Toughie No 3404 by proXimal
Hints and Tips by Gazza
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Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
This one is not as tough as our normal Friday fare but enjoyable – thanks to proXimal.
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
Across Clues
1a With Ucas service, that person’s receiving answer relieving tension (8,3,3)
CLEARING THE AIR: one of the services that Ucas provides to aspiring university students is followed by a possessive pronoun (“that person’s”) containing an abbreviation for answer.
10a Method hard with surgery cutting into stick insect, say (9)
ARTHROPOD: assemble a synonym of method or knack and the pencil abbreviation for hard. Add an abbreviation for surgery inserted into a type of stick.
11a Name of man that’s shelled egg in advance (5)
LOGAN: insert the inner letter of egg into a monetary advance.
12a This leader Nap might be interpreted to give proper name (7)
EMPEROR: a compound anagram – the answer and NAP may be anagrammed to produce PROPER NAME.
13a Get over this country losing final in soccer against Italy (6)
OBTAIN: start with the cricket abbreviation for over and append a shorthand way of referring to where we live without the final letter of soccer and the IVR code for Italy.
15a River banks abandoned by rodent hunter (4)
OUSE: a rodent hunter (of which many are to be seen in today’s back-page blog) without its outer letters.
17a Transport guns about with every one bearing company abbreviation (10)
STAGECOACH: reverse a mainly US term for pistols or revolvers (a word derived from this much larger weapon) and add a synonym of ‘every one’ containing the abbreviation for company.
19a Horsemen around globe backed by deity (10)
CABALLEROS: string together an abbreviation meaning around or approximately, something globe-shaped and the Greek god of love.
20a Grumble losing heart in faith (4)
BEEF: remove the two central letters from a synonym of faith or creed.
22a One miserable with uncovered arm cut (6)
WRETCH: rivet together the abbreviation for ‘with’, the inner letter of arm and a verb to cut or engrave.
23a Arboreal beast nicked some soup, naughtily (7)
OPOSSUM: an anagram (naughtily) of SOM[e] SOUP.
26a Refusal to move forward in voice recorder (5)
NOTER: start with a singing voice and bring forward the word of refusal within it.
27a Delete lines on a French social media platform (9)
UNINSTALL: two occurrences of the abbreviation for line follow ‘a’ in French and the abbreviation for a popular social media platform.
28a TV series is one I’ve never seen, working nights (8,6)
STRANGER THINGS: a person who is not known to me and an anagram (working) of NIGHTS. I’ve never heard of the US series and having read about it here I certainly wouldn’t want to watch it.
Down Clues
2d Respite oldest puppy regularly required (3-2)
LET-UP: regular letters.
3d One broadcasting first of snooker frames (6)
AIRERS: someone who’s broadcasting and the first letter of snooker.
4d This writer’s shames penning extremely unpopular dirty content (10)
IMPURITIES: the contracted form of ‘this writer is’ and a word for shames or unfortunate things containing the outer letters of unpopular.
5d People admired one providing unexpected help, no end (4)
GODS: someone or something providing unexpected and valuable help without the word ‘end’.
6d Restrain brash journo, so Spooner says (4,4)
HOLD BACK: the reverend gentleman would convert this to a brash or audacious journalist.
7d Bug coming from silver grille outside V&A (9)
AGGRAVATE: the chemical symbol for silver and a type of grille containing the letters VA.
8d Be like kinsfolk and jog during race (3,2,3,6)
RUN IN THE FAMILY: a verb to jog, a synonym for during and a phrase meaning race or lineage.
9d Strong currents decreasing flow at sea (4-5,5)
GALE-FORCE WINDS: an anagram (at sea) of DECREASING FLOW.
14d New organism to expert in cultivation (10)
AGRONOMIST: an anagram (new) of ORGANISM TO.
16d Puzzle about time cleric turned revolutionary (9)
SUBVERTER: a puzzle involving pictures contains the abbreviation for time and an abbreviated cleric. Reverse the lot.
18d Return note wrapped around returned gold particle (8)
ELECTRON: a verb meaning to return (someone) to public office and an abbreviation for note bracket the reversal of our usual tincture of gold.
21d One seeing that toff climbing tree (6)
BONSAI: collate the Roman numeral for one, a conjunction meaning ‘seeing that’ or because and an informal term for a toff and reverse the lot.
24d Hoofed beast traversing North Pole (5)
STANG: a hoofed (and horned) animal contains the abbreviation for north. Not a word I knew but the checkers helped.
25d Join together following work (4)
FUSE: the abbreviation for following and a verb to work or manipulate.
The clues I liked best were 13a, 15a, 5d and 6d. Which one(s) made your list?
When I saw who had set this, I decided to make a rare foray into Friday Toughie territory. I’m very glad I did and, except for being unable to parse 12d and 26d, I even managed to finish it. Many thanks to Gazza for the enlightenment and, as ever, the excellent cartoons.
Unusually for this setter, I did think a couple of the surfaces were rather strained but, that aside, I enjoyed it immensely with 1a my favourite.
Many thanks to proXimal for the fun.
A doable and enjoyable Toughie that didn’t give the brain its usual Friday mangling. From many ticks I chose 12 and 20A and 4, 6 and 16D.
Thank you Gazza for the blog and fun ( Irish Possum did it for me ) and to proXimal for the enjoyment.
I like Rabbit Dave took a look at the Setter and thought Why not! I am glad I did, very enjoyable,
as I like to say time well wasted thank you to the setter and blogger.
TTNF Worworcrossol
I found this quite friendly for a Friday Toughie slot but highly enjoyable and nicely challenging. 1 and 15a were my co-favourites this afternoon. I cannot remember a time when another Toughie setter received a name check in a puzzle as in 10a.
My thanks to proXimal and Gazza.
Some iffy surfaces and a couple of clues [11a and 28a] I really didn’t like. But I did like 13a and 21d.
Thanks to proXimal and [it must be] Gazza. Yer name ain’t on the masthead.
Oops – it’s there now. Thanks.
I wondered if this was going to be another Elgar puzzle, and relieved it’s not! I’ve only finished the too half of his special double after several hours!
1a is my favourite as well, with 28a LOI. Never heard of that series
Thank you proXimal, and thanks Gazza for all your hard work on the blog over the year(s)!
Great puzzle, a very doable Friday challenge with much humour and giving rise to the occasional furrowed brow – like RD I could not parse my answer to 12a, having failed to spot the compound anagram, nor could I parse 26a. Fortunately I had vaguely heard of 28a, but the same could not be said of my LOI, 24d, even though the answer was in the forefront of my mind for most of the time it took to complete the crossword. Spent too long looking for an x-less pangram or an x in each corner, but ’twas not to be.
Really enjoyed that, thank you Proximal and thanks also to Gazza for the two parsings and excellent cartoons.
Super puzzle. 9d is a brilliant spot and 16d is proper smart. And a compound anagram to boot. All very friendly for a Friday toughie and incredibly entertaining. Many thanks to proXimal and Gazza.
Like RD a rare stab at a Friday. Completed the grid but pretty poor on the parsing front so the explanations much appreciated. 28a was my fav – the clue not the programme, which was cobblers.
Thanks to proXimal for an enjoyable puzzle & to Gazza – great cartoons as per
Re Stranger things… A whole new younger audience got to hear Kate Bush, running up that hill. I’ll go undercover again
Is that a good thing?
Never heard of the TV series but guessed it from the checkers so it didn’t cause too much delay in what was a really enjoyable solve. 13a was favourite.
Thanks ProXimal and Gazza.
Found this quite tough going not helped by having my globe the wrong way around in 19a causing some significant delays in the SW. 15a gets my vote.
Thanks to Gazza and proXimal.