Toughie No 3370 by Hudson
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty <* – Enjoyment *****
It is a very rare day when you solve a crossword that gives great pleasure from start to finish, but today was one of those days. I then was lucky enough to enjoy it all over again when typing the review.
Please let us know what you thought
Across
1a Scruffy slob Isaac, pop artist (5,7)
PABLO PICASSO An anagram (scruffy) of SLOB ISAAC POP
9a Joint‘s small bricks Florida doctor bonded (3,2,4)
LEG OF LAMB Some very small bricks, the abbreviation for the State of Florida and an abbreviated doctor all put together (bonded)
10a Rubbish left in sack (5)
BILGE The abbreviation for Left inserted into an informal way of saying to dismiss or sack (the xxx x) which I haven’t heard for quite a while
11a Gift Stan unwrapped fast (6)
TALENT The inside (unwrapped) letters of sTAn and a period of religious fasting
12a Predict Spooner’s heart racing? (8)
FORECAST How the Reverend might say his heart was racing
13a Second best joke (6)
SCREAM S (second) and the best of a group of things or people
15a Hard right exposed former PM, almost intellectual (8)
HIGHBROW The abbreviation for Hard, the inside (exposed) letters of rIGHt and a former Labour Prime Minister without his final letter (almost)
18a Back up north, nouveau riche more aggressive (8)
PUNCHIER A reversal (back) of UP (from the clue), the abbreviation for North and an anagram (nouveau) of RICHE
19a Writer Goldsmith, following brawls, regularly getting knocked out (6)
BALZAC The Goldsmith you need here is the diminutive form of the Conservative Politician and now Life Peer. This should go after (following) the odd (regularly getting knocked out) letters of BrAwLs
21a Crones sample place notable for bareback riding (8)
COVENTRY A group of witches and a verb meaning to sample
23a Building material firm – following cuts – going into recession (6)
STUCCO An abbreviated company (firm) goes after (follow) a reversal (going into recession) of CUTS (from the clue)
26a Each can decline Sunak’s invitation to help out? (3,2)
EAT IN The abbreviation for each and a can combine to give something people did when declining Rishi Sunak’s invitation asking us to help hospitality venues in the period after the first Covid Lockdown
27a Rhondda MPs quibble about a failed launch (4,5)
DAMP SQUIB Found hidden in the first three words of the clue
28a Chuck Berry tackles obsessive online follower (12)
CYBERSTALKER An anagram (chuck) of BERRY TACKLES
Down
1d Stretches Achilles’ tendon, initially beset by painful complaint (7)
PILATES The initial letters of Achilles and Tendon inserted into (beset by) a painful complaint
2d Something from the bakery, gift of French orator sent round? (5)
BAGEL A reversal (sent round) of an informal way of saying that a French orator had a propensity for talking (2,3)
3d Composer spoiled every single note penned (9)
OFFENBACH Spoiled or bag, an adjective meaning every, into which is inserted (penned) the Latin abbreviation meaning to note well
4d Religious leader, married, got in an hour after midnight (4)
IMAM The abbreviation for Married inserted into a way of writing one hour after midnight
5d Vamp undressed Boris after cooking a delicious meal (8)
AMBROSIA The inside (undressed) letters of vAMp, an anagram (after cooking) of BORIS and A (from the clue)
6d Fur bishop found in stock clearance (5)
SABLE The chess abbreviation for Bishop found in an offer of goods to clear stock
7d Roll Over Mozart: a classic case for rock? (8)
ALCATRAZ Hidden in reverse (roll over) in MoZART A CLAssic
8d Grant established in area of E London (6)
BESTOW The abbreviation for established inserted into an area of East London
14d Make fresh eggs tenant mostly eats (8)
RENOVATE Some eggs ‘eaten’ by most of a tenant
16d Ah … the Alps! Sporty holiday here! (6,3)
HEALTH SPA An anagram (sporty) of AH THE ALPS
17d Resent, for example, King checked by move (8)
BEGRUDGE The abbreviation meaning for example and the Latin abbreviation for King inserted into (checked by) an instruction to move (usually accompanied by up)
18d Dad tense when smuggling designer drug parcel (6)
PACKET An informal dad and the abbreviation for Tense ‘smuggling’ a fashion designer known by his initials and Crosswordland’s favourite one-letter drug
20d Might it help open American Indian watering hole? (7)
CROWBAR An American Indian and a drinking establishment (watering hole)
22d City state hosting African politicians (5)
NANCY A French city is obtained by inserting an African political party into an abbreviated American State
24d Charles/Charlie arrested by two independent European countries (5)
CHUCK The letter represented by Charlie in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet ‘arrested’ by the IVR Code for Switzerland and the abbreviation for our country – both countries are in Europe but independent of the European Union
25d Mum covered with kisses? It’s a special day! (4)
XMAS An informal mother ‘covered’ with some kisses
This was a great puzzle I thought. I liked 21a best of several others that made me laugh.
Thanks to Hudson, and to CS
Always love a Hudson crossword and this one didn’t disappoint. Mostly straightforward but a few head scratching on the parsing. Loved it. Many thanks to Hudson and CS for parsing the blanks.
Absolutely loved this from beginning to end, once I’d stopped chuckling at the surface read of 1a. So much brilliance I near ran out of room to tick more clues and far too many to pick a top three, let alone a COTD. Thank you Hudson for an absolute corker of a puzzle, and thanks also to CS.
This may not have been too difficult but it was hugely entertaining with plenty of laughs along the way. I don’t often pick anagrams as favourites but 1a was a corker.
Thanks to Hudson and Sue.
This was a not-at-all-tough Toughie, which was an absolute joy to solve.
Simply brilliant.
Many thanks to Hudson and to CS.
Good fun from Hudson. I loved the nouveau riche at 18a, the gift of French orator at 2d and the 2 countries at 24d. But am I the only person who’s never, ever heard [or heard of] “the big E”?
Thanks to Hudson and CS.
A cracking puzzle – many thanks to Hudson and CS.
10a was my last clue to parse but when I twigged the ‘sack’ it became my favourite. Others in the frame were 1a, 21a, 27a, 2d and 3d.
Superb – *****+ for enjoyment & ticks against pretty much all of ‘em.
Thanks to Hudson & Sue
This came as a welcome relief after the back-pager and offered plenty to smile about even though I stared at my answer to 10a for a long time before the penny dropped over the intended parsing. Recourse to Mr G required to verify 19a – not a writer whose name trips off my tongue, but the rest slipped in relatively easily and resulted in a very satisfying solve. Top two here were 9&21a.
Thanks to Hudson and to CS for the review.
Many (happy?) hours studying Honoré de Balzac for french A level in the 60s! Don’t remember much about any of it
Yep, this was joyous. Another absolute belter. 21a and 2d (et al) for me. Many thanks to Hudson and CS.
We’ve spent ages trying to sort out how 10a works. We guessed the right answer from definition and checkers but cannot find any justification for the wordplay despite searching BRB and on-line. Only found a brand of US tote bags but don’t think it is those.
The rest all went in smoothly with lots of smiles along the way.
Thanks Hudson and CS.
It has been a very long time since I heard getting the sack being the Big E but fortunately I remembered it today
Bizarrely it was phrase recently used by a friend who, checking the latest news on his phone, told me the Man Utd manager had been sacked. Still couldn’t see it though, bunged in the answer & forgot to go back & parse it.
Not just me then!
I hadn’t heard of the Big E either but assume it is short for the Big Elbow. Chuckled at 1d, 2d and especially 21a.
Seeing Sue’s grading of less than one for difficulty, I thought I’d give it a go…it was a bit harder than that but a real gem of a crossword, so glad I did have a bash! As others have said, there’s far too many good clues to pick a favourite but the crones and Boris’s vamp made be chuckle! Even the dreaded Spoonerism raised a smile.
Thanks to Cryptic Sue and Hudson.
1*/5* …
liked 2D “Something from the bakery, gift of French orator sent round? (5)”