Toughie No 3256 by Elgar
Hints and tips by Dutch
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment *****
I did reasonably ok until I got to SW. Then for a few clues I had to consult the maestro
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
1a Comfortable, some of us, on £50 (4)
WELL: A pronoun for some of us and the abbreviation for pounds plus the Roman numeral for 50
3a Maths whizz working out N from deviation (6)
TURING: Remove the N from a word meaning deviation
7a Inlet’s mouth submerged by river close to sea (3)
RIA: The first letter (mouth) of inlet is contained (submerged) by the abbreviation for river and the last letter (close) to sea
9a English post boxes few and far between (6)
SPARSE: The abbreviation for English follows (post) a verb meaning boxes
10a Superheroine born in western Arabian state (8)
BATWOMAN: The abbreviation for born, an preposition that could mean in, the abbreviation for western, and an Arabian state
11a Mind-blowing leading man stunned this lady! (6)
ANGELA: An anagram (stunned) of LEADING MAN, without (blowing) the letters in MIND
12a Quartet of duos rock: it’s better dishabille! (7)
OCTETTE: Remove the outer letters from 3 words (… dishabille)
13a Preposterously, in one paradox, a cultivated source of oil; in another, a perfect source of vinegar (4)
RAPE: Two meanings, two hiddens, the first reversed (preposterously)
15a Karma that tree’s exudation will feed rail (9)
FULMINATE: A 4-letter word for karma or destiny contains (is fed by) a gummy substance exuded by elm trees
18a Sign by point in Gardens their partners maintain (4,5)
KEPT WOMEN: A 4-letter sign follows (on) a 2-letter abbreviation for point in some well-known gardens
19a Such power, picking something up (4)
WATT: A unit of power is a homophone (picking … up) of a word that can mean something
21a Engineer additional university cuts (7)
BOULTON: Someone who worked closely with the previous answer. A (4-2) word meaning additional or attach contains (is cut by) the abbreviation for university
22a Account’s initial level, having zilch in circulation (6)
AFLOAT: The first letter (initial) of account, then a 4-letter word meaning level containing the letter that looks like zero or zilch
24a Plant species found around Key West (8)
SALTWORT: A 4-letter word meaning species or type goes around a computer keyboard key plus the abbreviation for west
25a Chap’s nicking silver and grand dish (6)
HAGGIS: A male possessive pronoun contains the chemical symbol for silver and the abbreviation for grand
26a Get the office of a senior clergyman (3)
SEE: Two meanings, the first as in understand
27a Row fires doctor up (6)
RIDING: A 3-letter word for row or noise is contained in (fires) a verb meaning to doctor
28a Bird with a little experience in service (4)
WREN: Also the whole clue works as a definition. The abbreviation for with, then the first letter of experience goes inside a military service
Down
1d Come to author you shouldn’t have put in the middle division (9)
WAPENTAKE: A 4-letter word meaning come to contains (put in the middle) a word meaning to write or author plus an informal expression of gratitude
2d Angry 6 unlikely to go unnoticed (5)
LARGE: An anagram (angry) of the answer to 6d
4d Berners-Lee’s decision, his last, on the dot (2,2,4)
UP TO TIME: Using Berner-Lee’s first name, if it’s his decision it’s (2,2,3). The add the last letter of Berner-Lee.
5d Pass kid, not excited by present (1,4,4)
I DON’T KNOW: An anagram (excited) of KID NOT plus a word meaning present
6d 7 Down flourishes dazzle with brilliance (5)
GLARE: An anagram (flourishes) of 7d
7d 23 all round, on His Majesty! (5)
REGAL: An anagram/reversal (all round) of 23d
8d Area measures perhaps represented, but as outlines (8,5)
ABSOLUTE UNITS: An anagram (represented) of BUT AS OUTLINES
14d Charged criminal — no longer top, showing effects of inaction (9)
ENTRUSTED: A 4-letter word for criminal or not straight without the first letter (no longer top), then a word for showing decay by inaction
16d Its binding method reversed by lab procedure (9)
TITRATION: A reversal of twice IT (its) containing a 3-letter word for skill or method, then a preposition that can mean by
17d Frost’s opening, uplifting new line very much traveled by? (8)
FOOTWORN: The first letter in Frost, then a reversal of the abbreviation for new, a 3-letter line, and a word meaning overly much. A reference to The Road not Taken
20d First of leading articles upon which much will turn (5)
LATHE: First letter of leading, then two articles
21d Fine carriage from Paris ejects European statesman (5)
BLAIR: A (3,3) French term for a fine carriage or deportment from which we remove the abbreviation for European
23d Drink rum, 2 (5)
LAGER: A type of beer which is an anagram (rum) of 2d
I quite liked the all-in ones, 7a and 28a. Which were your favourite clues
Like our blogger, all was going relatively swimmingly until I hit the brick wall that was the SW. Those last half a dozen or so took almost as long as the rest of the grid. I stuck at it and all became clear. I liked the anagrams of the setter’s name, which gave me a good foothold, but my top clue was 12a, closely followed by 10a.
As ever, many thanks to Elgar for the challenge, and to Dutch.
Too hard. Total fail in SW. Thanks all.
Off to a good start with Elgar’s 4 anagrams but eventually I too ground to a halt in the SW. Eventually a vague memory of the other Engineer came to the rescue, as did the key in 24a [the rest was clear]. Still took some time to finish with 21d and 27a but at least they’re all parsed. Impressed by the simplicity and the surface of 9a and the cleverness of 16d but think 13a is a tad too clever.
Thanks to Elgar and Dutch.
A DNF – had to come here for some hints in order to finish, with the SW for this puzzle being what the NE was to the back-pager. Did not twig the anagrams of Elgar – the print-outs do not have the setter’s name and I’d forgotten it was his day, but that’s no excuse!
Can’t say I enjoyed it very much: while I admire the complexity and deviousness of the setting, there was too much that I found obscure/obsolete/dated (13a, 15a, 18a, 21a, 24a, 1d, 4d, 16d, 21d) and although the 2d/6d/7d/23d combo was straightforward and fell very early, it was entirely circular: they were all self-referential with no starting point – or have I missed something?
Thank you to Elgar (for the thrashing!) and to Dutch
I needed a lot of help from Dutch’s hints and only a vague memory from a visit to the NRM brought the engineer to the surface,
Almost a quicky style pun with the S of 9a and the first two acrosses, I was certainly sweltering.
The large regal Elgar drinking lager was a fine image and as the man himself pointed out earlier this week this is his 250th Telegraph Toughie (many more when you add all the specials and Christmas double toughies)
Thanks to Dutch and congrats to Elgar (see you on the 2nd)
Managed to finish with a few unparsed. Dutch to the rescue again.The quartet of Elgar anagrams helped. There is a mini Yorkshire theme with the Ridings at 27a divided into 1d Wapentakes, but that was as far as it went.
Thanks Elgar and of course, Dutch
We all missed some of the 250th Toughie Nina’s
Notes for Toughie 3256
ELGAR (KEY: setter’s name): 2dn LARGE, 6dn GLARE, 7dn REGAL, 23dn LAGER (Variations: anagrams)
TWO (KEY: 12ac: ‘Quartet of duos …’): 10ac BATWOMAN, 18ac KEPT WOMEN, 24ac SALTWORT, 17dn FOOTWORN (Variations: contain TWO)
HUNDRED (KEY: 8dn: ‘Area measures …’): 13ac RAPE, 27ac RIDING, 1dn WAPENTAKE, 20dn LATHE (Variations: old measures of area)
FIFTY (KEY: 1ac: ‘… some of us on £50’): 3ac TURING, 19ac WATT, 21ac BOULTON, 28ac WREN (Variations: figures depicted on £50 notes)
Thanks, Sloop John Bee – at least the obscurities make some sense now. Thank-you, Dutch, and Elgar
Did most of the RHS in reasonable time, but needed a few hints for the LHS and especially SW.
Thanks