Toughie No 3371 by Silvanus
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ****
Silvanus has included a fair bit of GK today; I was comfortable with the artist and the sporting and political references but needed post-solve verification for the fish, the film, the part of the horse and the Womble. However, everything is immaculately clued as ever by Silvanus, making this a very enjoyable puzzle. Thanks to him.
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
Across Clues
1a I long desperately to stop many being boastful (12)
VAINGLORIOUS: an anagram (desperately) of I LONG goes inside a synonym of many.
9a Greatness of sorcerer inspiring daughter after cycling ace (9)
MAGNITUDE: a sorcerer or wise person contains the abbreviation for daughter after a synonym of ace or one with its first letter cycled to the end.
10a Fish dish from France, close to Brittany (5)
PLATY: a French word for dish (often seen on a menu as ‘**** du jour’) and the closing letter of Brittany.
11a Key cricketer echoing obscure nepotism claims (6)
OPENER: hidden in reverse. The definition could be the first two words but I think it more likely that Silvanus has generously given us two definitions.
12a Piece of meat bear rips in shreds (5,3)
SPARE RIB: an anagram (in shreds) of BEAR RIPS.
13a Made certain run out succeeded (6)
ENSUED: a verb meaning made certain loses the cricket abbreviation for a run.
14a Biscuit British Olympic champion fails to finish (8)
CRACKNEL: James, the Olympic rower, without the last letter of his surname.
17a Thrashing, getting stuffed by old European in sport (8)
CANOEING: a synonym for a thrashing (especially at school, in less enlightened times) has abbreviations for old and European inserted.
19a Well-known footballers meeting occupant of No. 27 briefly? (6)
FAMOUS: the abbreviation for the body that controls football in England and what may be found in a 27a without its last letter.
22a Diary of Michael, say, for March (8)
FOOTSLOG: split 4’1,3 this could be the diary of Labour politician Michael.
24a Dance, American tango, husband Alec barely tackles (6)
HUSTLE: the genealogical abbreviation for husband and the inner letters of Alec contain an abbreviation for American and the letter that tango represents in the Nato Phonetic Alphabet.
26a Workshy individual lied about source of revenue (5)
IDLER: an anagram (about) of LIED and the first letter of revenue.
27a Second job rejected, collecting milk to make cheese (9)
MOUSETRAP: a short word for a second or instant and the reversal of a job or role contain a verb to milk or exploit.
28a Get on with Liz working in run-down district (8,4)
TWILIGHT ZONE: an anagram (working) of GET ON WITH LIZ.
Down Clues
1d Run away from very large creature circling area (7)
VAMOOSE: the abbreviation for very and a large type of deer bracket the abbreviation for area.
2d Artist beginning to spellbind and entrance (7)
INGRESS: the name of a French painter and the first letter of spellbind.
3d Arthur’s wife at no time boards craft leaving loch (9)
GUINEVERE: an adverb meaning ‘at no time’ goes inside a synonym of craft or cunning without the abbreviation for loch.
4d Bishop escapes extra responsibility (4)
ONUS: the chess abbreviation for bishop leaves a word meaning extra.
5d Unskilled salesperson turned up, one afterwards admits (8)
INEXPERT: reverse an abbreviated word for a salesperson which is contained inside the Roman numeral for one and an adverb meaning afterwards.
6d Sole attachment that stimulates one (5)
UPPER: double definition, the second an informal word for a stimulating drug.
7d Old lady film role synonymous with Hattie Jacques? (6)
MATRON: an affectionate term for one’s old lady and the title of an old science fiction film that I’d never heard of.
8d Sound of token musical instrument (6)
CYMBAL: this sounds like a synonym of a token or emblem.
15d Drunken uncle sadly accepts criminal charge over time (9)
CRAPULENT: an anagram (sadly) of UNCLE contains a slang term for a criminal charge. Finish with the physics abbreviation for time. Great word!
16d Relaxed, a student on grass? Quite the reverse (8)
INFORMAL: a verb to grass, A and our usual abbreviated student.
17d Part of a horse box (6)
COFFIN: double definition. The first one (the BRB informs me) is the horny part of a horse’s hoof.
18d New placement for one old head (6)
NOODLE: an anagram (new placement) of ONE OLD.
20d Lake ducks, unspecified number, Jack is endlessly feeding (7)
ONTARIO: two of the letters that look like cricket ducks are fed by the abbreviation for an unspecified number, an old informal word for a sailor and ‘IS’ without its trailing letter.
21d Tower of strength at first, supporter accepts leg-pull occasionally (7)
STEEPLE: the first letter of strength and a supporter at golf containing occasional letters from ‘leg-pull’.
23d Former Home Secretary with verrucas all over (5)
STRAW: reverse another word for verrucas to get our second Labour politician.
25d Stop one of the Wombles being loveless (4)
BUNG: the name of one of the Wombles of Wimbledon (he’s bossy and excitable, apparently) without the love-resembling letter.
The clues that I liked best were 17a, 22a, 15d and 16d. Which clue(s) perked you up?
A game of two halves – not too bad up north (had to check the fish though) but hard going down south not helped by the grid affording just 2 checkers by way of access. 3 clues in the SW held out the longest (17a&d + 22a) & it was only once the game/sport dawned on me that the dominoes fell – still had to check the bone though. Knew the film but had long forgotten the bossy Womble so that was a 25d in. 15a is such a splendid word so that has to be my fav & wouldn’t argue with our reviewer’s other 3 selections either.
Thanks to Silvanus for a challenging & very enjoyable puzzle & to Gazza.
Ps unusual to have 2 Labour Eurosceptics in the same puzzle albeit one of ‘em changed his view once in the Foreign Office.
Like Gazza, I had to check the fish, the film, the part of the horse and the Womble. Slightly worrying that Silvanus is that familiar with the Wombles!
An enjoyable solve as ever, with the SW corner offering the most resistance for me. Just the right level of difficulty for a Thursday Toughie IMO.
I will award 1a my CoD, mainly because I love the word.
Thank you Silvanus and Gazza.
Charming as ever and typically flawless. 1a reads beautifully, 7d’s lovely and 25d made me smile. 16d’s fun too. I’d not heard of a 14a before but it’s always satisfying to get an unknown from the wordplay. I learned summat new in 17d too. Many thanks to Silvanus and Gazza.
This setter always gives us an enjoyable challenge. More GK than he normally uses, but nevertheless all fairly clued.
I liked 5D, 15D and 17D with favourite going to 22A.
Many thanks to Gazza ( liked the financial advisor)and to Sylvanus.
Pleasingly tricky for a Thursday afternoon, this certainly cheered up the overhead gloom. Like others, some of the GK was unknown to me, but the grid was fairly and perfectly clued to enable me to get across the line. No particular favourite, but 1a is a great word.
My thanks to Silvanus and Gazza.
I found this well on the gentle side for Sylvanus, especially the top half, and otherwise rather uneventful, altho Chambers had to be deployed a couple of times. I just took a punt on the Womble ‘cos it sounded right. 16d works well and 22a raised a smile.
Thanks to Silvanus and Gazza.
There were a few bits of GK that I needed to check, but as PJ above notes, all fairly clued.
I did not know the fish, the artist, or the drunken uncle.
Many thanks to Silvanus for a most enjoyable puzzle, and to Gazza for the write-up.
A handful of GK that needed checking but all very fairly clued. My only blunder was 7d which I solved as a straightforward cryptic clue having never heard of the strange-sounding film. Top clues for me were two that made me laugh – 22a & 6d. It did occur to me that a bear wouldn’t be very satisfied with a meal of 12a’s – perhaps that’s just his starter!
Many thanks to Silvanus for an excellent Toughie and to Gazza for the review and incidental extras – I was rather taken with Tim and his elevated role in life!
Having read your comment I realise I made the same mistake re 7d. I put the answer in straight away assuming it was a cryptic definition. I will have to add the film to the other bits of GK I didn’t know.
I agree with Gazza on 7d, but wonder whether the underlining in his hint for the meaning should include film. Never heard of nor can find anything about matron birth as in TG’s comment below.
I don’t know where the word ‘birth’ has come from. The wordplay is MA (old lady) + TRON (a sci-fi film from 1982).
Ah. Got it. But not heard of the film. I had matron as an old lady, matriarchal type, then film role etc
Thanks
I can see that as an alternative way of parsing the clue (which avoids the need to include the film that nobody has heard of). Perhaps Silvanus could reveal his intention?
A matron is an older lady and is also a reference to the character Hattie Jacques portrayed in the Carry On film. A double def??
Apologies to julesinsussex… I’m only repeating what you have already said.
My intention was as exactly as you parsed the clue in your hints, Gazza (and as per your reply to Jules above).
Thanks, Silvanus.
I think it’s to do with women over 40 having a first child, maybe out of use these days.
As always, many thanks to Gazza and to everyone solving and commenting.
Shabbo and others may be interested to know that all Wombles are unnamed until they are old enough to choose their own names. They do this by opening an old atlas belonging to Great Uncle Bulgaria and picking whichever name they like the most. Bungo used the old name for Oita Prefecture in Japan, apparently. Too much information?!
So now we know what you do to while away the dark, winter evenings, Silvanus!
Very worrying!!
Like others I didn’t know the fish, the artist, the horse part or the Womble. Needed the hint to parse 9a and parsed 7d the same as Jane and Jezza, as in ‘matron birth’. Pretty tough I thought but I got there. Thanks to and Gazza.
Some of the GK in this one was very challenging for non UK residents like us but with considerable help from Mr Google we did get it all sorted eventually. We did know the Womble though.
Thanks Silvanus and Gazza.
Failed with the 14a biscuit, being sure it started with B or Br, so had to check here. Thanks for that Gazza. 15a is a word I should use more often in certain company I think!
Thanks to Sylvanus as well.
I am so glad I decided to tackle this puzzle after being out all day. It was a joy to solve. No ifs, no buts. 5*+ for enjoyment.
Many thanks to Silvanus and to Gazza.