Toughie No 3416 by Elgar
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty *****+ – Enjoyment ****
Another brain-mangler from Elgar – but then what else were you going to do while waiting for Storm Éowyn to go away? This one has a theme with several multi-word clues spread across the grid.
I spent so long staring at the grid that my breakfast cup of tea was stone cold when I remembered I hadn’t finished it so I had to make another one. I then spent another age trying to work out some of the trickier bits of parsing and a couple of the hints below are based on my best guess as to what is going on. I am sure someone will be quick to explain where I have gone wrong.
Please let us know what you thought
Across
1a, 14a, 9d Make room for latest hot 14 Down font? Do spread (4,3,5,4)
HOLD THE FRONT PAGE An anagram (spread) of the abbreviation for Hot, the solution to 14d and FONT DO
3a A racing event one witnessed in spring time – update on 14 Across 9 of the 24 Across 14 Down (4,2,4)
MATT IS AWAY An update that always disappoints many of this wonderful cartoonist’s fans – A (from the clue) and a racing event), the Roman numeral for one, and a synonym for witnessed, all inserted into a spring time month
10a Marine starts to temporise: how sad to say so (9)
THALASSIC An adjective meaning marine, of the seas – the ‘starts’ to Temporise How, an interjection meaning sad to say, and so or thus
11a Seniors shimmering in this healthy glow (5)
ROSES An anagram (shimmering) of IN (from the clue) and a healthy glow produces the word seniors
12a Significant stopping point for old trains broken between termini (5)
CREWE A very significant railway junction on the West Coast Main Line which serves as a rail gateway for North West England. It is 158 miles north of London Euston and 243 miles south of Glasgow Central. It is located at the point where the lines to Manchester Piccadilly and North Wales diverge from this route, and is the last major station before the branch to Liverpool Lime Street diverges. It is also served by lines to Stoke-on-Trent and Shrewsbury.
13a Scrubbing each piece of lid, cook reclassified dish (9)
FRICASSEE An anagram (cook) of REClASSiFIEd once you have ‘scrubbed’ each piece of LID appearing in different parts of the word
14a See 1 Across
16a 24 Across leader keeps sides apart (6)
HERALD The leader or top person into which is inserted (keeps) the abbreviation for each side of something – apart indicating that they are in separate places in the solution
19a Grass doing some singing after one’s given up (6)
LALANG A coarse grass of the Malay archipelago – singing an accompaniment using syllables rather than words without the I (after one’s given up)
20a Toys originally stocked by supermarket during slightly mad Christmas? (5-3)
FEAST DAY The original letter of Toys ‘stocked’ by the name of a supermarket and then inserted into an adjective meaning slightly mad or eccentric
22a Guardian originally greenlit content (9)
GRATIFIED The original letter of Guardian and given permission to go ahead (greenlit)
24a and 14d We paid the gallery off (5,9)
DAILY TELEGRAPH An anagram (off) of PAID THE GALLERY
26a Salon girls keeping together (5)
ALONG Hidden in the first two words of the clue
27a Mineral salt imbues life force for ever (5,4)
CHINA CLAY The chemical symbol for sodium chloride (salt) is inserted between (imbues) an individual person’s life force and an adverb meaning for ever
28a Device used by meteorologists still probing complex theorem (10)
HYETOMETER A rain gauge – an adverb meaning still inserted into (probing) an anagram (complex) of THEOREM
29a See 18 Down
Down
1d Sophisticated architectural walls (2-3)
HI-TEC Hidden in (walled by) arcHITECtural
2d 23d If it ain’t broke … don’t take Jill up the hill! (5,4,5)
LEAVE WELL ALONE An instruction that Jack should have taken notice up before taking Jill up the hill!
4d Voicemail immediately filters in most of sound (8)
ANSAFONE An adverb meaning immediately ‘filters in’ most of an adjective meaning sound, the final letter of that word being added at the end
5d Writer’s opening chapter follows introduction to the play (6)
TACTIC The abbreviation for Chapter follows the introduction to To and part of a play
6d Keeper had no time to react to these 18s!! (9)
SCREAMERS Extremely fast football shots (giving the keeper no time to react or some sensational 18ds
7d 17d Independent, breaking law, ad-libs 29 broadcast belief expressed by 24 Across 14 Down (3,2,3,4,2)
WAS IS AND WILL BE The motto (belief) expressed by 24a 14d – I (the abbreviation for Independent) ‘breaking’ an anagram (broadcast) of LAW AD LIBS and the solution to 29a
8d Fine time to order, ready asap (9)
YESTERDAY A word of agreement (fine), the abbreviation for Time and an anagram (to order) of READY
9d See 1 Across
14d See 24 Across
15d With sufficient funds for current forward (7,2)
RUNNING TO A synonym for current and an adverb meaning forward
17d See 7 Down
18d 29a Furrows ploughed by breaking item for 14 Across 9 (8,4)
HEADLINE NEWS Some facial furrows ‘ploughed’ by an adjective meaning very recently discovered (breaking)
21d Cashier takes Bill in cab (6)
FIACRE Dismiss from a post (cashier) takes in an abbreviated account (bill)
23d See 2 Down
24d Extremely late (4)
DEAD Extremely or absolutely; no longer living (late)
25d Ma, nana also fluctuates (2-3)
YO-YOS The first two words in the clue are examples (hence the S at the end of the solution) of the forenames of a cellist and some slang (originally US) fools (nanas)
I can only claim half a dozen done unaided, even though 24a 14d was one of them, this was way too complicated for me. Can’t see how “in” is removed from seniors in 11a. Several new words to try and remember. My mind boggles at how you compile these Elgar, and even more at how you are able to decipher them Sue. Thanks to both of you.
11a is a compound anagram. As CS says in the hint to make SENIORS we need an anagram (shimmering) of IN + the answer (i.e. ‘this’).
Got it. Thanks
Another fiendish puzzle from Elgar with a clever theme – thanks to him and CS.
I enjoyed the struggle but having to constantly jump all over the grid did make it a bit laborious.
I don’t fully understand 12a. Some Northbound passenger trains used to be split (broken) there with part going to Liverpool and the rest to Manchester. That explains the surface but there must be some wordplay. The best I can come up with is that putting the answer between starting and ending letters produces ‘screwed’ (ruined or broken) but I’m far from confident that’s what’s intended.
My ticks went to 3a, 16a, 20a, 2/23d and 5d.
I’m with Gazza re the parsing of 12a. I parsed 5d with “play” [as a noun] the definition – “writer’s opening” could be act 1, then c for chapter all following t from “the”.
This was Elgar at his most fiendish and infuriating if you hate multi-entry and cross-referencing clues [I’m agnostic]. I only solved 7d by looking at the leader page trying to solve 16a [which didn’t help].
24/14 has to be a top clue for the definition alone but I also loved the neat, simple and very effective 25d.
Thanks to Elgar and CS [I have the same problem with cups of tea].
Typical Friday brain damage from Elgar, though I spotted the theme fairly early which greatly helped, as did identifying the extraction anagrams. Agree with above comments regarding 5d. New words (for me) in 21d and 28a which was my COTD.
Thanks to CS and Elgar for the entertainment.
What a difficult puzzle to try and make sense of, never mind solve. I’m afraid I only managed five clues before I decided not to spoil my weekend any further and let CS put me out of my misery. Chasing all over the grid is not my idea of fun.
Hats off to you CS for the parsing of such a complicated piece of work, you have my admiration and thanks. And to the man who jangles my brain, thank you Elgar for the humbling
Managed to finish in two sittings. I did all but the NE corner in one go, but stuck on that so left it and when I came back to it, it loosened up. I enjoyed 10ac from my Ancient Greek, and 27ac. Got 28ac from the clue but had to look up if there was such a thing.
Thanks. to better and slogger!
I had several attempts at this but was thoroughly defeated by the NE quadrant. Enjoyable enough, the part I did manage to do, despite the *****+ rating. Thanks for the explanations crypticsue, and thanks Elgar for the brain buster, but for now I think I’ll stick with your music.
Finally finished this morning but not without a few remaining unparsed. I’m not a fan of all the cross referencing. Thanks to CS and Elgar.
Fantastic brain mangle. Got stuck on the idea that 1d was ha-has, but once we’d escaped from that dead end had a very satisfying solve. Cotd was 2d which made me laugh when the penny finally dropped. Thanks Elgar and cryptic Sue