Toughie No 3139 by Django
Hints and tips by Gazza
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
Django has given us a generous 32 clues in this enjoyable Toughie. Thanks to him.
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you thought of the puzzle.
Across Clues
1a Old record of eternal damnation being embodied by fire without end (7)
SHELLAC: put a word for eternal damnation (or where you may spend it) inside a verb to fire without its last letter.
5a Slave admitting work uniform’s missing — it’s on a bed (7)
TOPSOIL: a verb to slave or labour containing an artistic work without the letter that uniform represents in the Nato Phonetic Alphabet.
9a Most relaxed — some have a siesta (7)
EASIEST: hidden.
10a Maybe Batman and Raven somehow trapped by Hush (7)
SERVANT: an anagram (somehow) of RAVEN is contained inside an interjection requesting silence.
11a Swimmer drains first drink (9)
MILKSHAKE: a type of fish preceded by a verb meaning drains or sucks dry.
12a Singular butcher’s talent (5)
SKILL: the abbreviation for singular and a verb to butcher.
13a Frenzied mass hysteria with power cut (5)
MANIC: the physics abbreviation for mass followed by a synonym of hysteria without the physics abbreviation for power.
15a One might employ hands to swab black eye sported by captive (9)
SHIPOWNER: an informal word for a black eye contains a wartime captive.
17a Order girl into taxi — perhaps for officer (9)
COMMISSAR: an order for distinguished service that is in the personal gift of the sovereign and the title used for a girl go inside what a taxi is an example of.
19a In Strasbourg I must pursue European court to get discharge (5)
EJECT: a personal pronoun (I) as used in Strasbourg follows an abbreviation for European. Finish with the abbreviation for court.
22a Conclusively proving Kermit’s head is inspired by green lizard (5)
GECKO: the concluding letter of proving and a prefix meaning green (in an environmental sense) with the first letter of Kermit inserted.
23a Kept going in sea, swimming with nudist (9)
SUSTAINED: an anagram (swimming) of SEA NUDIST.
25a Cycling Indonesian island with sailor and a character connected to scores of thieves (3,4)
ALI BABA: cycle the first letter of an Indonesian island and tourist destination to its end and append one of our usual abbreviated sailors and A.
26a Sensible soldier visiting pub (7)
LOGICAL: the abbreviation for a US ordinary soldier goes inside an informal word for a convenient pub.
27a Engineers backing American boy losing a stone (7)
EMERALD: reverse the abbreviation for an engineer corps in the British army and add an abbreviation for American and another word for boy without it’s A.
28a Pardon my French — it’s trashy essentially when at sea (7)
AMNESTY: make an anagram (when at sea) of MY and the central letters of three consecutive words in the clue.
Down Clues
1d Family member recalled complaint about film (7)
STEPMUM: reverse a painful complaint containing our usual Spielberg film.
2d Letter from Musk having acquired revolutionary internet business (7)
EPSILON: Mr Musk’s forename contains the reversal of the abbreviation of an internet business.
3d In audition spills the beans — and other vegetables (5)
LEEKS: sounds like spills the beans (as a whistle-blower, say).
4d Release and trim cast protecting bones broken by husband (9)
CATHARSIS: truncate ‘cast’ and insert some bones in the foot containing the genealogical abbreviation for husband,
5d Sample passata regularly in Trieste on vacation (5)
TASTE: regular letters from passata inside the outer letters of Trieste.
6d Almost choke policeman with electronic spying device (9)
PERISCOPE: choke here is an informal verb to die. Start with a truncated synonym of that and add an informal police officer and the abbreviation for electronic.
7d Speech from management after forfeiting games (7)
ORATION: a word meaning management or running without the abbreviation for games lessons at school.
8d Title role oddly turns out to be smaller (7)
LITTLER: an anagram (turns out) of TITLE R[o]L[e].
14d Some food and cool drink outside, thanks (9)
CHIPOLATA: an informal (and dated) adjective meaning cool or fashionable is contained in a fizzy drink. Finish with a short word of thanks.
16d Actor playing lead part of Benjamin Disraeli (5,4)
IDRIS ELBA: an anagram (playing) of the leading letter of B[enjamin] and DISRAELI.
17d Periodically react to lap dance on the counter — or similar (7)
COGNATE: the even letters of ‘react’ contain (to lap) a ballroom dance. Now reverse the lot.
18d One works tirelessly as this writer pens a feature (7)
MACHINE: for the answer Chambers has ‘a person who works with tireless efficiency’. The objective pronoun the writer uses for himself contains A and a facial feature.
20d These guards aren’t all there! (7)
EUNUCHS: … because they’re short of two important components.
21d Assuming papers reckon this is how current events may occur? (7)
TIDALLY: the abbreviation for papers goes inside a verb to reckon.
23d Demure actress taught Fonda Stanislavski method last of all (5)
STAID: the last letters of five words in the clue.
24d Content of retro pornographic material that won’t cause any reaction (5)
ARGON: hidden in reverse is something that’s inert.
The clues making my podium today were 5a, 15a and 17d. Which one(s) earned your applause?
A most enjoyable, just right for a Thursday Toughie with too many clues I liked to pick a top favourite
Many thanks to Django and Gazza
Basically what Cryptic Sue said with my podium exactly matching that of Gazza (with a nod to 14&16d)
Many thanks to Django and our aforementioned blogger for the top-notch entertainment
Loved this. Just right to make me think but not too hard to stop me finishing it. Clue of the day for me is 20d even if it did make my eyes water!
Thanks to Gazza and to Django for a highly entertaining day.
Also loved it. Loads of clever, witty clues make it hard to pick standouts but I loved the “lap dance” in 17d and thought 22a was particularly neat.
Thanks to Django and Gazza.
Best of the week so far, beyond a doubt. Superb clueing, witty and amusing throughout, great surfaces (eg 9a). OK, so the “interjection requesting silence” is new to me – and I’m unconvinced I’ve ever heard anyone saying that, rather than “Sh!” – but the answer could not have been anything else. Too many excellent clues really to single out any in particular, but needs must so Hon Mentions to 15a, 22a and 16d.
3* / 4*
Many thanks indeed Django, and also to Gazza
Arguably at the easier end of Django’s spectrum (that doesn’t mean easy, of course) and, as ever, hugely enjoyable. Bright surfaces, clever construction, just the right side of quirky. Slightly shorter clues than usual for him, apart from 25a, but I don’t mind either way. Tickled to see 1d pop up again (didn’t bother me then, still doesn’t). 2d was delightful, as was 20d. Many thanks to Django, a setter I wish we saw more often, and Gazza, of course.
Permit me to record that I feel chuffed after completing today’s puzzle, after a week during which I have tackled Toughies for the first time.
No doubt like countless others, the backpage puzzles are generally within everyone’s reach. Many, however, will have dipped their feet in the water and said that “Toughies are a bridge too far”. But they are certainly worth the challenge.
Struggled in places, like MG not heard of the hush before so a bung in and needed the hint to parse 19a obviously. Lots to like favourite was 20d. Thanks to Django and Gazza.
Really good fun and a pleasure to solve.
Can’t decide on favourite between 15a and 20d.
Thanks Django and Gazza.
Thanks Gazza for the thorough blog – and thanks all for the comments
A day late to this & a bit of early morning mental exercise before the rigours of watching the Ryder Cup. Loved the puzzle. Ticks all over the shop but if forced to choose a fav it’d be a dead heat between 15a&20d.
Thanks to D&G