Toughie No 3293 by Zenas
Hints and tips by ALP
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ****
A warm welcome back to Zenas, who’s been surprisingly benevolent today, despite (very sparingly) borrowing Chalicea’s magic dictionary. One too many supports, perhaps, and certainly one for the list but … plenty to savour. All yours.
Across
1a Voyeurs tweeting closed M&S (7,4)
PEEPING TOMS: The sound of birdsong (chicken) + closed (as door) + MS.
10a Measure lead Scottish smoker inhaled (5)
PLUMB: The usual symbol for lead, with a Scottish smoker/chimney inserted/inhaled. Having once lived in Glasgow, I had heard of this but I wouldn’t say it’s that well known. Still, it has/had to be what it is!
11a The pigs ate endless processed food (9)
SPAGHETTI: THEPIGSAT[e], processed.
12a Irregular tactics foolishly ignored, crucial trial gets overturned (9)
GUERRILLA: A subtractive anagram. Overturn CRUCIALTRIALGETS, ignoring TACTICS (foolishly).
13a Boycotted regularly by head of theatre group (5)
OCTET: bOyCoTtEd + T[heatre].
14a Fishing-boat in South America returns every time (6)
ALWAYS: A (small) fishing boat inside SA, all reversed.
16a Communication network having rejected gold standard (8)
LANGUAGE: A computer network + standard (of measure), with its central-ish two-letter gold (not OR, the other one) reversed/rejected.
18a Time of day province cuts power (8)
MIDNIGHT: The usual “day” + the (Irish/British) province cuts/inside power or strength.
20a Heartless gallery destroyed textile pattern (6)
ARGYLE: GAL[L]ERY, destroyed.
23a Showy person‘s impudence when going after workers’ organisation (5)
TULIP: Impudence/cheek goes after the usual two-letter workers’ organisation. I’d never come across this marvellous definition before but, of course, it’s in Chambers. Sort of the opposite of a snowflake, I guess.
24a Reserves, old soldiers and Lord Lieutenant making a stand (9)
BOOKSTALL: The usual “reserves” + former/old (volunteer) soldiers + the obvious abbreviation = a stand that’s NOT a shelf. As I soon (lazily) found out to my cost!
26a Worrying son without father’s sinning (9)
STRESSING: The usual “son” + a (Lord’s Prayer-ish) word for sinning, without “father’s” (3) in the middle. Smart.
27a Sticky substance found in biro’s ink (5)
ROSIN: Lurker, hidden in the last two words = summat that’s very similar to the far more familiar “with-E” word. And I still don’t understand the difference. Life is way too short. Talking of which …
28a Scoff when men thus iron pants (11)
NOURISHMENT: MENTHUSIRON, pants. You’ve got to admire the bravery here. With “scoff” and “pants” in the same clue, Zenas is surely begging for grumbles. I loved it!
2d Judge probes Eastern European dodge (5)
ELUDE: The judge’s title that usually follows “M’…” in court probes/is inside the usual Eastern and European. Fun.
3d Local building lacking support for important part of development (7)
PUBERTY: The usual “local” + (owned) building/house, minus support or strut. Charming definition.
4d Support for board ousting trustee in favour of new food company (6)
NESTLE: Another support (for a table, etc) with the abbreviation for “trustee” replaced by N[ew].
5d Rip-off ruffian (8)
TEARAWAY: How one might say “rip off” expressed as (4,5). Unless I’m missing summat, I’m not sure I approve of rip-off’s hyphen. The surface is arguably better without it, so why? Seems wrong to me.
6d Jonah crashes in car game (3-4)
MAH-JONG: An anagram of JONAH in(side) a two-letter (sports) car.
7d Include gnomes on lively prime time saga (13)
EPIGRAMMATISE: PRIMETIMESAGA, lively. Nice spot and a jolly surface but, really. Not a word to fall in love with!
8d Figures from station finally covered by a railway (8)
STATUARY: A six-letter word for station or standing has its final letter replaced/covered by A from the clue plus the usual railway.
9d What a violent bounder might do when hopping mad! (3,3,7)
HIT THE CEILING: A gentle cryptic definition. “Bounder” and “hopping” are key. The bounder would have to be indoors, mind!
15d Primarily water snakes consuming large ducks? (8)
WADDLERS: W[ater] plus the usual “snakes”, with L[arge] inserted.
17d Most of ersatz British and German beer is cheaper (8)
SHABBIER: Ersatz or fake, minus its last letter + the usual British + the German for beer.
19d Art form chimp astonishingly grasps (7)
IMPASTO: Lurker, hidden in the third and fourth words.
21d Stage play casually follows mounted soldiers (7)
ROSTRUM: Play (guitar) follows/after the usual-ish two-letter soldiers, reversed/mounted. I’ve seen “casually” used before to clue this word. I really must protest! And, by way of proof, here is the very best of ’em live on 21d. Nowt casual about The Clash!
22d Nice red wines run out initially having good scores (6)
GOUGES: Red wines (or just reds) from Nice, with G[ood] instead of R[un] to start.
25d A motive Environment Agency overlooked for crime (5)
ARSON: A from the clue + motive/cause, minus/overlooking the agency’s abbreviation.
This was pretty light and fizzy with just a smidgeon of exotic vocab. I counted six anagrams (including hefty partials) and two lurkers, which seems high-ish for 28 clues. But it didn’t feel that way during what was a brisk solve. I especially enjoyed 18a, 2d and 3d. But, just to be contrary, I simply must pick the outrageous 28a as my favourite. I do know a chap who does actually iron his underpants (to a permanent crease, no less) and just thinking about it renders me insensible. How did you all get on? With the crossword, that is, not your ironing.
PS May I just add, at the risk of 7d’ing … as utterly brilliant as our new Monday setter Robyn is, the late, lamented Campbell is much missed by – I imagine and trust – all but one of us. And, in this case, the majority is 100pc right. RIP Allan.
OK, finished and enjoyed that, with a little backtracking, and found the anagram in 7d, but why on earth is its definition “include gnomes on”? 10A my favourite. Lang may your ***s reek.
It’s a pretty garlicky definition, for sure, especially with that “on”. But a gnome is, amongst other things, a pithy or sententious saying. And to 7d is “to make such things (about)”.
Good mid-week Toughie – for me not the waltz enjoyed by ALP – and very satisfying to complete. Playing “guess the setter” was interesting (I failed), and it took a while to get on to their wavelength. The RHS fell first, and for a while the LHS threatened to be impenetrable, but once 12a dawned the rest came easily. My LOI was 7d and fortunately with the checkers in place the answer leapt out; equally fortuitously 12a was a gimme without needing to parse the clue! A little surprised to see 4d. Plenty of excellent clues, and I’ll go for 1a, 28a and 15d.
Many thanks indeed to Zenas and ALP
Just right to start the week – not too taxing but with some nice clueing at intervals. I spotted the subtractive anagram at 12a but having removed “crucial” from “irregular tactics” couldn’t make a word meaning “overturned” – 2nd attempt more successful. So that one gets a star as does 16a for “rejected gold” and the gnomes at 7d. Failed to parse 26a [sinning] so that can have a gong too.
Thanks to ALP for the blog and as always the tunes. Top selection this week tho I found the cats more fun than PD. Oh, thanks to Zenas as well.
Ha! I take your point about Doherty – he’s not everybody’s cup of tea, for sure. But at least he’s made his dentist very happy/rich. Glad you took some comfort from the cats but my main problem with him is that his music vids are among the worst I’ve EVER seen.
Perhaps it’s the heat but far more likely a lack of solving ability because I found this quite a struggle to complete – 8d + 16&20a took longer than the rest of the puzzle & only eventually yielded at the 3rd look at it. There were a few bung ins too & didn’t bother to overly tax grey matter trying to parse ‘em content to read all about it in the review. The peeping context, the fishing boat, the sticky stuff & the word at 8d all needed Mr G’s confirmation. Missed the subtractive anagram & threw in the towel with the whys at 2d&16a. I roomed on golfing trips with an impeccably attired fella who ironed his boxers & spent an age in the bathroom so 28a brought back memories – no probs with scoff & pants here. Enjoyed the puzzle. 1a was my favourite largely because it’s a film I very much admire. Directed by the great Michael Powell & hugely controversial for its time it was savaged by the critics of the day but is now rightly regarded as a classic – the first slasher 🎥.
Thanks to Zenas & to ALP for the explanations- love the Jam song/lyrics & remember buying the single with its B side tribute Who cover & pic of Keith on the back sleeve.
A friend came over just before the review appeared so I’ve had time to calm down from my double dose of disgust over 28a – I think our setter is deliberately trying to wind me up – rather like our reviewer does with his choice of music clips!
I didn’t know that particular definition of 23a but it seems quite appropriate for the large, blousy variety.
No favourites to mention but thanks to our setter and to ALP with his looney tunes.
The Jam? The Clash? Looney tunes?! Go to your room, this instant!
Hadn’t heard of 23a or 7d and needed the hints to parse 12a,16a, 26a and 3d. The rest I found more difficult than most, just pleased to have finished. Favourite was 21d. Thanks to Zenas and ALP.
Thanks to ALP for the review and music and to all for the comments. Sorry Jane, but the idea of men ironing pants was too good an opportunity to miss.
Huge thanks for popping in, and for a cracking puzzle. I couldn’t agree with you more re men and pants!
Very late getting on to this but when we saw who the setter was could not avoid printing it off and giving it a go.
Found it more taxing than our blogger did and huge fun to solve with ticks all over the page.
Thanks Zenas and ALP.