Toughie No 2854 by Django
Hints and tips by Crypticsue
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ****
Another fine Toughie from Django – I did toy with removing half an enjoyment star to allow for the number of times we had to ‘take or remove a letter’ but I had so much fun otherwise, that I thought I’d just have a little grump about it instead
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Hapless broadcaster initially going after all-naked pub and club act (7)
UNLUCKY The name of a well-known broadcaster without its first letter (initially going) put after the inside (all-naked) letters of pUb aNd cLUb aCt
5a Marx wasting hour visiting business with liberal idea to mobilise workers? (3,4)
CAR POOL Remove (wasting) the abbreviation for hour from the name of one of the Marx brothers and insert it into (visiting) an abbreviated business and the abbreviation for Liberal
9a Dreamers in space organised time aboard research satellite (9)
ESCAPISTS An anagram (organised) of SPACE followed by the abbreviation for Time inserted into the abbreviation for the International Space Station (research satellite)
10a Piece from burlesque entertainer (5)
QUEEN Hidden in burlesQUE Entertainer
11a After evacuation, safety instruction to reader to keep two metres apart is characteristic of illness (7)
SYMPTOM ‘Evacuate’ SafetY and then follow with an abbreviated instruction to a reader inserted (to keep … apart) two abbreviations for Metre
12a Angry at time I take off (7)
IMITATE An anagram (angry) of AT TIME I
13a Will finally drag in cooker as romantic gift (4-5)
LOVE TOKEN The final letter of wilL and a slang verb meaning to drag on a cigarette (especially one containing marijuana), the latter inserted into a cooker
16a Heartless sod after filling in his nana (5)
IDIOT This nana is a slang word for a fool – remove the middle letter (heartless) from a thin piece of turf dug up by a golf club during a stroke and put the letters you have left after the ‘filling’ in hIs
17a You are caught during escape from the east — blast (5)
CURSE A homophone (caught) of you are inserted (during) a reversal (from the east in an Across solution) of the abbreviation for escape you’ll find on your computer keyboard
18a 007’s boss popular with Bond — new to area that’s often consumed with case? (9)
MINCEMEAT The initial by which Agent 007’s boss was known, the usual two-letter ‘popular’ and a type of bonding material, the abbreviation for New in that word being changed to that for Area
21a Gather around auction site, spending last of money to get essential item for the table (3,4)
CUE BALL A verb meaning to gather goes round a well-known auction site without the Y (spending the ‘last’ of money)
22a Overdraft arranged reflected experimental environment (4,3)
TEST BED A reversal (reflected) of something owed such as an overdraft and part of a verb meaning arranged
25a Occasionally good to query smell (5)
ODOUR The occasional letters of gOoD tO qUeRy
26a Stint in quirky local drinking pale ale at the end (9)
ALLOWANCE An anagram (quirky) of LOCAL ‘drinking’ an adjective meaning lacking colour (pale), the result followed with the end letter of alE
27a As one worried Essex man must cast vote (2,5)
EN MASSE An anagram (worried) of ESSEx MAN without (must cast) the letter you use when you vote
28a Stream or boring river (7)
TORRENT OR (from the clue) ‘boring’ a British river
Down
1d Tool modifying iTunes with lead to laptop (7)
UTENSIL An anagram (modifying) of iTUNES with the ‘lead’ to Laptop
2d Deputy locked up my half of everything (5)
LOCUM Half of each of the first three words of the clue
3d Suffer punishment from second flier — look out (3,2)
COP IT The second flier on an aircraft without (out) the archaic interjection meaning look
4d Speak up over His Majesty: King supporting a cover-up (7)
YASHMAK A reversal (up) of a verb meaning to speak, the abbreviation for His Majesty, and the chess abbreviation for King, the latter ‘supporting’ or going after A (from the clue)
5d Protection from copper, quiet before one’s charged (7)
CUSHION The chemical symbol for copper, an instruction to be quiet and an electrically-charged particle
6d Necessary introduction to riding on horse — sit in knight’s place (9)
REQUISITE The introduction to Riding and a horse where SIT (from the clue) replaces the chess abbreviation for knight
7d I tape over wound in action (9)
OPERATIVE An anagram (wound) of I TAPE OVER
8d I eat noodles, originally to break religious fast — it’s tolerant (7)
LENIENT The original letters of I Eat Noodles to ‘break’ a religious fast
14d Content to supervise on account of medium or, perhaps, short measure (5,4)
VERSE FORM Take a verb meaning to supervise and just use the inside letters (content to supervise) follow with a preposition meaning on account of and the abbreviation for Medium
15d Sign outside of the man’s book (9)
THESAURUS A Sign of the Zodiac goes ‘outside’ a simple way of saying ‘the man’s)
17d Storm starts in 5,4,3,2,1 (7)
CYCLONE – The ‘starts’ to the solutions to 5, 4, 3 and 2 followed by 1 written out in full
18d Knock back some of the raw lamb — it could damage your system (7)
MALWARE Reverse (knock back) some of thE RAW LAMb
19d Short letter reviewing TV fundraiser: “Hearts not in it.” (7)
NOTELET A reversal (reviewing) a TV fundraiser without (not in it) the abbreviation for Hearts in a pack of cards
20d Smartest One Day International match is entertaining (7)
TIDIEST A match ‘entertaining’ the letter representing one and the abbreviations for Day and International
23d Singer makes things that may be used by one channel (5)
SEWER Someone working with material and thread might use a machine made by Singer; the second definition referring to a drainage channel
24d Diva removing shell of every nut (5)
BONCE A slang term for the head is obtained by removing the ‘shell’ of EverY from the name of an American female singer (diva)
My top favourite clues were the clever 17d (I don’t think I’ve seen that used before) and the smile-inducing 24d.
Gentle stuff, especially once settled into the rhythm of taking letters off or replacing them. I liked 22a and also 17d once the penny dropped. Thanks to Django and CS.
Good fun but not too much of a stretch – thanks to Django and CS.
My ticks went to 17a, 3d and 23d with my favourite being the novel 17d.
As seems to be the norm for this setter, there is very little (off-)white space in the clue columns, but he has mastered the art of providing smooth surfaces despite the wordiness of the clues which is fine by me.
I thought at first that 19d was an indirect anagram with reviewing as an anagram indicator. It was only after I had written it in that I spotted it was also a reversal with reviewing as a reversal indicator.
As a cricketing fanatic, my first thought on seeing One Day International was ODI, to the point that I even checked if “todiest” was a real word until the penny dropped. Very cunning disguise, Django!
With a lot of inventive clueing on show, the top prize has to go to 17d.
Many thanks to Django and to CS.
I found the bottom half quite tricky [3* say] but all of it was a joy to solve. Must admit I failed to parse 17d altho it seems so obvious in retrospect and I had fiddled with F, F,T,T one – without much conviction! So that’s a cotd along with the magnificent 11a.
Thanks to Django and to CS for the blog.
Amazing stuff, never have seen anything quite like it, certainly not 17d, clearly my COTD. My biggest problem lay not in the unpacking of the definitions but just plowing through the sometimes wordy, overwritten clues, searching for some kind of coherence and clarity. (Where are you Ray T / Beam when we need you?) But it’s obviously Django’s style, and who am I to carp, eh? In addition to 17d, I also very much admired 1a, 27a, 5a, & 21a. I am not impressed, however, with his ‘diva’ or that definition at 24d. Thanks to CS whose parsing of several clues helped me and to Django.
Today’s setter is one whose puzzles I always look forward to and this didn’t disappoint
Found the bottom half (particularly LHS) tougher than the top and needed a couple of nudges re the parsings but otherwise not too difficult and a whole host of fun.
My winners were 11,18&27a plus 17d.
Many thanks to Django and Cryptic Sue for a top puzzle and blog.
Very good puzzle, and like others I found the N rather more straightforward than the S, and the SW tougher than the SE. Needed the blog to parse a few of my bung-ins, and while my BRB tells me that cull derives from a French word meaning “to gather”, it’s use in this context was quite new to me. 17d very clever but since I had to come here to parse it I can’t include it among the podium list, which instead has 2d, 3d and 22a, with 5a my COTD.
Thank you to Django and to CS
For the first time in ages I have to admit that this was a struggle, and not one I particularly enjoyed. I found the clues a little too wordy for my liking, and some of the constructions were awkward. I rarely write a negative review, but one has to be honest and this was just not to my taste. I did appreciate the clever 17d and the misdirection in 20d.
Thanks and apologies to Django; thanks, too, to CS.
Django does suffer from verbal diarrhoea doesn’t he! Answers once more revealed. Such a bore
JB, I use a Windows laptop, an android phone and an Apple iPAD … all the answers are always hidden on all three.
What do you use that is causing so much angst?
ps. Sometimes the avatars are there, sometimes they are missing. Who cares?
An iPad using Chrome. Yesterday the cryptic was fine and the Toughie not. Confusing.
I had the same problem again today. Answers were showing. I use Chrome on an android phone, in fact a Blackberry – some of you may remember the Blackberry!
What is the point of B D if you don’t use the yellow covers may as well use Dan Word but with extra clues
Mike
Yellow covers?
Click here! Is grey at first and goes yellow when you reveal the answer. If yours are yellow to start with it is your browser that is opening them the wrong way round. If you click the yellow answers do they turn to grey click here’s?
PS to CS 23d doesn’t have either
Mine are neither grey nor yellow. The word is just printed black on white like the clues.
Same here JB
Very enjoyable puzzle although initially found the verbiage off putting. Favourite clues were 21A, 26A, 24D but best of all, the very clever (and new construction to me) 17D. Thanks to setter **/**** for me.
A really good fun solve with chuckles all the way through. Favourite the clever and different 17d.
Thanks Django and CS.
At least a 2* difficulty I thought, not a fan of clues like 14, but 17d and others good fun.
I thought this was absolutely top drawer & great fun. Way harder than a * star difficulty rating for the likes of me in terms of making sense of the wordplay, which is really what it’s all about with Django puzzles. Couldn’t think of the first 2 letters of the 2nd word at 22a so read the hint, swore loudly & then bunged in 24d to finish though it still took a while to figure out why.
Big ticks all over. Thought the wordplay at 1,5&11a particularly clever & like RD was initially thrown by ODI at 20d. COTD has to be 17d. Just wish I’d twigged the why. The parsing of 21a also eluded me – another clever clue – auction house indeed…
Thanks to Django & to CS
Thanks CrypticSue – and others for the comments.