Toughie No 3229 by Donnybrook
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment **/***
This proved a welcome distraction from the horrors of easyJet packing, ie working out how to cram a week’s worth of clobber into a pencil-case. Still, the flight was cheap as chips. Cheaper, possibly, now that potatoes are about a million pounds a bag. I’m just hoping there’s rather more to Budapest than goulash, Bull’s Blood and stag dos. I dislike the first, don’t touch the second and I’m way too old for the third. But I digress. This was generally light and brisk. Donnybrook’s actually done quite a lot of the work for us (SMS, on and on, etc). Even the unusual 8d isn’t too much of a reach. If you know it, you know it, and if you don’t, it’s fairly clued. In fact, it would have a been a shoo-in for a one-star if it hadn’t been for the parsing of 27a which took me almost as long as the rest of the entire puzzle; largely because I thought for a good while that it was referring to a kip as 1,000lb – which it is, of course, but not in this instance. So I’ve bunged another half on for good measure: too little for some, too much for others, I’m sure. ‘Twas subjectively ever thus! Over to you.
Across
1a Detestable group one demonstrating perhaps (6)
SHOWER: Double definition. The first is self-explanatory, the second points to one demonstrating as in revealing.
5a Occasionally, song bird crossing river makes flaky descent (8)
SNOWFALL: SoNg, occasionally + a three-letter bird crossing/covering a Cornish river.
10a SMS with cunning content is painful (6)
SMARTS: SMS from the clue contains a synonym (noun) for cunning.
11a So daft of Batty to provide rations for the fleet? (4,4)
FAST FOOD: SODAFTOF, batty. The fleet you’re looking forward isn’t ships!
12a Before entrance, Liberal on and on about Democrat’s old authority (6,9)
LONDON TRANSPORT: L(iberal) + on, twice, around D(emocrat) before a synonym for entrance/delight. How many will know that this authority was discontinued/rebranded in 2000 (its new name is very similar) is a moot point. I certainly didn’t and I live here!
16a Five hundred gather with copper entering capital (8)
DAMASCUS: The Roman 500 + gather/meet, including the usual copper (not a policeman).
18a Sloth’s middle toe is damaged and redundant (6)
OTIOSE: slOth + TOEIS, damaged.
20a Brilliant finish in church attracted to Catholicism? (6)
CHROME: CH(urch) + the place that symbolises RC.
21a French head drinking English wine looked wobbly (8)
TEETERED: The French for head drinks/includes E(nglish) + the usual (generic) wine.
22a Is this suggesting brother has a problem? (4,4,7)
RUNS INTO TROUBLE: Cryptically, what the word BROTHER might suggest. R being the abbreviation for runs, etc. Excellent.
27a Green wall up, having bit of a kip inside? (8)
IMMATURE: A six-letter word (we nicked it from the French but they nicked it from the Romans, so we’re all square) for wall up/enclose, includes the two-letter Laotian monetary unit that is equivalent to 1/100 of a kip. Er yes, quite! I’m sure this trick’s been used before but I’ve not come across it. I will, of course, now never forget.
28a Zoom lens in trap set by river? (6)
WEBCAM: A (spider’s) trap + an English river. The zoom you’re looking for is, of course, Zoom.
29a Criminal drooled over a fabulously rich city (2,6)
EL DORADO: DROOLEDA, criminal.
30a Laugh at the German plan that’s incomplete (6)
DERIDE: German for “the” + a word for plan, missing its last letter.
Down
2d In duck way to produce quack? (9)
HOMEOPATH: The usual “in” + the usual duck + a way/route. Fun. Personally, I think it would read better with a comma replacing “to produce”. What do you reckon?
3d Old forum was surprisingly well-known (5-6)
WORLD-FAMOUS: OLDFORUMWAS, surprisingly.
4d Amber perhaps concerned with lapse (5)
RESIN: The usual concerning/concerned with + the usual lapse.
6d One bounding area between two American cities (5)
NYALA: A(rea) inside the first two US cities you’ll think of.
7d Was drinking bitter, essentially more than one unit (5)
WATTS: WAS, from the clue, taking in biTTer.
8d Almost over – over from the word go (2,3)
AB OVO: A synonym for over/on top of + O(ver). A misspent education (Latin, etc) helped, for once, here. But does anyone actually say/write this in real life? Lawyers probably. Tsk.
9d Adult daughter, in character, shaking rear – lively sort! (7)
LADETTE: A(dult) + D(aughter) inside the usual character, missing its last, um, character (shaking rear).
13d Dish very dry steeped in port? (7)
RISOTTO: Very (2) + the usual dry, steeped/inside a Brazilian port.
14d Loop ring through snout (5)
NOOSE: The usual ring inside the usual snout.
15d Excellent anaesthetic for two or three? (5,6)
PRIME NUMBER: Excellent/choice + a whimsical word for anaesthetic (beloved by setters).
17d Lift of weight to shoulders – not using steroids? (5)
CLEAN: Double definition. The weightlifting move that comes before a jerk and how one might describe a sportsperson (or anyone) who’s not using drugs.
19d Metal drummers employed in such an ensemble? (5,4)
STEEL BAND: You’re looking for an ensemble of metal drummers. Erm, that’s it.
20d My delicate decorative feature (7)
CORNICE: Setters’ favourite three-letter “my!” + delicate/gently pleasing.
23d Wanderer takes no notice, raking in million (5)
NOMAD: NO, from the clue, + the usual notice, including M(illion).
24d Bury Football Club appearing at San Siro? (5)
INTER: Double definition. Put in the ground and/or an Italian FC.
25d Bored with banks, an executive finally making exit (5)
TIRED: A word meaning “with banks”, missing (executiv)E.
26d King due favour had words (5)
ROWED: King (Latin) + due favour (or money, etc).
This was mostly very straightforward but there was sport to be had. 11a, 28a and 9d are all lively. And my father’s a retired doctor, so I’m honour-bound to tick 2d’s definition. But my favourite has to be the marvellous 22a. What did you think?
A most enjoyable not too tough offering from Donnybrook to start The Toughie Week – **/*****
Candidates for favourite – 12a, 6d, and 13d – and the winner by a country mile is 12a!
Thanks to Donnybrook and ALP.
What a great start to the Toughie week!
For me, unless I’m missing something,19d is barely cryptic. I was going to say that 2ds might be offended to be described as quacks, but then I remembered that quack is also slang for any type of doctor. Parsing 27a involved quite a bit of head-scratching before the penny dropped regarding “at”.
There were a lot of excellent clues here but 22a is most definitely the top of the pile.
Many thanks to Donnybrook and to ALP.
An excellent puzzle with witty clues galore – thanks to Donnybrook and ALP.
Amongst my many ticked clues are 5a, 11a, 22a, 27a, 9d and 15d.
If you go to the famous thermal baths ALP, you will only need your cozzie! Now to tackle the crossie.
Very enjoyable Floughie with which to start the week, with some going in either from the definition of having a couple of letters in there – so the constructions of 22a & 27a were wasted on me as in both cases the answers were apparent without needing the wordplay.
I thought 19d barely cryptic, and among a couple of old friends’ today it’s high time 24a took a well-deserved holiday (likewise any further use of Manchester City’s manager to clue the letters PEP). Some rather strained surfaces but also many absolutely cracking clues, so podium places to 5a, 11a & 20a with COTD to 28a.
Many thanks indeed to DNYK and ALP
Thank you for the review in your introduction: that has inspired me to give this Toughie a go when I have some time later.
As for the other part of your introduction, are you familiar with Fascinating Aïda and their charming ditty Cheap Flights?
Thank you in advance to Donnybrook, and for the hints which I appreciate as a safety net whether I need them or not.
Ha! Brilliant. Cheers, Smylers.
Oh grief but I’d forgotten that. Had to follow it with FA’s “Dogging”. Quite filthy. And utterly brilliant.
Only one winner here for me, the excellent 22a. Quite brilliant. Plenty of other goodies that came close though, but that one certainly does stand out. 27a was what it was, but I needed help to get it. That aside, all good clean fun.
Thanks to Donny and ALP.
Yep – definitely 22a, but I also liked 8d and 17d. I noticed rather a lot of “use text from the clue” e.g. 10a, 12a, & 7d, and 19d was rather limp. I’ve seen the Lao currency at least 3 times recently, used both ways i.e. like 27a or using something like …a hundred at….
Thanks to Donnybrook and ALP [sorry mate, if you like neither goulash nor bulls blood I can’t help you with Budapest -except beware the taxi drivers].
Surprisingly floughie but great fun. Raced through it until the parsing head scratch at 27a where I failed to twig the monetary unit (surprised I didn’t bump into ALP down the weight blind alley) & had to look up the wall up synonym, which only vaguely rang a bell. The Latin was unfamiliar & needed confirmation too.
Big ✅s for 5,12&22a so they can mount the podium.
Thanks to Donny & to ALP – enjoy Budapest.
Super friendly fun. Thanks both
All went swimmingly until I came up against the Latin and the bit of a kip. Needed Mr G to illuminate my darkness. Proud of myself for remembering the lift of weight.
Biggest ticks went to 5,11,12&22a.
Many thanks to Donnybrook and to ALP for the review.
A dnf for me. I needed the hints for a few that I just couldn’t see and never did get 8d. Oh well there’s always tomorrow. Thanks to Donnybrook and ALP.
A delightful puzzle to solve that all went together smoothly for us although we had not twigged the detail of the parsing for 27a.
Thanks Donnybrook and ALP.
Re 8d, ALP suggests that lawyers probably use the expression “Ab ovo”. I practised as a solicitor for over forty years and certainly never used it; nor can I recall it ever having been used by any of my fellow lawyers. I imagine that translated literally it means “from the egg”.
Ha, it does indeed! And I’m delighted to hear that. Who uses it then (apart from crossword compilers, of course) I have absolutely no idea!
I’m coming rather late to the party. I too was a solicitor for over 40 years and, like you, never came across ‘ab ovo’. I would have said ‘ab initio’.
Thanks for all the comments and thanks to ALP for the blog.
The metal drummers clue relies upon people digging METAL as in Dimmu Borgir (esp with Brit Nick Barker on drums), but Cannibal Corpse would also do
Huge thanks for popping in, and for your crossword which, clearly, went down a treat. And thank you for that musical nudge. I should have known you’d have summat like this up your sleeve, you being a drummer and all. I am sorely tempted to post a Dimmu Borgir clip next time – but Jane, for one, would absolutely HATE it!
On the other hand some of us oldies enjoy having our musical horizons expanded. I’m listening [for the first time] to “Stormblast” as I write this. Lovely stuff – reminds me of early Ulver or Krallice.
Rock n Roll is alive and well but nowadays they keep it in a box labelled “metal”. Many thanks donny for opening this particular box for me.
Thank you both, Donnybrook and Alp for an enjoyable workout during a sleepless night. Needed the clues for 8&17d