Toughie No 3072 by Elgar
Hints and tips by Dutch
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment *****
Such very sad news. Condolences to Dave’s son Richard. I offered to blog for Dave in 2015 and he said he only had the Friday toughie slot. He has been massively supportive throughout. Like many others, my first puzzles appeared in Rookie corner and NTSPP, though just one each. RIP Dave.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought of Today’s puzzle. There is space at the top of the website to leave messages of condolence.
Across
1a/17a/28a So blustery, shot almost turns around hole (3,5,3,2,8)
ALL MOUTH NO TROUSERS: An anagram (shot) of ALMOST TURNS AROUND HOLES
9a Wheel nut I secure fast! (2,1,5)
IN A FLASH: A reversal (wheel, as an imperative) of a nut or ardent supporter plus I from the clue, then a word meaning secure or tie
10a Ascertain every second to help pitch and keep piece impressive
EPIC: Second letters (ascertain every second) in both ‘help pitch’ and ‘keep piece’
11a Routes sleeper may take in King’s honour (12)
KNIGHTLINESS: A (5,5) phrase for ‘routes sleeper may take’ (think trains) goes inside (in) the chess abbreviation for king and the ‘S from the clue
13a Hawk perhaps besieging a twisting road (8)
WARPLANE: A word meaning ‘a twisting’ and another kind of road
15a 10 Ben’s known for filming and his part therein (6)
GHANDI: Hidden ( … part therein). Ben Kingsley, of course
16a/18a Substitute tackles awfully deep player (4,4)
TAPE DECK: A word meaning substitute contains (tackles) an anagram (awfully) of deep
20a Portico without opening agitated god of the sun (6)
EXEDRA: A 5-letter word meaning agitated but without the first letter (without opening), and the god of the sun
21a This is a surprise filling in small fish pudding (8)
FLUMMERY: A 5-letter expression of surprise goes inside (filling in) some small fish
23a Out again on vintage line (12)
RECRUDESCENT: A short word meaning ‘on’ or ‘concerning’, a 3-letter wine vintage and a word meaning line or ancestry
26a Chum for mum (4)
TOSH: A word that can mean ‘for’ (e.g. in a letter or parcel address) and an interjection meaning mum or quiet
27a Console producer, not having secured design (8)
NINTENDO: A 2-letter word meaning not or negative contains (having secured) a word meaning to design
Down
2d In an appendage swab picked up lumps (8)
LIPOMATA: A reversal (picked up) of ‘an appendage’ (1,4) containing (in …) a word meaning swab
3d Manurer’s picked another way to work in this? (12)
MUCKSPREADER: MANURER’S PICKED another way provides an anagram (to work) of IN +[the answer]
4d Last-minute changes sent out? For edit, this is it (6)
ULTIMA: An anagram (changes) of LA(st) MI(n)UT(e) without the letters of SENT (sent out). The answer, when applied to ‘edit’, gives you ‘it’
5d/25d Reportedly his best as a climber? (4,4)
HIGH SPOT: An all-in one: A homophone (reportedly) of ‘his’ (as in the plural of hi or hello) plus a reversal (as a climber) of a 3-letter word meaning ‘best’
6d Happy Italian set, obtaining 50 in viva with boost (8)
L’ALLEGRO: The apostrophe after the first letter in the answer makes this a bit harder, but the convention is not to include apostrophes in the enumeration. A reversal (with boost) of a 3-letter word for set plus the roman numeral for 50 inside (in) another word for a viva (examination)
7d e – 11 = HQ (4)
BASE: Three meanings. The first is related to natural logarithms, the second is a lack of [the answer to 11], and the third uses the abbreviation HQ
12a From underneath seat, shy sister has caught part of service (4,8)
NUNC DIMITTIS: A reversal (from underneath) of a word meaning to seat, a 5-letter word meaning shy, and a religious sister, containing the abbreviation for caught
16d/14d/8d Misunderstanding Doc’s week – then fortnight – off? (3,5,3,2,3,5)
THE WRONG END OF THE STICK: An anagram (off) of DOC’S WEEK THEN FORTNIGHT
17d Constituents you need to create a setter’s protein (8)
AMANDINE: Split (1,1,3,3) we have some components that will create “a setter’s” (1,4) with the possessive pronoun further split (1,3)
19d Driver imbibing not one? Yes and no! (8)
CAROUSER: A (3,4) phrase that can be a driver contains the letter that looks like zero (not one). The answer is someone likely to have a few!
22d Dicky, heading off out, does – and did (4)
USED TO: An anagram (dicky) of (o)UT DOES (heading off out)
24 Talk of pi folk, thin on the ground but thinner on top (4)
CANT: A 5-letter word for ‘thin on the ground’ without the first letter (thinner on top)
I liked Ben’s film and Dicky does and did. I think the driver was my favourite. Which clues did you like?
Failed on 24d – just couldn’t see that at all (biffed ‘cone’ because it tapers at the top, but otherwise doesn’t parse) and even reading your hint, Dutch, I still needed to pore over the BRB to understand it!
The 16d combo was almost my first in, and with 16a/18a & 27a soon following I thought I was doing well. Not so well, as it turned out. I knew the pudding, twigged the type of console (though have never had one or anything similar – don’t really feel I’ve missed anything), and stared at the anagram for the 1a combo for ages with just the ‘and’ in place before the light dawned. At that point it all started coming together quite swiftly, albeit with the BRB to hand and much used. Had never heard of 2d, 6d (enumerated with the apostrophe online) or 23a.
COTD for me was the shy sister, with 10a runner-up by a short head.
5* / 4*
Many thanks indeed to Elgar and of course to Dutch.
I finished it but unlike the last one had far too many un-parsed so many thanks to Dutch for unlocking 6d, the middle bit of 7d, 12d [which I really should have seen] and 24d.
and thanks to Egar for the challenge.
Very sad to hear this. Condolences to Dave’s family. He will be fondly remembered by all crossword lovers. RIP Big Dave. 🌹
I spent a long time on this with very little success and even a few lookups didn’t help me much with the rest. Very clever as usual but a bit too hard for me. Thanks for the hints, I’m not sure I would have solved any more on my own.