New Year’s Day 2025 Double Toughie by Elgar
A full review by crypticsue
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This puzzle was published on 1st January 2025 and is available here
Clockwise around the perimeter beginning at a cell in the top row runs the location of two competitive activities for which cards will be needed.
There have been quite a few years where solving the Elgar Double Toughie has taken a considerable time and that was before I had to parse and then provide the blog. I was expecting to have the same experience this year and so was very surprised to have a completed grid in a lot less time than usual. I then found that could parse most of the clues and even after a lot of muttering, I am hoping that I have explained some of them correctly.
The message round the perimeter of the grid starts at 12d and although I have been to the venue on several occasions, I don’t think I ever knew the full address before!
As SJB was very excited (some might say over-excited) to explain the significance of the instructions, I’ll leave him to do the honours.
Across
16a Online facilities for purchasing train fare (6-4)
DINING-CAR – A cryptic definition of somewhere to purchase fare on a train
17a Man is keen on dresses at Uni, having a problem (2,3,4)
IN THE SOUP – INTO (is keen on) ‘dresses’ HES (the man is), the result followed by UP (at university)
18a That sixth ball got the wicket, I’m saying no more (4,3,3)
OVER AND OUT – The sixth ball of the OVER AND OUT (got the wicket)
19a African national discovered European peninsula (6)
IBERIA – Dis-cover or remove the outside letters from a lIBERIAn
20a Monotreme: its last X chromosomes, essentially (7)
ECHIDNA – The last letter of monotremE, CHI, the 22nd letter of the Greek alphabet (X) and DNA (chromosomes)
21a Reasons for auditor’s characteristic lying (9)
PROSTRATE – PROS (reasons for) and a homophone (auditor’s) of TRAIT (characteristic)
23a Upper second also prevailed in hearing (3-3)
TWO-ONE – Homophones of TOO (also) and WON (prevailed)
24a Freight knocking about legendary ship (4)
ARGO – Knock off or remove the C (Latin abbreviation for about) from cARGO (freight)
25a Elected Lorenz and Tinbergen initially to work between occupied regions (10)
INTERZONAL – IN (elected) and an anagram (to work) of LORENZ and the initial letters of And Tinbergen
29a 2025 seen to achieve something impossible? (6,3,6)
SQUARE THE CIRCLE – I wish I’d received the same helpful email as Gazza (see comment 2 below) the square is not 2025 (square of 45) as we had assumed but 225 (square of 15) and that Elgar was using square in the sense of ‘enclose in a square’ so 225 contains the circle-shaped number. The solution refers to the impossible task of trying to construct a square within a given circle and is used as a metaphor when trying to achieve other impossible tasks
30a Manic, but not completely cuckoo (3)
ANI – The inside (not completely) letters of mANIc
31a Not eat pasta? Do me these basics as an alternative (4,3,8)
MEAT AND POTATOES – An anagram (as an alternative) of NOT EAT PASTA DO ME
35a Rhea’s heart? (3,3,2,3,4)
THE MAN IN THE MOON THE MAN (he) can be seen in the heart of RHEA, THE (second-largest ) MOON of Saturn
39a Dispense with the services of x and y? Not entirely (3)
AXE – Almost all of AXES (x and y in a graph)
40a What may worry God-forsaken cynic before the End (4,2,9)
DAY OF RECKONING – An anagram (worry) of GOD FORSAKEN CYNIc (before the end telling you to omit the C)
43a One rejects recording that’s even more painful on the ear (10)
DISCLAIMER – DISC (recording) and a homophone (on the ear) of LAMER (even more painful)
47a Earl emerges from under bombshell (4)
BLOW – The abbreviation for earl ‘emerges’ or comes out of BeLOW (under)
48a A rabbit’s caught near border (4,2)
ABUT ON – A (from the clue) a homophone (caught) of BUTT (object of ridicule (rabbit)) followed by ON (near)
49a Blocking deer during recording one still misses shot on lawn … (9)
CROQUETED – CD (recording) into which is inserted (blocking) ROE after you have inserted into that word, QUiET (still without the Roman numeral for one)
52a … form of art nouveau with that deer fleeing country (7)
VANUATU An anagram (form) of ArT NoUVeAU without (fleeting) the deer we met in the last solution
54a Tom Wolfe’s 4 goddess (6)
HECATE -A male feline (Tom) and the latest (4d solution) letter of wolfE
55a Sigh, perhaps, U-boat there having been dispatched (10)
OUTBREATHE – An anagram (dispatched) of U BOAT THERE
56a Report from our foreign correspondent? (3,6)
AIR LETTER – A cryptic definition of correspondence from abroad
57a Awfully unprincipled padre lets us cheat (10)
ADULTRESS – An anagram (awfully) of pADRE LETS US without the P (un principled or without the principal letter
Down
1d A forged Renoir holds the first of buyers up (8)
AIRBORNE – A (from the clue) and an anagram (forged) of RENOIR ‘holds’ the first letter of Buyers
2d Spirit and vigour, having been overcome by sex bug (6)
VIBRIO – A bacterium (bug) such as cholera – the Roman numerals for six (sex) ‘overcome’ (in a Down solution) BRIO (spirit and liveliness)
3d The land’s song rang out all around (8)
AGRARIAN – An anagram (out) of RANG goes around ARIA (song)
4d Students in California may have to take it in (6)
LATEST- Students in California may have to take an LA TEST
5d Woman brought to book in the Rockies repeatedly (6)
ESTHER – Write out THE ROCKIES THE ROCKIES (repeatedly) and you will find the name of a Book in the Old Testament
6d What Maria sang was misleading (4)
LIED – Maria would have sung this type of German song; in English, the word means was misleading
7d Work up one joule per second over capital (6)
OTTAWA – Work up or reverse A WATT (a rate of working at one joule per second) and the cricket abbreviation for Over
8d Good tip, we hope, around the start of Easter-tide (4)
NEAP NAP – (a racing tip that professes to be a certainty) goes around the ‘start’ of Easter
9d Stupid person functions! (4)
DODO – An informal term for a stupid person is made up of two separate parties DO DO
10d Visionary claim to ground as setting for pub and, later, hotel (10)
OPHTHALMIC – An anagram (ground) of CLAIM TO into which is inserted (as setting) for PH, an abbreviated pub, and further down the word (later) the abbreviation for Hotel. Many years ago now, my sister did a degree in 10d optics and once I’d finished typing out her dissertation I definitely knew how to spell the word!
11d What has bankrupt got Ben? (3,1,4)
NOT A BEAN – Ben is BEAN without (not) A
12d The note scribbled about the start of Lenny’s charity broadcast? (8)
TELETHON – An anagram (scribbled) of THE NOTE goes about the ‘start’ of Lenny
13d Touching, this Roman’s fitting in (6)
HAPTIC – Relating to the sense of touch. HIC (the Roman word for this) into which is inserted APT (fitting)
14d With this image, word is represented (8)
IDEOGRAM – An anagram) of IMAGE wORD without the abbreviation for With
15d Gutter press lured Andrew into seedy club – topless, they’re exposed (6)
RUNNEL Remove the tops from pRess lUred aNdrew iNto sEedy cLub a type of gutter is ‘exposed’
22d Protected by thatching, it’s oddly in a new place (2-5)
RE-SITED – An anagram (oddly) of ITS is ‘protected’ by REED (thatching material)
26d I say nothing (3)
EGO – EG (say) and O (nothing)
27d An actor in play introduces viol student describing uni venue in Sheffield? (10)
OCTANGULAR – An anagram (in play) of AN ACTOR ‘introduces’ GU (a kind of viol formerly used in Shetland) and L (student) – a description of The Octagon Centre, a venue for conferences, performances, and events at the University of Sheffield
28d Way to embellish spinach dish (7)
LASAGNE – LANE (way) ‘embellishes’ SAG, the Indian word for spinach
32d Supporter suppresses victim’s rising reactions here (4,4)
TEST TUBE – TEE (supporter of a golf ball) goes round (suppresses) a reversal of BUTTS (victims)
33d Parts of insect cuckoo captures (8)
PRESCUTA – The BRB says that these are tergal plates at the front of the scutum of insects (which translates to ‘plates of an insect’s thorax) It is probably easier to say that it is an anagram (cuckoo) of CAPTURES
34d Camera crew relaxing with this acquisition? (8)
TURNOVER – A call for cameras and video to start might not be needed by the crew if they lost their jobs in an acquisition
36d Couple touring with group of Maoris (3)
IWI – I hadn’t heard of this Maori tribe until Monday last week, when it turned up in a crossword I was testing. Two lots (couple) of I I (the Roman numeral for one) ‘touring’ the abbreviation for With
37d Emperor once greeting Indian batsman with duck (8)
HIROHITO – HI (an informal greeting),ROHIT ( the forename of an Indian batsman, Rohit Sharma) and O (a duck in cricket). I will never forget being in Victoria Street, London, amongst a vast crowd of people when this Emperor made a state visit to London in 1971. The whole crowd remained totally silent as the carriage with him and the Queen passed by, as Japan’s role in the Second Word War had not been forgotten.
38d Please stop it restricting NHS’s last dentist (8)
ODONTIST – O DON’T (please stop) and IT (from the clue) ‘restricting’ the last letter of nhS
41d Bar’s tiddly compilers’ place of retreat (6)
ARBOUR – An anagram (tiddly) of BAR and OUR (compilers’)
42d Conference’s lost business, in the matter of wild fox (6)
FENNEC – A little African fox with large ears – An anagram (wild) of coNFEreNCE without (lost) CO (company, business) abbreviated company) and RE, the ‘usual’ on the subject of/in the matter of
44d Solicit fashionable Parisian with all speed (6)
INVITE – IN (fashionable) and VITE (the French (as used in Paris) word for quickly or fast (speed)
45d Film displaying nudity gave Cate part (6)
AVATAR – Taking the ‘clothes’ off (displaying nudity) of gAVe cATe pARt
46d Dress uniform parent saves us (3-3)
MUU-MUU – An abbreviation for Uniform inserted into (saved by) MUM (parent) followed by US (from the clue)
47d Remark with wit there’s one C in NaHCO3 (6)
BICARB – BARB (witty pointed remark) into which is inserted I (the Roman numeral for one) and a C
50d Wear out very old dress (4)
TIRE – A verb meaning to wear out or an archaic (very old) word for attire or dress
51d Loveless as a result of musical performance (4)
DUET – Remove the letter representing love (love less) from DUE To (as a result of)
53d Urd? Verdande? Limited choice of names! (4)
NORN – The first two words are two of the three Norse Fates, known collectively as the solution. A limited choice of names could be a choice of N OR N
Sorry about my over-enthusiasm, but I was a bit giddy when the significance of the two card games and the address came to me. I certainly needed the checkers in the SW. With a bit of help from Mr Google I seem to have the same gridfill as CS and learned about Cuckoos, Norse Gods, insects and Maori tribes.
Another post about The Bridge House in Little Venice and Big Dave’s XVI th Birthday to follow
Thanks once more to Elgar for the enjoyable challenge and to CS for the comprehensive review.
After I’d left my original comment saying that I didn’t understand the ‘circle’ part of 29a I received some helpful correspondence from someone more on-the-ball than I was explaining that the square is not 2025 (square of 45) as I’d assumed but 225 (square of 15) and that Elgar was using square in the sense of ‘enclose in a square’ so 225 contains the circle-shaped number.
I well remember the visit of 37d mainly for the Private Eye cover that week which showed a picture of the old bloke coming down the aircraft steps at Heathrow with the caption ‘There’s a nasty nip in the air’.
I’ve amended the explanation of 29a
Thank you, CS, for your timely post as I finally made a start on this puzzle yesterday, and completed it (bar one!) this morning. I think by the end I was suffering from battle fatigue! I failed to find the parts of the insect despite noting the anagram and having 4 checkers and a perimeter letter in place – must try harder! I also needed advice on the parsing of 49a having overlooked the particular recording media. For 27d I only found the instrument spelled with an ‘E’ at the end, but reckoned there must be a 2-letter version I hadn’t discovered. On the other hand I did spot the square of 15 enclosing the circle, so I will console myself with that. I often omit to tick clues when faced with an Elgar puzzle – I liken that to not stopping to admire the view when climbing a sheer cliff face; but on this occasion I did mark 31a and 11d, and awarded a double-tick to 35a. And, of course, the whole puzzle itself deserves a very large tick.
Thank you, Elgar, for providing this annual treat. The “Double Toughie” is as much a Christmas tradition now as “The Snowman” – excepting the latter only takes 25 minutes or so…
P.S. I just noticed I parsed 48a differently, with A from clue, then BUN for rabbit, catching TO (near). I’m not totally convinced about TO=NEAR, though?
That’s the way I parsed it. The BRB does list ‘near’ under ‘to’.
P.P.S. Just another thought, I hadn’t come across ‘rabbit’ as ‘object of ridicule’; but I have indeed heard of ‘bunny’ as Aussie/NZ slang for a ‘victim’ e.g. “Zak Crawley is Matt Henry’s bunny.” But I see that Gazza has just provided some support for the way I first saw it…