Toughie No 3086 by Django
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Django provides another enjoyable mid-week Toughie, especially so if you are, like me and presumably him, a logophile
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought
Across
1a Perhaps security detail drove veteran back inside (7)
PADLOCK A crowd or group (drove) into which is inserted (inside) a reversal (back) of a synonym for veteran
5a Guilty can use the camp beds once stripped (7)
ASHAMED The inside letters (once stripped) of cAn uSe tHe cAMp bEDs
9a Staff wearing station uniform get limited fare? (3,4)
SET MENU Some staff ‘wearing’ a verb meaning to put in position (station) followed by the letter represented by Uniform in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet
10a Member of parliament penning article on non-governmental organisation’s blunder (3,4)
OWN GOAL A member of a parliament ‘penning’ an indefinite article which goes on or after the insertion of an abbreviation for a non-governmental organisation
11a Incredible Hulk’s ace new release (9)
UNSHACKLE An anagram (incredible) of HULKS ACE N (new)
12a Harangue Oscar judge (5)
ORATE The letter represented by Oscar in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet and a verb meaning to judge
13a Stand that supports hire cycles (5)
EASEL ‘Cycle’ or move the first letter of a verb meaning to hire to the end of the word
15a Adamant Berlin’s is ten times smaller at both ends (9)
INSISTENT Found in berlINS IS TEN Times once you have made the phrase ‘smaller at both ends’
17a Cryptically goes for Batman and Robin, say (5,4)
ALTER EGOS An anagram indicator telling you (cryptically) what to do with the word GOES
19a Capital city, south of Iowa (5)
SOFIA The abbreviation for South, OF (from the clue) and the abbreviation for the State of Iowa
22a Vacuous politician going through the escort agency’s terms (5)
EMPTY An abbreviated politician ‘going through’ or inserted into the terms or end letters of thE escorT agencY
23a Elon Musk’s angry about sanctimonious left hiding where some plans go? (2,2,5)
UP IN SMOKE An anagram (angry) of ElON MUSK without (hiding) the L (left) into which is inserted an informal adjective meaning sanctimonious
25a Aquarium commercial including introduction from Rick Stein? (7)
TANKARD An aquarium and an abbreviated commercial into which is inserted (including) the ‘introduction’ of Rick
26a This writer’s books receiving hype with Independent publishing house (7)
IMPRINT How our setter would say I am (this writer is) and some books of the Bible between which is inserted (receiving) some abbreviated hype and the abbreviation for Independent
27a MC Hammer ultimately going to back companion (7)
COMPEER The ultimate letter of hammeR found in a Master of Ceremonies goes to the back of the word
28a Somehow warn Harry, one has a point (7)
NARWHAL An anagram (somehow) of WARN followed by a diminutive form of Harry
Down
1d Field doctor tears up (7)
PASTURE An anagram (doctor) of TEARS UP
2d First to do drug trials can’t stand (7)
DETESTS The first letter of Do, Crosswordland’s favourite abbreviated drug and some trials
3d Work in parade essentially supporting opening of Olympic Games (5)
OPERA The essential letters of paRAde ‘supporting’ or going under in a Down solution, the opening of Olympic and some abbreviated [school] games
4d & 23d Note bad luck to interrupt monarch with subordinate yielding to pressure (9,5)
KNUCKLING UNDER The abbreviation for Note and an anagram (bad) of LUCK inserted into (to interrupt) a monarch, the result followed by an adjective meaning subordinate
5d & 16d Amazing ace, obvious spin with no fault seen (5,9)
ABOVE SUSPICION An anagram (amazing) of ACE OBVIOUS SPIN
6d Structures with many layers (3,6)
HEN HOUSES A cryptic definition of some structures designed for many layers
7d Fury following low fee paid by bank? (7)
MOORAGE A synonym for fury following a noise made by cattle (low) combine to give a fee paid by a [river] bank
8d Least inspiring and stupidest students replacing doctor (7)
DULLEST Replace the abbreviation for doctor in a synonym for stupidest with two lots of the abbreviation for student
14d Something Hollywood might produce in Los Angeles, California filling principally religious channel (5,4)
LARDY CAKE Hollywood the baker rather than Hollywood the place. The abbreviation for Los Angeles, the principal letter of Religious and the abbreviation for the State of California inserted into a channel or ditch
16d See 5 Down
17d Clean and jerk holding up when used with energy and power (7)
ASEPTIC A jerk or nervous twitch holding up (in a Down solution) a conjunction meaning when and the abbreviations for Energy and Power
18d For example spaghetti junction‘s highest point over city motorway (7)
TOPONYM Spaghetti Junction is an example of a descriptive place name. The highest point of something, the cricket abbreviation for Over, an abbreviated US city and the abbreviation for Motorway
20d Daft place to go climbing in skates for example (7)
FOOLISH A reversal (climbing) of an informal ‘place to go’ inserted into some cold-water vertebrates (skates for example)
21d Assistance as airline served up coffee on the counter (7)
ABETTAL A reversal (served up) of an abbreviated airline and a reversal (on the counter) of a type of coffee
23d See 4 Down
24d Drink beer occasionally — excellent (5)
SUPER A verb meaning to drink and the occasional letters of bEeR
Loved it, with only 17&18d (a new word for me but obtainable from wordplay and checkers) really holding me up.
Thought the lurker and indicator at 15a very smart indeed, but top four for me were 17,23,25&27a, all of which were outstanding clues, enjoyed the contemporary real-life references (so typical of this setter) of three of them in particular.
Many thanks indeed to Django and Sue for the top-notch entertainment.
A very enjoyable puzzle – thanks to Django and CS.
My last clue to parse was 15a where I initially thought that the central 3 letters were the word in Berlin (and the rest of Germany) for ‘is’. When the correct parsing suddenly became clear I had what pommers would call a ‘tea-tray moment’.
The top clues for me were 25a, 2d, 7d and 20d.
Great fun as ever from the master of 18d-style parsing.
25a was my favourite with several others running it close.
Many thanks to Django for the enjoyment and to CS for the beautifully illustrated review.
What a tremendous puzzle – reasonably gently and lots of fun throughout. A steady solve from N to S, completion delayed by wanting the 27a companion to be the abbreviation CH, which meant my musings were entirely off course for 18d. When 27a did dawn it still took a while to parse it, and a check-back to the BRB to confirm, but what an odd word!
So many good clues I could list nearly all for one reason or another but shall limit to 25a & 7d, with 14d beaten by a short nose by COTD 17a.
2* / 4*
Thanks for an excellent puzzle, Django, and thank you too, CS
Great fun but I had trouble in the SE where I so wanted 20d to be Florida until light dawned. I also had the same problem as Gazza with 15a. Lots to like here but I’ll narrow it down to just: – 5a [nicely done] 17a [and again] 23a [nice to see the “sanctimonious left” get a “hiding” for a change] and 20d [see above].
Thanks to Django and CS.
This was immaculate. Great fun, brilliant parsing – I really like this setter’s style. One question: is the “for example” really needed in 20D? It’s very fair, of course, but is it necessary? In a Toughie, I would have thought that could be omitted. Doesn’t matter one jot though – loved it all.
Thanks ALP. I do think the ‘for example’ necessary in 20d. I might be wrong, but I’ve never had a sense that being a Toughie means definitions-by-example can go unindicated.
Most enjoyable and thoroughly appreciated.
25a gets out biggest tick.
Thanks Django and CS.
Witty and enjoyable.
Great guzzle. Three quarters of it went in smoothly but tricky in the SW. 18d & 27a both unfamiliar to me & requiring BRB confirmation. Needed Sue’s pic (no need to read the hint – wouldn’t have known what the cake was but had heard of it) to shove me over the finish line with last in 14d as didn’t peg the Bake Off fella context & had made a hash of the wordplay. Top 3 for me – 17,23&25a
Thanks to Django & to Sue
Thanks CS and thanks all.