Toughie No 3419 by Kcit
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
It’s Kcit’s turn in the Toughie slot. Thanks to him for an enjoyable puzzle.
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
Across Clues
1a Tossing this unwanted stuff around would do for smart place (5,5)
SCRAP METAL: a compound anagram. Making an anagram (tossing … around) of the answer would lead to SMART PLACE.
6a Muslim provided our group with backing (4)
SUFI: join together a conjunction meaning provided and a pronoun for ‘our group’ then reverse it all.
9a Popular story about return of misfortune always a success? (10)
INFALLIBLE: an adjective meaning popular or trendy and a story with a moral containing the reversal of a synonym of misfortune.
10a Like a poor excuse, employed by them a lot after setback (4)
LAME: reverse hidden.
12a Session possibly going either way? Not changing position (7,5)
SITTING TIGHT: a synonym of session and an adjective describing the outcome of a close contest.
15a Claim “All for one” is linked to English (6)
ALLEGE: assemble ALL, an abbreviation meaning ‘for one’ and an abbreviation for English.
16a Committed law breaking in first move (8)
STALWART: an anagram (breaking) of LAW inside another word for a first move.
18a Computer section’s charity event? Get away! (3,3,2)
RUN FOR IT: this could a sporting event held by the computer department to raise money for charity.
19a Unemotional son instructed to go round India (6)
STOLID: the genealogical abbreviation for son and a verb meaning instructed containing the letter that India represents in the Nato Phonetic Alphabet.
21a Singer opposing general course (12)
COUNTERTENOR: a prefix meaning opposing and a word meaning a general course or drift.
24a Unpleasant and backsliding as it happens (4)
EVIL: reverse an adjective meaning ‘as it happens’ (a televised event perhaps).
25a With a light touch, the writer has penned revolutionary scene in musical (4,2,4)
KISS ME KATE: start with a word for a light touch or caress and add the objective pronoun the writer would use for himself containing the reversal of a word for a scene or part of a film when photographed.
26a Married mature and enchanting man (4)
MAGE: the genealogical abbreviation for married and a verb to mature.
27a Poisonous snake? Declare fen free (3-2-5)
FER-DE-LANCE: an anagram (free) of DECLARE FEN. I didn’t know this viper from tropical America.
Down Clues
1d Fielder perhaps dropping a catch? (4)
SLIP: double definition, the second a mistake such as dropping a catch.
2d Opening? Intent on cancelling opening (4)
RIFT: an intent or purport without its first letter.
3d Little room for exercising one’s democratic rights (7,5)
POLLING BOOTH: cryptic definition.
4d Is sulphur found in leaves? (6)
EXISTS: the chemical symbol for sulphur goes inside a verb meaning leaves (the stage, say).
5d Cheers up with what a tumbler measures thoroughly (2,6)
AT LENGTH: reverse a short word meaning cheers or thanks and add what someone taking a tumble or falling flat is said to measure.
7d Left off description of moon and old star involving origin of universe? It’s beyond discussion (10)
UNARGUABLE: start with an adjective meaning ‘of the moon’ without the abbreviation for left and append the surname of an old American leading man containing the first letter of universe.
8d Clumsiness shown by one recording bird in nude (10)
INEPTITUDE: start with the Roman one then insert an abbreviated recording and a small songbird into NUDE.
11d Hard to support toilet redesigned in metal? Here’s point in support (8,4)
STILETTO HEEL: the pencil abbreviation for hard follows an anagram (redesigned) of TOILET and that all goes inside a metallic alloy.
13d Milk product lots upset around grate, with last disappearing (5,5)
DAIRY CREAM: the reversal of a word meaning lots or a great number containing a verbal synonym of grate without its last letter.
14d Uncommon natural in computing, ultimately? (4,6)
ALAN TURING: a superb all-in-one or &Lit. An anagram (uncommon) of NATURAL is followed by IN and the ultimate letter of computing.
17d Headache for the writer about object of quest that’s incomplete (8)
MIGRAINE: a possessive adjective (for the writer) contains the object of a quest by legendary medieval knights without its last letter.
20d Ragged trees in India, say, are infected at last (6)
TEASED: types of tree in India which produce what’s used to make a cuppa are followed by the last letters of ‘are infected’.
22d Criticise restricting women’s contribution to chess? (4)
PAWN: a verb to criticise contains the abbreviation for women’s.
23d Comment from enthusiastic schoolchild that’s gone viral? (4)
MEME: split 2,2 this could be what an enthusiastic schoolchild calls out when keen to be selected.
My ticks went to 25a, 5d and 23d with my favourite being the superb 14d. Which one(s) pleased you?
Just right for a Thursday. 14d was my favourite too
Thanks to Kcit and Gazza
Phew, what a struggle. I’ll give it 4* at least, altho I may have had a bad day given that the second word of 13d was obvious from the checkers but I still couldn’t see the [equally obvious?] first word. I also made heavy weather of 20 and 23. Agree 14d is the pick of the bunch and I like the simple 4d too.
Thanks to kcit and Gazza.
That was tough even by this setter’s standards and I came in to the blog very early on for some hints. Have to say that I didn’t find it a particularly rewarding solve but I did very much enjoy 18a.
Thanks to Kcit for the challenge which I found rather beyond me and to Gazza for all his assistance and the excellent cartoons – loved the lady who had to book two seats on the plane!
Can’t argue about 14d. 1a and 13d also finish on the podium. Nicely weighted and very enjoyable. Thanks Kcit and Gazza.
A proper Thursday Toughie which took time to get into, but once they started to drop in it became a joy. The clever compound anagram at 1A gets a mention but my favourite has to be the brilliant 14D.
Thank you Gazza for the fun blog ( 18A) favourite and to Kcit for a great challenge.
I enjoyed this crossword especially the clip for 17a as I am a Monty Python fan, but I have trouble understanding Compound Anagrams, if some one could help it would be great, with a big thank you to Gazza and Kcit.
Stay safe and keep solving.
Compound (or complex) anagrams are covered in section 9.6 of Prolixic’s Brief Guide to the construction of cryptic crossword clues:
Click to access Cryptic-Crossword-Clues_v1-2.1.pdf
Thank you Gazza
Worwor, a compound or subtraction anagram as they are sometimes called are a group of words which need a word or reference from the clue removed to give the anagram of the answer. They seem to be more popular among compilers these days. There’s always an added satisfaction for me when I spot ’em!
Thank you FrankieMillwall as they would say “let them all come down to the Den” I lived a mile from the Den.
Stalled 19 answers in & put it down fearing a finish unlikely. In the event I had a burst of inspiration in the waiting room at the dental surgery & got to within 20d of completion – inexcusably missed the definition context until revealing the first letter so no unaided finish. I did enjoy the challenge though maybe found it a bit short on humour. 23d was my fav with ticks for 9&25a plus 7&14d.
Thanks to Kcit & to Gazza – good to see the Python clip & great cartoons as per.
We found some of the parsing really tricky, 13d for example, but did find it an enjoyable challenge.
Thanks Kcit and Gazza.