Toughie No 3112 by Elgar
Hints and tips by Dutch
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment *****
An ‘easier’ Elgar, though it still took me 5* time. Very enjoyable.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Officialese quickly swallowed? I agree (12)
GOBBLEDEGOOK: A word meaning ‘quickly swallowed’, a 3-letter word meaning I, and an informal word meaning agree
8a At a loss following small jet (7)
OUTFLOW: A 3-letter word that can mean ‘at a loss’, the abbreviation for following, and another word for small
9a Saw dog being chocked by lead (7)
PROVERB: A typical dog’s name is contained in (choked by) the chemical symbol for lead
11a Can it support the old woman financially? (4,3)
KEEP MUM: Read differently, the answer could also mean to support the old woman financially
12a Get flirtatious advice from outfitter (3,2,2)
TRY IT ON: An outfitter might suggest you do this to check size
13a Royal taproom’s bottled port (5)
YALTA: Hidden ( … bottled)
14a At this point cutting humour equates to the real thing (5,2,2)
WHERE IT IS: A word meaning ‘at this point’ is cutting some 3-letter humour, plus a word meaning ‘equates to’
16a Bloodsuckers absorbing iron for vital energy (4-5)
LIFE-FORCE: Some 4-letter bloodsuckers containing (absorbing) the chemical symbol for iron plus FOR from the clue
19a I’ll drive you off with pianist’s intro (3,2)
HOP IN: Take a 6-letter pianist/composer and remove the first letter (off with …’s intro)
21a Foodie takin’ position as professor in retirement (7)
NIGELLA: A reversal (in retirement) of a homophone (as professor) of a word meaning “takin’ position” (also omitting a G as in takin’)
23a No longer working in Fleet Street, say (7)
EXPRESS: Split (2-5), the answer would suggest no longer working in Fleet Street
24a Appeal on microphone brings new heart to the singers (7)
TITMICE: A pronoun that can mean appeal or attraction plus a shortened form of microphone replaces the central letter of (brings new heart to) ‘THE’
25a Bully confiscating headgear – that’s a waste (7)
TAURINE: THAT’S from the clue removing (confiscating) some headgear, A from the clue, then some biological waste
26a Octave put on French goods train (12)
FREIGHTLINER: The two-letter abbreviation for French plus an octave in poetry
Down
1d Ophelia’s brother briefly rises after good buddy’s wake-up call (3,4)
GET REAL: A reversal (rises) of Ophelia’s brother but without the last letter (briefly) comes after the abbreviation for good. ‘Buddy’ is an Americanism indicator
2d Bring to a premature end but limit an eating problem (7)
BULIMIA: Bring to a premature end the next 3 words in the clue
3d It’s a shame working women must hearten vacuous Labour machine (9)
LAWNMOWER: An interjection meaning “it’s a shame” plus an anagram (working) of WOMEN) go inside (must hearten) the outer letters only (vacuous) of Labour
4d This man’s withdrawn newspaper article about bus station (5)
DEPOT: THIS from the clue loses (withdrawn) a pronoun meaning man’s, plus a (2,2) newspaper article, all reversed (about)
5d Heavens – or Earth, with line through it (5,2)
GLORY BE: Earth, or a sphere, containing (with … through it) the abbreviation for a railway line
6d All right then, release your pent-up fire bird (4,3)
OVEN TIT: Split (1,4,2), the answer explains the clue
7d Essential design retained by impressionist work in translation (6,6)
MONKEY PLANET: A word meaning essential plus a word meaning design is contained in (retained by) an impressionist painter
10d No sign of legitimate babe in arms (4-8)
BEND-SINISTER: A cryptic definition referring to a heraldic sign supposedly marking illegitimacy
15d The spirit of fire and brimstone?
ELEMENTAL: Fire and brimstone are both examples of?
17d Her gift is in conflict (7)
FIGHTER: An all-in-one. An anagram (is in conflict) of HER GIFT
18d Director, as ordered, got into line 1 (7)
FELLINI: A (4,2) ‘got into line’ as a result of a military order, plus the Roman numeral for one
19d Hollywood icon(s) informed about fashion brand (7)
HEPBURN: A word meaning ‘informed about fashion’ and a word meaning to brand (as in cattle)
20d Father of Tintin held captive by a chief (7)
PREMIER: Hergé is affectionately known as the father (creator) of Tintin. Place his real name inside (held captive by) another word for ‘A’
22d Beer here, it’s got character (5)
ALEPH: A word for beer and where you might find it
Lots of nice clues – I quite enjoyed some of the simpler ones. My favourites today are 3d for surface and 19d, my last one in because I hadn’t thought to look for a name so it was a loud doh penny drop. Which clues did you like?
Elgar being gently with us. I started this on the iPad and when I had inserted about six answers I said to myself “can’t be Elgar as I’m putting a few in”. Needed Dutch to parse a few of my bungs ins but I am delighted I finished it. Many thanks Dutch and a gentle Elgar
Well well. For the first time ever we managed to complete a Friday toughie (and an Elgar no less), and without any help and before the blog was posted. Is Elgar feeling quite OK?
That was a lot of fun.1a and 10d favourites.
Elgar shows that he doesn’t need to be quite so idiosyncratically difficult to produce superb clues. This was a lovely puzzle, finished in 3/4* time plus extra time to parse 4 and 6d. Favourites were 11, 19, 24 and 25a. Is the work at 7d one I should have heard of [clearly don’t get out enough]? Now I have spare time to recatalogue the jam cupboard.
Thanks to Elgar and Dutch.
You have probably worked this out already but 7d refers to a French novel, the translation of which is entitled ‘Planet of the Apes’ in the US but in the UK is the answer to the clue.
AHA!! Thankyou.
Welcome to the blog, New2it.
Not entirely plain sailing, as one would expect from an Elgar, but still very solvable and a proper Friday workout. A couple of unparsed bung-ins aside, this was great fun and a worthy challenge. As for a favourite, I need look no further than 3d.
My thanks to Elgar for a great challenge, and to Dutch for sorting out the bung-ins.
Came up short, mainly on birds but with a bit of heraldry to boot. Enjoyable struggle as always with Elgar. Thanks to he, and Dutch.
Needed some research for explanation/confirmation of my bung-ins though did eventually manage to complete this. I did like the surface read for 3d!
Thanks Dutch for your clear explanation of the parsings.
Good, tough, but on Elgar’s more gentle end of the range. Some cracking clues and exquisite phrasing to hide the intention in a good few. I left 6d almost to the end as I could not believe it really existed, let alone having the birds appear in both the SW & NE.
Many thanks to Elgar and Dutch.
Perhaps not a coincidence that Fellini appeared in the Grauniad’s easy puzzle this week too. So I was a bit predisposed to that one.
Still took me two sittings to finish it, but unusually for an Elgar it was just about fully parsed. I needed help to get the first word in 10d, having assumed it was to do with heraldry.