Toughie 3108 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Toughie 3108

by Dutch  

Toughie No 3108 by Osmosis

Hints and tips by Dutch

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

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

This seemed tricky. I had plenty to parse after filling the grid, and I was still changing the parsing while writing up the blog!. This time the F is missing from a pangram

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a    Skill fellow primarily exuded translating Latin appendix, say (11)
INESSENTIAL: A 7-letter word for skill from  which the first (primarily) letter of fellow is excluded (exuded), then an anagram (translating) of LATIN

10a    It’s used to pick up equipment for The Smiths? (5)
ANVIL: The smiths as in metalworkers. The definition refers to part of the ear

11a    Measured trainer and loafer? (9)
SLOWCOACH: A word that could mean measured or considered/deliberate, then another word for trainer

12a    Strip slate roof possibly (9)
DISMANTLE: A slang word meaning to slate or treat with disrespect plus a possible roof or covering

13a    Arm identified by type of blood round bones (1-4)
A-BOMB: A blood type, a round letter, and an abbreviation for doctor (bones)

14a    Chest hospital recruits in charge (6)
THORAX: The abbreviation for hospital plus some serving men (recruits) go inside a charge or levy

16a    Fraud suspect frames ‘atchet man? (8)
QUACKERY: A word meaning to suspect or question goes around (frames) a 4-letter hatchet man without the initial H (like ‘atchet)

18a    Extremely new pool opening certain days (2,6)
IN SPADES: The abbreviation for new plus a 3-letter pool go inside (opening) ‘certain days’ in the middle of the month

20a    Booze tasteless (temperature needs to be right) (6)
KIRSCH: A word meaning tasteless or tacky with a T changed to R (temperature must be right)

23a    Superior companion harbours yen for lofty dwelling (5)
EYRIE: A lake accompanying Superior contains (harbours) the abbreviation for yen

24a    Perhaps Nancy’s backtracked outside then recycled plastic? (9)
SYNTHETIC: A reversal (backtracked) of a built-up area exemplified by Nancy (include the ‘S) goes around (outside) an anagram (recycled) of THEN

26a    Act 12 (4,5)
TAKE APART: The definition is the answer to 12. Split (4,1,4), that could mean ‘act’

27a    Fifty per cent off IT — Mary gets the picture? (5)
IMAGE: Take 50% off the next 3 words in the clue

28a    Don’t tell butcher’s about report of local officials (4,7)
KEEP COUNSEL: A reversal (about) of a word described by the cockney rhyming slang butcher’s, then a homophone (report) of some local officials

Down

2d    Island‘s peak Ben passed over (5)
NEVIS: The name of a Caribbean island is derived from the (3,5) name of a Scottish peak but without (passed over) the ‘Ben’

3d    Tennis governors impressed by blazer on a ruler abroad (7)
SULTANA: A 3-letter abbreviation for a Tennis authority is contained (impressed) by a blazing nearby star, plus A from the clue.

4d    Assumed South Africa used in film Zulu (6)
ERSTATZ: The 3-letter abbreviation for South Africa goes inside crossword-land’s favourite 2-letter movie, plus the letter with radio code Zulu

5d    Maybe holding sling elevated spoils enjoyment at first party (6,2)
TOOLED UP: A reversal (elevated) of some spoils, the first letter of enjoyment, and a NI political party. The answer is slang for carrying a weapon.

6d    Old Bill grabs seat, bottom first (7)
ARCHAIC: A 2-letter abbreviation for a bill contains a 5-letter seat, in which the last letter is moved to the front (bottom first)

7d    Heard European runner John emptying the contents of small bottle? (3,2,8)
EAU DE TOILETTE: A homophone (heard) of a European river, a 6-letter ‘john’, and T(h)E without the central letter (emptying)

8d    Aristo‘s son behind bars, getting solitary inside (8)
BARONESS: The abbreviation for son is behind BARS from the clue, that contains (getting … inside) a 3-letter word that can mean ‘a solitary …’

9d    Singer, having stout on tick, merry regularly (6,7)
CHUBBY CHECKER: A word meaning stout or plump, another word for tick or mark off, and the even letters (regularly) in merry

 

15d     Facing next delivery disrupted focus of workers in store (2,6)

ON STRIKE: A cricket term. An anagram (disrupted) of the central of worKers + IN STORE

17d    Court attendant circulating was her special racket producer? (4-4)
JEWS-HARP: A 2-letter abbreviation for a judge goes around (circulating) an anagram (special) of WAS HER

19d    Typical minor road rage (7)
AVERAGE: A 3-letter abbreviation for a type of road plus RAGE from the clue. I think minor is more likely a second definition (as in mediocre) than a qualifier of road

21d    Well-known maxim in ships: Depart after check! (3,4)
ICH DIEN: IN from the clue carries (ships) a 3-letter verb meaning depart following (after) a 2-letter abbreviation for check

22d    Radio network features rapid passage of play (3-3)
ONE-TWO: Hidden (… features)

25d    Mark lifted electronic goods being purchased? (5)
TRACE: A reversal (lifted) of the abbreviation for electronic and a container  of goods purchased (perhaps electronically!)

I liked ‘Act 12’ and the booze requiring the right temperature, though my favourite is the neat hidden in ‘Radio network’. Which clues did you like?

22 comments on “Toughie 3108”

  1. Some brilliant clues, but I too find this hard – as hard as an Elgar, indeed. And I have had to come and get help with parsing 10a. Of course! Took ages to figure out 21d, too, but finally figured it out just before the blog came out. Thanks to Dutch for your usual superb job, and to Osmosis for a surprising challenge.

  2. Completed this in just over 3* which surprised me although I was immediately spurned on at the start by having 2d (my home island!)

    Some bung ins and parse later – like 23a…very clever disguised bit of geography, and 17d for which I needed all the checkers…is a magistrate really a Court “attendant”?

    Dutch, I took “minor” in 19 d to mean abbreviation of the name of the type of road? Funny that one i.e. by just giving us the last four letters.

    Thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks Osmosis and Dutch for your usual great analysis.

    1. yeah maybe, though abbreviations aren’t always indicated. I don’t know the right answer.

      1. You’re more likely to be right than me!

        Just noticed my typo – I was of course “spurred” on by 2d!

    2. I agree – surely minor indicates an abbreviation, although as Dutch rightly say they aren’t always marked thus. You wouldn’t call Fifth Avenue a minor road would you?
      Despite some rather odd surfaces, this was solid fun, albeit a bit of a slog. Lots to like, if not much to love, and very clever in parts. I liked 18A and 20A very much indeed but I think 9D gets my vote. A blast from the past, for sure, but it read supremely well. Thanks to all.

  3. Having solved and parsed all of this puzzle – obviously with use of the BRB, it is a Friday after all – I’m concerned that my mind may be getting warped.
    Good to see Dutch feeling better and including the images again. Thanks to Osmosis too.

  4. I can see ‘holding’ for tooled up, but I can’t see ‘holding sling’. I can’t see it in my ancient BRB and I don’t know it as a phrase. Am I missing something?

    1. I took it just to mean holding a weapon, ie catapult. But I may well be missing summat myself!

    2. Isn’t “maybe” used to indicate an example of a weapon? Holding a gun, a sword, an axe….Being ready in case you have to use a weapon?

      1. Yes I guess so. I think the clue would have worked just as well without it, but maybe I have seen too many gangster films, or episodes of The Sweeney.

        1. I agree. A simple “holding” would work.
          But then you’d have to reverse spoils and elevated to make a semblance of sense (not that it makes much sense as is) and that would ruin the misdirect. And I guess Osmosis was trying to suggest a baby sling here to go with the first party, etc. Clever as it is, I didn’t love this clue, to be fair.

  5. The usual Friday fare from Osmosis. Not sure about the ‘atchet man at 16a – is it a reference to a journalist? I took “minor” in 19d to be a typically Osmosis/obscure way of indicating the abbreviation. I too thought “sling” in 5d a bit odd unless it’s for the surface and suggests a gin-based drink at the party – but Chambers does allow any weapon. Otherwise I liked 18a and especially 23a [superior companion indeed!].
    Thanks to Osmosis and Dutch.

  6. Slow start but steady progress after a few checkers appeared. 21d was also my loi and not without a bit of e-assistance.

    Thanks to Osmosis and Dutch.

  7. Tricky but lots to like here. I agree with the difficulty rating, I had a couple left not quite parsed, Thanks to Dutch for the explanation and to Osmosis for the Friday challenge.

    I think Halcyon is correct in that Sling is used for the surface read and misdirection… holding a drink elevated at the party.

  8. What a relief to find this wonderful conversation again. I couldn’t get it for 2 days and was frantic ,being told that the account had been suspended. I wonder if this afflicted anyone else ,or if I had unwittingly caused this?
    I did wonder about theBest wishes eto all first clue as I thought finesse had just 1 n finesse?

    1. Curious. I can’t find an alternative spelling with double n either. Is it a mistake by our compiler? Perhaps Dutch can shed some light.

      1. Gosh, I didn’t even notice. In my youth i would have caught that. Now i’m worried i’ve mis-parsed.

        1. Hi Dutch, your parsing is correct, though your clue should read “a 7-letter word for skill “, this then just gives us a single “n” which will give an 11-letter answer.

          With thanks to you and Osmosis for the challenging Friday puzzle even though I only accepted the challenge on a very wet Saturday

          1. Ahh. Just a typo in Dutch’s answer then. The actual crossword is correct. Phew. Thought I was going nuts. 😜

          2. Argh, thanks for clearing this up. I thought I was going nuts too. INNESSENTIAL, yuk!

            Now fixed, with apologies.

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