Toughie No 3252 by Sparks
Hints and tips by Dutch
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment *****
I found this tricky with some new words. Some references to age; I don’t know if these have special significance
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Pure heroin, the very least part ecstasy (4-5)
SNOW-WHITE: A slang word for heroine, a smallest bit imaginable, and the abbreviation for ecstacy
8a Means to uncover what Toulouse-Lautrec may have done? (5-8)
PAINT-STRIPPER: A removal chemical that is suggestive of TL’s typical subject matter
11a Almost resist mates (5)
OPPOS: A 6-letter word for resist without the last letter (almost)
12a Former republic‘s unknown northern river (5)
ZAIRE: An algebraic unknown and a river in Yorkshire
13a Move back in compact valleys (5)
DENES: Move the last letter in a word meaning compact or thickly packed
16a Overcome unpaid loan? (6)
SUBDUE: Split (3,3), this would suggest there is a payment to be made
17a Article covering my small fruits (6)
ACORNS: An article covers an exclamation meaning my!, plus the abbreviation for small
18a Dropping name, whine about jeans (5)
LEVIS: This brand name is the reversal of a 6-letter word meaning whine or gripe, but without the abbreviation for nae
19a Bale perhaps last from pile in local yard (6)
GARETH: The last letter of pile goes into a dialect (local) word for yard
20a Jump, turning right into middle of royal’s furtive activity? (6)
SPYING: A word meaning jump with the abbreviation for right turned into the middle letter of royal
21a Whisky arguably ain’t associated with the clergy? (5)
ISLAY: This whisky brand/origin, split (2,3), would suggest not associated with the clergy
24a Mineral chart enters pigment (5)
OCHRE: The abbreviation for chart enters a rock mineral
26a Shoot extremely sadistic overthrown chief (5)
SCION: The outer letters (extremely) of sadistic and the reversal of a way of saying the top honcho
27a Experienced older men loaded USAF freighter (6,7)
FATHER FIGURES: An anagram (loaded) of USAF FREIGHTER
28a Patsy‘s son caught two animals (9)
SCAPEGOAT: This fall guy comes from the abbreviations of son and caught, then a 3-letter and a 4-letter animal
Down
2d Office hours held by canoness (5)
NONES: Hidden – 9th hours for religious officers – nice clue, but never heard of these
3d Historically, underwear used to be a desirable luxury (6)
WASPIE: Split (3,3), this old corset-like garment becomes “used to be a welcome luxury” – also a new word
4d Capital artist stops race (6)
HARARE: The abbreviation for artist goes inside (stops) a word meaning to race around
5d Destroy ring, essentially beating raised gemstone (5)
TOPAZ: Reversal (raised) of an informal word to meaning to destroy, then a letter that looks like a ring and the middle (essentially) letter of beating
6d Greeting content changed by a third (5,8)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: A word meaning content plus an anagram (changed) of BY A THIRD
7d For example, OAP cronies upset with general computing and international religion (6,7)
SENIOR CITIZEN: An anagram (upset) of cronies, an abbreviation for general computing, and abbreviation for international and a Japanese religion
9d Mark following note penned by north African dignitary (9)
MONSIGNOR: To mark or autograph following the abbreviation for note goes inside (penned by) a 4-letter north Arican
10d Vendor’s state-of-the-art herb garden perfect at the end (9)
NEWSAGENT: A 3-letter word for state-of-the-art, a herb, and the last letters of ‘garden perfect’
13d Light up welcome message in city (5)
DELHI: The reversal (up) of a type of light plus an informal greeting
14d Decamp, not quite going over one’s first scar? (5)
NAVEL: The reversal (going over) of a 6-letter word meaning decamp without the last letter (not quite)
15d Cheeky goat making every possible volte-face? (5)
SASSY: A female goat going in the opposite direction at each opportunity (3 times)
22d Raise foot support that’s run loose? (4,2)
STIR UP: An equestrian foot support missing an abbreviation for run
23d Temporary shelter maybe showing fatigue when tipped (6)
AWNING: A 7-letter gesture showing fatigue without the first letter (tipped)
25d Exotic, eschewing new system of morals (5)
ETHIC: A 6-letter word for exotic or foreign without the abbreviation for new
26d Bomber Harris ultimately supported by those who volunteered to protect their country (5)
STUKA: The last letter in Harris, then a volunteer army goes around the country they defend.
My favourite was the 6d greeting with the lovely anagram. Many happy returns! Which clues did you like?
A mix of gimmes with more-subtle clues. I liked 13a, 20a and 15d.
Thanks to Sparks and Dutch.
Most of this was quite benign for a Friday, with 90% completed at late-week back-page rate; the final few in the N & W took a good while longer – the parsing of 9d’s middle took an age to justify; the early h in 19a had me thinking ‘PH’ for local and I was looking for a synonym of yard ending in h; the underwear was new to me, as was the “desirable luxury” – hardly!
But what a wonderful, challenging, satisfying puzzle; great surface reads, plenty of red herrings, and so many excellent clues. Highlights for me included 7d, 26d, 18a & 21a but I could have picked two dozen more.
4* / 5*
Many thanks to Sparks and of course Dutch
Nice as pie?
Not going to pretend that I managed this unaided but I was very proud of the answers that I got on my own. At least I knew the ‘office hours’ so I’m one up on our reviewer! Personal favourites were 16,18&28a plus 6d. I wonder whether it’s our setter who’s celebrating today – I’m not sure at what age one becomes a 7d these days.
Thanks to Dutch for his much-needed input and thanks to Sparks who may or may not be celebrating!
According to the list of toughie setters I copied from the old website before it dies, this is Sparks’ 80th toughie
* 90th toughie hence NONES I can’t read my own spreadsheet
Missed WASPIE and DENES. Couldn’t parse 14d fully. What is the missing letter in 14d?
Thanks S and D
Levant. Got me too! See chambers.
Thanks. We learn something new every day… :)
A very cleverly clued and inventive Toughie that just kept on giving. I didn’t keep count, but it felt like half the grid went in quite quickly, but the remaining clues took a bit longer, with a couple of hold outs lengthening my solving time a tad. If pushed, I would nominate 15d as my favourite this afternoon.
Grateful thanks to Sparks for the challenge and to Dutch.
I think there’s a significant difference between a 5* Sparks and a 5* Elgar. This puzzle fell into my lap, the complete opposite to what Elgar’s offerings do!
Thanks all
It’s my solving time. I allocate a certain number of minutes (embarrassingly large) for every difficulty star. All Elgar’s take me way over 5*. I hope that’s a consolation.
A few things we had to look up or confirm but they did not cause too many problems in what was a most enjoyable solve. Biggest chuckle came from 8a.
Thanks Sparks and Dutch.
Managed 75% under my own steam but then needed 3 letter reveals, Mr G & a couple of check grid hits to complete. Very enjoyable & thankfully a good bit more accessible than Elgar or Osmosis. 1,8&21a my podium picks.
Thanks to Sparks & to Dutch for explaining a couple of the whys.
Got there in the end without hints, although I didn’t get the parsing of 15d and had never heard of 2d, although it couldn’t have been anything else.
Favourite was the amusing 8a.
Thanks to Sparks for making this tough but achievable and to Dutch for the explanations.
Replying to myself, just realised I got to the finish line while savouring a drop of 21a – Ardbeg Corryvreckan if anyone is interested 😊
I took a wee dram of Laphroaig Cairdeas to bed myself, it went down like the whirlpool at Corryvreckan
A very pleasant way to end a day 👍
Very enjoyable and I loved 2d. I’m always looking for Ninas and there appear to be four words, each occupying a little sqare, placed around the central square which was very intriguing. Many thanks to Sparks and Dutch.