Toughie No 3305 by Chalicea
Hints and tips by ALP
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
It’s always grand to see Chalicea back on a Tuesday and she’s been quite sparing with her magic dictionary today, with just a splodge of Spanish, a dash of second-string definitions and, of course, a fourth stomach. Well, why not? Nothing to fuse the kettle, but ‘twas all very jolly. And no, it’s not the pangram I expected. She’s done all the hard work (tricky letters galore) but not quite pulled the trigger – and that didn’t bother me one jot. All yours.
Across
1a Poorly triangulated, lowering quality (12)
ADULTERATING: TRIANGULATED, poorly.
9a Where one can drop off jumpers, centre for donations (5)
ROOST: The usual jumpers + donaTions.
10a Changing sides, do something enjoyable, exercise the mind (9)
CEREBRATE: Do summat enjoyable (party, say), switching Left to Right.
11a Blood alcohol level of woman before meal and hot drink (6,3)
HERBAL TEA: The usual woman’s + the abbreviation of blood alcohol level + a (light) meal.
12a Relieved and satisfied, quitting place (5)
EASED: Satisfied or happy, quitting/minus place’s usual abbreviation.
13a Those capturing soldier tucked into cooked pizza (9)
PAPARAZZI: (Airborne) soldier inside/tucked into PIZZA, cooked.
16a Stop working in African Union. Goodbye! (5)
ADIEU: Stop working/quit (as per mobile phone, etc) in, um, African Union.
18a Score after equaliser on the counter? Spain dropping out as Colombia’s level? (5)
LLANO: The score after (the first) equaliser, reversed, minus the usual Spain = a plain in Colombia/northern South America.
19a Agent into haggling? (9)
NEGOTIANT: AGENTINTO, haggling. Fun &lit.
20a One in Mexico perhaps travelling across America in pursuit of good fertiliser (5)
GUANO: (Number) one in Mexico/Spain contains A[merica], after the usual good.
22a Fastidious old question I put in place (9)
EXQUISITE: The second-most usual “old” plus the usual “question” + I from the clue + to put in place or just “place” = a synonym of fastidious that’s in Chambers but a usage that I defy anyone to use in real life!
25a Conclude very large deal successfully for medical instrument (9)
ENDOSCOPE: Conclude or finish plus the “very large” that’s not VL + deal (with).
26a Formed an objection involving current leader of Labour (5)
BUILT: A conjunctive objection involves/contains (electric) current and L[abour].
27a Lonely type, he developed this material (12)
POLYETHYLENE: LONELYTYPEHE, developed.
Down
1d A Post Office vault briefly held endless rarely encountered, hidden or secret things (9)
APOCRYPHA: A + PO + vault/tomb, briefly/minus its last letter, plus held/owned, also minus its last letter/endless = (a rare usage, ie rarely encountered) hidden or secret things. It’s a word that’s more commonly seen as an adjective, with an L on the end.
2d University student with revolutionary skill way beyond norm (5)
ULTRA: The usual university and student + skill/cunning, reversed/revolutionary.
3d Sensitivity with feelings about grief at heart unspoken (5)
TACIT: Sensitivity with feelings/diplomacy contains/about grIef.
4d Learning again about ruminant’s stomach in middle of slaughter (9)
REREADING: The usual about + a word for a ruminant’s fourth stomach (well, of COURSE it is!) + IN from the clue + slauGhter.
5d At best all used this seasoning (5,4)
TABLE SALT: ATBESTALL, used.
6d Tides rising extend across surrounding shingle finally (5)
NEAPS: Extend or reach, reversed/rising contains/surrounds shinglE.
7d Manoeuvred cargo ship alee in these seas abounding in islands (13)
ARCHIPELAGOES: CARGOSHIPALEE, manoeuvred.
8d Concerning publicity, impartial workers regularly test alterations (13)
READJUSTMENTS: The usual “concerning” plus the usual “publicity” + impartial/fair + men/workers + TeSt.
14d Hilariously cunning following uproar over uniform (9)
RIOTOUSLY: Cunning/arch follows uproar/rumpus + the usual “over” and the usual “uniform”.
15d With boozing essentially having replaced clubs, collapsed, intoxicated (6,3)
ZONKED OUT: A two-word synonym for “collapsed” has its initial C[lubs] replaced with booZing. Tad same-sidey, possibly, as the two expressions are almost interchangeable, though only one (the answer) has the additional meaning of drunk/drugged, to be fair.
17d Put a slant on it! Wonderland’s girl is inside (9)
ITALICISE: IT from the clue + the usual girl from Wonderland, with IS inside. This is fun but the surface make no sense at all. To me, anyroad!
21d What is heard of Saudi oligarchs (5)
AUDIO: Not a homophone as I briefly thought, but a lurker, hidden in the last two words.
23d Inquire into Queens, NYC rejecting outsiders (5)
QUERY: Two queens (one generic, one specific) + [N]Y[C].
24d For starters it might be uphill, even steep (5)
IMBUE: An acrostic. Reads well.
It was perhaps a slight shame that three of the four long ones were anagrams (of which there were six in total) but they were all good spots. I enjoyed the surfaces in 9a and 11a, as well as the gentle misdirect in 21d. But I think 18a just takes it from 19a. How did you get on?
Good Floughie Lady fun to start the Toughies for the week – 1.5*/4*
I did have my doubts about 10a, but it’s a Chalicea puzzle – no need for a BRB check!
Candidates for favourite – the aforementioned10a, 20a, 17d, and 23d – and the winner is 10a.
Thanks to Chalicea and ALP.
I had a boss once….many years ago….who often remarked , usually on Mondays, that we should all please be quiet as he wasn’t 10a-ing as well as normal.
He then retreated to his office unlikely to be seen before lunchtime.
Haven’t thought about him for years.
Different times….
Not one of Chalicea’s best in my view, by a considerable margin. Some odd surface reads and quite padded clues, and while scrupulously fair, too many just didn’t do it for me. Podium places to 22a, 17d & 24d.
1.5 / 2
Thank you to Chalicea and ALP
A friendly offering to start the Toughie week from Chalicea. I also learnt a couple of new words. 4D had to be what it was but I couldn’t parse it, so thanks ALP for explaining the 4th stomach.
There were lots to like but favourite goes to 18A for the way it was constructed…. clever.
Many thanks to ALP and to Chalicea for the enjoyment.
I’ve been round cattle all my life, but never heard of the 4th stomach being called that. I was on pangram watch about half way through, but it’s ended up 4 short.
Very pleased with myself for completing this with the exception of 18a where I needed the hint.
I don’t usually even look at the Toughie
Thanks to Chalicea and to ALP.
After some online searches I have found that ruminants’ stomachs are the rumen, the reticulum, the omasum and the abomasum. Still looking for ‘read’ although I’m sure it’s around somewhere. Didn’t stop me from completing and enjoying the puzzle though. Thanks all!!
It’s in Chambers, right at the bottom.
Just beaten by 10 a
A fun puzzle and I’ve learnt about the cow!
4d was a bung in and 18a was a new one on me but fairly clued. Quite tricky in places but a completed grid is always satisfying. Favourite was 1d. Thanks to Chalicea and ALP.
I’m always glad when solvers are happy – apologies to Mustafa G! 18a was just accidentally mildly relevant – we set these months before they appear, of course. Many thanks to ALP.
Huge thanks for popping in. Always a joy, ta.
I usually enjoy puzzles set by our floughie lady but this one simply didn’t hit the spot – and that’s before I got to 20a which brings back far too many unpleasant memories!
Apologies, Chalicea, I’m sure the blame lies with me, and thanks to ALP for the review.
A delightful romp once again from this setter. We made sure we had our BRB close to hand before we started but it was not needed very often.
Thanks Chalicea and ALP.
A late night solve for me, but it was all over in a flash.
Great fun though.
Many thanks to Chalicea and to ALP.
Am on Toughie catch up today as I’ve been 15d on the couch of an evening after golf & few post round scoops. Found this one trickier than today’s Django puzzle & not quite as enjoyable. Can’t recall ever coming across 10a before (other than as a noun or adjective), 19a also unfamiliar (what’s wrong with negotiator), knew nowt about ruminant’s stomachs & found the fastidious synonym surprising. Only completed after revealing the 4d/10a letter checker. Top 2 for me were 18&20a.
Thanks to Chalicea & to ALP – great pic at 5d