Sunday Toughie No 79 by Robyn
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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A not-too-tough toughie today from Robyn – about Tuesday Toughie or Weds/Thursday back pager level I think.
A slightly imbalanced 16a 14d clues today and I have hinted half – I hope you find enough checkers to get over the line.
After getting to the end 25d I am somewhat esurient so I may have to have a cheese sandwich!
Here we go…
As it is a Prize puzzle I can only hint at a few and hope that will give you the checkers and inspiration to go further. I’ll be back just after the closing date with the full blog. Don’t forget to follow BD’s instructions in RED at the bottom of the hints!
I hope I don’t have to redact any comments but I am new at this and don’t want to rock the boat. If in doubt, I’ll rub it out! I think that sentence is a bit redundant. You have all been so helpful in sorting out prior parsing failures, and I am sure I will need similar help again.
Most of the terms used in these hints are explained in the Glossary and examples are available by clicking on the entry under “See also” Where the hint describes a construct as “usual” this means that more help can be found in The Usual Suspects, which gives a number of the elements commonly used in the wordplay. Another useful page is Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, which features words with meanings that are not always immediately obvious. Don’t forget the Mine of useful information that Big Dave and his son Richard so meticulously prepared for us.
A full review of this puzzle will be published after the closing date for submissions. Some hints follow: Remember the site rules and play nicely.
Across
1a Defend gagster, outspoken figure (5,2,3)
A two-word phrase for how a gagster or comedian plies their trade and a homophone of a figure between three and five
9a Bracing tête-à-tête, say, about student teacher’s method (5,3-2)
A medicine that is invigorating or bracing, then tête-à-tête is a definition by example (say), here it is an S shaped easy chair so that sitters may face each other, don’t forget to include the letter that student drivers are obliged to display. The teacher here is specifically a music teacher
12a Brief recession where people have little money (4)
A place where poor people may live is also a shortening of the financial crisis that may have put them there
15a Singer in clubs given a wave (8)
A seasonal singer, from the letter denoting the suit of black trefoil-shaped cards, a from the clue and a large breaking wave
20a I appreciate that French solver carries cloth round (5,3)
How the French refer to you the solver, around the cloth you keep available for nose blowing and the round letter
23a Chain hosts wrapped around duck (9)
Abbreviated Masters of Ceremonies (including the s) go around a well-known cartoon duck for a chain of restaurants. I would probably find similar sustenance in a well-filled nappy!
27a Lacking control, Cockney suffering after drinking with Scottish hooligan (10)
How a Cockney who drops his aitches may suffer after excessive drinking and a slang Scottish hooligan
29a Set out to pen holy book, with odd barrier to fiction? (5,5)
An anagram of set, pens a book of the Bible, followed by something odd, this “barrier” would prevent one from making fictional statements.
Down
1d Is a crossword compiler caught leaving schools? (4)
What Robyn does for us every third Sunday when the C for caught is removed from schools of opinion
4d Film-maker supporting fascist regime’s leader (8)
A prefix for supporting, the title assumed by the fascist Mussolini and the leading letter of regime
8d Grand tours south of Spain’s capital maybe booming (10)
I may have misparsed this, but I have an abbreviated grand as a number, around (tours) something south of or below and the Capital letter of Spain
11d Flattening what could be a female medic’s gown? (7,5)
The title of a medic and a female suffix follows a synonym of flattening for the gown prescribed for receptions, dinners or balls
14d Funny nurses working with drug initially, tending to husband (10)
Tending to husband resources, from something funny, a synonym of working and the drug known by its initial
19d Little perch, perhaps, one seen in a pond (7)
An informal small amount ( that the BRB suggests is especially N American but as it is also an abbreviation of the North Yorkshire brewing town where I live I forgive the unindicated…) and the perch that a Kingfisher may alight upon to catch his supper. I bunged in a small fish but corrected to a young amphibian when checkers came
25d Electronic current blocker somewhere in Holland (4)
A prefix for all things electronic and the structure that blocks the current of a river is also a place in Holland
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I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of this CD meanwhile here is a track I am putting straight to the top of my playlist;
That’s All Folks
Always great to start a Sunday morning with a Robyn Toughie and this one was as splendid as ever
Many thanks to him and SJB
I can’t find it now but the Matt cartoon about the Met Office one day last week was brilliant too
I get the Matt newsletter at just about the same time as I hit publish, I hope to get more in my blogs, today Matt recommends looking up 1a comedian Nate Bargatz and I am finding it hilarious
This one?
Brilliant can be applied to pretty much any of Matt’s cartoons and the weather is one of his (and Brits in general) favourite topics
That’s it
😆 Many a true word is spoken in jest!
Robyn never lets us down – thanks to him for this entertaining puzzle and to SJB for the hints.
I ticked 27a, 5d, 7d and 11d but my favourite (because it made me laugh) was 23a.
Me too with 23a but I would never eat one – at least until the next time I am the 27a Cockney suffering
Is it possible for someone to email me as I am not receiving my daily Big Dave cryptic and toughie email,I will post this on Sunday cryptic just in case, sorry for any trouble this may cause.
TIA
Until Mr K gets the new hosting sorted out there are no emails going out but if you bookmark bigdave44.com you will find us
Meanwhile Mr K is working hard on restoring the email facility asap
Different selection of top picks for me – 1,6,18&20a.
I’d appreciate some help with 5d – I’ve got the two words I think fit with the clue but have no idea as to whether the combination actually exists. Mr G isn’t being very helpful!
I think the synonym of Rancid is ok but the butter is not the ovine with horns but the portion of “spread” you ought to put first on a scone the whole being having firmly grasped what has to be done
Many thanks for the help, think I’ve finally got there – something of a stretch maybe? I did learn along the way that it’s considered quite OK to eat a preserve that you have had to scrape the mould from beforehand!
It is ok to eat 23a too – but I wouldn’t
River Phoenix Wil Wheaton et all have a firm grasp of their lines here 2:55
I have a feeling the answer is something High Tech which is beyond me. Or maybe I’m just thick! I take it you are not a fan of 23a?😀
🍟indeed not, the fact that the absorbent material in most nappies is derived from potato starch means the well filled nappy analogy is particularly apt
I once had to spend a week on 23a on a school trip supporting our kids performing in the dome (23a was the sponsor) – began feeling unwell after three days, not one has passed my lips since :(
5d was my LOI and had to go though a list of 249 three letter words before the penny dropped for the second word. 🙂
Not-so-tough? This Toughie kept me occupied through two Women’s football matches and half the motor racing from overcast Croft! Presume Croft is 30 miles north of SJB’s brewing town?
I was determined to complete this one and needed several hints from SJB as well as a couple of answers appearing in the Cryptic recently. Found three different spellings online for the four letter 24a.
No real favourite- they were all good.
Thanks to Robyn for keeping me inside on this fine sunny day and SJB for the hints and the Nils Lofgren track. Saw Nils in Aberdeen in the 70s.
According to Mr Google maps Croft is 54 miles from my little brewing town, but that is not as the crow flies but even so it will be nearly 50 than 30
Nils is much better than his day job of of being one of Bruce’s sidekicks in the E Street Band. I am hoping when he’s finished touring with Bruce he will do another tour here. I saw him at the Harrogate Kursaal about 4 years ago
Had an excellent meal in your brewing town a few years ago when staying in the Travelodge just along the road. It was handy for Colton Junction during my trainspotting days.
Have not heard Nils for years but might be persuaded to get this cd.
I am led to believe that the NRM museum in York has had a refresh and I must make a note to revisit soon. I have a pic of the Flying Scotsman at Colton Junction but it was towed behind a diesel and too big for posting here (and a lousy photo) I am no David Bailey
Well I didn’t think this was too easy either . I am a great fan of Robyn but didn’t think this was his best ; one or two stretches on the parsing and needed SJB to get there . Thanks to both.
I couldn’t quite parse 8d but having read the hint I think you have it spot on, thanks SJB! my faves were 27a and the cheeky surface read of 13a. Thanks for an enjoyable Sunday Toughie Robyn and to SJB for the hints…
Glad you agree with 8d, Capital is so misleading in Cryptic crosswords, there is an anagram of the currency in the answer that made me think as well as The IVR code for Spain before I realised it was a literal Capital
Thanks for the hints SJB. I’ve filled in the grid with your help. I am not sure of the parsing of 10a, 28a, and 7d. I have a feeling that the clue for 7d ought to include the word ‘former’. But anyway, it was interesting and possibly the first crossword I have seen with brand placement! Your assessment of 8d seems spot on, and ‘capital’ has been used in the sense it is there quite recently in the back pager (involving Switzerland that time if I recall correctly). The grand part is a bit (probably intentionally) misleading for a reason I’m probably not allowed to say.
20a
You will have to research some German lyric songs, before coming back for the review a week on Wednesday
😉
👍🏻
So much for the not too tough. Was hoping for a quick pre lights out solve & it’s now 11.20pm & I’m still shy of 9a even with 5 checkers. Seemed to struggle to get on wavelength & found the west much trickier than the east. Can’t parse 8d either & will read the review the morrow. 23&27a my top two.
Thanks Robyn & John
Guessed the 1st&3rd word at 9a but the last letter of the middle one took 2 stabs. New to me & not entirely sure I understand the French bit of the wordplay explanation either
The tête-à-tête bit confused me too but the chair required is in the BRB, a musical hint was a toss up between The Sound of Music or Hawkwinds space epic Doremi Fasol Latido, one was too obvious and the other too obscure so I went with neither
A perch is , of course, an old , pre SI unit of measure having several names and seemingly designed just to confuse us oldies in our primary school days :D
And also a small fish – that confused me for a while too
I hope the small portion of butter in 5d didn’t fool you