Toughie No 3251 by Django
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Django has given us a very entertaining puzzle with some nifty wordplay today – many thanks to him.
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
Across Clues
1a One regularly dipping into float for money (7)
MILKMAN: cryptic definition of what someone does for a living. This is virtually an extinct species round where I live.
5a Did divine female ring and swear badly? (7)
FORESAW: assemble the abbreviation for female, the ring-shaped letter and an anagram (badly) of SWEAR.
9a Turning TV on to check darts — oddly missing scores (7)
NOTATES: reverse a word for a TV and ON and insert the even letters of darts.
10a Picture moulding once hollow resin replaced by very soft wood (7)
COPPICE: start with the name of a picture moulding (the rail near the top of a wall from which pictures can be hung) and replace the outer letters of resin with the musical abbreviation for very soft.
11a Youth voices entertaining panto when in cast (5,4)
SALAD DAYS: a verb meaning voices contains the name of a popular pantomime without the IN.
12a Popular application’s not free? (2,3)
IN USE: synonyms for popular and application.
13a Confuse shy host (5)
THROW: triple definition with host being a verb.
15a Planning and finally swimming the channel (9)
GESTATION: the final letters of ‘swimming the’ and a channel on TV, say.
17a Bloomer‘s flatter crust’s initially boring (9)
BUTTERCUP: a phrasal verb to flatter is bored by the initial letter of crust.
19a Material this writer’s daughter recalled (5)
DENIM: stick together a possessive pronoun meaning belonging to the writer and the abbreviation for daughter then reverse the lot.
22a Stole case of redwood timber (5)
BOARD: a type of stole worn around the neck and the outer letters of redwood.
23a They vandalise iPhone essentially over poor signal (9)
HOOLIGANS: rivet together the central letters of iPhone, the cricket abbreviation for over and an anagram (poor) of SIGNAL.
25a Column that makes a point using corrupt principles of Sergeant Ernie Bilko (7)
OBELISK: an anagram (corrupt) of the initial letters of S[ergeant] E[rnie] and BILKO.
26a Type of deal done working away during exercise (5-2)
TRADE-IN: remove the adverb meaning working from the word ‘done’ and insert what’s left into a verb to exercise.
27a Came into view rolling back mile in 60 minutes (7)
EMERGED: insert the abbreviation for mile into what 60 minutes make up in a spatial coordinate then reverse it all.
28a Engineers attempt to draw in space for part of astronaut’s mission (2-5)
RE-ENTRY: the abbreviation for an engineering corps in the British army and a verb to attempt bracket a printer’s space.
Down Clues
1d Objects to film’s world-view (7)
MINDSET: a verb meaning ‘objects to’ and the usual Spielberg film.
2d Brood over deal ultimately getting smaller (7)
LITTLER: a brood or family of young animals containing the ultimate letter of deal. Not a comparative that you often see written.
3d Corporation upset with journalist being silenced (5)
MUTED: reverse what corporation is a humorous word for and add our usual abbreviated senior journalist.
4d Reminiscent of losing act unfortunately (9)
NOSTALGIC: an anagram (unfortunately) of LOSING ACT.
5d Type of Ford Sierra belonging to retired copper originally (5)
FOCUS: the letter that Sierra represents in the Nato Phonetic Alphabet is preceded by a preposition meaning ‘belonging to’ reversed and the chemical symbol of copper.
6d Carpet salesman on edge with … (9)
REPRIMAND: splice together an abbreviated salesperson, a synonym of edge and a conjunction meaning ‘with’.
7d … incentives for everyone (within fixed limits) (7)
STIMULI: the film classification meaning ‘for everyone’ goes inside an anagram (fixed) of LIMITS.
8d Success wrapping present in what? (7)
WHEREIN: a success or victory contains what you might reply when your name is read out in a roll-call.
14d Persuading despicable sort to hide diamonds in part of plane (9)
WHEEDLING: a Russian doll clue. A word for a despicable sort or cad contains the abbreviation for the card suit diamonds and all that goes inside a very important part of a plane.
16d For example, tee up following small drink (9)
SUPPORTER: the word UP follows the abbreviation for small then finish with a type of alcoholic drink.
17d Jerk with ambition to be comedian (3,4)
BOB HOPE: a verb to jerk or jiggle and a synonym of ambition. I was never a great fan of this comedian – I much preferred this contemporary of his:
18d Peter Andre’s beginning to get sloshed, quaffing butt of Shiraz in swingers’ bar (7)
TRAPEZE: an anagram (to get sloshed) of PETER A[ndre] containing the bottom letter of Shiraz.
20d Den’s consuming snack most ordered (7)
NEATEST: a den or lair containing a verb to snack.
21d Young man inspired by Madonna’s craft (7)
MASONRY: a young man is contained in the forename of Madonna (the Biblical one, not the singer).
23d Timeless broadcast of The Kid had tramp (5)
HIKED: an anagram (broadcast) of [t]HE KID without the physics abbreviation for time.
24d Vegetarian somewhat flipping furious (5)
IRATE: hidden in reverse.
My picks today were 1a, 13a, 17a and 16d. Which one(s) pleased you?
It’s been a good week for Toughies. This one wasn’t particularly tough but, as you’d expect from Django, a lot of fun
My favourite was 1a
Thanks to Django and Gazza
As our blogger says, nifty wordplay indeed. I needed a bit of reverse engineering on a couple of the more convoluted parsings, but all came good in the end. 16d was a perfect example of this and my favourite. Great fun.
My thanks to Django and Gazza.
Very tight from Django. I was mildly surprised, especially after 9a (great clue), that he could resist going for Luke in 1d! Delighted to see some trademark heft returning in 25a. I know some don’t like the long ‘uns but I love ‘em. Impossible to disagree with Gazza’s top choices. 13a is the best triple I’ve ever seen. Big tick for 11a too. Loved it all. Huge thanks to Django and Gazza. Definitely George over Bob, yes!
Quite agree with Sue – a very good week for Toughies so far. This was tremendous fun, light and very approachable – so much so that I do hope it gets a wider audience than would often be the case for a Thursday – witty and clever. I was delayed by biffing an almost parseable “winnows” at 8d, realising my error when the penny dropped at 10a. COTD 11a, but podium/runners-up places to 1a, 13a, 15a, 14d & 16d.
2* / 4*
Many thanks indeed to Django and Gazza
A couple of iffy surfaces aside, this was a tremendous Toughie. I found it quite challenging but persistence paid off and I crossed the finishing line unaided with my podium comprising 11a, 13a & 16d.
Many thanks to Django and to Gazza.
Lots of classy and neat clues, but that makes picking favourite very difficult. Most enjoyable. For favourite I’ll go for 11a as it took a while to see. Thanks to Django and Gazza.
I give up. My second attempt to post has also disappeared …
I rescued your comment (only found one) from the Spam folder. I’ve no idea why it was judged to be spam.
Many thanks, Gazza.
Nifty wordplay for sure but, unless I’m imagining it, a sight less convoluted than it used to be. Not tough but a real pleasure to solve. The triple definition gets top billing but I had countless ticks elsewhere – 1,9,10&11a plus 7,14&16d particular likes & 25a simply because I love Phil Silvers. If I had to pick 2 for the remaining podium spots it’d be 1a&7d.
Thanks to Django & to Gazza.
A very enjoyable puzzle that took me a little longer than the last two. Although I had the answer for 27A, I couldn’t parse it, so thanks Gazza for the explanation. I had ticks all over the place but I’m singling out 11A for honours and giving podium spot to the very clever 13A which was last in. Like ALP, this is the first time I’ve come across a triple definition, so well done to Django.
Many thanks to Gazza and Django.
Best, not first, to be fair! You do see them occasionally. But this was exceptional.
Chuckles all the way through. Can’t decide between 1a and 13a for top billing.
Thanks Django and Gazza.
Yes, very achievable. Favourites – too many to mention maybe, but Bilko gets my vote as another fan of the Phil Silvers Show.
Last one in was the very clever 11a.
Thanks to Django and Gazza 👍
Thanks Gazza, and thanks all.
I didn’t find this as achievable as most, in that I needed Gazza’s assistance to achieve the top-left corner — but that’s fine: there should be puzzles for people who are better at crosswords than I (currently) am. Thank you to Gazza for that and Django for the puzzle.
My favourite is either 6d’s carpet or 18d’s bar.