Toughie 3401

Toughie No 3401 by Dharma
Hints and tips by ALP

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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****/*****

An utterly charming puzzle from Dharma to see out the year in style: cunning misdirection, masked definitions and typically smart surfaces. Nowt outlandish here. My difficulty rating will, I’m sure, meet with snorts of derision as per usual, but Dharma’s style has always suited me down to the ground. Hopefully, I won’t be entirely alone! All yours.

Across

1a Chief trimmed fish to get by (6)
BESIDE: Chief/top minus its last letter (trimmed) + compilers’ favourite freshwater fish.

4a Placing rest behind ball on table leads to slight stretch (5,3)
WHITE LIE: (to) “rest” (on a bed, say) after/behind ball (on a snooker table, etc). Lovely definition.

10a Glimpse small instrument and step on it (4,5)
LOOK SHARP: Glimpse/see + the usual “small” + an instrument. I suspect this will be Dizzee’s first and last Big Dave appearance but I just couldn’t resist!

11a Case for bistro to be presented with award for dessert (5)
BOMBE: B[istr]O + one of our usual awards/gongs. This isn’t my video (though I do have some of my own somewhere) but if you are ever able to get hold of this French confectionery from Braquier (post Brexit, it’s now all but impossible to buy in the UK, sadly) it’s well worth the expense. We used to have one every Christmas and it was the highlight of my beloved, profoundly deaf great aunt’s year. It was pretty much the only thing she could hear! The (Belgian) chocolate and the presents inside are pretty nifty too.

12a High roller? (7)
TSUNAMI: Smart cryptic definition for a high/towering (sea) roller.

13a Tops made from animals on sale first (7)
OUTDOES: (Female) animals after on sale/issued (ie, the second bit comes first).

14a Composer‘s pitch to those in the Albert Hall? (5)
LISZT: Homophone of (to) pitch/roll.

15a Trick shot at Lord’s inspiring Derbyshire’s opening victory (8)
HOODWINK: Botham’s favourite shot inspiring/containing D[erbyshire] + a synonym for “victory”.

18a Sweetener given back: ultra-rare medal more than suffices (8)
DEMERARA: A reverse lurker, hidden in the fourth and fifth words.

20a Woman is about to enter appeal (5)
SUSIE: “Is” reversed/about entering/inside (to) appeal (legally).

23a Perhaps Iron Maiden given small space on set with time moved to the end (7)
ELEMENT: The usual “maiden” + a printer’s “small space” after/with (television) set, with its initial T[ime] moved to the end of the answer.

25a Repellent game features unpleasant juveniles (7)
URCHINS: The usual two-letter game reversed/repellent + (facial) features.

26a Republican abandoning his political position, say, for new dark period (5)
NIGHT: N[ew] replaces R[epublican] in a word that describes a Republican’s political position.

27a European drink Dharma promoted capturing style (9)
ICELANDER: Alcoholic drink, with its ‘I’ (Dharma) promoted from second to first, contains/captures style/vigour.

28a Ultimately Lloyds or Barclays bound by primary point – to give extra interest (8)
NOSINESS: ‘S’ (Lloyds or Barclays ultimately) bound/contained by primary/most important (2,1) and point/headland. Is that “or Barclays” strictly necessary? Probably not, but it makes for a fun surface.

29a Those not wanting Labour to lose heart, they’re on a slippery slope (6)
SKIERS: Those not wanting (to) labour/work, ie idlers, minus its central letter/heart.

Down

1d Remixed version of Let It Be includes line that’s rubbish (8)
BELITTLE: LETITBE, remixed, includes the usual “line”.

2d Military leaders for the most part filmed with weapons (7)
SHOGUNS: A synonym for “filmed” (I could only think of this one!) minus its last letter + weapons/arms.

3d Put an end to role of senior policeman? (9)
DISMANTLE: Role of senior policeman = senior policeman’s role (2’1, 6).

5d Cool music genre causes mirth, entertaining half of retiring Tory big beasts (14)
HIPPOPOTAMUSES: Cool/trendy + common music genre + causes mirth/tickles, entertaining/containing TO[ry] reversed/retiring. And yes, this is the preferred plural!

6d This person seen putting down beer regularly in alcohol-free region (5)
TIBET: This (first) person + B[e]E[r] in(side) the usual alcohol-free or dry. “Seen putting down” is merely positional here (in a down clue).

7d “Noisy thing” tucking into nut roast (7)
LAMPOON: Noisy thing (ie, hi-fi kit) inside nut(ter).

8d Seven sonnets edited down becoming all the same (4,2)
EVEN SO: Lurker, hidden in the first two words.

9d Martial artist praises this liquefied food (6,8)
DANISH PASTRIES: Martial artist (grade of black belt, etc) + PRAISESTHIS, liquefied.

16d Car-sick, we abandoned Sally (9)
WISECRACK: CARSICKWE, abandoned.

17d Judges order them from the Bar? (8)
MEASURES: Double definition.

19d Surfaces of puzzle finally come together with tip from subeditor (7)
EMERGES: [Puzzl]E + come together (as one) + S[ubeditor].

21d Rod Stewart’s first big house occupied by Neil Diamond initially (7)
SPINDLE: S[tewart] + big house/mansion occupied by/containing N[eil] D[iamond]. Cute putting Rod and Neil together.

22d Imagine writer‘s notes being nicked by flipping Gallagher? (6)
LENNON: Notes (ie note + note, abbreviated) nicked/contained by one of the Gallagher brothers, reversed/flipping.

24d Hoovered each mid-morning (5)
EATEN: The abbreviation for “each” + the time/number that is roughly mid-morning. Made me smile, this. Daily Hoovering? No chance! Please forgive my musical homophone.

Just three anagrams, plus two lurkers, one homophone and a fair bit of Lego made for a fun, brisk solve. I very much liked 5d and 9d, amongst many others, but I particularly enjoyed 15a. What did you make of it?

PS This is, unbelievably, my 52^nd blog – a full calendar year in the chair. You have Gazza to thank for this stint and I am (probably the only one who is!) hugely grateful to him for (quite incorrectly!) deeming me “always sensible”. Sincere thanks, too, to Dharma and all our setters for yet another year of blistering entertainment. We are, of course, jolly lucky to have them. May I wish you all a joyous New Year.