Toughie 3084 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Toughie 3084

by Dutch  

Toughie No 3084 by Osmosis

Hints and tips by Dutch

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

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

In a rush today, apologies for no pictures. Do we have a pangram?

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a    Stupid character bunglin’ heists now and again (10)
FLUFFINESS: A word meaning bunglin’ (without the G) plus the even letters (now and again) in heists

6a    Scouse, for one in Devon area, extremely troublesome (4)
STEW: Put the outer (extremely) letters of troublesome into the part of England that is the Devon area

9a    Boot bags normal when shifting football outfit (10)
KILMARNOCK: A word meaning to boot contains (bags) an anagram (when shifting) of NORMAL

10a    Lake I built without spending much (4)
LEGO: The abbreviation for lake and a word meaning ‘I’

12a    Revise bright idea withdrawing clothes (4)
EDIT: Reverse hidden ( … withdrawing clothes)

13a    Dare-devil keeps gatecrashing public inquiry at back (9)
OVERHASTY: A word meaning keeps goes into (gatecrashing) a word meaning public, plus the last (at back) letter of inquiry

15a    Ladder repositioned to short fire escape, hopefully (3,3,2)
RUN FOR IT: A word for a ladder in a stocking plus an anagram (repositioned) of TO FIR(e)

16a    Merchant ship avoiding huge lochs in this region? (6)
ARGYLL: A 6-letter great merchant ship without (avoiding) a 2-letter abbreviation for huge plus two abbreviations for loch

18a    Slogger run out by Jack intercepting hit (6)
TROJAN: The abbreviations for run out and Jack go inside (intercepting) a hit

20a    Flirt disheartened still visiting French coast (8)
COQUETTE: Put a 5-letter word meaning still or silent (without the middle letter, disheartened) inside (visiting) the French word for coast

23a    Without issue, bill folded through last entrance (9)
SPELLBIND: An anagram (folded) of BILL inside a word meaning issue

24a    Motor locks resounded (4)
HARE: A homophone (resounded) of the locks on your head

26a    Hallmark on label distinguished fruit (4)
ACAI: The abbreviation for Appelation Controlee plus two characters meaning distinguished or excellent

27a    Top sportsman reddish hosting constant workout (10)

DANCERCISE: A top martial arts grade plus a reddish colour containing (hosting) the abbreviation for constant

28a    American intermingled with railway crowd (4)
ARMY: Two letter abbreviations for American and railway are intermingled

29a    Artist‘s teddy bear ultimately charcoal rather than black (6,4)
EDWARD LEAR: The name for which teddy is a nickname plus ‘bear’ in which the abbreviation for black is replaced by the last letter (ultimately) in charcoal

Down

1d    Ersatz brass making Charlie a thousand (4)
FAKE: A word meaning brass or impudence has C replaced by K

2d    Empty posh port around centre of Henley (7)
UNLADEN: An abbreviation for upper class and a middle east port contain the central two letters of Henley

3d    Maybe nineteenth hole lacking in cocktail? A little (12)
FRACTIONALLY: What nineteenth is an example of, plus a 5-letter mixture or cocktail without the letter that looks like a hole

4d    OK to take new unit reduced to eleven hundred? (3-5)
NON-TOXIC: The abbreviation for new, a number that would be a unit without the last letter, TO from the clue plus Roman numerals for 11 and 100.

5d    When heavenward, having unending belief? (6)
SACRED: An all in one. A reversal (heavenward) of a 2-letter word meaning when, then a 5-letter word for a belief without the last letter (unending)

7d    The unknown’s all right, apparently (4,3)
THEY SAY: THE from the clue, an algebraic unknown, and a word meaning all right or yes.

8d    Possibly deal with money bypassing the works director (5,5)
WOODY ALLEN: Something that can be quantified by a deal, then some Asian money goes around (bypassing) a 3-letter word meaning the works

11d    Brother in comprehensive education that contests steeplechase? (12)
THOROUGHBRED: A word meaning comprehensive plus the abbreviation for education contains the abbreviation for brother

14d    Somewhere in mid-Europe, underwear model on the up — hot stuff! (10)
BRATISLAVA: Some female underwear, a reversal (on the up) of a word meaning to model, plus some hot stuff ejected from a volcano

17d    British audio broadcast features outwardly chic heroine (8)
BOUDICCA: The abbreviation for british, then an anagram (broadcast) of AUDIO contains (features) the outer letters of chic

19d    How one casts old commandos, screening detective series? (7)
OVERARM: The abbreviations for old and a military force contain (screening) a British detective series

21d    Note to split chopped dog food (7)
TERRINE: The abbreviation for note goes inside (to split) a dog without the last letter (chopped)

22d    Perhaps monitor student magician removing head (6)
LIZARD: The abbreviation for a student driver, then a 6-letter magician without the first letter (removing head)

25d    Close pocket when cycling (4)
NEAR: A word meaning pocket or gain money is cycled

My favourite today is 8d – which clues did you like?

14 comments on “Toughie 3084”

  1. 26a defeated me in an otherwise enjoyable puzzle. My favourites were 10a, 3d and 14d.

    Thanks to Dutch and Osmosis.

  2. 16a, 26a and 27a completely beat me all ends up, but them apart, a steady if not particularly speedy solve. 8d proved to be my top clue this afternoon, ahead of 3d.

    Thanks Osmosis for this real challenge, and to Dutch for putting me out of my misery with my three missing clues.

  3. Yes, it’s a pangram, Dutch. I parsed 8d slightly differently – deal is a type of ****, then the asian currency around the works.

    I was bowled all ends up by 26a and 27a – entered but could not parse the former for toffee, needed too much e-assistance for the latter and was almost saddened to see that it’s actually a real word, and in the BRB. Boo! Hiss! Far from convinced that 1a is synonymous with “stupid character”.

    Otherwise a pretty gentle Toughie for a Friday (still pretty darned Tough, though!) and very enjoyable. Too many surfaces rather odd, as one expects in a Toughie. COTD 20a, Hon Mention 14d & 19d.

    4.5* / 3.5*

    Many thanks to Osmosis and Dutch

    1. Yes, I thought deal was a quantity of wood but it seems it can also be a type of wood. Fluffiness is “a state of being stupid or dizzy-headed, hence stupid character or characteristic. And yes, I hadn’t seen the workout before.

      1. Re fluffiness – maybe elsewhere, Dutch, but not in the BRB Revised 13th Edition, where the closest it gets is to explain fluffy as meaning “lacking intelligence or depth”, which to me is still some way off being ‘stupid’. As I said, far from convinced, but that’s the setter’s (and editor’s) prerogative!

        MG

        1. I don’t possess a BRB but lacking intelligence seems to come close enough for me.

  4. I did need to ask Mr G about the fruit but otherwise a full house for me – hurrah!
    Podium places allocated to 29a plus 14,19&22d.

    Thanks to Osmosis for giving me a chance today and thanks to Dutch for the review

  5. 16a, 26a and 27a also defeated me.I never saw or heard of that fruit and I think 26a is a very unfair clue.
    For one thing cerise is a pink colour not brownish at all and anyway is “dancercise” a word ?
    Otherwise I really liked 7d, 11d, and 22d.
    My favourite is 29a.
    Thanks to Osmosis and Dutch.

    1. Reddish. And unfortunately dancercise is a word. I’ve never seen it before either.

  6. I found this probably the toughest toughie for months, especially the NE corner. Didn’t think 26a was that hard – its berries have been put into all sorts of trendy health potions for a few years now [read your labels]. I was initially defeated by 10a and about to declare it a dud clue till I checked Chambers to find it more-or -less a synonym for jerry-built. It was a bit too much of a slog for favourites but 29a was amusing.
    Thanks to Osmosis and Dutch.

  7. Two shockers in one day – has the crossword editor got it in for us ? . Still , as compared to the Backpager , most of these
    clues were fair though didn’t like 1A or 16a ,and 26a a, 27a impossible .

  8. I think there is a problem with 16a…. The ship in question was the Argo. ‘Argosy’ refers to the ship’s voyage rather than the ship, but I think the clue only works if the ship was called Argosy. Maybe should have been something like ‘Merchant ship travelling to avoid….’? But thanks all the same – a vital service for those of us who can’t quite complete every time!

    1. Welcome to the blog. It looks like you have gone too far back in history. The BRB has for Argosy – a great merchant ship, esp of Ragusa (modern Dubrovnik) or Venice and the term was used by Shakespeare in a number of plays including ‘The Merchant of Venice.’

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