Toughie No 3228 by Osmosis
Hints and tips by Dutch
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment ****
A near double pangram (one J & K?). I overslept – I haven’t parsed 16a (well, I might have) and 4d, ideas welcome.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
4a Evaluate more servicemen with people carriers, primarily second-hand (8)
REASSESS: An abbreviation for servicemen, some beasts of burden, and the first (primarily) letter of second-hand
8a Personnel absorbed by unlikely subject (6)
THRALL: An abbreviation for personnel goes inside (absorbed by) a word meaning unlikely (a **** story)
9a One constantly flattering the aged — a Leo? (3-5)
YEA-SAYER: The old word for ‘the’, A from the clue and singer Leo *****
10a Very bad time to prune everything? Exactly (8)
VERBATIM: Remove last letters from first three words (to prune everything)
11a Disrupting old community volunteers, Jack spouted stuff (6)
EJECTA: A 3-letter abbreviation for the forerunner of EU is disrupted by the card abbreviation for jack, and an abbreviation for a volunteer army
12a Maybe user of Amazon Prime drained by sport through November (8)
PERUVIAN: The outer letters (drained) of Prime, the abbreviation of a sport, a 3-letter Latin word meaning through and the letter with radio code November
13a Quaker‘s free retreats to include the study of scripture (8)
DITHERER: The reversal (retreats) of a 3-letter word meaning free includes THE from the clue and the abbreviation for scripture taught in school
16a Ace amid flying cadets recalled by pub memorial (8)
CENOTAPH: I can see a pub (PH) and an ace (A) but I’m confused by ‘flying cadets recalled’. Oh, I think it’s a reversal of ONE (ace) inside an abbreviation for Air Training Corps, which i’ve never heard of.
19a Tanks ignoring motorway sign (8)
AQUARIUS: Some fish tanks omitting the M for motorway
21a Worst characters on the run put away (6)
DEFEAT: Three consecutive letters (characters on the run) plus a word meaning to put away or ingest
23a Heard Vanish used with jam stain (8)
DYESTUFF: A homophone of a word meaning to vanish and a word meaning jam or cram
24a Rubbish Toughie crossword’s essentially amiss (8)
PIGSWILL: A 3-letter tough problem (oink), the central letters (essentially) of crossword’s and a word for amiss or sick
25a Arch male enters part of Highland fling? (6)
CAMBER: The abbreviation for male goes inside (enters) a log thrown in the highland games
26a One who stands against runners seen meandering around the sticks? (8)
SLALOMER: I think this is a cryptic definition
Down
1d Joke’s on Romeo who struggles with his pants? (7)
WHEEZER: A 6-letter joke plus the letter with radio code Romeo gives you someone struggling to breathe
2d Wine bash on river hosted by Arriva, say (9)
LAMBRUSCA: A 3-letter word for bash or beat, then the abbreviation for river goes inside (hosted by) a (3,2) phrase for what Arriva is.
3d They’re linked up to the hip music-maker in sportswear (6)
GLUTEI: An old stringed instrument goes inside a judo costume
4d Author on Washington coach supporting Yankee in crash (7,8)
RAYMOND CHANDLER: Any ideas? I was wondering if handler was an American coach.
5d Horse before races tucked into quality biscuits (8)
AMARETTI: A female horse and a race on the isle of man go inside an abbreviation meaning excellent or quality
6d Small car with the gutted boot, wheeled (5)
SKATE: The abbreviation for small, a model of Ford, and T(h)E without the inner letter (gutted)
7d Golf equipment up in Westminster European finds dear (7)
SWEETIE: The reversal of a 3-letter golf aid goes inside the postcode for Westminster, plus the abbreviation for European
14d Penalties may follow this special sentence (5,4)
EXTRA TIME: A word for special and a word for jail sentence
15d Once Twitter worker with drone capturing island plant (8)
XANTHIUM: What Twitter is now called, a 6-legged worker, then a sound like a drone capturing the abbreviation for island
17d Book, electronic, probing half of Suez Canal (7)
EZEKIEL: The abbreviation for electronic goes in between (probing) the second half of SUEZ and a canal in Northern Germany
18d Wino perhaps trembling, volume becoming very loud (7)
QUAFFER: A 6-letter trembling in which the abbreviation for volume becomes the abbreviation for very loud
20d Spanish unit houses key cultural organisation (6)
UNESCO: The Spanish word for one contains (houses) a keyboard key
22d Some tackle a self-assembly item in drawing room? (5)
EASEL: Hidden (some … )
I think my favourite was the Amazon Prime user – which clues did you like?
This certainly had a bit of chew but gentler than usual for a Friday – and I’m all for it. Lots of fun to be had here. Some lovely surfaces and a spot of quirk made for a fun and brisk-ish solve. Very strong surface at 23a, I applaud our setter’s bravery for even attempting to clue 17d, and 18d made me smile. I thought 14d was a tad simplistic, 15d read oddly, 24a (albeit amusing) is a definite hmm. And 26a is just a “no” for me! But the “characters on the run” in 21a is commendably fresh and 19a is just brilliant. Many thanks to Osmosis and Dutch. PS Is 3d your favourite picture, btw?! PPS you have, of course, parsed 16a correctly!
A good steady solve with no parsing issues this afternoon which is rare for a Friday. 12a was excellent – a real stand out clue and my favourite. An honourable mention, too, for 13a and 17d.
My thanks to Osmosis for the challenge and to Dutch.
I took coach as a handler, which Mrs B confirmed
As Wahoo says, a handler is a coach, as per boxing etc. Washington just gives you the DC.
I really struggled with the SW corner – trying to go for a double pangram with “reject” for 21a” and heaven-knows what with a k in it for 26a. Eventually the light dawned for both and I also managed to parse 24a [but was still trying to parse 26a].
Osmosis at his most devilish with lots of crackers. Awards go to 9a [not a cat then] the Amazon user at 12a and the immaculately constructed 4d.
Thanks to Osmosis and to Dutch for the reassurance about my failure to parse 26a!
Bloody hard and not much fun, says my wife.
At one stage I had everything from 4d and east, with nowt to the west, eventually finishing in the NW. Cracking puzzle, proper Toughie. I hadn’t heard of the sportswear before, and there were several I could not parse until reading the hints – thank you Dutch – including 16a whereat I kicked myself, having been a member of the ATC in the very early 80s. I recall the Flight Lieutenant driving what at the time to a young lad seemed like one of the most glamorous cars I’d yet seen at close quarters, a TR7, and how we cadets would beg for lifts home in it! Now I realise he was probably just praying that the car would get from A to B without breaking down and destroying the illusions of his cadets.
Dutch – 2d ends in an O I should think (Bus Co, which I thought was something of a stretch for Arriva, but down here we see no trains and precious few buses, so what do I know?); I parsed 4d as RA[Y]M ON DC HANDLER. Yes, seems to be missing a J for a double pangram.
I really enjoyed this Osmosis, even if some of the surfaces were somewhat odd, and thought it surprisingly accessible. Hon Mentions to 10a, 21a, 5d, 18d.
Many thanks to Osmosis and Dutch
Osmosis & Elgar are normally way above my pay grade so only have a crack at the Friday Toughies when they’re absent but had a peek today & the NW corner yielded quickly so was encouraged to keep going. Proceeding at a snail pace in an anticlockwise direction (with a bung in & a press of the check if all correct facility) I eventually ran out of gas 3 shy (6d + 9&11a) in the NE, raised the white flag, read the hints (answers obvious) & was immediately more than a bit miffed that I’d not persevered. Hey ho much better than I’d have expected to do but really ought to pegged Leo & old community.
Really enjoyed the puzzle & the extremely clever clueing. 12a was my clear favourite among plenty of ✅s.
Thanks to Osmosis & to Dutch for the 3 hints & the why for 16a & to others for parsing 4d.
Have posted a comment but it’s awaiting moderation (not sure why – maybe the shock of the likes of me tackling Osmosis) but if it doesn’t materialise enjoyed the puzzle.
Thanks both.
Hi, Huntsman. I’ve released your comment from moderation.
Thanks
With perseverance and a bit of Google help we eventually got a completion and then checked the grid letter by letter to see if we could find a place for the J missing from a double pangram. Thoroughly enjoyed the challenge.
Thanks Osmosis and Dutch.