Toughie 3330

Toughie  No 3330 by Robyn

Hints and Tips by crypticsue

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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****

A perfect Wednesday Toughie

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Across

1a           That male prisoner, losing face, is a little lower (6)
HEIFER ‘That male’ and a long-term prisoner without his first letter (losing face)

5a           Cerebrally satirical pop star – Blockheads front man? (8)
SWIFTIAN Of or in the style of satirical writings of an Anglo-Irish satirist.  The surname of the pop star of the moment and the forename of the lead singer of the Blockheads back in the late 1970s

9a           Fabled housebreaker, mature one, breaking good protective devices (10)
GOLDILOCKS A synonym for mature and the Roman numeral for one ‘breaking’ the abbreviation for Good and some protective devices

10a         Tory leader with no answer getting dropped (4)
SUNK The surname of the Tory leader without (no) the abbreviation for Answer

11a         Leaving university, he honours organised help for getting into Oxford? (8)
SHOEHORN An Oxford being an example of an item of footwear.   An anagram (organised) of HE HONOuRS without (leaving) the abbreviation for University

12a         Boater, say, getting into vessel for romance (4,2)
CHAT UP An item of clothing of which boater, say, is an example, inserted into a vessel

13a         You heard pound gets pocketed by American who serves fruit (4)
UGLI The letter you hear when you say you out loud followed by the abbreviation for Pound Sterling inserted into an American soldier (who serves)

15a         Sky broadcast, special one (8)
AIRSPACE A verb meaning to broadcast, an abbreviation for special and a one in dice, dominoes or cards

18a         Like some car parks in pines beside Scottish river (4-4)
LONG-STAY Pines or yearns for and a Scottish river

19a         Model student at Hogwarts going over tip for magic (4)
NORM A reversal of a student at Hogwarts followed by the ‘tip’ for Magic

21a         More in jail (6)
COOLER More in or fashionable or a slang name for a military jail

23a         Tired from a series of deliveries, resorted to drugs? (8)
OVERUSED A series of cricket deliveries and a simple way of saying resorted to drugs

25a         Free dresses zip the wrong way for designer (4)
DIOR A verb meaning to free ‘dresses’ a letter representing nothing or zero (originally American slang); the result then being reversed (the wrong way)

26a         Finding upper-class event which almost goes wrong (10)
UNEARTHING The letter representing upper class and a narrow escape (event which almost goes wrong)

27a         Reportedly get the Kinks out of distress (8)
STRAITEN This verb meaning to distress sounds like (reportedly) to remove imperfections from (get the kinks out)

28a         Cursed what needleworker did (6)
DARNED Used a particular swear word (cursed) or what needleworker used to do to socks

Down

2d           What holds collar up for a long time (5)
EPOCH An interjection of enquiry (what?) ‘holds’ a reversal (up) of a slang word for arrest (collar)

3d           Some relief I’d get, in grumpy thumb twiddling? (9)
FIDGETING Hidden in relieF ID GET IN Grumpy

4d           Tramp with working alternative to spray can (4-2)
ROLL-ON A synonym for tramp and the usual two-letter ‘working’

5d           Old school mercenary odds-on to need retraining (9,6)
SECONDARY MODERN An anagram (to need retraining) of MERCENARY ODDS ON

6d           Precarious, easy job after moving home (8)
INSECURE Move the ‘home’ in a cushy job to the front of the word

7d           Cycling around, criticise e-vehicle (5)
TESLA ‘Cycle’ the last two letters in a verb meaning to criticise to the front of the word

8d           News broadcaster – American news broadcaster ultimately carrying weight (9)
ANNOUNCER The abbreviation for American, two lots of the abbreviation for New (news) and the ultimate letter of broadcasteR ‘carrying’ a weight

14d         Ecstasy over record, in essence, for a rock enthusiast (9)
GEOLOGIST The abbreviation for the drug Ecstasy, the cricket abbreviation for Over and a record inserted into the main point of the matter (essence)

16d         City coach and Escort boarded by northern clerk (3-6)
PEN-PUSHER I recently explained to Mr CS why Mr Guardiola, the Manchester City coach, was so useful to crossword setters and here he is again.  His forename is ‘boarded’ by the abbreviation for Northern and then an escort is added at the end

17d         It creates romantic illusions in squiffy arts students? Not half! (8)
STARDUST An anagram (squiffy) of ARTS and STUD (the first half of STUDents)

20d         The deep crimson perhaps turned black (6)
SEARED A body of water (the deep) and the colour of which crimson is an example

22d         Both sides shielding ball around Spanish playmaker (5)
LORCA The abbreviations for both sides ‘shielding’ a ball-shaped letter, followed by the Latin abbreviation for about

24d         Partner of Eric Clapton’s back, dunked in lake (5)
ERNIE The ‘back’ of claptoN inserted into (dunked) one of the Great Lakes