Toughie No 3377 by Dharma
Hints and tips by ALP
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ****/*****
As usual with Dharma, some very fair definitions coupled with some pretty garlicky wordplay. Yes, there is a plant (yuk) and a footballer but nothing too exotic and it all flew in fairly briskly. The full parse did, however, take a little time. Trickiest Tuesday for a while, I thought, but I’m sure there’ll be a chorus of disagreement. There generally is! And why the devil not? All yours.
Across
1a Select unknown character to join band (6)
CLASSY: One of our usual unknowns joins/follows band/group (students, say).
4a Model finally lost appeal; never mind (6,2)
FORGET IT: (to) model + [los]T + the usual “appeal”.
10a Caught unpleasant character next to small revolver, maybe one loaded? (9)
PLUTOCRAT: C[aught] + (an) unpleasant character or rotter next to/after a small “revolver” (in the sky).
11a “Silver tongue” at last added to the setter’s profile (5)
IMAGE: The usual “silver” + [tongu]E added to/after how Dharma might say “the setter is”.
12a Amidst venture north takes minute in Glasgow (7)
BETWEEN: Venture/wager and the usual “north” take/contain the Scottish minute/little.
13a Casual worker turned to the Left (7)
OFFHAND: The usual-ish “worker” with turned/spoiled (food) in front, ie to the left.
14a Oxford eradicates housing demand (5)
ORDER: Lurker, hidden in the first two words.
15a Let out large house delaying onset of resident’s entrance (8)
ENTHRALL: Let out/lease (manor) house (4,4) with the first word’s initial R[esident] slotting (delayed/later) into the second word to become the fifth in the ultimate eight-letter answer. As ever, I’ve made this sound complicated. It’s not, really. Nice clue.
18a Student jockey’s capturing prize (8)
COMPLETE: An “invisible comma” clue. The usual “student” is captured by (to) “jockey” (for position, etc). Prize as in a prize fool, say. Lovely.
20a Key terms to vote Labour or Reform (5)
ALTER: One of the usual (computer) keys + the terms/last letters of “vote” and “Labour”.
23a Suggest a frolic, very drunk (7)
ADVANCE: ‘A’ from the clue + frolic (a merry one, perhaps), with V[ery] “drunk”, ie inserted.
25a Dark humorist’s boundless wit (7)
OMINOUS: A synonym for a humorist or comedian, minus its first and last letters (boundless) + wit or common sense. Yet another super surface.
26a Game swimmer in river, after time, blossoming (5)
TROUT: The usual “river” after the usual “time”, and then an adverb for (flowers) in blossom or bloom.
27a Character losing head with current board’s ready to be fired? (9)
IGNITABLE: Character or trait, minus its first letter, plus (electric) “current” + the usual “board”.
28a Audacity of English striker blowing second half point (8)
RASHNESS: England’s striker (Marcus) minus his “second half” + point (of land).
29a Team bathed in success after clearing out cheats (6)
SCREWS: Team (of eight?) inside S[ucces]S.
Down
1d Ape reserve just as expected (8)
COPYBOOK: (to) ape or imitate + (to) reserve (a table, etc).
2d Joined daughter supporting victim in a first show of empathy (7)
ABUTTED: The usual “daughter” supports/follows victim (of a joke, perhaps) in(side) ‘A’ from the clue and E[mpathy].
3d Plant and Jagger perhaps dominating group (9)
STONECROP: What Mick is by example + group (quantity or selection, as in “the cream of the ????”). I had to Google this new-to-me plant (ugh, my nemesis) but the surface excuses all!
5d Public in favour of the judge having a good rest? (3,3,3,5)
OUT FOR THE COUNT: Public/overt + the usual-ish “in favour of” (but not “pro”) + (to) count/reckon.
6d Bother of golf lesson in school, set up free on a regular basis (5)
GRIEF: G[olf] + a (biblical, etc) lesson in school (is this still a thing?) + F[r]E[e], ie regularly, reversed (set up). The answer sums up the parse perfectly!
7d Great work of art lifted depression by all accounts (7)
TRAVAIL: “Art” from the clue reversed/lifted + a homophone (by all accounts) of depression/valley.
8d Tango with feeble types – wearing these? (6)
TWEEDS: T[ango] + feeble or puny types. This reads like an all-in-one (ish) and so, perhaps, all the words should be underlined, but I don’t really accept that milksops would even do the tango or, indeed, that anyone would wear these while dancing! Still, the meaning is patently clear.
9d Possibly tips what could be outcome of shock cut? (6,8)
FRINGE BENEFITS: A vaguely cryptic definition, alluding to “shock” as “hair” and what a (hair)cut might gift you, to mean possible “tips” (for example) or, more generally, perks.
16d Is probing article confused or sensible? (9)
REALISTIC: IS(inside/probing)ARTICLE, confused.
17d Prime minister with support brought in administrators (8)
TRUSTEES: A short-lived PM contains the usual (golfing) support.
19d Patent unaffected by most of invention missing (7)
OBVIOUS: A synonym of unaffected by or unaware, less invention/fiction, minus its last letter (ie, most of the “invention” missing).
21d Hot water temperature up twofold, plumber’s back for day (7)
TROUBLE: T[emperature] + twofold/twice with its D[ay] replaced by [plumbe]R.
22d Characteristic of air, mostly hot air from the south (6)
FACTOR: Air/aspect/appearance, minus its last letter (mostly) + “hot air” or nonsense, reversed (from the south).
24d Out for ninety-nine at Lord’s? Either way it’s unacceptable (3,2)
NOT ON: How one might describe the score of a batsman/batter (take your pick, but I know which side I’m on!) out for 99 or less, expressed as (2,3) is a palindromic “unacceptable”.
Just one anagram, a single lurker and a raft of trickery: replacements, deletions and jiggery-pokery all over the shop. Some quite gnarly synonyms too. Sure, 9d didn’t quite land for me but, as ever, I loved this from Dharma. I particularly enjoyed, among many, 15a, 18a and 23a. Very tough to pick a favourite (I could have gone any which way) but I’ll stick a pin in 19d, even though 15a and 18a ran it very close. How did you get on?
I thought this was Dharma’s toughest and best Toughie to date, all achieved with a minimum of obscurities (just the plant for me although the striker might be tricky for non-UK solvers) and but a single anagram. I enjoyed it a lot – thanks to Dharma and ALP.
Ticks from me for 10a, 12a, 13a, 19d and 24d.
A most enjoyable puzzle coupled with ALP’s witty hints needed for 10 and 28a, and to understand 15a which is brilliant. My favourite though was the concise 24d, which even if it does reference the dreaded cricket, it’s a lovely clue. Thanks to both. Lots more please Stephen 😄
The good: 15a, and having a proper Toughie on a Tuesday, albeit for me a Thursday-level Toughie – though far rather that than a mid-week back-pager in this slot. Otherwise it did little for me. Sorry Dharma, but thank you anyway of course, and also to ALP.
Yep, loved it. A proper toughie and just the job for a rainy Tuesday. The RHS went in fairly easily but the left needed another cup of coffee. Tons of good stuff here but I’ll pick 23a [what’s not to like?] 3d [Plant and Jagger – keep the rock n roll clues coming Stevie boy]
21d and 24d. Also a mention for the chutzpah required to get “small revolver” past the editor in 10a.
Thanks to Dharma and ALP – Neneh C hit the button for me today. The rest all a bit derivative for us old geezers – and the Black Keys tune, excellent tho’ it is, is a right Voodoo Chile ripoff.
Haha. True, true. But is that a ‘no’ to Fink? Tsk. And Neneh is, obviously, ripping/riffing off Steppenwolf there, herself.
Hmm – bang to rights. I guess what I really meant is if you like it you don’t care that it’s derivative. On the other hand the Neneh track rips quite a lot off but makes something new with it. Fink? Yes, good, but a bit shoegazy for me. Keep up the music- it’s always interesting.
It’s always fascinating to get your take on tunes. And you do, of course, have a point about Fink!
This would not have been out of place on a Friday, and was certainly a severe test. I needed our blogger to sort out a couple of parsings, but otherwise this was top drawer stuff. Highly entertaining, with some terrific surfaces, of which 25a appealed the most.
Thanks and congratulations to Stephen for a superb puzzle, and to ALP for the review.
A dnf for me I’m afraid. I could not get on Dharma’s wavelength at all. Favourite was 9d. Thanks to Dharma for the mental drubbing and ALP.
Found this incredibly hard. Abandoned it barely half finished after over an hour and having needed to reveal some of 28ac. Will read the parsings with great interest. Thanks D And ALP.
A most enjoyable start to the Toughie week. I thought this was tougher than the usual Tuesday offering but doable. Managed to tune into Dharma’s wavelength straight away.
So many ticks but I’ll choose 19D as my podium.
Many thanks to ALP and to Dharma for the enjoyment.
Re 15 across, the word is spelt ENTHRAL in English English and so I don’t think ENTHRALL is a legitimate answer to a clue in a crossword in a UK newspaper.
It’s a valid point, of course, but Chambers marks that spelling as “especially” US, so there is some leeway.
I’m well & truly in the “that was difficult” group. A lot of the time I was finding a word that fits & then desperately (and sometimes failing!) to parse it. Hard work to get on the wavelength but that’s part of the challenge so thanks to Dharma & ALP. Overall ****/*** for me with the ironic 17D the clue of the day!! PS Surely ENTHRALL is an alternative spelling?
Many thanks to those who have commented and in particular to ALP for his usual spot-on review. Looking forward to swapping hats following your recent well deserved promotion!
Huge thanks for popping in and for yet another belter. And, oh cripes. I’d best be especially nice to you then! Happily, your puzzles make that very easy to do. Ta lots.
Jeepers that was tough. Stalled a dozen answers in & then dipped back into it on 3 further occasions before finally crawling (by no means unaided) over the finish line. Revealed the 2d/10a checker to get going in the NW once I’d finally decided there was nowt select in 1a about Eric, Jack & Ginger + an unknown & needed a couple of presses of the check facility with a correction en route too. Missed the Marcus why at 28a & just bunged in 22d also.
Felt like it belonged on a non Elgar/Osmosis Friday to me but nevertheless enjoyed the uphill struggle in a masochistic sort of way. 10a was my clear fav & particularly liked 25a + 3 (for the Robert/Mick surface),9&19d.
Thanks to Stephen/Dharma & to ALP – I rather like that Union Chapel rendition – my pick of the tunes. Where’s Wally at 26a? Could have sworn I’d get some blues.
Haha. He so nearly made the cut. You know me too well. But I just love that Steppenwolf riff and Walter’s tunes are always so longgg. But here, just for you ..
That was much tougher than we were expecting on a Tuesday but still an enjoyable puzzle to solve. 10a gets our vote for top clue.
Thanks Dharma and ALP.