Toughie 3248 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Toughie 3248

by Dutch  

Toughie No 3248 by Elgar

Hints and tips by Dutch

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment *****

A few musical clues that took me a while to see and parse

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a/27a/21d    Commanding a personal fortune? (2,6,2,4,7)
IN CHARGE OF ONE’S DESTINY: cryptic definition

5a           A couple of things described as Polar bears going back on spirits (6)
ANGELS:  A from the clue, then two poles containing (bears) a reversal (going back) of a cricket term for ON

9a/19a Marathon fry-up, or refined style of barber-shop? (4-4,7)
FOUR-PART HARMONY: An anagram (refined) of MARATHON FRY-UP OR

10a        See 17 Down

12a/23d The strain freed from restraints? (9,6)
UNCHAINED MELODY: cryptic definition playing on strain

13a        Orchestra’s place to accommodate holier-than-thou country singer (5)
PIPIT: Where an orchestra sits to play contains a word meaning very holy

14a        Prices of export goods visible at the close (4)
FTSE: Last letters (… at the close)

16a        Sporting outfit including e.g. Jasmine gown (7)
MANTEAU:  A football club containing a drink that could be Jasmine

19a        See 9 Across

21a        As resonating part of clarinet or oboe does? (4)
DEER: Reversal (resonating) of a part of an oboe or clarinet

24a        Island supplier of cloves exercises business graduate (5)
PEMBA: The abbreviations for exercise classes at school and a business graduate

25a        Hunt broadcast no-compromise budget live, as it happens (4,2,3)
C’EST LA VIE: The abbreviation for Hunt’s job, then an anagram (broadcast) of (budge)T with no compromise + LIVE AS

27a        See 1 Across

28a        Console doctor with prosthetics, welcoming in nurse (8)
NINTENDO: Dr with prosthetics from a 007 movie contains (welcoming) IN from the clue and a word meaning to nurse

29a        Respond to sudden attack of, say, wasp or chicken (6)
YELLOW: Split (4,2), this could be a response to a wasp attack

30a        See 18 Down

Down

1d           Many people arriving because of wrong influenza jabs (6)
INFLUX: A preposition that can mean ‘because of’ plus a letter used to mean wrong or mark as incorrect, is jabbed by a shortened word for influenza

2d           I get depressed when changes needed in motoring group (6)
CLUTCH: Two meanings, the first a car part

3d           This is a must for initial phases (5)
ALPHA: An all-in-one hidden

4d           Restructuring ignored French department (7)
GIRONDE: An anagram (restructuring) of IGNORED

6d           Right amount of cash in order? (9)
NINEPENCE: Cryptic definition, the answer means of a high standard or ‘in order’, as in ‘as right as *********’

7d           Outside margins City Editor cut out (8)
ECLIPSED: Outside (either side) of a word meaning margins or edges we have a post code for the City and the abbreviation for editor

8d           Raised recordings about love out of instrument range (8)
SPECTRUM: Reversal (raised) vinyl recordings, a Latin abbreviation for about, and a brass instrument without a term of endearment (love out of)

11d         Case of diastole? One’s about the same (4)
IDEM: The outer letters (case) of diastole has around it (about) a (1’1) way of indicating one’s

 

15d         A record broken scoring against Palace once (9)
TROCADERO:  Anagram (broken) of A RECORD inside (scoring) a preposition meaning against

17d/10a    Ravel opus initially harnessed by Ireland piece (8,2,4)
RHAPSODY IN BLUE: An anagram (ravel) of OPUS + first letter in H(arnessed) + BY IRELAND

18d/30a Work, house & car in retirement: the writer’s pretence (8,8)
DRUMROLL SYMPHONY: A slang word for house, a fancy car, a reversal (in retirement) of a possessive pronoun meaning “the writer’s” and a word meaning pretence or fake

20d        It’s distasteful gossip: University College expels adult at the heart of it (4)
YUCK:  A 3-letter word for gossip or talk, in which the abbreviation for adult (positioned at the heart of it) is replaced by the abbreviations for University & College

21d        See 1 Across

22d        Playing Eton fives — but not fit, however (4,2)
EVEN SO: An anagram (playing) of ETON FIVES omitting the letters in FIT

23d        See 12 Across

26d        Brighter, like a lord puffing on his pipe? (3,2)
LIT UP: Three meanings, the second as in drunk

I liked the musical clues (once I got them) as well as the cryptic definitions. I also quite liked 2d. Which were your favourite clues?

19 comments on “Toughie 3248”

  1. I have to blow my own trumpet here and admit that this was probably my quickest Elgar solve to date. Still took a fair while, though, especially some of the more convoluted parsings. As a classical music nut, any of the musical clues floated my boat, with perhaps the 17d/10a combo taking top spot. Great fun.

    Thanks to both Elgar and Dutch.

  2. I’m with you, YS! I would never dream of calling Elgar “gentle” but this is as close as he gets. Lovely. I really hope that some of those who maybe find him too tough (and I’m normally one of them!) give it a go as it’s a real treat. And eminently doable. Huge thanks to Elgar and Dutch.

  3. Wouldn’t normally tango with Elgar but the answer to the first clue leapt out at me so I gave this one a whirl. Didn’t quite get a full grid but near enough that I was extraordinarily pleased with myself!
    Favourite has to be the 12/23 combo with a mention for the country singer and the refined barbers.

    Thanks to Elgar for giving me half a chance and to Dutch for filling in the gaps.

  4. A bit of a Curate’s egg for me. I’m afraid I think 1a/27/21 is a dud clue, hardly cryptic and so obvious I felt it couldn’t be right for a bit. Relatively obscure toponyms [24a] are a bit naughty but I suppose one must forgive this one given the obvious wordplay.
    On the other hand delighted to see Ravel, my favourite anagram indicator, in 17d/10. 5a is about as cunning as crossword clues get and 21a is nice and neat. Failed to parse the front half of 25a.
    Thanks to Elgar and Dutch.

  5. As a Gerry Anderson fan ….. I’m wondering if the ‘Spectrum’ and ‘Angels’ answers are linked to Captain Scarlett and the female pilots?? Melody, Rhapsody, Symphony, Harmony and Destiny making up the set??

    1. Oh, GREAT spot, Dana. That’s brilliant. Chapeau to you, and to the very clever Elgar, of course.

    1. Thank you – doesn’t happen very often :-) –
      I always look forward to trying an Elgar – but my crossword club friends and I need a team approach to stand any chance of finishing . . big thanks to Elgar for hours of bi-weekly entertainment. . . and huge thanks to all the bloggers who help us learn and let us enjoy the puzzles even more – have a great weekend everyone!

  8. I really enjoyed this surprisingly gentle puzzle – by a very considerable margin my fastest completion of a Elgar grid. At first I was irritated by the number of split answers, but they fell so cleanly that it ceased to be an issue.

    Highlights – 12/23; 16a, 8d, 26a & COTD 28a.

    Echoing comment above, I do hope more people give this wonderful puzzle a go, so thank you Elgar, and also of course to Dutch.

  9. Hadn’t spotted the Capn Scarlet link (btw, he is indestructible, you are not, do not try to imitate him).

    Needed hints for the last three or four, so definitely on the easier end of the Spectrum(Is Green)

    Thanks

  10. Nice to see no grumbles today about this fairly gentle Elgar. Music not my thing but all fell into place. My groaning moments were the does and the drumrolls as I was convinced the car was a merc! Jolly good show!

  11. Made more headway with this Elgar composition than any before, so not surprised to find others found it less tough than the norm. Certainly didn’t spot the Captain Scarlet theme.
    Thanks to Dutch for explaining the severaI didn’t solve!

  12. Managed a few but my GK not up to it. Correction my knowledge not upto it. Favourite 20a.Thanks to Dutch for so many explanations.

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