meaning popular, a celebrity or well-known person, ON, L(eft) and a mathematical unknown.

4d Issue is degenerate runs away (6)
EGRESS – a verb to degenerate or take a turn for the worse without the first occurrence of the cricket abbreviation for runs.

5d To come across undrinkable beer’s nothing (4,4)
BUMP INTO – if you’re stuck for the answer here have a look at 21a. This is a charade of an adjective meaning of poor quality or unpleasant, a traditional serving of beer and the letter that resembles zero.

6d Unlimited riches that could include mine (4)
AMMO – mine here is a type of explosive. We have to remove the first and last letters (unlimited) from a term used in the New Testament to mean worldly riches regarded as an evil influence.

7d Curse articles strewn across motorway (8)
ANATHEMA – an old chestnut. Various definite and indefinite articles contain the abbreviation for motorway.

8d A small group under canvas drawing together (10)
ASTRINGENT – A and S(mall) followed by a group or band inside a canvas dwelling.

13d Visibly tired beady leer somehow focused on celebrity’s bottom (6-4)
BLEARY-EYED – an anagram (somehow) of BEADY LEER containing (focused on) the bottom letter of celebrity.

15d Judgment time to oust five in assembly (10)
CONTENTION – T(ime) replaces the Roman numeral for five in an assembly or conference.

17d Tatty dining car neither fashionable nor popular embodying outmoded status symbol (4,4)
GOLD CARD – firstly make an anagram (tatty) of DINING CAR without two words meaning fashionable and popular then insert (embodying) an adjective meaning outmoded or dated.

18d Substitute securing point for champions (6,2)
STANDS BY – a substitute available at short notice contains (securing) a point of the compass.

20d £25 in English money for Guinness, Beck’s or Pimm’s? (6)
EPONYM – insert an informal term for £25 between E(nglish) and M(oney). I spent ages this morning trying to find the derivation of the £25 word but to little avail. I did find a promising suggestion that it (and ‘monkey’ for £500) came from Indian currency where these animals appeared on relevant rupee notes – however that theory has been shot down because there never has been a 25 rupee note.

22d See 26d

24d Hit hard — lump coming up (4)
TONK – reverse a lump or node.

26d/22d Pain mixed with pleasure meeting resistance after a time by home bird (4,6)
SAND MARTIN – the abbreviation for sexual practices involving pain and pleasure (1,3,1) (not to be confused with the department store in 10a!) is followed by R(esistance) after A. To finish off we need T(ime) and an adverb meaning at home.

Top clues for me today were 9a, 16a and 13d. Let us know which one(s) you liked.