Toughie 3076 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Toughie 3076

by Dutch  

Toughie No 3076 by Sparks

Hints and tips by Dutch

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment *****

A lovely puzzle with some nice quirks. A Nina is seen symmetrically in the grid.

Strictly I’m not allowed to advertise here, but I hope I’ll be forgiven – if you have some time tomorrow, you might like to try my puzzle in the independent

Please leave a comment telling us how you got on and what you think

1a    Kit he’s left out for poacher? (4,6)
FISH KETTLE: An anagram (out) of KIT HE’S LEFT

6a    Promise Germany conflict is over (4)
WORD: A reversal ( … is over) of the IVR for Germany and a conflict or argument

9a    Ponder when half-cut about beginning to ring a best friend (5)
CORGI: The first half (when half-cut) of an 8-letter word meaning ‘ponder’ goes about the first letter (beginning) of ring

10a    Final 6 translated mit umlaut (9)
ULTIMATUM: An anagram (translated) of MIT UMLAUT

12a    Rob, exhausted, still pursuing capture? (7)
MUGSHOT: A word meaning to rob and a word meaning exhausted

13a    Stand in the way of punch (5)
CROSS: Two meanings, the second a boxing term

15a    Title insurance, but not contents, covering house on front    

IVANHOE: The outer letters (but not contents) of insurance contain (covering) the abbreviation for house following on from a word meaning front will give the title of a book by Walter Scott

17a    Fish head from smoked kipper (7)
SNAPPER: The first letter (head) of smoked plus someone who kips

19a    Exaggerate through inversion of Eb (7)
INFLATE: It took me a while to see Eb as a musical key. A 2-letter preposition that can mean through, then the inversion would give you bE

21a    Prudent independent cut back most of credit (7)
POLITIC: A reversal (back) of the abbreviation for independent plus a word meaning to cut, then most of a 4-letter word for credit

22a    Censure suppressed by extremely ghoulish plot (5)
GRAPH: A word meaning to censure or reprove goes inside (suppressed by) the outer letters (extremely) of ghoulish

24a    Barry’s bored by drivers by front of repair shops (7)
BAZAARS: The nickname for Barry plus the ‘S contains (bored by) an automobile club (drivers) plus the first letter (front) of repair

27a    Learner follows popular classes as a rule (2,7)
IN GENERAL: The abbreviation for learner follows a 2-letter word meaning popular and a 6-letter Latin word meaning classes

28a    Island possessed by fat landowner (5)
LAIRD: The abbreviation for Island is contained (possessed) by a word for fat

29a    Set point — we shall see, ultimately (4)
TELE: Last letters ( … ultimately)

30a    Sticky fluid secretion outwardly portrays reaction to stress (5,5)
GOOSE BUMPS: A 3-letter sticky fluid, a 5-letter secretion, and the outer (outwardly) letters of portrays

Down

1d    Nothing at all on sides of carriage clock (4)
FACE: A 2-letter abbreviation that means ‘nothing at all’ and the outer letters (sides) of carriage

2d    Lion maybe intermittently sick with harmful fighting (5,4)
SCRUM HALF: The odd letters (intermittently) in sick plus an anagram (fighting) of HARMFUL

3d    Decking man secures base of patio (5)
KOING: A man on a chess board contains (securing) the last letter (base) of patio

4d    Criminal, say, that’s disgusting; one blocking kick (7)
TOUGHIE: An exclamation meaning “that’s disgusting” plus the Roman numeral for one go inside (blocking) a 3-letter word that can mean kick

5d    Tales about drink wherein not a little is a lot? (7)
LITOTES: Tales or fibs go about a short drink

7d    Best old Morecambe and Wise perhaps returning — about time (5)
OUTDO: A reversal (returning) of the abbreviation for old and a 3-letter word that might describe Morecambe and Wise, perhaps, contains (about) the abbreviation for time

8d    Shocked bird scoffing mass unexpectedly burst (10)
DUMBSTRUCK: A 4-letter bird contains the abbreviation for mass plus an anagram (unexpectedly) of BURST

11d    Bloke making claim he falsified (7)
MICHAEL: An anagram (falsified) of CLAIM HE

14d    Bishop possibly utilising one for whom rose could be pink (10)
BILINGUIST: The abbreviation for bishop and an anagram (possibly) of UTILISING

16d    Pagan wants warm layer (7)
HEATHEN: A word meaning to warm and a farm layer

18d    Element of autism so upsetting after onset of paranoia (9)
POTASSIUM: An anagram (upsetting) of AUTISM SO comes after the first letter (onset) of paranoia

20d    Ban qualification held by climbing fiend (7)
EMBARGO: A 3-letter business degree goes inside (held by) the reversal (climbing) of a fiend

21d    Bewilders quietly with unintroduced gags (7)
PUZZLES: The musical abbreviation for quietly then a 7-letter word meaning gags without the first letter (unintroduced)

23d    Financial adviser limited by exchange laws (5)
ANGEL: Hidden (limited by … )

25d    Impromptu atomic construct erected following loss of uranium (2-3)
AD-LIB: The abbreviation for atomic, then the reversal (erected) of a word meaning to construct, but without (following loss of) the chemical symbol for uranium

26d    Fish that is missing tail (4)
IDES: A (2,3) Latin phrase meaning ‘that is’ without the last letter (missing tail)

I liked the stories about drink (5d), the lion (2d), the best friend (9a) but my favourite for the penny drop moment was 19a (the musical key). Which clues did you like?

16 comments on “Toughie 3076”

  1. Very enjoyable indeed and completing a week of fine and not overly tough Toughies.
    I don’t often get the opportunity to comment on a Dutch blog so it’s nice to be able to make a contribution for a change.
    I thought 2d was a bit of a stretch (I think it’s a maybe of a maybe!) and always considered 23d to be a financial backer rather than advisor but Chambers says both. 5d a new word for me but very fairly clued.
    In a strong field my podium contenders are 9,12, 17&30a plus the amusing 8d.
    Many thanks to Sparks and to Dutch, particularly for explaining my 19a bung in, will definitely give your puzzle a go tomorrow.

  2. Inordinately proud of myself for getting 2d quite early on but the same could not be said for 19a where I had the answer but couldn’t parse it – thanks for the help, Dutch!
    Top marks went to 12,28 & 30a.

    Thanks to Sparks and tummy tickles for Tia – any new photos of her? Thanks also to Dutch for the pictorial review.

  3. I found this a very enjoyable puzzle with only one word I did not know (3d) which was guessable once the checking letters were in. I found the right hand side was fairly easy but the left hand side gave me plenty of problems so overall it was harder than two stars for me.
    I had some fun and games with 15a since my grandmother once ran a guest house with the name of the answer to the clue. It was at the seaside and was a “house on (sea) front”. Making the perhaps dubious assumption that the 3 lettered word meaning front could be a distinguished foreign title (as with the famous composer from Bonn) I had the three components to the answer but no matter how, the order could not be made right. Eventually I remembered the novel and it made sense.
    1d also caused some amusement – I came across the two letter abbreviation forming the first 2 letters of the answer at school where it was an abbreviation of something very rude and one would not expect in the Telegraph! I was quite relieved when I looked it up and found it to be quite innocent!
    Many thanks to Dutch and Sparks

  4. I enjoyed this great Toughie so much – and completed it in such relatively little time – that I was almost disappointed on coming here to see that it was not the Friday setter I had expected, namely Osmosis! Out of interest, is 3d enumerated with an apostrophe in the dead-tree version? Without one it just looks like a noise.

    Some odd surface reads, as one expects from a Toughie, but ticks everywhere afterwards – 9a, 19a, 30a, 1d, 7d, 14d, 18d – but I think 5d is my COTD.

    Many thanks indeed to Sparks for a great lunchtime challenge, and to Dutch for the review.

      1. Thanks, Jane. I’m relieved to see the BRB requires an apostrophe whether the first two letters are capitalised or not. Boing or BO’ing … what a considerable difference the apostrophe would make!

  5. Dutch I think the answer to 10a is ultimatum, not ultimate. Thanks to Dutch (especially for helpful hint re 19a) and Sparks

  6. Sorry to nitpick about 19a but while the musical symbol for a flat note looks quite like the letter b, it is not the letter b but something else in its own right. The problem for a crossword setter is that the musical symbol does not appear on a standard keyboard so the letter b has to be used in its place as the nearest available alternative.

    1. well yes, the setter knows that of course – so it’s a bit naughty. I’ve never seen it before.

    2. Although it does look different from the letter b in other clues – maybe a smaller font? Or just my eyesight.

      1. And should also have said most enjoyable crossword as always from Sparks and thanks to Dutch for help with parsing.

  7. I got a full grid in the end with a little bit of electronic help, so was very pleased to have finished a Toughie on a Friday. Most enjoyable – thank you Sparks, and thank you to Dutch with parsing help on the flat B.
    I have looked, but cannot see the nina, I thought fishface in top left might be a lead, but no. Please can someone direct me. Thanks in advance

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