Toughie No 2940 by Osmosis
Hints and tips by Dutch
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment ****
I was slow to get going in the top half, but the rest seemed more tractable. Thankfully, there were a few easier clues. Again, Osmosis has omitted almost half the alphabet.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Unrefined performance art hyped somewhat (6)
EARTHY: Hidden (… somewhat)
4a Sandy recalled certain module thwarting student festivity (8)
GRANULAR: A reversal (recalled) of a ‘certain module’ (think space) inside (thwarting) a ‘student festivity’
10a Bit tense reporting rank booze (9)
COINTREAU: A bit (as in money), the abbreviation for tense, and a homophone (reporting) of rank or tier
11a Frank’s opposite number gradually rising through banks in City (5)
CAGEY: A number that gradually rises, unfortunately, goes inside (through) the outer letters (banks) of ‘city’
12a Send off wine that valentine receives (3-4)
RED CARD: A type of wine and something that you would normally give a valentine on Feb 14th
13a Proper tango old rocker performed with partner (7)
DUETTED: A word meaning proper, the letter with radio code Tango and an ‘old rocker’
14a The Spanish like this feller on ranch? (5)
LASSO: A 3-letter Spanish article plus a short word meaning ‘like this’. Feller as in something that can bring down, I guess
15a The Spread Eagle mean to install communication system (8)
ETHERNET: An anagram (spread) of THE, a 4-letter eagle, and the central letter (mean) of install
18a Period dummy I used in short illusion (8)
TRIASSIC: A 3-letter dummy or idiot and ‘I’ from the clue go inside (used in) a 5-letter illusion or deception without the last letter (short)
19a Charge hardware? (3-2)
ADD-ON: Two meanings, for the second think computers
21a Disheartened, Carol departs leaving blighted garden bloomer (7)
CLANGER: C(aro)L from the clue without the inner letters (disheartened), then an anagram (blighted) of GAR(d)EN without (leaving) the abbreviation for departs
23a Leftovers on retiring is expected (7)
RESIDUE: A short word meaning ‘on’, a reversal (retiring) of IS from the clue, and a word meaning expected
24a Minor rider passing leading pair (1-4)
C-LIST: A 7-letter ‘rider’ without (passing) the first two letters (leading pair)
25a Separately, one European enters drunk, being his own boss? (9)
LIEGELESS: Take a 7-letter word for drunk (unable to stand), and in separate places insert (enters) the Roman numeral for one and the abbreviation for European
26a What was that river by Alabama pub? (8)
ALEHOUSE: An exclamation meaning ‘what was that?’ plus a 4-letter Yorkshire river follows (by) the abbreviation for Alabama
27a Price of surplus back numbers (4-2)
ODDS-ON: A word for surplus (think socks) and a reversal (back) of an abbreviated form of ‘numbers’
Down
1d 14‘s letter delivered on round (8)
ENCIRCLE: A homophone (delivered) of a letter in the alphabet (the 14th!) and another word for round
2d On River Test, current site vacated to develop plants again? (15)
REINDUSTRIALISE: A short word meaning ‘on’ (again), an Asian river, another word for test, the physics symbol for current, and S(it)E without the inner letters (vacated)
3d Elder has indeed gone dressed up for exercise with special pants (5,4)
HATHA YOGA: An old (elder) form of ‘has’, a 2-letter word meaning indeed or yes, and a reversal of a word for gone, or in the past. I assume the special pants are breathing techniques!
5d Approaching due north: wild hog (5,3,6)
ROUND THE CORNER: An anagram (wild) of DUE NORTH and a word meaning to hog
6d Specialised biscuit with hard filling (5)
NICHE: A brand of biscuit contains (with … filling) the abbreviation for hard
7d Vertigo Ray endured on vacation between capes (5-10)
LIGHT-HEADEDNESS: A word that could be a ray, then E(ndure)D without the inner letters (on vacation) goes between two different words for a cape
8d One capital in Asia, dry, unusually hot (6)
RIYADH: An anagram (unusually) of the Roman numeral for one, the first letter (capital) of Asia, and DRY, then the abbreviation for hot
9d Unerring marine maybe scans phone for vital text (4,3,7)
DEAD SEA SCROLLS: A word that can mean unerring or accurate, a 3-letter word meaning marine, and a word for ‘maybe scans phone’ (e.g., when looking at a long web page)
16d Fishing gear around trailer seat affected position of stability (9)
ROADSTEAD: A fishing implement goes around both a trailer or promotion and an anagram (affected) of SEAT
17d Shelter with debris, occasionally drinking (8)
ANDERSON: A conjunction meaning with, the even letters (occasionally) of ‘debris’, and a short word that means drinking or getting drunk
20d Plant succulents, passing time in borders of arboreta (6)
ACACIA: Some spiky succulents omitting (passing) the abbreviation for time go inside the outer letters (borders) of A(rboret)A
22d Raise spirit for a start (3-2)
GET-GO: A word that could mean raise or obtain and a word that could mean spirit or energy
My favourite today was the all-in-one Asian capital (8d), and I also enjoyed the old rocker tangoing (13a) and the Alabama pub (26a). Which clues did you like?
I thoroughly enjoyed this difficult challenge, and thank our blogger for parsing 3d which although I solved I had no idea how. The brilliance of compiling this without so many letters of the alphabet is quite superb. As is often the case, trying to pick a winner from such a stellar list was tough, but I have gone for 26a.
My thanks and congratulations to both Osmosis and Dutch.
Echo Young Salopian above. Are the pants in 3d trousers rather than breathing? Thanks to both for a fair Friday challenge
The BRB supports the “breathing” interpretation.
🙋🏻♂️
How anyone completed this is quite beyond me! I’ve never heard of a 16d but well remember my grandmother’s 17d.
17d. I remember the shelters but I’m afraid the drinking term was beyond me (although I’m well practiced at it). Rest of it fell into place eventually. Great effort Osmosis.
Short for “ on the way”
1a was a gimme and I thought “right, here we go”, then nothing for quite a long time! Eventually it started to yield down the RHS and 15a was a cracker, but the COTD was 26a, altho 3d runs it close.
Thanks to Osmosis [I guess he’s trying to see how few letters can be used to make a 15 x 15 crossword] and to Dutch for the blog.
I managed 11 clues after a lot of hard work.
Thanks to all concerned.
Hard work but eventually everything was sorted which was very satisfying.
Thanks Osmosis and Dutch.
Impenetrable after 3 quick solutions, and an hour’s head scratching. So I’ll have another go in the morning after the Saturday back-pager. No toughie tomorrow, so I hope a good night’s sleep will unravel a few to get me going again!
Well, that’s the morning gone, but I got it sorted.
Had to check a few things afterwards with the hints, so thanks for them Dutch. And thanks Osmosis for a great puzzle
Shouldn’t 15a be “median” and not “mean”? Surface wouldn’t then make sense though.