Toughie No 3364 by Osmosis
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ****
No anagrams or obscurities and some tricky wordplay – just what I like. Thanks to Osmosis.
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
Across Clues
6a Activity of those coaching masseuse and showing passion (13)
RUBBERNECKING: charade of another word for a masseuse and ‘kissing amorously’.
8a A West Country lass hasn’t started describing Eddy (6)
ASWIRL: assemble A, the abbreviation for the West Country region within the UK and another word for lass without its first letter.
9a Maybe singer clutches this particular chap, youngster from up north reported (4-4)
HYMN-BOOK: homophones of a male pronoun and how a young man or young horned animal might be pronounced in a Northern English dialect.
10a Parents periodically recalled meal (3)
TEA: regular letters in reverse.
11a Good bouncer catches empty threat: Cave! (6)
GROTTO: the abbreviation for good and an Australian bouncer containing the outer letters of threat.
12a Different IDs used to obtain ordinary English wine (8)
PINOTAGE: two different IDs that may be worn contain the abbreviation for ordinary. Finish with an abbreviation for English.
14a Jose cycling stops big noise, adjusting hooter (4,3)
NOSE JOB: cycle the letters of Jose inside a big noise or important person.
16a Following struggle, remove block (4,3)
WARD OFF: after a serious struggle we need a verb to remove (one’s hat).
20a French relations see you serving in trattoria? (8)
FRITTATA: string together an abbreviation for French, a short word for sexual relations and a childish word for ‘see you’ or goodbye.
23a Retired wife at TT dressed OTT (6)
TAWDRY: reverse the genealogical abbreviation for wife and AT and add an adjective meaning teetotal.
24a Jockey, the sixth finisher in race (3)
VIE: the Roman numeral for six or sixth and the finishing letter of race.
25a Forceful ex-Olympian runs with audible strain (8)
COERCIVE: the surname of an old middle-distance runner (now a Lord) and what sounds like a verb to strain or riddle.
26a When Mum’s back inside, view Street on TV (6)
SESAME: a verb to view with an affectionate term for mum plus the ‘S reversed inside it.
27a Yellowish sickly sandwiches left outside in dire town (7,6)
SAFFRON WALDEN: an adjective meaning orange-yellow and an adjective meaning sickly or pale containing the abbreviation for left and the outer letters of dire. It seems as if Osmosis is not a great fan of this Essex town.
Down Clues
1d Brew crewmen hot tea on Loire (8)
ABSINTHE: string together abbreviated crewmen, hot or trendy and the French word for tea.
2d Loaded issue covers flap (4-2-2)
WELL-TO-DO: a verb to issue or flow precedes an informal word for a flap or furore.
3d The thing: can it do very well? (2,5)
IN SHAPE: cement together an adjective meaning ‘the thing’ or fashionable, an instruction to ‘can it’ or keep quiet and a verb to do or imitate.
4d Guys supporting regularly patch up cute property (6)
ACUMEN: a synonym of guys follows regular letters from ‘patch up’.
5d Hang insurgent, large stake? (6)
GIBBET: reverse (insurgent or rising) an adjective meaning large and another word for a stake or wager.
6d Film tank tracks (9,4)
RESERVOIR DOGS: a tank and a verb meaning tracks.
7d Bolt inspires European, super muscular athlete once (6,7)
GEORGE FOREMAN: a verb to bolt or eat greedily contains an abbreviation for European. Append another word for a super(visor).
13d Quartet missing first of Telegraph setters? (3)
OUR: drop the first letter of another word for a quartet.
15d Black fly (3)
JET: double definition.
17d Going north, some mayonnaise travels well (8)
ARTESIAN: hidden in reverse.
18d Catch and swill small fish (8)
DOWNSIDE: a verb to swill or drink, the clothing abbreviation for small and a very common fish in Crosswordland.
19d An ordained minister visiting tipped eatery (7)
TAVERNA: stick together AN, an abbreviated ordained minister and a preposition meaning visiting then reverse the lot.
21d Rates reserve musician’s repeated melody (6)
TARIFF: the old abbreviation for our Army Reserve and a musician’s repeated melody.
22d A garden sculpture shifting to where workers gather (6)
APIARY: A followed by a garden sculpture without TO.
I liked lots of clues including 6a, 20a, 27a, 3d and 7d. Which one(s) made the cut for you?
Another cracker from Osmosis. Subtle and clever, with some definite chew dotted about. The NE was pretty fly, I thought. 3d was waspish, 9a’s (quite the homophone) too. Is 1d really a brew? And doesn’t 21d’s “reserve” strictly need an indicator these days? 4d’s definition was smart but unusual. This was a proper treat. 6a, 12a and 6d were all especially pleasing. And 5d’s “insurgent” is just delightful. Many thanks to Osmosis and Gazza. 14a’s cartoon is beyond ridiculous! Brilliant.
Brilliant stuff from the boss and just right for a Friday [I would add another star for both difficulty and fun]. I’m not entirely sure about the homophone at 9a – it works perfectly for a Yorkshire accent but since moving to the den of iniquity I’ve learned to pronounce the thing the singer clutches rather differently. So many super clues it was hard to narrow down to these 4: 14a [loved the big noise as well as the hooter adjustment [and a perfect cartoon G]] 20a [more perfection] 3d [“can it do” is terrific] and 13d [loved the minus T mislead].
More Fridays like this please. Thanks to Osmosis and Gazza.
Tough but fair, beautifully and sometimes brilliantly clued. This was a real delight and enhanced by some very funny cartoons. Very hard to pick a favourite, but 27a will do. My first grammar school was a few miles from the dire town, and I only have fond memories of the area. Great fun.
My thanks to Osmosis and Gazza.
I’ll put a few pennies on us having attended the same school, YS – Newport by any chance? I was there only very briefly and left aged 13.
Really clever stuff. Very enjoyable.
I don’t think I have ever down a puzzle before that had no anagrams. Very impressive.
Huge respect to Osmosis and many thanks to the hard-working Gazza.
Shabbo, surely you’ve tackled Beam Toughies before? They never have anagrams. Until reading your post I’d not noticed their absence today!
I have, but I obviously didn’t spot the lack of anagrams!
I’ll get my coat!
I think that’s the sign of two great setters – to set excellent puzzles, without such a standard feature, and for their absence not even to be noticed.
Very enjoyable solve. I liked 9a.
Not too strenuous for a Friday!
To Osmosis and Gazza my thanks
27a was probably more of a challenge for us than for most solvers but we did eventually manage it. Lots of clever clues to enjoy and we’ll go with 6a as favourite.
Thanks Osmosis and Gazza.
27a would no doubt be very tricky for you, but it is a lovely town not far from us. One of my sisters lives there. There is a very good English white wine made there now.
Super puzzle, a cracker. On the forgiving side for Osmosis, but do satisfying to complete.
Many thanks to Osmosis and Gazza
Just can’t seem to get on this setter’s wavelength which is why I usually don’t bother trying. Finished but only using 5 letter reveals though to be fair I decided in advance it was only going to get a fixed amount of time before shut-eye. Still enjoyed what I managed unaided. Fav, unsurprisingly, for me was QT’s debut at 6d which I remember seeing on consecutive nights when it opened.
Thanks to Osmosis & Gazza