Sunday Toughie 105 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Sunday Toughie 105 (Hints)

by Sloop John Bee  

Sunday Toughie No 105


by proXimal

 

Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

I tripped through three-quarters of this quite quickly but came to a grinding halt in the SW. I don’t think I can parse two letters in 2d and await your retorts.

Thanks to proXimal for providing a nod to 20d ‘s  It made my night when I realised he was talking about me (and  others)

14a and 14d clues today and I have hinted half

Here we go, Folks…

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 return with the full review blog just after the closing date. 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. Don’t 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           Lag once around a tank, one hollow (10)
A former prisoner goes around a tank or container and the letter that looks like one


12a        Firm area tasted great in bananas (7,6)
Bananas is an anagram indicator; Firm area is the definition of a place where businesses are grouped together
Team Valley Trading Estate - Invest Gateshead


17a        Tone in discord with such inactivity might be condemnatory (8)
An extraction anagram, it removes the letters of tone from condemnatory and what remains is anagram fodder for a period of inactivity. Two anagram indicators (in discord and might be) are required as tone is not removed intact
Torpid dormouse | Sleeping animals, Nature animals, Cute animals


22a        Spooner’s putting personnel in part of canal, silly person (8,5)
A silly person discovered when the act of providing manpower for the busiest parts of a canal is treated in the manner of The Reverend Doctor Spooner
We need more of us': The only female lock keeper on UK's deepest lock calls for more women to join the canals


24a        Knight ousting king, evidently without hindrance (7)
A synonym of evidently ousts a Latin King and replaces it with the chess notation of a lesser piece


25a        Exposed area reportedly became dull and rank again (7)
A homophone (reportedly) of became dull following what remains of area when it has been exposed. Steve C may have to rank his dissertations again if distracted by the news that Mrs C is coming home soon


26a        I’m hesitant to leave dog home (4)
An interjection expressing hesitation leaves a type of dog leaving the home for a different type of animal

How to protect badgers and their setts during development work - Engain

 

Down

2d           Nobleman upset excellent fellows in deeply personal retort (15)
A rank of Nobleman (The European equivalent of an Earl) contains an anagram (upset) of some excellent fellows, leaving two letters to explain. I suggest these may be deeply personal text-speak for you are! I invite your retorts but that may be a bit of overhinting  followed by a reversal (upset)of a synonym of excellent and some fellows in a deeply personal feeling

Thanks Philbert and Gazza

 


7d           Everyone rushed after dawn to get menu offering (3-3,9)
Synonyms of everyone and dawn with a synonym of rushed coming after


8d           Antelope can’t stand crossing river, most advantageous to traverse end of June (10)
A disliking of or can’t stand crosses a river and a synonym of most advantageous around the last letter of June

Photo of Red Hartebeest | Kariega Private Game Reserve


13d        Grand supermarket to the north invested in new cooks and food taster (10)
An abbreviation of grand and the reversal (to the north in a down clue)  of a discount supermarket in an anagram (new) of cooks. She specifically tested porridge and only liked one of the three offerings


16d        Comedian and DJ in Lebanese city (8)
A popular comedian and a play on words of being in a Lebanese city and another two-letter abbreviation that could be a Disc Jockey or otherwise in charge of entertaining an audience

BBC suffers huge blow as Michael McIntyre's The Wheel AXED after ratings drop - Mirror Online


20d        Online account provider (7)
Right now it is me, a little earlier it was Senf. We also have Cryptic Sue, Gazza, Mr K, Huntsman, 2Kiwis, Falcon, Pommers, Dutch, Shabbo, Alp, Phibs, The Numpties, Rahmat Ali and Prolixic and many more providers of hints past and present (Stephen L, Twmbarlwm, Kath, Miffypops, Deep Threat, Kitty, Tilsit and not forgetting the Big Man who started it all) – I hope I haven’t missed anyone!). How delightful it would be if we could get together in Little Venice again to celebrate Big Dave’s legacy properly


23d        Group listened to broadcast (4)
A homophone (broadcast) of listened to, a group of animals

    High Quality Stock Photos of "hartebeest"A group of 8d

 

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I can’t ignore some new music from Mr K…
I don’t think 8d have crossed here
That’s All Folks!

25 comments on “Sunday Toughie 105 (Hints)”

  1. Re 2d,
    I think it is the nobleman followed by a reversal (upset) of a 4-letter synonym of excellent, then some fellows in a 3-letter word for deeply personal (usually followed by ‘feeling’)

  2. An enjoyable puzzle from Mr X – thanks to him and SJB.
    My ticks were awarded to 7d, 13d and 21d.
    The fellows in 2d go inside a 3-letter adjective meaning deeply personal or instinctive.

  3. Hi all. Nice to be remembered.

    I’m still around. Going through a bit of a rough patch health wise at the moment and am waiting for surgery in March. It’s nothing too nasty but I have these things called Staghorn kidney stones (don’t google if you’re squeamish).

    I’m still solving, although I found this one a bit of a struggle, especially in the SW corner. Glad I had Mrs Bradfords book on the table near my recliner. It’s been given a bit of thumbing today.

    Thanks to SJB and proximal for the challenge.

    1. Nice to hear from you. Saturdays are not the same. I am sure the docs will do a good job. Wish you well.

    3. Lovely to hear from you, Tilsit! Sorry about your health; hope the surgery goes well. And do keep popping in to comment.

      SJB, if there is a gathering in Little Venice, I’ll certainly do my best to make it. (Also applies if it’s in Actual Venice, though the chance of making may be lower.)

    5. How nice to hear from you Tilsit. Sorry to hear of your health issues & wishing you well soon

  4. I often find proXimal punishing but this was eminently doable. It was, in fact, exceptional. The Spoonerism was a winner, 13d was masterful and 17a pleased me enormously – he’s done me like this before but I clocked it straightaway this time. Many thanks to proXimal and Sloop.

  5. As usual with this setter, I had trouble with a couple of his trip hazards but there were, luckily, a few easier ones that allowed me to make progress.
    Top marks went to the food taster with the firm area and the reverend not far behind.

    Thanks to proXimal for the Sunday challenge and to SJB for the hints.

  6. Needed lots of hints to finish so, of course, I have not entered it. I was, however, quite surprised as to how far I got with it. My COTD has to be 25a – thanks for the mentioning of myself and Mrs. C, SJB.

    Thank you, proXimal – I must look at the Sunday Toughie more often. Thank you, SJB for the hints, which were needed by me.

  7. Super puzzle, thank you for the rigorous challenge, ProXimal. I dislike and don’t ‘get’ the ‘comedian’ in 16d and so would have preferred a ? at the end, but all is forgiven with the brilliant 22a and 13d.

    Thanks also to SJB

  8. An spot-on 13d of a Toughie puzzle from proXimal to accompany Monday’s breakfast after a fun-filled family celebration weekend. Like SJB and Tilsit, I also concluded in the SW corner; finally solving and parsing both 2d and 16d when all checkers were in place. A number of favourites emerged: the 22a Spoonerism, 24a displacement, 27a anagram, and the clever surfaces of 7d & 8d; but heading my list was the elegant 13d. The 23d ‘Group’ that sprang to my mind was the 60’s band featuring Peter Frampton, but SJB’s group of animals is probably the ‘Group’ most solvers opted for :smile:
    Many thanks to both proXimal and SJB, and best wishes to Tilsit for a speedy post-op recovery.

    1. You will have to check the review a week on Wednesday I have put a YT video of them in there – I certainly recall Frampton Comes Alive but in 1967 I was only five!

  9. Hallo SJB I completed this in the surgery waiting room this morning and had to suppress a huge shout of Yes when I finally read your clue for 16d. Thank you. What a clever proXimal. So much to like but the penny drop moment has to be favourite. Thanks to all.

  10. Thanks all for commenting, I have had a bit of a problem with an overzealous Spam filter sending WordPress notifications to the junk folder, I am pleased you all seemed to enjoy this fine puzzle as much as I did

    1. Day late to it but enjoyed the puzzle immensely – top 2 for me were 13&16d. Missed the extraction anagram parsing 17a & got into a pickle 2d too.
      Thanks & to proXimal too – yet to tackle his NTSPP as well

  11. 17a fooled me – I got it as had all the other letters. But Inactivity being in the middle of the clue threw me.

    1. You’ve changed your alias since you last commented back in May 2021. Both it (presumably your name) and this one will work from now on

    2. Welcome back from Me too! and me too! re the sneaky hidden definition in 17a it took me an age too

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