Sunday Toughie No 148
by Robyn
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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Robyn on Toughie duty today and I found it quite tricky last night, but on reflection, I can’t quite see why. Apart from a sure-fire candidate for (THE LIST™ Terence) 13d remains unhinted as it is a partial anagram with plenty of checkers, but a French term for Scottish Dances I ask you! I would bet that not many of you leapt to the answer without the checkers
Plenty of Greeks, Romans, Shakespeare and golf along with a couple of boats. We have 14a and 16d clues and I have hinted half. I hope you get enough checkers to find the rest
16d gets my COTD by a nose from a close field what did you like?
Here we go…
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 be back just after the closing date with the full blog. 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
5a Threw out legal text introducing concession the wrong way (7)
The legal text of ownership contains a reversal (the wrong way) of a concession. The concession comes from the drug-soaked bread Sibyl gave to Cerberus to enable Aeneas to enter the Underworld
10a Judge and advisor gutted by speed of electronic data (9)
Advisor is gutted of all but its outer letters and adds a term for the transmission speed of electronic data. To judge as a verb rather than a noun
14a Sneaky way to fight cybercrime led by President Dubya (12)
A president and the middle initial that distinguishes him from his father leads a cybercrime for a sneaky way to fight in the manner of guerillas
22a Bung Asian ruler in ruddy vehicle from the East (4-6)
The colour that ruddy suggests and a vehicle for hire are reversed (from the east in an across clue) around an Asian ruler
26a Paris’s allies retreating, stabbed by grand character in the Iliad (5)
Because we are again in the realm of Ancient Greece My first thought was that Paris was the Trojan Warrior but we want a reversal (retreating) of how a Parisian may refer to his allies, around G for grand for a character in the Greek alphabet
27a Frank book about Egypt lacking content about the regime? (7)
The type of book that Anne Frank wrote goes about the outer letters of Egypt for an adjective relating to the regime that rules what we eat
28a That man’s favouring the right subject (7)
A male possessive pronoun and a member of a political party that favours the right
Down
1d Mull over breaks on list of jobs for Trump? (6)
How an American such as Donald Trump may refer to the list of jobs that we call a C.V. A reversal (over) of to mull, consider or ponder in one of our usual ons
3d Prince’s filled with sorrow after paper’s manipulated facts (4-6)
An archaic term for sorrow follows a Shakespearean Prince (The young Henry V) and abbreviated newspaper’s (don’t forget the ‘s). These facts have been manipulated so that they are only partially creditable
5d Rotter maybe sleeping around, you said, with lots of boldness (9)
A reversal of where you usually are when sleeping, a homophone (said) of you with almost all of a synonym of boldness
8d Having lost the final, sober guru limiting drugs in Olympic event (8)
A synonym of sober loses its final letter and adds the plural abbreviation of the drug ecstasy and a guru for an Olympic event
15d Saving mostly quiet track plugged by Coldplay, say (9)
Most of a synonym for quiet, a group of musicians such as Coldplay and the abbreviation for the track that trains run on
16d Gave fantastic diamonds, worn by my daughter (8)
A synonym of fantastic and the abbreviation for the suit of cards, around an expression of surprise like my! And the genealogical abbreviation of daughter
19d Trouble overwhelms a combatant slowly (6)
An American combatant is overwhelmed by much trouble (- About Nothing according to Shakespeare)
Much like yesterday’s Wagner I can’t hear this without seeing Platoon
24d West Side Story number, but not the opening song (4)
A song from West Side Story without its opening letter
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One of my favourite guitarists…
That’s All Folks…
I totally agree with you. I made heavy weather of this last night but looking back I don’t really know why. Super stuff, as ever, from Robyn. I’m still not sure whether to love or hate 14a so I’ll just say I love it. 26a’s smart and reads beautifully. 3d’s a cracker. I could go on, but won’t. Many thanks to Robyn and Sloop.
Robyn on top form as always (well almost – nul points for 13d). Thanks to him and SJB.
My ticks went to 10a, 14a (LOL), 27a (Frank book – brilliant) and 23d.
I found this quite a tough ask from Robyn today and would certainly want 13d to go onto ‘the list’! Think I finally sorted out most answers satisfactorily but the parsing of my LOI, 15a, is proving to be almost impossible – must be missing something……….
My favourite was probably 11a.
Thanks to Robyn for the challenge and to SJB for the hints – shame you didn’t give us the obvious choice of music for 24d!
I’m missing something too – no 15a here but if you mean 15d we have most of a word for being quiet, a group of musicians such as Coldplay and some abbreviated tracks that means saving resources
I think the West Side Story clip was the whole cast album so it ought to get to the obvious track eventually without spelling it out in the YT headline (I still don’t know how MrK greys out his pics and links)
Apologies, John, Specsavers needed here, I meant 18a!
Many thanks for the beautiful sound of Mr Bocelli’s voice, much appreciated.
Me too 👓
With 18a first 5 words are the definition, word 6 is an anagram indicator, 7&8 are the fodder but include another Spade♠️ abbreviation Andrea Bocelli (or the person who chooses his wardrobe) has this
Finally got there, I’d got the wrong ending on 5d. Many thanks for the help, John.
I bet it was a D at the end of 5d (it was for me
Just for you…
With a wide range of ticks for many clues it is clear that Robyn has negotiated the tricky business of setting puzzles at Monday backpager and Sunday Toughie level with some style. I am prepared to forgive 13d as it was well provided with checkers and a clear construction. It provided a learning moment to go along with Shakespeare and the Greeks
Is he also Picaroon in the Guardian Quiptic?
How does he make the easy clues so difficult?
He is Picaroon (and Rodriguez) he amazes us all by the ease with which he alters his style
I also found this hard going, particularly the west side (though the West Side Story clue did go in quickly !). But on reflection there is nothing I didn’t parse so not sure why it took so long and overall I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Favourites 18A and 27A.
Last to solve and parse 9A.
With a name like Sloop I expect myself to get the boat references but if you could see the notes I made last night you would see that 8d was my last to parse, but it did give me the chance to get Springsteen into the hints if not a tune
Had been hoping for a bit of respite after 4 successive ‘tuffies’ this week but fat chance. Found this extremely enjoyable but hard going albeit maybe a tad easier than his Thursday puzzle in the Graun. Eventually battled to within 2 of a finish (13d&26a) & had it been the old website I’d have succumbed to revealing the checker. Disappointed to have got suckered by the surface at 26a & groaned loudly when reading the hint. Doubt the extra checker would have helped with t’other – couldn’t be bothered to play around with the fodder & let Mr G take the strain. Enjoyed the 2 golf ones & agree that 16d was a corker.
Thanks to Robyn (shame that he’s stopped popping in) & as ever to John – had I been tasked (heaven forbid) with providing hints Rory would have featured at 17d
I might have picked another Rory for 11a if it merited a hint but Mr Gallagher would have been nice for 17d
First Betty’s Mince pie/Christmas Cake trip of the season
Yummy.
Am off to see Jason Isbell&400 Unit tomorrow night in Hammersmith – can’t wait
A proper Toughie without a doubt. In the singular, but also as an anagram, 13d occurred in The Times back in June, and miraculously I recalled it with just the c in place. Oh frabjous joy. COTD 26a.
Many thanks to Robyn and SJB
Bit more to chew on than some recent Sunday Toughies, definitely keeping us (or me at least) on our toes. NE corner held out longest, albeit LOI was 13d after filling in all checkers and then embarking on some letter lottery. Favourites were 9, 25 & 26 across and 16, 20 & 23 down.
My thanks to Robyn and SJB.
As I have said elsewhere it amazes me the way Robyn can shift gear from toughie to Monday backpagers so easily
He is indeed one of my favourite setters. I check the Guardian website occasionally for any ‘Picaroon’ puzzles that may crop up – along with any ‘Boatman’s (I went to his masterclass a couple of years ago), ‘Paul’s (he has a mischievous sense of humour!) and ‘Enigmatist’s (I am evidently a glutton for punishment…).
Took us an age – especially last in 9a – but go there in the end.