Toughie No 3357 by Dada
Hints and tips by ALP
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***/****
Ever so friendly from Dada today, his gentlest in an age. Very sharp, very clean. I really hope some of the non-Toughie crowd give it a go as there’s really nothing here that we don’t see every Sunday. I can’t imagine anyone will need me, but here we go …
Across
1a Wrapping towel on beauty, step on it (4,6)
LOOK SNAPPY: (Baby’s) wrapping towel on/after beauty/attractiveness.
6a Pants female lover observed in the mirror? (4)
NAFF: The usual “female” + lover/admirer, reversed (in the mirror, etc).
9a I clean and hate cooking for the woman of the house (10)
CHATELAINE: ICLEAN+HATE, cooking.
10a Low or average? (4)
MEAN: Double definition. Low/base + maths, etc.
12a Ring put back (4)
DIAL: Put (past tense), reversed/back.
13a Greedy textile dealer cut fresh yarn (9)
MERCENARY: The word for a “textile dealer”, minus its last letter (R) + YARN, fresh.
15a Schools opening in this case (3,5)
TEA CHEST: Schools/trains + the opening of “this”.
16a Driving Gauge 0 train off tracks after intense reversing (6)
SPEEDO: 0/O, then the train/last letter of(f) “tracks) after “intense” (4), all reversed.
18a Wintry conditions in autumn for rookie (6)
NOVICE: How one might say a “winter month’s typical (road, say) condition” as (3,3).
20a Jot story on page (8)
PARTICLE: Story/piece on/after the usual “page”.
23a Vegetable, old bean, begone! (9)
MANGETOUT: Another familiar (as old bean) address + “begone” or “be gone” as (3,3).
24a Unknown character with everyone on the left – one on the right side? (4)
ALLY: One of the usual unknowns, with the usual “everyone” on the left, ie to start.
26a One part of a shoe (4)
SOLE: Double definition. I mean, how many shoe parts are there?
27a Composer very into music – heavens above! (10)
STRAVINSKY: The usual “very” goes inside “music” or “air” + the “heavens” above us all.
28a Groovy orderly (4)
NEAT: Double definition.
29a Winding this way and that, spinneret formed centre of web (10)
SERPENTINE: SPINNERET, formed, plus [w]E[b].
Down
1d Hair grip? (4)
LOCK: Another double and it definitely isn’t “lash”!
2d Aircon repaired with a small instrument (7)
OCARINA: AIRCON, repaired, + ‘A’.
3d Scriptwriter’s helper with period piece in Hollywood? (12)
SPELLCHECKER: Period (of time) + an American (in Hollywood) word for a (board game) piece. Lovely surface.
4d A weapon found in catalogue for Cassandra, say (8)
ALARMIST: ‘A’ from the clue, + the usual “weapon” in catalogue/roll. She was always right, though!
5d Cabinet in test overseen by god (6)
PANTRY: Test/examine follows/is overseen by a (Greek) god.
7d Brilliant gourmet finally consumed salt? (7)
ACETATE: Brilliant/super + [gourme]T + consumed/scoffed.
8d Counterfeit note – my one, perhaps? (5,5)
FUNNY MONEY: A reverse anagram, ie the answer could be a cryptic clue to give “my one”. Basically, just spin (barely) the letters MYONE to form another word and add an indicator.
11d Accomplishment, quota of domesticated animals? (12)
PERPETRATION: How one might (but never would!) describe such a quota/allotment of cats/dogs, say, for each person/household, etc, as (3,3,6).
14d Merry Men so, not as chipper? (10)
STONEMASON: MENSONOTAS, merry.
17d Desperate criminal and cold-blooded killer kidnapping saint (4-4)
LAST-GASP: One of our usual “criminals” + a cold-blooded killer/creature, containing/kidnapping the usual “saint”.
19d Ordinary vehicle, possibly green and tan on the inside (7)
VANILLA: One of the usual “vehicles” + what one might be if looking green + [t]A[n].
21d Short piece written about death in monsters (7)
COLOSSI: Piece (of money), minus its last letter (short), containing/about death/demise.
22d Courage, source of its Dutch version? (6)
BOTTLE: Where one might find/store the liquid that gives you Dutch courage.
25d In reality, perfectly kind (4)
TYPE: Lurker, hidden in the second and third words.
We’ve got four anagrams, plus a reversal, and four double definitions as well as a smattering of other wordplay. All very user-friendly. I especially enjoyed 16a, 3d, 8d, 11d and 22d. How did you all get on?
I didn’t find this as straightforward as our blogger but it was still reasonably comfortable with just a couple of delays along the way. Looking back in review, I cannot see why I struggled where I did. Trying too hard probably. Anyway, the excellent 3d was my favourite by a mile. Great fun.
Thanks Dada for the challenge, and to ALP.
I thought that Dada had upped the enjoyment factor considerably and I enjoyed this a lot – thanks to him and ALP.
I have a cornucopia of ticks on my printout including 1a, 15a, 16a, 18a and 3d. My favourite, because I’m a sucker for a good reverse anagram, is 8d.
I didn’t find it as straightforward as ALP and would agree with Gazza that Dada has increased the enjoyment factor in addition to the difficulty
Thanks to Dada and ALP
I also didn’t think this was the breeze that ALP did. There were several I had difficulty parsing, even though I knew my answers had to be correct. Thank you ALP for the “old bean” explanation at 23A and the reverse anagram at 8D which I seem to have difficulty with.
However it was an enjoyable solve with 4D as favourite.
Many thanks to ALP for the enlightenment and Dada for stretching the old grey matter.
I’m in agreement about the difficulty level, not easy at all, in fact very difficult. I got there in the end. Favourite was 13a as I knew the textile dealer. Thanks to Dada for the mental beating and ALP.
If we saw the likes of this every Sunday Brian would likely blow a gasket. It actually took me about the same time as Sunday’s prize puzzle but only because I made such a horlicks of that one. I did need a post completion check on Cassandra & the truncated textile merchant + I forgot to go back & figure out the short bit at 21d but was familiar with everything else. Thought it the best Dada Toughie for some time & had ticks all over the shop. If pressed for a top 3 it’d be 1a + 3&8d. Reckon 13,15,23&27a + 14&17d could organise themselves into another 2 podiums.
Thanks to Dada & to ALP – enjoyed the music clips & most particularly CW’s Son House cover, which I first came across playing over the opening credits of season 3 of True Detective. Lost a wee wager that Del Boy would feature at 23a
Ha, that’s a very funny clip. I’d forgotten all about that. Well, I’ve certainly misread the room in terms of difficulty today, haven’t I?! Me too re that CW tune, btw.
Thought to begin with that this might be short walk in the, park but found the ground heavy going in the end. Struggled to a finish with 12d and 17d holding out the longest and solved only with some help. Lots to like though with 13a 23a and 8d making my top three.
Thanks Dada and hats off to ALP for making light of it.
Enjoyed this although, like some others, found this much harder than ALP did!! If anyone, relatively new to the Toughie, has tried this, struggled and then read this, please don’t be put off by the * degree of difficulty!! Never forget all the answers are easy, IF you know them. For me, this was ***/**** and sometimes it is just a wavelength thing. Thanks to setter anyway, because I enjoyed it, finished it & my favourite clue was 13A.
Cracking puzzle, superb. I was nowhere near the wavelength and this wouldn’t have been out of place on a Thursday, even a Friday, for me. When Dada can produce crosswords of this quality, it makes me wonder whether it really is him with the comparatively dull and anagram-heavy back pagers on a Sunday.
Many thanks to Dada and ALP
Put me in the “fun but pretty tough” camp. One of those where, on occasions, even with all the checkers the solution still took a lot of cogitation. And I’ve only just twigged the definition of 16a. Favourites were 15a, 18a, 12d and 22d.
Thanks to Dada and ALP [nice music selection, as ever].
Certainly no breeze for me as I opted to do this toughie today vs back pager.
For me today 3*/3*
Favourites 26a, 29a, 8d & 19d
Thanks to Dada & ALP
2*/4* …
liked 8D “Counterfeit notes-my one perhaps ? (5,5)”