Toughie No 3116 by Sparks
Hints and tips by Dutch
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ****
Today’s pangram contains a few words I did not know. We also have an intriguing Nina. 85? I don’t think it’s a birthday. What could it be?
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
4a One’s offered to rescue large cat on island (8)
LIFELINE: The abbreviation for large, then a 6-letter cat follows (on) the abbreviation for islands
8a Little naval flag almost cut by Congress (6)
PETITE: A 5-letter naval flag (a blue one is familiar) contains (cut by) a pronoun that euphemistically describes sexual activity
9a Joint problem India repeatedly discovered in outbreaks (8)
BURSITIS: A 6-letter word meaning outbreaks contains two occurrences (repeatedly) of the letter with radio code India
10a Dive from football team shortly taking on Vale (8)
BORDELLO: An informal name for Middlesbrough FC contains (taking on) a 4-letter word meaning vale
11a It warned of racists carrying cross round (6)
KLAXON: A 4-letter word for men in white hoods contains (carrying) a “cross” and a “round”
12a Perhaps stop moving at an easy gallop, showing bottle (8)
DECANTER: Split (2-6), we have a whimsical word that might suggest to stop moving at an easy gallop
13a Narcissism shown by old chap boring extremely engaging vicar off and on (8)
EGOMANIA: The abbreviation for old and a 3-letter chap go inside (boring) the outer letters (extremely) of engaging and the even letters (off and on) of vicar
16a Secret coteries dismantled (8)
ESOTERIC: An anagram (dismantled) of COTERIES
19a Plough in ground remaining hidden (6,2)
HOLING UP: An anagram (ground) of PLOUGH IN
21a Lower item of clothing (6)
JERSEY: Two meanings, the first of a bovine variety
23a Back soon, holding ring, but not the one excluded from one’s share (3-5)
NON-QUOTA: The reversal (back) of a 4-letter word meaning soon contains (holding) a 5-letter ring used in a deck game but without the Roman numeral for one
24a Coarse linen knot breaks front of ornate catch (8)
OSNABURG: A 3-letter knot or snarl in thread goes inside (breaks) the first letter (front) of ornate plus a catch or hitch
25a Weakened face of chapel demolished (6)
CRAZED: The first letter (face) of chapel and a word meaning demolished or flattened
26a Surrounded by open country, having shifted 500 heathens (8)
INFIDELS: A (2,6) phrase that would suggest surrounded by open country with the Roman numeral for 500 shifted two spaces to the left
Down
1d Cocked up sheep deliveries, of which just half a dozen pull through (3,4)
GET OVER: The reversal of a 3-letter 2-yr old sheep plus half a dozen cricket deliveries
2d Aquatic organ found primarily in active adult carp (4,5)
FIND FAULT: A 3-letter aquatic organ then the first letter (primarily) of found goes inside an anagram (active) of ADULT
3d Red fuse limits surge, essentially — nothing should break it (6)
MERLOT: A 4-letter word meaning to fuse contains (limits) the central letter of surge, then we insert (should break it) the letter that looks like zero
4d Unnecessarily repeat arguments for former job centres (6,9)
LABOUR EXCHANGES: A phrase that could also mean unnecessarily repeat arguments (two words, unnecessarily repeat + arguments)
5d Military establishment supporting end to first strikes in speech (4,4)
FORT KNOX: A preposition that means supporting or in favour of, the last letter (end) of first, and a homophone (in speech) of a word meaning strikes
6d Picked up social media approver’s famous dog (5)
LAIKA: A homophone (picked up) of someone who approves on social media gives the name of Russia’s fated space dog
7d African city gents at heart display charm (7)
NAIROBI: The central (at heart) letter of gents, a 3-letter word meaning to display, and a charm
14d Kind of bible new copper left in disbanded Arabic alliance (9)
AVUNCULAR: An abbreviation for a version of the bible, then the abbreviation for new, the chemical symbol for copper and the abbreviation for left appear inside (in) a 3-letter abbreviation for a previous name of an African country (which was an alliance with other countries earlier)
15d Fashion extra — buy high-energy gear? (1-3,4)
X-RAY TUBE: An anagram (fashion) of EXTRA BUY
17d Subdues non-blood relative (4-3)
STEP-SON: Split (5,2), the answer would mean subdues
18d Refuse to budge? We’ll do it (7)
DUSTMEN: A cryptic definition referring to people who budge refuse
20d Substantial folly, local one with web-like fencing (6)
LUNACY: A dialect (local) word for one has a word meaning web-like surrounding it (fencing)
22d South African jazz regularly appearing in Westminster (5)
SWAZI: The even letters in jazz go inside (appearing in) the postcode for Westminster
I think 6d got my biggest groan today. I also enjoyed the South African jazz and I was intrigued by what organ might be found in active adult carp. Which clues were your favourites?
Enjoyed this. Learnt some new words. Difficult for me but unlike more of Elgar not impossible to finish. Ground it out over several sittings. Enjoyed 26a as I’m a country boy.
Thanks to Sparks and Dutch
Pretty tough, but eminently doable once you followed the instructions. I had that great sense of achievement once I had completed the grid, helped in no small measure by an early realisation that it was a pangram. 22d was a particular favourite, along with 11a. Great fun.
My thanks to Sparks for the challenge, and to Dutch.
No idea what the 85 refers to, unless it is his 85th Toughie? Not exactly an important number though, although presumably it means something to our compiler.
4a and 4d provided an immediate entry from which the right hand side flowed quite well. I did need electronic research for the homophone in 6d and, if I once knew it, I had forgotten the name of the poor mongrel.
A few parsed after the event (6a – not heard of that synonym for nooky for a long time, and 10a – only about 90 or so English clubs to select from seemed a little harsh 🙂) and for which i needed all the checkers.
As for 24a, I gave up but could see where it was going – too fixated with “tie”. Wouldn’t have got it anyway as I thought that type of knot was spelt with double r.
Anyway, overall very enjoyable and, apart from the above, not too taxing. Thanks Sparks
Really came here to find out what LXXXV meant. I tried googling a few ideas but nothing turned up. Will ponder it again! Thanks Dutch.
Respect, but not a lot of fun. Twigging the pangram helped with 23a. COTD is 18d, my last in and the only smile when the penny dropped.
Thanks to Sparks [his 85th Toughie?] and Dutch.
Well, this was on the very edge of my limits so it felt more like a project and only something I allowed myself to enjoy once I’d finally crossed the line. Like Charlie 3110 says, this was very much a “grind it out”. But I stuck with it, largely prompted by YS, who encouraged me the other day to give Elgar another go. But, from my experience, Elgar is even tougher than this, and this was pretty tough, I thought.
Presumably, 85 is a Nina, not just a random placement of (admittedly) suggestive letters? But Ninas are yet another thing I don’t really understand!
Many thanks to Sparks for making my head hurt, and Dutch of course.
Friday Toughies are really beyond my pay-grade but I always try that bit harder when it’s a Sparks number, such a nice man.
Needed help from Dutch to nail the last couple but was quite pleased with my efforts.
Podium spots went to 11a plus 4,17&22d.
Thanks to Sparks – how’s Tia coming along? – and to Dutch for his excellent review.
I suppose the Nina could be 2500 or 900, if one or more X was a multiplier. But that still leads me nowhere! Enough!
I was pleased with myself in solving all the clues where I knew the words but failed with 24a (2 unknowns – the material itself and I only knew a spelling of the synonym for knot with two r’s) and 23a. I guessed correctly 19a and 20d but with a low level of confidence (I had to assume “local one” meant “French one” which is a bit of a stretch even in days of fast travel).
Apart from the obscurities it was an enjoyable puzzle so thanks to Sparks. And thanks too to Dutch for some explanations