Sunday Toughie 146 (Hints)

Sunday Toughie No 146

by proXimal

 

Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee

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As usual proXimal was a little tougher than my other Sunday Toughie regulars but I think I have got there eventually

We have 14a and 14d clues today with the trademark proXimalisms™ dealt with early doors I have hinted 13 of 28 clues leaving me a bonus hint for the first to ask

Here we go, Folks…

As it is a Prize puzzle I can only hint at a few and hope that will give you the checkers and inspiration to go further. I’ll return with the full review blog just after the closing date. Don’t forget to follow BD’s instructions in RED at the bottom of the hints!

I hope I don’t have to redact any comments but I am new at this and don’t want to rock the boat. If in doubt, I’ll rub it out! I think that sentence is a bit redundant. You have all been so helpful in sorting out prior parsing failures, and I am sure I will need similar help again.

Most of the terms used in these hints are explained in the Glossary and examples are available by clicking on the entry under “See also” Where the hint describes a construct as “usual” this means that more help can be found in The Usual Suspects, which gives a number of the elements commonly used in the wordplay. Another useful page is Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, which features words with meanings that are not always immediately obvious. Don’t forget the Mine of Useful information that Big Dave and his son Richard so meticulously prepared for us.

A full review of this puzzle will be published after the closing date for submissions. Some hints follow: Remember the site rules and play nicely.   

Across

 

1a           Good-natured deer transported for Spooner (4-7)
A female red deer transported away on a small hand-drawn vehicle is Spoonerised to be very good natured

8a           Messing with this bully, she and I might become arch-enemies (7)
The trademark proXimalisms™ are dealt with early on. A starting Spoonerism at 1a and now the compound anagram. This bully is found in an anagram of (messing with) what remains of arch-enemies when she and I have been removed

14a        Siren snubbed pamper party in LA (10)
A siren is snubbed to remove its last letter and adds to pamper or overprotect. A  party with folk-singing especially an informal concert with folk music that is principally North American hence the “in LA”  Jools Holland has rather taken it over for his annual New Year celebration. but here is a link to one of his non-New Year performers

16a        Returning drink coasters with duff place for collection (5,5)
To drink like proXimal’s cat Uchi and the coasters you may use to protect surfaces from spilt drinks are reversed (returning) before a synonym of duff a place for a philatelist’s collection

So that is where proXimal keeps his X’s

24a        Style of space headgear covering Tim’s head (7)
A printers space that is sufficient room for the fourteenth letter of the alphabet, an informal type of headgear and the head of Tim is how you may style yourself. As a CMG Tim Peake can style himself Sir

26a        Assembled parts ready to house large missile launcher (5,6)
An anagram (assembled) of parts ready but include L for large

 

Down

1d          Realm of prince and princess invaded by Chinese dynasts (7)
The informal given name of The Princess of Wales is invaded by a member of a Chinese dynasty, the resulting realm is that of an Asian prince

3d          Extremely huffy and cross overturning lubricants for nautical devices (10)
The extreme letters of huffy, to cross a river without a bridge reversed and add some lubricants

5d          Dancing function off (8)
A trigonometric function and a synonym of off

7d          Cook conveying rats to market-town (11)
To cook in an oven goes around, a synonym of rats or informs and to from the clue

9d          Call for support in upcoming year after Republican joining forces with core of Democrats (8-3)
A synonym of upcoming or recovering then abbreviations of Republican and year follow the core of Democrats

12d        Necessary for building muscles, maintaining routine, rogue lifted (10)
A short form of muscles in the lower back goes around (maintaining) a routine such as that formed by a wagon wheel eroding a road and a rogue dog perhaps. When you have put all that Lego™ together reverse it (lifted)

19d        Soldier perhaps on island, untrained, upset and non-violent (7)
A type of “soldier” insect, the abbreviation of island and a reversal (upset) of untrained

 

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