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Toughie 3190

by crypticsue  

Toughie No 3190 by Stick Insect

Hints and Tips by crypticsue

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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***

Stick Insect set a crossword , where, providing you knew the ‘long’ words that were all fairly clued, it was about right for a Wednesday Toughie

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought

Across

1a    Directs one to end thus missing start in short stay (10)
TRANSIENCE Move the I (one) in a synonym for directs to the end of the word and then add an adverb meaning thus without its first letter (missing start)

6a    Pressure before argument in part of boat (4)
PROW The symbol for Pressure goes before an argument

9a    A time fool sent back food in trat? (5)
PASTA A reversal (sent back) of A (from the clue) the abbreviation for Time and a fool

10a    Enjoying success, I consumed seconds for starters (9)
INITIATES Enjoying success (2,2), I (from the clue) and part of a verb meaning consumed, followed by the abbreviation for Seconds

12a    Way to conduct dinosaur demo, horribly consuming pterodactyl’s head (5,8)
MODUS OPERANDI An anagram (horribly) of DINOSAUR DEMO ‘consuming’ the head of Pterodactyl

14a    Soldiers advanced tracks around delta in plain (8)
ORDINARY  Other Ranks of soldiers and the abbreviation for advanced go around the letter represented by Delta in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet and IN (from the clue). The abbreviation for railway (tracks) is added at the end

15a    Small fender bender arose (6)
SPRANG The abbreviation for Small and the English word for a vehicle crash, which the Americans would call a fender bender

17a    27 found in Italian chorus (6)
ANCHOR Another word for the solution to 27a is hidden in the last two words of this clue

19a    Berliner’s agreed return of single friend is means to spice things up? (8)
JALAPENO The German (as used in Berlin) word of agreement and a reversal (return) of a single friend

22a    Angler quit Don, ludicrous and bombastic (13)
GRANDILOQUENT An anagram (ludicrous) of ANGLER QUIT DON

24a    Unrestrained, Wooster almost enters row (9)
LIBERTINE Almost all of the forename of Wooster, the PG Wodehouse character ‘enters’ a row

25a    County resists American cash (5)
BUCKS Triple definitions

26a    Rank smell obviously repels them at first (4)
SORT The first letters of Smell Obviously Repels Them

27a    Bruce, for one, running wee errands (10)
NEWSREADER An anagram (running) of WEE ERRANDS

Down

1d    Mark, kind in print (4)
TYPE Another triple definition clue

2d    In a garden building, husband becomes problem, it’s claimed (7)
ASSUMED Change the abbreviation for Husband in A garden building for a mathematical problem

3d    Substitute good gold, for German the regular instruction (8,5)
STANDING ORDER A substitute, the abbreviation for Good, the heraldic word for gold and the German definite article

4d    Agent soon left out embracing young lady (8)
EMISSARY Take out the abbreviation for Left from an adverb meaning soon and replace it (embracing) a young lady

5d    Christopher Pine, initially in audition is firm (6)
CRISPY Homophones of the diminutive form of Christopher and the initial letter of Pine

7d    Plump upon answer for building without corners (7)
ROTUNDA A synonym for plump goes upon (in a Down solution) the abbreviation for Answer

8d    A general style underpins laundry (10)
WASHINTON Fashion or style goes after (underpins) some laundry

11d    Nuts are replicable? Unique! (13)
IRREPLACEABLE An anagram (nuts) of ARE REPLICABLE

13d    City fails to secure backer (3,7)
LOS ANGELES Part of a verb meaning fails ‘secures’ a financial backer

16d    Spreads denunciation, son demoted in investigation (8)
BANQUETS  Condemn (denunciation) and an investigation where the abbreviation for Son is demoted to the end of the word

18d    Slope around hospital room (7)
CHAMBER A slight convexity on a surface goes ‘around’ the abbreviation for Hospital

20d    Tempted, aim to retain the Yorkshire reserve (7)
ENTICED An aim keeps (to retain) the way someone from Yorkshire would say ‘the’ and some reserve or formality

21d    Soft fabric to catch one fish (6)
PLAICE The musical abbreviation for soft and a type of fabric to ‘catch’ the Roman numeral for one

23d    Addict in deception, right to the end (4)
USER The abbreviation for Right is moved to the end of a synonym for deception

13 comments on “Toughie 3190”

  2. Just about to start this on a really horrid, cold, rainy, miserable day. Will come back to read the hints later. Am really enjoying repeats of Downtown Abbey early evening on ITV3. Thanks to Stick Insect and CS

    1. Just finished! Yeah. Now to Downton – roast sirloin in the oven as I couldn’t face it on Christmas day.

  3. The weather has confined us all to indoors so it’s been a day of guzzles, a wonderful hot stone massage & the final episode of the terrific series 3 of Slow Horses. Enjoyed this one – not too tough but very enjoyable & although no particular fav nicely clued throughout & a perfect Toughie for a slightly fuzzy brain.
    Thanks to Stick Insect & to Sue

    1. I managed over half of the toughie today which is good for me, the hints were very helpful. Thankyou Stick Insect for the challenge.
      I’ve been watching Slow Horses too, it always reminds me of Robert as we both shared a love of Mick Herrons books. Good memories.

  5. Glad of the input from CS to completely nail the parsing of 1a but no other problems to report. Rosettes awarded to 2,13&20d.

    Thanks to Stick Insect for the puzzle and to CS for the illustrated review – delightful 7d.

  6. Unlike the gale blowing outside this was a breeze by comparison. Nicely clued throughout, I thought, with 20d my pick of several good ‘uns. Like Jane, the parsing of 1a eluded me until I read the accompanying hint.

    Thanks to SI and Sue.

  8. Super toughie just right for the slot, I have to like t’Yorkshire clue but the bacon and several others merited liking too
    Thanks to CS and Stick Insect

  9. Liked the substitution clue in 2d too.
    Not too tricky but very enjoyable.
    Thanks to Stick insect and to CS for the review.

  10. Good evening

    One of my infrequent attempts at a Toughie. All done! Pen down after a fairly good stretching of the braincells courtesy of Stick Insect, whom I thank along with Sue for the explanations.

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