Sunday Toughie No 99
by Zandio
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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Zandio returns from his brief hiatus with a fine Sunday Toughie. a good mix of anagrams, reverse anagrams, lurkers and &lits and I have hinted at half of an even 14a and 14d clues
I still haven’t heard who or what we are getting in Sunday Toughie 100 on Christmas Eve, I have used up two of my Christmassy songs today I will have to find some more for then, in the meantime here is one of my favourite dogs from the interwebs on a steady winter walk near Lochnagar
Here we go…
As it is a Prize puzzle I can only hint at a few and hope that will give you the checkers and inspiration to go further. I’ll be back just after the closing date with the full blog. Don’t forget to follow BD’s instructions in RED at the bottom of the hints!
I hope I don’t have to redact any comments but I am new at this and don’t want to rock the boat. If in doubt, I’ll rub it out! – I think that sentence is a bit redundant. You have all been so helpful in sorting out prior parsing failures, and I am sure I will need similar help again.
Most of the terms used in these hints are explained in the Glossary and examples are available by clicking on the entry under “See also” Where the hint describes a construct as “usual” this means that more help can be found in The Usual Suspects, which gives a number of the elements commonly used in the wordplay. Another useful page is Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, which features words with meanings that are not always immediately obvious. Dont forget the Mine of useful information that Big Dave and his son Richard so meticulously prepared for us.
A full review of this puzzle will be published after the closing date for submissions. Some hints follow: Remember the site rules and play nicely.
Across
1a Measure energy in home designed at either end without an arch (4-6)
An Imperial measure and an abbreviation of energy goes in between a home and either end of designed
12a Adventurers seeing 1,000 things, conceivably (7,6)
One of the abbreviations of 1,000 and an anagram of things, I think conceivably allows us to take the second part of our medieval chivalric adventurer as the reverse anagram indicator to change things
14a ‘Badge’ — flash number, good stuff (8)
Synonyms or abbreviations of the last four words define the `Badge` made by overlapping two or more letters to form one symbol
15a One may be extremely testy and shout (6)
A nice & lit, the extreme letters of testy and to shout in an aggressive manner, define a ruler who uses power arbitrarily and oppressively
21a Pinot? That could be the last straw! (8,5)
Another reverse anagram, the anagram indicator to change Pinot is the first word of our solution
25a Being followed by dog, wearing experience (5)
Being a member of and a low-bred dog combine to suffer a wearing experience
27a Steady! Nurse on a cycle tucked in hem in time (10)
To hem or contain livestock and T for time tuck in a senior nurse in charge of a ward when she has cycled one letter. A bit like our weather of late
…
Down
1d Exploit members discussed, even in the other 1 (4)
An exploit or achievement from a homophone (discussed) of the member in 1a when even in number
4d Aerial picked up king getting put out (8)
Something aerial or above, a synonym of picked up loses its second kingly abbreviation
8d Diving boat overturned — one in fact about to make final stop? (3,7)
A boat that dives underwater is reversed, than an abbreviated numerical fact and one of our usual abouts, contain the letter that looks like one to be the final stop of many public transport journeys
11d In which comrades attack each other as much as the opposition? (5,8)
The topical yet never-ending struggles between different opinions from the same “governmental organisations” define this nice all-in-one or &lit (and literally so) – and I won a few bob on him in 1992
13d Semi-aquatic boa with 11 humps, writhing (10)
Nothing to do with the clue above, 11 provides us with two of the letters that look like 1, along with the boa and humps we have the 10 letters we need for an anagram (writhing) of something semi-aquatic
16d Exploit rented short-term homes? Betjeman would put them in his poems (8)
A (usually military) exploit, and rented homes provide two successive lines of rhyming verse that Betjeman or other poets may use
“I say, you’re awfully decent, Ted / Let’s find a place and go to bed.”
23d Order must be right, within reason (4)
Reason or understanding, right goes within, to give a document by which one is required or summoned to obey the law
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A tribute to a fine Christmas song – both of them…
Very enjoyable indeed. I’m a bit of a sucker for a reverse anagram so to get two in one puzzle is always going to make me smile. However for my podium I’ve chosen the linked 1a (my favourite ) 1d, plus the amusing and clever 24a along with the well-constructed 27a.
Many thanks to Zandio and SJB, I think 11d is just a mildly cryptic definition rather than an &lit.
I was probably a bit deceived by the topical nature of 11d but then again it seems to have been topical ever since the horse 🐎 won the National!
Would you consider 10a as an &lit considering the sonnet on the Statue of Liberty?
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to break free”
Yes, 10a definitely has a more &lit feet to it.
Completed without having to wait for the hints for once. Got the answer to 2d as the puzzle came off the printer. Used to work there – fantastic place.
Favourite today has to be 21a.
Watched Andrew Cotter’s YouTube clip last night and knew where he was immediately, even before he told us. Sadly beyond my capabilities now.
Thanks to Zandio and SJB.
It looks like Mable is a bit old for the winter munrobagging too, I was last up those parts in very similar conditions but managed a very quick descent glissading down on a bivvy bag
For many years I used to do that circuit of the Glenshee hills on the first fine evening in May. It was a good feeling to go round three Munros on a work day and be home before midnight. 🙂
I meant Olive of course, Mable went up the hill, Olive was snoozing by the fire
Well, that was a bit of a beast, I thought, but I got there in the end. Loved 21a, especially. Spent an age trying to get the cyclist in there, doh! I did question 1d’s members but I was, as ever, wrong. One too many exploits for me, though. But a very jolly tussle. Ah, Lochnagar. Lovely. Though my favourite hill up there (not a Munro, of course, but who’s counting?) has to be the Cobbler. Thanks to Zandio, and Sloop, of course.
Benjamin Arthur Shoemaker being his Sunday name
Doing my Widow Twankey bit for the IOW tribe this afternoon so had time to look at this between loads!
Rosettes awarded to 6,21&24a.
Thanks to Zandio and to SJB for the hints – you have a very nice 14a!
Oh dear, looks as though a sock has gone missing………….
The curse of the washing machine, where do they all go?
I recall that many years ago we found 7 missing socks hidden in the dogs bed – he used to steal them from the hamper before Mama Bee washed the scent off
P.S. another power cut here means that if my phone battery runs out I may go silent
Bookended my morning with yesterday’s NTSPP and this Toughie, tea with the former and coffee with the latter, and thoroughly enjoyed both (puzzles that is – as well as beverages). Some of the best lurkers I’ve seen for a while were embedded by Zandio, and I’ve chosen 7d as a favourite. Other ticks went to 9a, 12a, 26a, 5d and 20d. The NW corner held out longest, eventually ended by a pleasing PDM on 1a – ‘designed at either end’ was a nice touch, I thought. 1d and 4d quickly followed.
Thanks to Zandio and to SJB. Now it’s almost time for carols in the local park, enhanced with mince pies and mulled wine; I shall undoubtedly not stop at one so I hope I don’t emulate the character in the cartoon when returning home…
Hello, compiler here. Thanks very much for taking the time to solve, analyse and discuss.
Here’s the song referred to in 14a — ‘Badge’, written by Eric Clapton and George Harrison, recorded by Cream. Have a good week.
Thanks for a pre Christmas treat, I had that clip down for inclusion as I solved this last night but my parsing dreams forgot it this morning
I could have dunnit! Honestly, Guv … but doing it on line using (puzzles.telegraph.co.uk) I keep getting “504 Gateway Time-Out”.
A very enjoyable and not too strenuous Toughie – thanks to Zandio and SJB.
11d is very topical but I didn’t think it was very cryptic.
Top clues for me were 1a, 12a, 15a and 21a.
Reasonably straightforward Sunday fare until the last few, which delayed completion by a couple of minutes. Many lovely surfaces, generally top quality clueing. A puzzle that deserves a much wider audience than it will have received. I almost wish they would change the name of the challenge, which I think puts people off.
Thank you to Zandio and SJB
Just emerged from a power cut that deprived me of internet and heating but couldn’t agree more
Very enjoyable. Completed late last night & the eyelids were drooping as 1a&d held out. Rather than just put the light out & leave to the morning I looked at the review & the pic gave the game away. Otherwise reasonably plain sailing & with 12&21a my jt favs.
Thanks to Zandio & to John
Thanks H, the first and last clues across and down are on the list (lower case) of clues I ought to hint along with about half of the trickier ones, I think I am overhinting for a Prize puzzle and will endeavour to be a bit more obscure
Glad that the reverse anagrams (12 and 21a) made your podium, they were certainly on the tricky end for me, and how apt that 12 and 21 are reversals of each other
Forgot to say – loved the Olive & AC clip. Think I’ve seen most of them before but not that one.