Sunday Toughie No 158
by proXimal
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
A treat from proXimal last night, compound anagrams and a Spoonerism to start. It didn’t need the byline.
14a and 14d clues and i have hinted half. I hope you find the checkers to complete today. I may be able to give a bonus nudge if you get stuck.
When the penny dropped on the Spoonerism it joined 8d on the top step of my podium, but what were your favourites?
Here we go, Folks…
As it is a Prize puzzle I can only hint at a few and hope that will give you the checkers and inspiration to go further. I’ll return with the full review blog just after the closing date. Don’t forget to follow BD’s instructions in RED at the bottom of the hints!
I hope I don’t have to redact any comments but I am new at this and don’t want to rock the boat. If in doubt, I’ll rub it out! I think that sentence is a bit redundant. You have all been so helpful in sorting out prior parsing failures, and I am sure I will need similar help again.
Most of the terms used in these hints are explained in the Glossary and examples are available by clicking on the entry under “See also” Where the hint describes a construct as “usual” this means that more help can be found in The Usual Suspects, which gives a number of the elements commonly used in the wordplay. Another useful page is Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, which features words with meanings that are not always immediately obvious. Don’t forget the Mine of Useful information that Big Dave and his son Richard so meticulously prepared for us.
A full review of this puzzle will be published after the closing date for submissions. Some hints follow: Remember the site rules and play nicely.
Across
1a Spooner’s spouse mined rock in enclosed space (5-4)
The opening Spoonerism™ had me fooled for a while as I assumed Spooner’s spouse was his wife! We actually want an informal term for the male half of a relationship and a rock mined for fossil fuel and swap the initial sounds
I wouldn’t investigoogle how this well-known NY lesbian bar got its name if I were you!
9a Doggedness making comeback, European victor defeated opponent (7)
An abbreviation of European and the code letter that Victor suggests are joined by a defeated opponent, then they are reversed (making comeback)
10a Progressive bhangra Dua Lipa sampled (7)
A lurker (sampled) in the preceding three words
12a Teen that spies beer I’m unsure should nab ten free (4,5)
A beer usually made without hops and an interjection for I’m unsure, contain (nab) a Roman ten and a synonym of free. I am not familiar with this fictional fellow but he flowed nicely from the clue
13a Work within firm in the French city formerly (14)
A synonym of firm, in from the clue, an abbreviated work and a French definite article, give us the former name of a city
20a Loose tea covered by university study that has been retracted (9)
Our favourite word for tea is contained by an abbreviation of university and a reversal (that has been retracted) of a study
23a Pensioner is confused, erasing one’s novel for Kindle (7)
The capitalisation of the definition is deceptive. It is a compound anagram (confused/novel) from “pensi(one)r i(s)” after one’s has been removed
Down
2d A loner at odds with this warrior code might be dishonourable (7)
Another compound anagram, this time with a hidden central definition. A loner and this warrior code can be anagrammed to be dishonourable
5d Kitchen utensil for one consumer outside this land (3,6)
For one as an example, the letters that represent our International Vehicle Registration and a consumer. A utensil for preparing an omelette perhaps
We still use ours every time we make Yorkshire Pudding! it is supposedly an antique!
6d Helper for training group in bar role regularly in tears (8,7)
A bar or rafter, a group or collection, an acting role and regular letters of the last two words
8d Graduate high-flier rebuffed the old claptrap (8)
A higher arts graduate, a bird that flies high and a reversal (rebuffed) of an old word for the
14d Trouble first of nurses in room adjoining hospital department for dressing (9)
Some Shakespearean trouble (about nothing) and the first letter of nurses in an abbreviated room and that otorhinolaryngological hospital department again
15d Storyteller‘s book is at separate points held in censure (8)
A synonym of censure or blame contains (held in) at separate points an abbreviation of book and is from the clue
21d Be successful after clipping fastening (5)
Clip the last letter off a phrase synonymous with to be successful
Compiler
proXimal
Could new readers please read the Welcome Post and the FAQ before posting comments or asking questions about the site.
As this is a Prize crossword, please don’t put any ANSWERS, whether WHOLE, PARTIAL or INCORRECT or any ALTERNATIVE CLUES in your comment.
Please read these instructions carefully – they are not subject to debate or discussion. Offending comments may be redacted or, in extreme cases, deleted. In all cases the administrator’s decision is final.
If you don’t understand, or don’t wish to comply with, the conventions for commenting on weekend prize puzzles then save yourself a lot of trouble and don’t leave a comment.
His compound anagrams get me every time although in this instance the one involving 2d did help me recall the warrior code.
13a raised a smile, reminded me of the old rhyme, and my favourite was 8d.
Thanks to proXimal for the Sunday work-out and to SJB for the hints and clips of both Vaughan Williams high flier and The Righteous Brother(s).
There are many versions of that melody on YouTube but the Righteous Brothers are er… Righteous
proXimal gentler than usual I thought (with a single X – is that a new trademark?) – thanks to him and SJB.
I’d never heard of the spying teen but the wordplay was really helpful.
My ticks were awarded to 9a, 24a, 8d, 17d and 21d.
I didn’t notice the X while solving but I think it isn’t usual for his Sunday Toughies. I imagine next time he may bung in three more X’s just to keep me on my toes.
First attempt at the Toughie for a while but I think that I got there. SJB explained a couple of my question marks but I will have to wait until next week’s blog for the parsings.
Don’t know where I dredged the teenage spy from for my last one in. I also spent too long trying to fit the Reverend’s better half into 1a.
Thanks to the setter for keeping me occupied on this dreich Sunday and SJB for his hints.
I even looked her up – which was less risky than the picture I put up
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Goodwin-8098
Yes, don’t think it would have appealed to the Spooners if they had time travelled to the Big Apple
3d and 5d great clues. Not keen on 15d as a word. 6d LOI, but favourite is 6d.
Sorry not to have made it to the bash SJB, and accept your previous offer of a beer, but I’ll raise a glass to you now in recognition of your organisation of the event. Maybe next year.
Thanks proXimal
The offer stands
I had similar feelings about 15d but investigoogling finds it was first used in 1593, still it doesn’t sit easily on the ear or pen.
Great puzzle, accessible and very enjoyable. Thank you Proximal and SKB
An excellent puzzle. Knew 2d from Kurosawa films but only saw the compound anagram reading back through afterwards. I did need a post solve check on the teenage spy as unfamiliar with the books. Missed the separate points held wordplay at 15d but otherwise all parsed ok I think. Took a while but was watching Rory triumph at Pebble Beach at the same time so the puzzle wasn’t getting my undivided attention. 3d was my pick of the four great long ‘uns & loved the Spoonerism but I’ll plump for 8d as my fav because it’s a word I overuse.
Thanks to proXimal & to John – love that VW piece & the RBs though I reckon I may have gone for Ray Charles (or even Fleedwood Mac).
There are many versions of both “melodies” on YT and I struggled to choose between them, eventually deciding on “Crowd Favourites”
Good to see Rory returning to form too fingers crossed that he keeps his form for The Masters
A perfect puzzle from proXimal to end my Sunday. A fine trademark Spoonerism in 1a joins 6a, 9a, 16a, 3d and 8d on my double-sized podium. 5d almost made it onto the podium, but I have a floating letter I can’t account for…? In 20a it also looks to me like ‘covered by’ may be doing double-duty, but the blog experts will no doubt put me straight on that. I had never heard of the young man in 12a, but the wordplay and a couple of checkers brought him to life.
Many thanks to proXimal and to SJB
5d For one gives us an example for the first two letters, this land gives us the IVR code for Great Britain followed by the consumer.
20a the tea is covered by the university then the reversed study (I think my hint would have been better if I included the then)
Oops, I may have written 5d, but of course you know I meant 2d, because that is where I can’t account for the floating letter… I couldn’t have put your explanation for 5d any better, SJB ;-)
For 20a, I now see the university is a three letter shortened version, not one letter! The other 2 letters I had interpreted as ‘covered by’ (given the alternative choice of ‘n’ for the study), hence double duty. I knew the blog expert(s) would put me straight!
proXimal opens the clue with an indefinite article that may appear to be padding, but that along with the loner needs to be taken from dishonourAble
I did note the ‘A’ but then only removed the ‘loner’ at odds, i.e. L,N,R. I thought I then had a floating ‘O’ but actually I had an ‘O’ and an ‘E’, my imprecise annotations having let me down – I really must use a sharpened pencil in future :-) . Now I see that my alternate letter indicator is in fact the anagram indicator. At last my ‘i’s are dotted and ‘t’s crossed, so thanks again, SJB.
Hurrah! I have just finished Sunday’s toughie – without recourse to the hints except just now to clarify the parsing of 15d my last one in. And fortunately it was one which you had hinted. No one will read this now but thank you SJB for confirming my word – not one I could ever imagine using! Regards to Mama Bee
Bloggers will always see comments and it is lovely to hear you enjoyed it
Got there at a steady pace. 12a also a complete mystery to us. Still don’t understand 2d.
You are excused not knowing 12a (I didn’t know him either)
But 2d is a proXimal trademark(TM) compound anagram such that A LONER plus the answer we seek would be an anagram of dishonourable
Ah! I see – thanks once again.