Toughie No 3299 by Silvanus
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Thanks to Silvanus for today’s fairly gentle but very enjoyable Toughie.
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
Across Clues
1a Old City firm with current employees ignoring exercise (14)
CONSTANTINOPLE: assemble an adjective meaning firm or staunch, an adjective meaning current or fashionable and another word for employees without the abbreviation for exercise.
8a Lay to rest playwright needing no introduction (5)
INTER: the surname of an English playwright without its first letter.
9a Guardian setter perhaps spy previously? (8)
WATCHDOG: what a setter is an example of preceded by a verb to spy or observe.
11a Dip in river over, English giggle briefly about dressing (9)
GUACAMOLE: a river in eastern England and the cricket abbreviation for over go inside the reversal of an abbreviation for English and a verb to giggle without its final letter.
12a Renegade ignominiously assumes stoop (5)
DEIGN: hidden.
13a Picked up method to make dairy product (4)
WHEY: a homophone of a synonym of method.
14a Bond girl meant to perform right away (8)
LIGAMENT: an anagram (to perform) of GI[r]L MEANT without the abbreviation for right.
17a Outside huge capital city discovered curious flower garden (8)
ROSARIUM: an adjective meaning curious goes outside the abbreviation for huge in clothing sizes and a European capital city without its covering letters.
19a Direct actor in starring role (4)
LEAD: double definition, the first a verb.
23a Greeting to welcome American radio broadcaster who made a pilgrimage? (5)
HADJI: a short greeting contains abbreviations for American and a radio broadcaster (on a music station, say). I’m not sure why the question mark is needed.
24a Serious birdwatcher’s location maybe on island (2,7)
IN EARNEST: where a birdwatcher may be positioned (4,4) follows an abbreviation for island.
25a Regular selections from long list helps main back complaint (8)
IMPETIGO: regular letters selected in reverse from four words in the clue.
26a Against relative getting trumpet? (5)
VAUNT: the abbreviation meaning against (in a sports match) and a female relative.
27a Lack of appreciation from Angus left nurse disconcerted (14)
UNGRATEFULNESS: an anagram (disconcerted) of ANGUS LEFT NURSE.
Down Clues
1d Embarrassing link defended by church dignitary (12)
CRINGEWORTHY: a link (in a chain, for example) is contained inside an abbreviation for church. Finish with another word for a dignitary or important person.
2d Flipping apple tart intentionally contains salt! (7)
NITRATE: hidden in reverse.
3d Risk of art they nicked being damaged (6)
THREAT: an anagram (being damaged) of ART THE[y] with the second word being nicked or cut.
4d Mathematician requires extra time working (6)
NEWTON: string together an adjective meaning extra or additional, the physics abbreviation for time and an adverb meaning working.
5d Origin of item wrongly printed in bold (8)
INTREPID: the original letter of item followed by an anagram (wrongly) of PRINTED.
6d Snake concealed itself inside piano, twisted round (8)
OPHIDIAN: a verb meaning concealed itself goes inside the word piano with its final letter twisted round to the front.
7d Eleventh-century Pope possibly having a long mane of hair? (7)
LEONINE: how the name of an 11th century Pope including his regnal cipher might be spelled out (3,4).
10d EU set for arrangement with distant country (6,6)
UNITED STATES: an anagram (for arrangement) of EU SET DISTANT.
15d Force rising French street fashion designer to show coolness (8)
FROIDEUR: start with the physics abbreviation for force then reverse a French street and a French fashion designer.
16d Boxer dog given giblets periodically eating remains (8)
PUGILIST: a wrinkly dog followed by the even letters of ‘giblets’ containing a verb meaning remains or exists.
18d Jazz band member mentioned is upwardly mobile (7)
SIDEMAN: glue together a verb meaning mentioned or cited and IS then reverse it all.
20d Government sacks four for effect (7)
EXECUTE: one of the three branches of government (not the legislature or the judiciary) losing the Roman numeral for four.
21d Exonerate aristocrat following plea, case dismissed (3,3)
LET OFF: an informal word for an aristocrat follows the word ‘plea’ without its outer casing.
22d Student impulse for cycling in slush (6)
DRIVEL: bring together our usual abbreviated student and a synonym of impulse or urge then cycle the first letter round to the end.
The clues I liked best were 24a, 1d, 7d and 21d. Which one(s) made your list of highlights?
Mightily pleased with myself today as I rarely complete a toughie. I’m often on Silvanus’s wavelength and this proved no exception. 11a, 1d and 6d were pick of the bunch for me and the whole thing gave much pleasure. Thanks Silvanus and even though I didn’t need help on this occasion thanks are due to the hard working Gazza. What shall I do now? Back to the cross-stitch!
A gentle but most enjoyable solve from one of my favourite setters. There were so many to like but joint favourites 17 and 24A.
Thank you Gazza for brightening up every Thursday with your humour and Sylvanus for yet another little gem.
Started well with 1a [old city, 14 letters – bit of a giveaway] but slowed down in the bottom half. 24a was last in, I liked the birdwatcher’s location so that gets a vote along with 20 and 21d [both neat little clues].
Thanks to Silvanus and to Gazza for the blog.
Just right for a Thursday with enough head scratchers to make it interesting. We had 18d in a crossword a while ago so I knew it this time. I had to look up 6d and 15d but fairly clued. Favourite was 20d. Thanks to Silvanus for the fun and Gazza.
The second half of my Dream Team on fine form and not as tricky as he can sometimes be. Started out with a smile and an ear worm courtesy of 1a and wasn’t phased by 18d as, like Taylor, I remembered it from one of NYDK’s puzzles a few days ago. Last to fall was the 20d effect. Rosettes bestowed on 24a plus 1,7&21d.
Many thanks to Silvanus and to Gazza for the review and cartoons – reckon that both Shabbo and myself are only too aware of the frustration arising from the 24a illustration!
I can only agree with earlier commenters that this was fairly comfortable to solve, with excellent and elegant clueing throughout. 7d proved to be my favourite, with 6d as runner-up.
Thanks as always to Silvanus for the challenge and to Gazza.
Solved whilst watching the British ladies match at Wimbledon and now watching the British men bite chunks out of each other. Great stuff.
Lovely puzzle as ever. Thank you Silvanus.
I started a list of ticks, but there were just too many – mainly for the down clues curiously.
Great stuff, clever setter and thanks, as ever, to Gazza.
Many thanks as always to Gazza for his Hints, Tips and cartoons and to everyone commenting.
Enjoyable solve with 24a our favourite.
Thanks Silvanus and Gazza.
Top notch as ever & thoroughly enjoyable from start to (an unusually) brisk finish. Too many ticks to list ‘em all.
Thanks to Silvanus & to Gazza for the review & cartoons.