Toughie 3346 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Toughie 3346

by crypticsue  

Toughie No 3346 by Robyn
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ****

Robyn set us a perfect mid-week Toughie with a chance to learn at least one new word, in my case, 21a.  Unusually for him, I would have got on better quicker if I’d started with the Downs.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought of the puzzle

Across

1a Spending cash abroad at first shows irresponsibility (4-7)
BUCK-PASSING Some American money (cash abroad) goes first before a synonym of spending

7a Case for defence after plotting senator falls (7)
CASCADE The outside letters (case) for DefencE goes after one of the senators who plotted to assassinate Julius Caesar

8a Post lines on love penned by poet (7)
BOLLARD Two abbreviations for Line go on or after the letter representing love, the result ‘penned’ by a poet

10a A priestess receiving kiss? Male accepted proposition (5)
AXIOM A (from the clue), the priestess of Juno receiving the letter that represents a kiss, the abbreviation for Male being added at the end

11a Bullfighter enters really minute arsenal, say (9)
STOREROOM A bullfighter ‘enters’ an adverb meaning really and the abbreviation for Minute

12a Relate plot, leaving lot out and sure to ignore chapter (7)
PERTAIN The second word of the clue without (leaving) the LOT and a synonym for sure ignoring the abbreviation for Chapter

14a Westerly China celebrated what teahouse may offer (7)
LAPSANG A reversal (westerly) of a friend (China here being Cockney Rhyming Slang) and a simple way of saying celebrated

15a Old lady hurried with daughter into swimming school (7)
GRANDAM Hurried and the abbreviation for Daughter inserted into a collective noun for a school of whales

18a English playmaker miserable in awful performance (7)
MARLOWE Miserable inserted into a slang name for an awful performance

20a Saintly cockney drinking nothing in bar, alarmingly (9)
OMINOUSLY How a cockney would pronounce a synonym for saintly into which is inserted (drinking) the letter representing nothing into a synonym for less (bar)

21a Bits of e.g. raspberry tart, once cut, cool on the counter (5)
ACINI Parts of small fruits that make up a fruit like a raspberry. A synonym for tart without its last letter (once cut) and a reversal (on the counter) of cool or fashionable

22a Flashy coats soldiers sent back with precipitation (7)
SHOWERY Gaudy or flashy ‘coats’ some reversed (sent back) Royal Engineers (men)

23a Grasping quality of American Republican blocking a sin (7)
AVARICE The abbreviations for American and Republic ‘blocking’ or going between A (from the clue) and the abbreviation for Republican

24a Scientific ignoramus‘s dull article interrupted by listener, right? (4-7)
FLAT-EARTHER Dull or boring and the definite article ‘interrupted’ by the part of your body that listens, the result followed by the abbreviation for Right

Down

1d Top level transport put in front (7)
BUSTIER A form of transport is put in front of a level

2d Win over Catalans has anchored Real Madrid in top positions (5)
CHARM The letters in top positions in Catalans Has Anchored Real Madrid

3d Don’t stop displaced persons (5,2)
PRESS ON An anagram (displaced) of PERSONS

4d Maybe unused players given fuel in part of ground (7)
SUBSOIL Some abbreviated unused players given some fuel

5d I shan’t work for long on reversing character flaw (3,6)
ILL-TEMPER How someone might say they won’t get a full-time job (1’2, 4) and a reversal of the usual about/on the subject of

6d Run African country, sending up good cereal (7)
GRANOLA The cricket abbreviation for Run and an African country, the G in that word being sent up to the beginning

7d French buns filled with some current French food (11)
CHAMPIGNONS French hairstyles with a bun at the back of the neck ‘filled’ with the SI Unit of Electrical Current

9d Make unattractive, surreal images – need to frame tons (11)
DEMAGNETISE An anagram (surreal) of IMAGES NEED ‘framing’ the abbreviation for Tons

13d Some stars with capital publicity turning up (9)
ANDROMEDA A conjunction meaning with, the capital of Italy and a reversal (turning up) of some abbreviated publicity

16d Not really OK, before getting caught by a clout (1,3,3)
A BIT OFF A preposition meaning before getting ‘caught’ by A (from the clue)and an informal term for a blow (clout)

17d Make key errors, perhaps, in unclear, vacuous piece (7)
MISTYPE Unclear (a bit like the horizon as I look out the window this morning) and the outside (vacuous) letters of PiecE

18d This person’s banking a reasonable bit of capital (7)
MAYFAIR How the setter would say belonging to him (this person’s) ‘banking’ A (from the clue) and followed by reasonable or impartial

19d Top compositions for one German quartet, getting award (7)
OLIVIER Remove the first letter (top) from some compositions for one player or singer and add the German word for four

21d Teeming fauna was harrying bears (5)
AWASH Hidden (bears) in faunA WAS Harrying

11 comments on “Toughie 3346”

  1. Slightly more taxing than usual for a Robyn mid-weeker, I thought, but glossily sharp as ever. 7a, 21a and 13d were all especially lovely. 7d’s just magnficent. 16d’s “before” was sneaky and I can’t believe anyone in real life spells 19d’s intrinsic compositions with an ‘I’ at the end! Marvellous. Many thanks to Robyn and CS.

  2. Robyn’s as entertaining as ever with some artfully disguised definitions – thanks to him and CS.
    I particularly enjoyed 7a, 24a, 1d, 5d and 18d.

  3. I have to agree with ALP when it comes to selecting a favourite, as I thought 7d was outstandingly good. I needed plenty of head-scratching to get over the line, but all the clues were scrupulously fair with some lovely disguise and deception. All in all, perfect for what has become a miserably wet Shropshire afternoon.

    My thanks to Robyn for a great challenge, and to Sue.

  4. A solid Toughie which made the old grey matter work more than usual for a Wednesday. Although I new my solve was correct I had difficulty parsing some, so thank you Sue for shining the light.
    Lots of excellent clues, as we’ve come to expect from Robyn. Among the many I enjoyed I’m picking 23 and 24A as favourites.
    Many thanks to CS and Robyn

  5. Certainly the most challenging of any puzzle, TT or DT, that I’ve tackled since last week’s Elgar, appropriately enough, and very satisfying to complete. Had heard of the hairstyle but had no idea it was a bun, so getting the right answer was very satisfying. A small number of surprisingly rum surfaces for a Robyn puzzle, balanced by the majority being silk-smooth. I’ll go for 10a, 23a and 13d on the podium.

    Many thanks to Robyn & CS

  6. This was a really enjoyable battle in which I eventually prevailed to arrive at a full grid. However, I failed to parse 11a, 7d & 19d fully. 21a was a new word for me.

    18d was my favourite of many ticked clues.

    Many thanks to Robyn and to CS.

  7. I’ve certainly got a lot of scribbles in the ‘notes’ section alongside the puzzle which prove just how much I had to work out before committing answers into the grid. Well worth it though to complete an excellent Toughie from our setter.
    I have a very dear friend who is addicted to watching off-the-wall ‘scientific’ programmes and spent years believing in the 24a theory – her latest belief is in the aliens who live beneath the North Pole………..
    Masses of ticks awarded from which I selected 7&8a plus 7&18d for the rosettes.

    Thanks to Robyn for filling my afternoon and to CS for the review – pleased to hear I wasn’t alone in needing to investigate 21a!

  8. I thought this was pretty damn tough, but I generally do with Robyn’s puzzles. Had trouble with 21a – I know the word from doing Biol but was thrown by “once cut” which is a tad naughty. Favourite clues were the ones I had most trouble parsing – 12a [which could be an Elgar clue] 20a[“bar” is pretty devious] 19d [yeah, right, I just love Zappa’s guitar soli] and the French bun in 7d.
    Thanks to Robyn and CS.

  9. Double trouble today with yesterday’s paper unread, so 2 back pagers and 2 toughies. I thought today’s was a bit harder, but there were a few admirable clues to get the head scratched!
    7d and 12a stood out
    Thanks everyone

  10. I filled the grid with the exception of 21a but would have struggled to explain one or two of the whys – which was pretty much the case with his Graun puzzle yesterday. Thoroughly enjoyed the puzzle. Fav a close call between 7d&24a with numerous ticks elsewhere.
    Thanks to Robyn & to Sue.

  11. We also had to check 21a. A real pleasure to solve as we have come to expect from this setter. Lots of ticks but we’ll go with 7d for favourite.
    Thanks Robyn and CS.

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