Toughie 3282 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Toughie 3282

by crypticsue  

Toughie No 3282 by Dharma
Hints and Tips by crypticsue

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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty ** – Enjoyment **

Dharma’s Toughie is just right for a Wednesday although, for me,  he does seem to have spent too much time removing single letters or  the insides or outsides of words including two in a row at 11a and12a

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought

Across

1a Clearly public divided by bishop getting attached to repellent fellow (2,5)
NO DOUBT An adverb meaning in public ‘divided’ by the chess abbreviation for Bishop and then placed after (getting attached to) a reversed university fellow

5a Perhaps ginger daughter seen cuddling student will get married (7)
SPLICED A pungent substance of which ginger is, perhaps, an example and the abbreviation for Daughter ‘cuddling’ the usual abbreviated student

9a Prominent leader of union interrupting small strike? (5)
PROUD The ‘leader’ of Union interrupting a small strike by, for example, a fingertip

10a City‘s hot food attracting call for extra (9)
BALTIMORE A random and unindicated American city is obtained by following a type of Indian cookery (hot food) with a call for extra

11a The setter’s left a new clue lacking in body and gravity (10)
IMPORTANCE How our setter would say he is (going to do something perhaps), the left side of a ship or plane, A (from the clue), the abbreviation for New and the outside (lacking in body) letters of CluE

12a Scrap iron used only at the edges (4)
FEUD I would have thought the solution was a lot more than a scrap – the chemical symbol for iron and the outside (only at the edges) letters of UseD

14a Reportedly soaring mishandling of tin-openers is risk to health (12)
HYPERTENSION A homophone (reportedly) of up in the air/soaring followed by an anagram (mishandling) of TIN OPENERS

18a Agreement to ignore unlimited bans involved danger for London area (6,6)
COVENT GARDEN Remove the AN (inside or unlimited letters of bANs) from a mutual agreement and follow with an anagram (involved) of DANGER

21a Giant howler at Anfield? Reds’ second half written off (4)
OGRE An informal term for a mistake (howler) made at Anfield or other football ground, followed by the first half (second half written off) of REds


22a According to commentators, deliberately lost fight, nullifying bookie’s tip completely (10)
THROUGHOUT A homophone (according to commentators) of a one-word expression meaning deliberately lost and a fight without (nullifying) the ‘tip’ of Bookie

25a Guardiola essentially having big impact after relative sporting success (5,4)
GRAND SLAM The ‘essential’ letter of guarDiola and a big impact go after an informal name for a female relative

26a Naked adulterers possibly getting intimate (5)
INNER The inside (naked) letters of some adulterers

27a Has an aversion to some in France sheltering tax (7)
DETESTS The French word for some ‘sheltering’ a verb meaning to tax or make demands on

28a Expensive protein product picked up for main course (7)
HIGHWAY A synonym for expensive and a homophone (picked up) of a protein product

Down

1d Wipe pot on the counter at home, grabbing Kleenex to begin with (6)
NAPKIN A reversal (on the counter) of a cooking pot and the usual ‘at home’ grabbing the letter that begins Kleenex

2d Hanging very poor designer clothes up (6)
DROOPY Hidden in reverse (up) in verY POOR Designer

3d Root, close to victory carried by inferior player? (10)
UNDERLYING The ‘close’ to victorY ‘carried by’ an inferior player

4d Best part coming up – showing some leg! (5)
TIBIA A reversal (coming up) of best or first class and a synonym for a part

5d “Cool it, Sir!” blasted highly paid counsellor (9)
SOLICITOR An anagram (blasted) of COOL IT SIR

6d Check after voiding punter’s first bet (4)
LAID Taking away (after voiding) the first letter of Punter from some check fabric

7d Street noise should be restricted (6,2)
CLOSED IN A quiet, dead-end, street and a noise

8d Not looking forward to Democrat coming under scrutiny? Quite the opposite (8)
DREADING The opposite of the way the clue reads – a synonym for scrutiny comes under (in a Down solution) the abbreviation for Democrat

13d Chic performing live gig around November, it’s alluring (10)
INVEIGLING The usual two-letter fashionable (chic) and an anagram (performing) of LIVE GIG around the letter represented by November in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet

15d They delicately cover, say, outbreak of general strikes (9)
EGGSHELLS Abbreviate for example (say) and follow with the ‘outbreak’ of General and a synonym for strikes with explosive projectiles

16d Work by rogue brought up unforeseen event (3,2,3)
ACT OF GOD A verb meaning to work, a synonym for by and a reversal (brought out) of a mean scoundrel (rogue)

17d Lead-free roof on shed could be grey (8)
OVERCAST Remove the first letter (lead free) of a roof and follow with a verb meaning to shed

19d Pro tasted success when making a comeback temporarily (3,3)
FOR NOW Pro or in favour of and a reversal (making a comeback) of a one-word way of saying tasted success

20d Powerful runner finally reigned in by Cram (6)
STURDY The final letter of runner ‘reined’ in by prepare for an examination by intensive learning (cram) The Word Spelling and Grammar Checker and I think the word ‘reigned’ in the clue is a mistake as reined in makes more sense

23d Go round park if you want to do this (5)
OOMPH The ‘round’ letter and the speed you would be doing if you were parked or not moving

24d Conservative abandons principles to produce works of art (4)
ODES The abbreviation for Conservative ‘abandons’ principles or sets of rules

15 comments on “Toughie 3282”

  1. I agree – just right for Wednesday – although it seemed harder than it was, if that makes any sense. The bottom half seemed particularly tough but in the end it had taken the usual 2* time. I liked the image of mishandling tin-openers at 14a, the lost fight at 22a, the lead-free roof at 17d and the clever 23d which gets my top spot.
    Thanks to Dharma [good to see the shout for Chic] and CS.

  2. An enjoyable puzzle – thanks to Dharma and CS.
    I was a bit surprised by the inclusion of ‘highly paid’ in 5d (Messrs Sue, Grabbit and Runne may be in touch) and as CS says ‘reigned’ in 20d is surely a typo.
    I’ll pick 5a, 22a and 23d for my podium.

  3. Up to now, I have always enjoyed Dharma’s Toughies. Perhaps I am having a bad day, but I found this one almost incomprehensible with precisely five answers entered in the time I would have expected to have finished it. Enough is enough – white flag raised.

    Thanks anyway to Dharma and also to CS whose comments I will now read to try to find out why I had such difficulty.

  4. Thought a few of the synonyms were a bit of a stretch but perservation and a few inspired guesses helped me to cross the finish line. Rosettes awarded to 11&22a plus 7,17&19d.

    Thanks to Dharma for the work-out and to CS for the review.

  5. An enjoyable Toughie, I have one question and that is is it OK to do a Toughie in two sessions/sittings as I seem to have more some what success that way. Thank you to Dharma and Cryptic Sue

    1. While you are away from the crossword doing other things, both mental and physical,there is a part of your brain that carries on thinking about the clues ready for you to write in the solutions on your return

      1. I Thank you so I will continue to wage war with the Toughie and am delighted as always to lose (ha ha)

    2. Why would it not be ok I wonder? After all, it’s not a race, an exam, or subject to any rules requiring you to complete at one sitting. And if a break to do something else, or because you’ve been interrupted, results in you returning reinvigorated and inspired, so much the better!

  6. Really enjoyed this offering. Started slowly, not sure why, but then it all came together. Favourite clue today was the simple, but, clever, 4D. Thanks to setter, imho ***/****

  7. Very tactful of you, Sue, in your parsing of 20D. It’s not that ‘reined’ is “better”. ‘Reigned’ is simply wrong. It means something totally different!
    Good puzzle, though. Just testing enough for mid-week!

    1. I’ve just revisited the puzzles site and ‘reigned’ has now been replaced by ‘reined’.

  8. Nice to know we can stop head-scratching about 20d.
    Quite challenging in parts and over all a pleasant solve.
    Thanks Dharma and CS.

  9. Solid and satisfying to complete, the last few longer midlands / south east clues taking almost as long as the rest. Sadly I found the clueing very repetitive, much as I appreciated the strict control on the numbers of anagrams. 15a didn’t really work for me and the typo was a shame, but Dharma’s attention to detail showed in the consistency of the cracking surfaces.

    2.5* / 2.5*

    Many thanks to Dharma and CS

  10. I thought that the “ginger” referred to in 5a might be Geri Halliwell. It could be said that in that case it should have had a capital G but setters sometimes use capitals to lay a false trail so why should the reverse not apply also?

    Also, as a retired Solicitor I was greatly amused by 5d.

  11. Just the ticket & perfect for a pre lights out solve. Only really expected to make a start on it but tuned in surprisingly well for a brisk completion with the head scratching confined to the SE. I had lots of ticks – 14,18,22,25&28a plus 3,13,15&19d particular likes. **** enjoyment for me.
    Thanks to Dharma & to Sue

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