Toughie No 3325 by Chalicea
Hints and tips by ALP
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Chalicea’s magic dictionary gets a well-earned rest this week with only 9a and 12d needing Chamberchecks. A very gentle kick-start to the week and a nice mix: five anagrams, five double definitions, four alternates and two lurkers, etc. Tis an odd-looking grid but there’s nothing here to fuse the lights – this is about as Tuesday-ish as Tuesday ever gets. All yours.
Across
4a Halfwit adult speaks emptily (3)
ASS: A[dult] + s[peak]s, emptily.
8a Sham opponent inexperienced bloke on street is boxing (5,3)
STRAW MAN: Bloke on/after the usual “street” boxes/contains inexperienced or green.
9a Palm on the other hand read oddly, on reflection (6)
THENAR: On the other hand/at the same time + ReAd, reversed/reflected.
10a Simple diet trashed – fine results if it’s ignored (5,5)
SPEED LIMIT: SIMPLEDIET, trashed.
11a Seepage of unopened alcohol (4)
OOZE: Alcohol (generic) minus its first letter, ie unopened.
12a Expedition in South American distant island (6)
SAFARI: The usual South American + distant/remote + the usual island.
14a Decree right to restrict prices being adjusted (8)
RESCRIPT: The two-letter “right” restricts/contains PRICES, adjusted.
15a Reportedly securing spot for a fan, say (7)
CEILING: A homophone of “securing” (reportedly) = where you might find a (cooling) fan.
17a Anthers and filaments sustained energy (7)
STAMINA: Double definition. What a flower’s anthers and filaments together make + sustained energy or staying power.
21a Pressure causes these journalists to probe nuisances (8)
BEDSORES: The usual “journalists” probe/are contained by nuisances/dullards.
23a Repay some scavengers (6)
AVENGE: Lurker, hidden in the third word.
25a Bread fibre (4)
PITA: Double definition. It is, of course, wholly correct but I do find this alternative spelling (of the bread) oddly discomforting!
26a GMB possibly on air? Tuned out (5,5)
TRADE UNION: ONAIRTUNED, out. A lovely surface that’s happily nothing to do with TV.
28a Without hesitation, adolescent produces dish (6)
TUREEN: The usual adolescent goes without/outside the two-letter hesitation that, for once, doesn’t start with an E or end with an M.
29a Man of action fired extremely insulting worker (8)
LITIGANT: Fired/ignited + I[nsultin]G + the usual “worker”. Nice definition.
30a Official proceedings mostly produce an effect (3)
ACT: Official proceeding/decrees, minus the last letter. A tad tame, perhaps.
Down
1d Imagined state of Iowa supporting university better than others (6)
UTOPIA: The abbreviation for Iowa supports/follows the usual university and “better than others”, ie best.
2d Benefit of Japanese drink? (4)
SAKE: Double definition. I, for one, can only think of one Japanese drink, as whisky and beer don’t really count. Does this need the QM?
3d Colloidal suspension worried US oilmen (8)
EMULSION: USOILMEN, worried.
4d Regularly annoys doctor regarding query of one whose stomach keeps rumbling? (3,4)
ANY MORE: AnNoYs + the “doctor” that’s not GP or MD or MB or DR + the usual “regarding” = summat that Oliver Twist, for one, almost said.
STATUS: Country or nation, minus its last letter + the abbreviation for “unserviceable”.
6d Air letter page occasionally run over given very small weight (10)
AEROGRAMME: pAgE + R[un] + O[ver] + 1/000th of a kilo. Slight shame about the “air” in the definition. Rather gives the game away but it is, of course, lifted straight from Chambers.
7d Full of vigour, mum spread cake covering (8)
MARZIPAN: The usual “mum” + spread/extended, filled with vigour or vim.
12d Legal conveyance once brief lawsuit is over (3)
SAC: A lawsuit, minus its last letter, reversed = an old conveyance for a lord of the manor. Well, of course it was!
13d A broad smile about the French now and then being sailors (4,6)
ABLE SEAMEN: A from the clue + broad/radiant smile, containing/about the French (one of the three) for “the” + bEiNg (now and then).
16d One honourably discharged rues time at sea (8)
EMERITUS: RUESTIMES, at sea.
18d Burlesque effort incorporating a piece of underwear (8)
TRAVESTY: The usual-ish “effort” incorporates/contains A + (blokeish) underwear.
19d Outstanding location – not Poland! (3)
ACE: Location or site, minus the two-letter abbreviation for Poland.
20d So far sailor is circumnavigating eye of rough storm (7)
ASSAULT: So far/to that extent + one of our usual sailors, containing roUgh.
22d Fret in aisle, purchasing eye liner (6)
RETINA: A lurker, hidden in the first three words.
24d Worn down foundation (6)
GROUND: Double definition.
27d Finds fault with horses (4)
NAGS: Another double definition. Re the clip, I’d love to know what his wife made of this. But they were very happily married, apparently. Extraordinary.
I enjoyed 21a and 18d but 26a, with its witty surface, wins for me. How did you get on?
I found the bottom half of this a bit on the stiff side for Chalicea but fun, as ever and my favourite was the neat little 19d. Thanks to her.
Thanks ALP for the blog – you picked a winner with Hayseed Dixie. Whatever would Lemmy have thought? And it’s always a pleasure to hear Jake T, I hope the misogyny police aren’t coming for him over that one.
Ha! I think Lemmy would have got with on them like a house on fire over a bottle of Jack. Or three. Yep, Jake rightly took some flak for that, even back then. But he did write Widow of Bridlington too, so he wasn’t a total misogynist. And he was just joking. I think!
It’s always nice to see the start to the Toughie week graced by Chalicea. She always gives us an enjoyable, comfortable solve. I have ticks a plenty but pick 10A and 4D because they made me smile. Thanks to ALP and Chalicea.
A lovely lunchtime puzzle indeed. Many thanks to Chalicea and ALP
Good fun from Chalicea to start the Toughie week – 1.5*/4.5*
Candidates for favourite – 15a, 29a, 1d, 5d, and 7d – and the winner is 29a.
Thanks to Chalicea and ALP.
I’m obviously swimming against the tide but have to say that I didn’t find this very floughie at all – a couple of new words/definitions and several where the parsing took a bit of work.
The 21a results of pressure made it to the top of my pile with silver and bronze going to 10&29a.
Thanks to Chalicea and to ALP for the review.
Knowing that 9a was likely to be found at the more tenuous end of the dictionary helped me get the final few in the NE
Thanks to Chalicea for a nice start to the toughie week and to ALP for the blog Jake Thackeray I a fave here
BTW did anyone see Mastermind last night – I outscored the Tom Lehrer guy 😁
I think Chalicea has upped the ante here so I agree with Jane. I don’t often attempt toughies, but Tuesdays and Chalicea are always tempting. I ground to a halt in the NE and needed the hints especially for 9a. A word to remember. A nice mixture of the accessible and obscure. Thanks to Chalicea and Alp.
I lean towards Jane’s assessment with some quite chewy bits to unravel and three new words for me (all fairly clued). I did enjoy it though.
However hard I try, I can’t see how “spread” leads to “ran” in 7d.
Many thanks to Chalicea and to ALP.
Spreads/extends/runs the length of the table? Possibly!
Thanks, but hmm…
I’m with you, really!!
How about:
– The honey spread / ran all over the surface
– The oil slick spread / ran over the road
Ooh, that’s better!
Thank heavens for Jane though she might have had the decency to fling me a swimming aid over in the battle against the tide. Finally completed at the 3rd stab but only after revealing the 6d/9a letter checker – both words were unfamiliar to me. The meaning of 14a was new to me, I had to check the bread could be spelt with only 1 T & to confirm the legal conveyance though that vaguely rang a bell. Top clue for me was last in 21a when the penny finally dropped. Floughie my foot.
Thanks to Chalicea for an enjoyable solve which I made real hard word of & to ALP – yep the 4d clip was a 🔒 & I’d have had a few bob on The Black Keys. Cracking clip at 8a – remember taking a friend who had never seen it to the cinema to see the StudioCanal restored print.
It’s fascinating, isn’t it, how wavelengths differ? I found your/AP’s backpager the tougher of the two – and you clearly waltzed that. As for 8a, tis sheer kitsch but it’s got Britt in it so that’s always a good start. t have to say, the painful process of editing the w*****s out of 4d’s clip took me longer than the solve itself. Absurd!
Hadn’t heard of 9a or 14a before and certainly not 12d and 25a fibre? I struggled with others in the SW. I didn’t find the rest that straightforward either. Thanks Chalicea and ALP.
Thanks folks. I was going to join in to explain the 7d ‘ran/spred’ (past tense) usage but see that ALP and Mustafa G have more or less done that. Many thanks, ALP, and all – glad you liked it.
Huge thanks for popping in, and for your lovely puzzle. Good to see a wide variety of favourites. Always a great sign! Ta lots.
Thank you again Chalicea, for a lovely puzzle.
On the theme of 7d, at the weekend we had a gorgeous Cornish brie which didn’t so much spread or run over the board as sprint! Utterly delicious.
Sorry Mods, fat-fingered on the phone and I think I’ve entered quite the wrong email address.
We had our dictionary at the ready and did put it to use a couple of times during what was once again a most enjoyable solve.
Thanks Chalicea and ALP.
1*?
Cor! This was a baptism of fire pour moi where I had to wave the white flag with three unsolved: the 9a/6d comby plus 22a,
I started off well but pushed treacle up a hill halfway through.
I’m all for obscure knowledge if the answers are straightforward to arrive at but it wasn’t the case with the aforementioned comby: ‘then’ is a new one for me and not having p for page threw me. ‘So far’ in 20d was also beyond me.
Would you call a bore a nuisance? Maybe, I suppose.
This was ‘4* or 5* country’ for difficulty. So, goodness knows what one that’s rated 3* or 4* by the blogger is going to be like!
I’ll stick with the backpager for now and come back when I’ve licked my wounds which may be a while….
Many thanks to Chalicea and your good self.
Hahaha Welcome to the party, Tom – even if you’re heading straight back out again! A dictionary is almost always required for Chalicea but she ain’t Elgar. So please don’t come back on a Friday – he’d give you a hernia. Chins up, fella.
Duly noted, me old chum.
I’ve typed a third p in ‘disappointing’, ALP which is, of course, disapppointing.
So, my post is sitting in moderation.
Sorry about that.
Managed a few on my own on my first outing, then made use of the helpful hints. Thank you for the encouragement ALP!
Good man! I hope this will be the first of many Toughies for you.
Enjoyed this Chalicea puzzle today . Favourites 10a, 11a, 21a, 6d & 22d — with winner 10a
Thanks to Chalicea & ALP