Toughie No 2258 by Zandio
Hints and tips by Dutch
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ***/**** – Enjoyment ***
This is the first Zandio puzzle I’ve had the pleasure of blogging. The right-hand side went in easily enough but I struggled in SW. I’m still not sure about 26a, so if you have any thoughts on that, please share. Now sorted.
Definitions are underlined. The hints are intended to help you unravel the wordplay. You can reveal the answers by clicking on the not yet! buttons. Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Rough clubs like strong-flavoured alcohol (6)
CHOPPY: The cards abbreviation for clubs plus an adjective describing strong-flavoured beer
4a Cockney’s unexciting, simple … (2-6)
NO-FRILLS: A (2-7) expression for unexciting, but with the ‘th’ pronounced Cockney-fashion
10a … pork-pie maybe gives satisfaction (3,3,3)
TIT FOR TAT: Cockney rhyming slang (as indicated by the ellipses) for something exemplified by a pork pie
11a Social climber brings back unusual article from Spain (5)
LEMUR: Reversal (brings back) of a word meaning unusual or odd and the Spanish definite article
12a Being looked up to by others (7)
GIRAFFE: A cryptic definition of an animal (yes, that kind of being)
13a Criminal’s piercing cry when driving, banned (7)
FOREBADE: An adjective meaning criminal goes inside (piercing) a warning cry when driving as in playing golf
14a Frost said something read (5)
RHYME: A homophone (said) of a word meaning frost
15a Sticking together with the man breaking up company racket, shortly to retire (8)
COHESION: A masculine pronoun goes in between (breaking up) the abbreviation for company and the reversal (to retire) of a 5-letter word for racket or din without the last letter (shortly)
18a Drought as school subject? In retrospect, aim to get dope about that (8)
ARIDNESS: The abbreviation for a religious school subject plus the reversal (in retrospect) of a word meaning aim are surrounded by (to get … about that) a word meaning dope or idiot
20a Mug incorporates motto I’d invented, contrarily? On the contrary (5)
IDIOT: Hidden (… incorporates). ‘On the contrary’ suggests that instead, ‘motto I’d invented’ incorporates ‘mug’
23a Good beer this person’s spilled over old girl’s uniform (3,4)
GYM SLIP: The abbreviation for good, then the reversal of a type of lager and a possessive pronoun meaning this person’s
25a One aged fifty, in taking too many pills, gets disturbed rest (7)
OLDSTER: The Roman numeral for fifty goes inside (in) the abbreviation for taking too many pills plus an anagram (disturbed) of REST
26a Cut by point of knife, one bloodied makes wound up (5)
IRKED: I think this is a 6-letter word meaning to have been cut by a knife or dagger (“by point of knife, one bloodied”) without the first letter (cut), but perhaps there is a better explanation. Thoughts welcome. The first letter (point) of knife goes into (cut by) the Roman numeral one plus the colour corresponding to bloodied.
27a Appropriateness of English verb seized upon by sacked cleaner (9)
RELEVANCE: The abbreviations for English and verb go inside (seized upon by) an anagram (sacked) of CLEANER
28a Takes care of survey — memory’s required (5,3)
MIND’S EYE: A 5-letter verb meaning takes care plus a verb meaning to survey or examine
29a Instructions by which privates will be constrained (6)
BRIEFS: Two meanings
Down
1d Kind of parable in which tiger perhaps drives all away (8)
CATEGORY: An 8-letter parable in which ALL from the clue is replaced by (drives away) a type of animal exemplified by a tiger
2d Postholder‘s inaccurate figures perhaps shown up by actuary’s conclusion (3-4)
OUT-TRAY: a word meaning inaccurate or in error, a reversal (shown up) of figures or drawings perhaps and the last letter (conclusion) of actuary
3d In report, insurance company released correct text (9)
PROOFREAD: A homophone (in report) of both a shortened familiar form of an insurance company plus a word meaning released
5d Striking astronauts fired here (3,2,4,5)
OUT OF THIS WORLD: Generic direction where astronauts may be sent
6d Governor‘s measure applied in school? (5)
RULER: Two meanings
7d A gumboil requiring treatment, I must avoid pain (7)
LUMBAGO: An anagram (requiring treatment) of A GUMBO(i)L avoiding the I
8d Something loose on hillside attended by northern vet (6)
SCREEN: Loose stone on a hillside plus the abbreviation for northern
9d Keep fitter? Do — it gives poorly folk a pick-up (9,5)
STRETCHER PARTY: An exercise that might be a keep fitter plus a do or social function
16d Aqueous kind, I’ve rage to submerge (4-5)
SKIN DIVER: An all-in-one hidden (… to submerge)
17d Banquet’s beginning with exotic taster — butterscotch at heart (8)
STARTERS: An anagram (exotic) of TASTER plus the two central letters (at heart) of butterscotch
19d Something to eat from barbecue’s ending with stock jam topping (7)
RAMEKIN: The last letter (ending) of barbecue plus a word for stock or family, and a verb meaning jam or cram at the front (topping)
21d Concentrated, as the decimal system is initially easy to follow (7)
INTENSE: A (2,4) description of the decimal system followed by the first letter (initially) of easy
22d Resentment of the more experienced English is evident in meeting (6)
AGEISM: The abbreviation for English plus IS from the clue go inside (evident in) the abbreviation for an annual meeting
24d Extremely uplifting wearing cap — swimmers like them (5)
LIDOS: The reversal (uplifting) of a 2-letter word meaning extremely supports (wearing) another word for cap or cover
My favourite was 12a, though I also enjoyed 29a. Which clues did you like?
Nice puzzle with some good laughs – thanks to Zandio and Dutch. NW corner was last for me. I liked 29a, 9d and 22d but my favourite clue was 12a.
I think that 26a is pretty straightforward – I (one) + RED (bloodied) with K[nife] inserted.
Dutch did send me that explanation, but I have only just had the time to insert it (between downtimes on the site)
many thanks for fixing Dave
Like Dutch, the right-hand side went in at a good pace, but then things slowed up considerably, with the SW corner being the main hold-up.
Couldn’t get 22d and then found I also had 29a wrong (orders instead of briefs).
Enjoyed the puzzle with 4a and 10a being my favourites.
Thanks to Zandio and Dutch
I think 19d should underline “something to eat from” . One doesn’t eat the container!
I managed 3/4 of this but was beaten by the SW corner.
Liked 29a
A new setter or a pseudonym? A real Friday poser. I’m glad Dutch enjoyed the challenge.
19d – yes probably – but it also means the contents! see chambers.
If I remember correctly, when this setter appeared on a Wednesday a few weeks ago, he dropped by the blog and commented that he believed in setting puzzles light on GK and obscurities – so that’s both thumbs up from me! He also commented that he feared his previous puzzle was a bit too simple but it was one of the hardest I have tried recently. This puzzle seems a touch gentler but keeps to the aim of avoiding GK. Like others I found the right hand side filled out fairly smoothly. The only things I did not know were the cockney hat and the fact that 19d is also the name of something cooked in the (usually) ceramic dish.
So a very enjoyable puzzle. Both thumbs still up. Favourites included 12a, 29a, 21d and 22d
Thanks to Zandio and Dutch
Trying again before the site goes down again!
Approached this one in some trepidation as I found this setter’s debut puzzle very hard indeed. Thought this one was far more solver friendly and thoroughly enjoyed it despite, like others, finding the LHS rather more difficult than the RHS.
Some excellent wordplay and I gave top billing to the very amusing 29a.
Thanks to Zandio and to Dutch for the blog.