Toughie No 3109 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Toughie No 3109

by StephenL  

Toughie No 3109 by Dada

Hints and tips by StephenL

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

Hello everyone from a pretty gloomy South Devon coast.

Dada gets us underway this week with a relatively gentle offering.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a Shorten essay, trimming new clause? (11)
PARENTHESIS: A verb meaning to shorten or cut and a dissertation go around the abbreviation for New.

7a Trail minister, one occupying seat (7)
PREVIEW: An abbreviated reverend and the letter that looks like the number one go inside a seat found typically in a church.

8a Yours truly in arrears, being catty? (7)
MEOWING: A first person pronoun and a word meaning in arrears.

10a Cream with less fat pushed to back of fridge, ultimately (5)
ELITE: A word typically used to describe a product low in fat or sugar follows the final letter of fridgE.

11a Cocktail: a metric unit knocked back by girl (9)
MARGARITA: A reversal (knocked back) of A from the clue and a metric unit of weight are followed by a girl’s name (though I doubt many are called this these days).

12a Defendant’s conclusion, justification for crime (7)
TREASON: The final letter of defendanT plus a synonym of justification or rationale.

14a Great performers diminishing Ms West’s journey (7)
MAESTRI: The given name of the ancient actress, the possessive S and a shortened journey.

15a Power is money, a discontented tyrant’s admitted (7)
WATTAGE: An insertion of A from the clue the outside letters (discontented) of TyranT into some earned money.

18a Post written about obstacle knocked over in story (7)
PARABLE: A post or stake around a reversal of a three-letter obstacle.

20a Best unable to play the game? (9)
MATCHLESS: This synonym of best or incomparable could whimsically mean having no game.

21a Aromatic plant cut in wood (5)
BALSA: An aromatic plant loses its last letter to give a light wood.

22a All day long on street, no parking limits (3-4)
NON STOP: No from the clue and the abbreviation for Parking placed around (limits) On from the clue and an abbreviated Street.

23a Chart topper, a little distasteful (7)
NOISOME: The three letters that look like “number one” (chart topper) and a synonym of a little.

24a Chief’s back brace taken by malingerer who doesn’t do normal hours? (5,6)
SHIFT WORKER: The final letter of chieF and a brace or couple placed inside (taken by) a malingerer or one averse to work.

Down

1d Silly head of union in danger before end of strike (7)
PUERILE: Place the initial letter of Union inside a synonym of danger and follow the result with the final letter of strikE.

2d Rubbish cleared in East European river (5)
RHINE: The outside letters (cleared) of RubbisH IN from the clue and the abbreviation for East.

3d Old Hollywood star has saved first of stories for journalist (7)
NEWSMAN: Another clue where we have to take the initial letter of a word, this time of Stories and place it inside an old (but not quite as old as the one in 14a!) male film star.

4d Drone and beat, nothing special (7)
HUMDRUM: Synonyms of drone or buzz and beat or pulsate.

5d Hard graft never inspires a writer in the advertising industry (9)
SLOGANEER: Something that is hard work or a toil and a literary contraction of the word never go around A from the clue.

6d Strain bearing endless weight for Swiss people carrier? (3,4)
SKI LIFT: A synonym of strain as a verb in the sense of sieve goes around (bearing) a shortened abbreviatied metric weight.

7d Film western country, fairly north of there? (6,5)
PRETTY WOMAN: The abbreviation for Western and a country in the middle east are both preceded by (north in a down clue) an adverb meaning fairly.

9d Gear mixed with water in enamelled pots (11)
GRANITEWARE: Anagram (mixed with) of GEAR plus WATER IN.

13d This page for cooking features starter of traditional Italian food (9)
SPAGHETTI: Anagram (for cooking) of THIS PAGE around the initial letter of Traditional.

16d The Huns, oddly, hiding bronze in locker? (7)
TETANUS: Place the odd letters of ThE hUnS around a synonym of bronze as a colour. The question mark is a reference to the whimsical definition, a disease causing severe muscle contractions.

17d Sensitive area certainly grasped by enigmatic poet (3-4)
EYE-SPOT: An insertion of a positive response into an anagram (enigmatic) of POET.

18d Italian city certainly not accommodating current servant of Posthumos (7)
PISANIO: An Italian city famous for its tower and a negative response into which is inserted the single-letter abbreviation for electric current.

19d UK prime minister, figure supporting party that’s on the up (7)
BALFOUR: A figure that lies between three and five goes below (supporting in a down clue) an abbreviated and reversed political party.

21d Reliable chap building unit (5)
BRICK: Double definition, one rather quaint.

I’ll opt for 24a as my favourite today. Which ones appealed to you?

 

 

22 comments on “Toughie No 3109”

  1. Gentle but enjoyable with quite a few ticks. 6d was my favourite with 1a and 24a completing the podium.

    Thanks to Dada and SL.

  2. Took a bit of getting into but then relatively gentle. I liked “rubbish cleared” in 2d and the “locker” at 16d. I assume 18d relates to a Shakespeare play I haven’t read?
    Thanks to Dada and SL.

  3. Amazingly I finished this unaided but needed the hints to parse some like 7d. Thanks to all. I now see it has only one star for difficulty so not that clever after all!

  4. Cymbeline isn’t one I’m familiar with so left that until last & fortunately the wordplay saw me home in a surprisingly brisk time for a Toughie. Stanley occurred before Arthur at 19d but he wouldn’t parse & the Swiss people carrier wordplay was a bit of parsing head scratch but otherwise it all flowed nicely. Obviously very gentle though reckon it would be unfair to term it 4d as it was very enjoyable. I’ll second those picked by Jonners for my podium.
    Thanks to D& the other S – hope that you’re continuing to feel better
    Ps – has anyone done his Paul prize puzzle in the Graun on Saturday & provide a bit of a nudge at 22a – it’s driving me potty

    1. Although you should note comment etiquette no 7 and that the Paul puzzle is a prize puzzle

          1. It is John. Don’t think there’s actually a prize for it either. Given that anyone can just type the clue into Dan Word or whatever & get the answer I’m not sure there’s much point in having prize puzzles other than to keep Steve in hope of receiving The Mythical. Guess I’ll just have to be patient

                1. SJB beat me to it! You piqued my interest so I took a look. Very good indeed (I’ve never seen lurkers quite like those before) as was today’s “Toughie”. So Dada is Paul? I didn’t know that. Ta lots.

  5. A very pleasant start to the Toughie week with only the Shakespearean reference needing a quick Google to complete the parsing. Plenty of inventive clueing, with 6d a particular favourite.

    Thanks to Dada for the fun, and to SL.

  6. Enjoyable puzzle – thanks to Dada and SL.
    My rosettes went to 22a, 23a, 6d and 16d.

  7. Struggled with the locker and the Cymbeline reference (not one of the Bard’s plays I’ve ever seen) but eventually crossed the finishing line. Ticks went to 20&23a plus 2d.

    Thanks to Dada and to Stephen for the review.

  8. Ultimately defeated by 18d for which I needed the hint. Most of the rest I found very difficult. Favourite was 1d. Thanks to Dada and SL.

  9. A gentle intro to the Toughie week. I liked 5d for the surface read. More malingerers!

    Thanks Dada and Stephen.

  10. A real pleasure to solve as ever. We even had heard of the Shakespearean character.
    Thanks Dada and SL.

  11. What a lovely puzzle with such good comments. Please do read Cymbeline.It is one of ;my favourite plays and one can’t stop
    once started, as with crosswording

  12. Found parts of this puzzle R&W, but other areas quite difficult to suss out.

    2.5*/3.5* for me

    Favourites include 1a, 8a, 18a, 3d, 4d & 16d — with winner 1a
    Didn’t know the word or name in 18d

    Thanks to Dada & SL for hints&blog

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