Toughie 3342

Toughie  No 3342 by Dada

Hints and Tips by crypticsue

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

Dada making a rare Wednesday Toughie appearance with a crossword that was a mix of friendly and tricky clues

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Across

7a           River filled with cold, shorn sheep (8)
FOLLOWER The word a cryptic crossword setter might use to mean a river ‘filled’ with the inside (shorn) letters of cOLd

9a           Old parts artist can share (6)
RATION The abbreviation for Old ‘parts’ an abbreviated artist and another word for a can

10a        One tasked with tracking old footballer misses header in City’s area (6)
PIAZZA An abbreviated person tasked with tracking others and an old footballer without his first letter (misses header)

11a        Salted beef, also bear, oddly (8)
BRESAOLA  An anagram (oddly) of ALSO BEAR

12a         Similarity in writing? (14)
CORRESPONDENCE Double definition

15a        Move hamsters and gerbils etc to the left (4)
STEP A reversal (to the left) of a word describing hamsters, gerbils, etc

17a         Skimpy garment: case of nothing on though! (5)
THONG The outside letters (case) of NothinG a poetic way of saying though

19a         Blue oil, skimmed (4)
RUDE A type of oil without its first letter (skinned)

20a         Gauge fixed on immutably as well (3,4,7)
FOR GOOD MEASURE A type of gauge goes after a phrase meaning permanently (immutably)

23a         Italian port with piece of lemon is thrown in bin, shortly (8)
BRINDISI A piece of a lemon and IS (from the clue) thrown or inserted into the first two letters (shortly) of Bin

25a         Sharp point that hurts when piercing skin of toe (6)
TOUCHE An interjection claiming a hit in fencing or a point in an argument.   An interjection expression pain inserted into (piercing) the outside (skin) letters of ToE

27a         Threat with queen and king, say ­– and higher card? (6)
MENACE Chess pieces such as the queen and king and a higher card in a deck of cards

28a         Oil sore knee that needs treatment (8)
KEROSENE An anagram (that needs treatment) of SORE KNEE

Down

1d           Bases for our common issues, primarily (4)
FOCI The primary letters of For Our Common Issues

2d           Something worn in fire? (6)
BLAZER An item of clothing could be an informal description of a fire

3d           Grey is Gray, say, on reflection? (4)
DRAB A reversal (on reflection) of another name for a poet such as Gray  Please don’t mention Dada’s Sunday Cryptic in relation to this clue as that puzzle is still ‘live’

4d           Familiar close of day? (6)
FRIEND Split 3,3 this might be an abbreviated way of referring to the close of a particular day of the week

5d           Riddle of small shoe (8)
STRAINER The abbreviation for Small and a type of shoe

6d           A lot remarkably saved by male or female ice hockey keeper (4-6)
GOAL-TENDER An anagram (remarkably) of A LOT ‘saved by’ or inserted into the quality of being male or female

8d           Upstanding saint enters with a funny thingy! (7)
WHATSIT A reversed (upstanding) abbreviated saint enters an anagram (funny) of WITH A

13d         Broken? That’s not acceptable! (3,2,5)
OUT OF ORDER A notice that might be put on something broken  can also apply to behaving in an unacceptable way

14d         Like an egg in omelette originally eaten by poet (5)
OVOID The original letter of Omelette ‘eaten’ by a Roman poet

16d         A payment collected by buddy of mum and dad (8)
PARENTAL A (from the clue) and a payment inserted into (collected by) an informal friend (buddy)

18d         More energy in kitchen device (7)
GREATER The symbol for Energy inserted into a kitchen device

21d         Gold screens as it happens for musical (6)
OLIVER The heraldic name for gold ‘screens’ a one-word synonym for ‘as it happens’

22d         Fruit jam (6)
SQUASH A type of fruit or a verb meaning to jam

24d         No topping in particular is sugary (4)
ICKY Remove the ‘topping’ from an informal way of saying fussy or choosy

26d         Female animal, dog, I adopted to replace you after year away (4)
HIND  Replace the OU (you after year away) in a dog with I (from the clue)