Sunday Toughie No 117
by Robyn
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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Robyn is at the slightly easier end of his spectrum today, and I am thankful for that as I have been preparing another post that you will want to see, watch this space…
A quite unbalanced 13 across clues and 16 down clues today, and I have hinted just under half. I hope you get the checkers to solve the rest of this puzzle, but I have a bit of leeway to give a bonus hint if required
Here we go…
As it is a Prize puzzle I can only hint at a few and hope that will give you the checkers and inspiration to go further. I’ll be back just after the closing date with the full blog. Don’t forget to follow BD’s instructions in RED at the bottom of the hints!
I hope I don’t have to redact any comments but I am new at this and don’t want to rock the boat. If in doubt, I’ll rub it out! I think that sentence is a bit redundant. You have all been so helpful in sorting out prior parsing failures, and I am sure I will need similar help again.
Most of the terms used in these hints are explained in the Glossary and examples are available by clicking on the entry under “See also” Where the hint describes a construct as “usual” this means that more help can be found in The Usual Suspects, which gives a number of the elements commonly used in the wordplay. Another useful page is Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, which features words with meanings that are not always immediately obvious. Don’t forget the Mine of useful information that Big Dave and his son Richard so meticulously prepared for us.
A full review of this puzzle will be published after the closing date for submissions. Some hints follow: Remember the site rules and play nicely
Across
9a DHL disheartened about unskilled kind of delivery (5)
Not crickety as I first thought, but rather a manner of delivery of speech. Remove the heart of the delivery company and put it about a synonym of unskilled
10a Detective’s receiving boost investigating faults etc (9)
Abbreviated detective’s receive a boost that you may add to your gin. Geological faults are investigated here
12a Preparing the ground in time, I’m going to get older (7)
T for time, a contraction of I’m going to and to get older define a farmer’s preparations
21a Decaying matter Mike extracted from dip (5)
Remove one of the code letters that Mike suggests from a mushy chickpea and tahini dip to leave the decaying matter found in a compost heap
25a What Napoleon stands on is tail of desert rat? (7)
COTD for me when the penny dropped. A fictional Napoleon’s limb from an Orwellian 20d from a tail letter and a rat or cad
27a Returned outfit from Madrid without reporting to cleaner (9)
One of the football teams from Madrid is reversed (returned) around (without) a subordinate who may report to you
Down
1d First half of Eliot novel in the first person? (4)
I am going to call this an all-in-one as I seem to recall this novel was written in the first person. The first half of George Eliot’s first novel is also the name of the first person ever
3d Large bed: article carried by everyone round building (6,4)
L for large, a bed on a ship perhaps and the indefinite article, surrounded by everyone
8d Guides in uniform and that lady upset me (10)
The letter that uniform suggests, an adjective for that lady, and a reversal (upset) of how Robyn (me) refers to his vocation as a cruciverbalist
13d Crickets played with this individual little flower on edges of dewy shrub (5,5)
A nascent flower, the edges of dewy and a prickly shrub
15d Concealing nothing, almost get angry and violent (3-7)
Almost all of a word that means to get angry and a synonym for violent or harsh
17d European wearing nothing indecent in the shade (4,4)
A synonym of nothing, the abbreviation of European and an indecent joke or image define a shade or hue that is also a stain used in biology and histology
20d Cross after student’s expelled for ridicule (6)
The cross on a Scottish flag expels a student
24d Picked up tea and rum for really bad hairdresser (4)
A really bad London hairdresser who murdered his customers and baked them into pies. A homophone of tea and a synonym of rum
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Muse at the 3d…
That’s All Folks…
13a’s fun, 19’s smart and there’s even a free spelling lesson in 21a. 25a is silly but it made me smile. 13d took me way longer than it should have but it’s an absolute cracker. Thanks, as ever, to Robyn, and Sloop. Top tunes – and intrigue re your post-to-be. Marvellous.
I did like 19a too and was tempted to reveal a YT video channel which amuses me, particularly those of a 17d shade that he releases for April Fools Day
This was really good fun – more like this please, Robyn!
Impossible to choose a favourite from such a great selection but perhaps the ‘drop of the hard stuff’ just has the edge.
Many thanks to Robyn and to SJB for the hints – I can guess what your announcement is going to concern and I’m sure it will be greeted with whoops of delight!
I did take a wee drop of the hard stuff last night, but the hint hit the cutting room floor as it was an anagram. I have just opened a bottle of Filey Bay Yorkshire Whisky (matured in Moscatel barrels) and very tasty it was too
Me too! I went for the limited edition matured in Wold Top Brewery’s Marmalade Porter barrels. Delicious, thanks for the recommendation Sloop.
Slàinte or as it is Yorkshire Whisky maybe it should be “soop up”
A cracking puzzle from Robyn – thanks to him and SJB.
25a made me laugh and I also liked 11a, 3d, 5d, 13d and 15d.
Another great Sunday Toughie from Robyn. Not his most difficult but enjoyable throughout.
Hard to pick favourites from so many options, but I did particularly like 13d and the really bad hairdresser
Many thanks to Robyn and SJB
Super puzzle. As others have said not Robyn’s toughest, but plenty of lateral thinking required, some good deception employed throughout, great surfaces and a sense of satisfaction on completion.
Thank you Robyn & SJB
First BBQ of the season has delayed this posting – finally a break in all the clouds and rain…
Another lovely puzzle from Robyn, with many ticked clues, which I have culled down to a podium group in each orientation: 10, 14 & 16 across and 5, 13 & 18 down. I wasn’t familiar with the Eliot novel but checkers led to the answer, and I didn’t know the shade in 17d – but I have just read that it is an important scientific indicator, so now I know :good:
LOI was 6d as this was another term unfamiliar to me and the parsing eluded me for quite a while, but it eventually provided the best penny-drop moment of the day. For some reason the appropriate Napoleon and bad hairdresser came to mind almost immediately, otherwise they might have been good PDMs, too!
Many thanks to Robyn, and also to SJB. I enjoyed the clip for 13d, one of my favourites from this artist, although the Rolling Stones version would have been the one I was aware of first.
I think this was the first time I was aware of that tune
Another excellent puzzle from the ever reliable Robyn. Didn’t find it quite as straightforward as others seemed to have though it was by no means tough. Had to check the decaying matter post solve as it wasn’t a word I was familiar with & I’m not sure I get the wordplay at last in 22d but otherwise problem free. Ticks against 14&25a plus 3,8,13&24d.
Thanks to Robyn & John
It took me a while to realise the newspaper wasn’t the Thunderer too
Sorry to see your club troubles continue, but you had a good time?
I did John thanks. Well done on the Little Venice front.