Toughie No 2207 by Dada
Hints and tips by Kitty
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BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ***
Hello everybody. Thanks to Dada for today’s Toughie, which took me a little longer than his usually do (though that could be down to solving redonculously early in the morning before work). I’ll be interested to hear what you awake people thought of it!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below and indicators are italicised when quoted in the hints. You’ll find the answers inside the [a solution is needed] buttons.
Across
7a Following wicket a cheer, match abandoned due to rain? (7)
WASHOUT: Following the cricket abbreviation for wicket, the A from the clue and a cheer or loud call
8a Arrow tip (7)
POINTER: Double definition: a directional indicator, or a hint
10a Exciting work uniting assistant and painter (4-6)
PAGE-TURNER: An boy attendant is followed by an English romantic painter
11a Call to come down hard (4)
HAIL: Two definitions, the second cryptic. Call a cab. To shower icy balls
12a Voice least surprisingly featured in newspaper obit’s introduction (8)
FALSETTO: An anagram of (… surprisingly) LEAST inside (featured in) a newspaper plus the first letter of obit (obit’s introduction)
14a Stick poster on crossword? (6)
ADHERE: A poster or bill and the location of the crossword in relation to itself
15a Dwarf somewhat taller? That’s a compromise (5,6)
HAPPY MEDIUM: 6 out of seven dwarfs are not this one. Add a size somewhat larger [than a dwarf]. Of course, a definition of a compromise is something which makes nobody _____
19a Personal design, rubbish as well (6)
TATTOO: A charade of rubbish (3) and also (3)
20a Tied up in dispute there, divorcee (8)
TETHERED: The answer is found in the last three words of the clue
22a One supplying pork pies in bar on the counter (4)
LIAR: A bar or rod, reversed (on the counter) gives us someone telling porkies
23a Someone I’d fancy to save cash initially — did just that? (10)
ECONOMISED: An anagram of (… fancy) SOMEONE I’D containing (to save) the first letter of (… initially) cash. The definition refers back to the money-saving mentioned earlier in the clue
25a Nick wearing flag, hopeful (7)
WANNABE: Nick in the sense of arrest inside (wearing) flag or diminish
26a Raised, say, in the north of the city? (7)
UPSTATE: A charade of raised or in a higher place and say or declare
Down
1d Celebration featured noble man (7)
GALAHAD: A charade of a festivity and a word meaning featured
2d The vowel ‘U’ (4)
THEE: THE from the clue and a vowel make an old-fashioned or dialect way of saying what “u” means in textspeak
3d Period of wind, something shining above? (6)
AUGUST: The period is a month. A sudden blast of wind is preceded by the chemical symbol of a metal (something shiny above?)
4d Originally, mess inside a ground tidied up, one putting loads away? (8)
GOURMAND: The first letter of (originally) mess goes inside A GROUND, anagrammed (tidied up)
5d Where satellite dish may be free (2,3,5)
ON THE HOUSE: Literally, a likely location of a domestic satellite dish, or no charge
6d Alcohol-free drinks bad — wicked stuff (7)
DEVILRY: A word meaning alcohol-free contains (drinks) bad or wicked
9d News broadcast on air, not if interrupted by spy boss (11)
INFORMATION: An anagram of (broadcast) ON AIR NOT IF containing (interrupted by) a famous fictional spy boss
13d Unfortunately the ratings very upsetting (10)
SHATTERING: An anagram of (unfortunately) THE RATINGS
16d More than one saw drifter entering pubs with university dropout? (8)
PROVERBS: Saw here is a saying or adage. One drifting or roaming being place inside (entering) PUBS, having had an abbreviation for university removed (with university dropped)
17d Principal source of profit (7)
CAPITAL: Another double definition. Principal or main, or money invested
18d Number like two in farm building (7)
SEVENTY: The number is an actual, cardinal number, not an anaesthetic! “Like two”, not odd, goes in a farm building for pigs
21d Company turning out with rep (6)
TROUPE: An anagram of (turning) OUT with REP
24d Involved with India, not abroad (4)
INTO: The letter encoded by India in the NATO alphabet followed by NOT anagrammed (abroad)
These hints and tips are for anyone who might find them of use. The asides and illustrations are to add a personal perspective and some colour. The forum is for everyone. Please do leave a comment if you need anything clarified, have any corrections or suggestions, or if there’s anything else you’d like to say.
A little tricky by Tuesday standards but not as difficult as some of his recent Paul puzzles. 1d was last in, and I wasn’t 100% sure there wasn’t a better solution, and the crossers were no use whatsover! 15 was my favourite
Thanks to Dada and Kitty
As I said in my comment on today’s back pager this was a Dada puzzle that, given recent experiences, wouldn’t be out of place on a Sunday. Very enjoyable and reasonably straightforward completed at a Toughie gallop – **/****.
Candidates for favourite – 7a, 15a, and 2d – and the winner is 15a.
Thanks to Dada and Kitty.
An enjoyable outing but pretty gentle even for a Tuesday Toughie – it would be good if Dada occasionally gave us a puzzle like the ones he invariably produces as Paul in the Guardian.
The clues I’ve ticked were 15a, 22a and 16d.
Thanks to Dada and the hard-working Kitty.
Just the right level of challenge for me and very nice indeed apart from the provenance of 26a not being indicated.
With the cricket season just getting underway, 7a was a timely reminder of what to expect. That was one of many clues squabbling for a place on my podium, the others being 10a, 15a, 22a, 2d & 16d.
Many thanks to Dada and to Kitty.
I was bang on Dada’s wavelength today, as this Toughie took me no longer than today’s back page cryptic to solve. Both puzzles very good fun and most enjoyable too. Thanks to all :-)
I enjoyed this — thank you, Dada, and Kitty for the hints and explanations. 1d was also my last one.
I still didn’t understand the reversal indicator in 22a even when I started typing this sentence, but I suddenly got it — and now it’s one of my favourites, along with 5d and 10a. 8a is my top clue, for its perfect minimalism .
Just a small quibble with 26a – it really isn’t to the north of a city. It is, as it says, to the north of a county or state.
But, if you consider the (unindicated) American usage of the answer it is acceptable.
Bad day at the office when you have to start out on the review by looking up a word from the preamble! It’s meaning was fairly obvious but the word itself hasn’t crossed my path before today.
An enjoyable solve with one in each corner holding out ’til the end. 10a made me smile and I thought 2d was rather clever.
Thanks to Dada and to our valiant Girl Tuesday for blogging at stupid o’clock. Hope you managed to stay awake long enough to also complete the day’s paid work!
Fear not, Jane – I have been a veritable working machine lately. (One in need of getting well-oiled before long, but that will be another story!) This is set to be another crazy-busy week (with added visitors), but having got through that I might – just possibly – start managing to make time to solve more crosswords than I blog!
Thank you to all commenters for making it worth carrying on.
I think you’ll be entitled to spend more time oiling the machinery than in solving extra crosswords!
1d was the last one for us to get sorted. Much of the time was spent trying to get a celebration that would fit with the three checkers before we twigged that the definition was at the other end of the clue. All good fun as ever from this setter.
Thanks Dada and Kitty.
This wasn’t a good day at the office for me. I got the top half easily enough with the exception of 1d and 6d – both of which refused to come to me. Looking at the review, I should have been able to do both (although I found neither the grid nor the checkers helpful), but since it became obvious that I wasn’t going to be able to finish, I ran out of steam and enthusiasm to do the bottom half the justice it deserved. Thanks anyway to Dada and Kitty.
Agree with Beery re the difficulty (and Gazza for that matter), and I too had to look up redonculously. No other problems to report.
Thanks Dada and Kitty. Crazy-busy sounds like hard work. Haven’t done that since telling the Boss to go forth… and going freelance. Sincerely hope you get a break soon.
Thanks, LbR. It’s not all bad. Am working with some great people and having lots of laughs too. And for some reason our office mascot, Freddie the Flea, has taken up residence by me. (Maybe best not to ask!)
Feeling slightly guilty/amused that people have been moved to look up redonculously. I’m used to it in informal use, but that’s all. It’s not in Chambers anyway, so crossworders are safe. (For now …)
Petition to get The Telegraph to change the rubric to “Chambers or The Oxford Roald Dahl Dictionary is recommended”?
It features in The BFG as: “‘Redunculous!’ said the BFG. ‘If everyone is making whizpoppers, then why not talk about it? We is now having a swiggle of this delicious frobscottle and you will see the happy result.’”
Thank you Smylers I can almost hear mark rylance saying that in the film! Oddly enough I got 1d early on but got really hung up with a banner for 25a. Thanks Kitty for helping me out. A very satisfying puzzle to have completed, now I can go to sleep!