Toughie No 3421 by Chalicea
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment **/***
Chalicea’s back with her magic (South African, Scandi and Scots today) dictionary, a couple of semicolons and even a bonus Quickie clue (19d). Pretty frothy and very Tuesday. All yours.
Across
6a Antique silver coins; Spain in centre of crooked fight chasing examples (6,2,5)
PIECES OF EIGHT: The usual “Spain” in(side) [cro]O[ked] + FIGHT after/chasing examples (of coins). I am a fan of semicolons but this does seem a rather odd surface.
8a Endure situation that causes delay (4,2)
HOLD UP: Almost a double definition, but not quite. This verb for “endure” becomes – with an inserted hyphen – a noun for “(situation that causes) delay”.
9a Positively good man mistakenly losing wife (8)
STRONGLY: The usual “good man” + “mistakenly” minus the usual “wife”.
10a Old queen on English monetary unit (3)
ÖRE: The abbreviations of “old” and “queen” followed by (the “on” here = before, not the customary after in an across) the abbreviation for “English” = a defunct coin (now just a nominal unit) worth 1/00th of a krone. Well, of course!
11a Great wave to announce Highlander’s expression of concession (6)
BILLOW: Announce/advertise + the (apparently) Scottish expression of concession, AKA pretty much everybody’s expression of pain.
12a Fighter in Spain to study form, lacking limits (8)
TOREADOR: TO + “study” (at university, say) + [f]OR[m].
14a Defective mossier compounds (7)
ISOMERS: MOSSIER, defective.
16a Fabric backing oily Greek cheese (7)
TAFFETA: Oily/rich + the usual (is there any other?) Greek cheese.
20a Composer sent over part for single male (8)
BACHELOR: (German) composer + part (in film, etc), reversed/sent over.
23a Couple of fivers returned for this substance for curdling milk (6)
RENNET: Return/reverse what two fivers make.
24a Request to defer intro in, say, a Desmond Dekker song? (3)
SKA: A synonym for (to) request with its first letter/intro deferred (ie sent to the back) = the music style Dekker was best known for.
25a Agile duo involved in verbal exchange (8)
DIALOGUE: AGILEDUO, involved.
26a Argue about a male child (6)
REASON: The usual “about” + ‘A’ + “male child”.
27a Obligations almost all sorted out in process of developing international influence (13)
GLOBALISATION: OBLIGATION+AL[L], sorted out.
Down
1d Writer, not entirely uninteresting, with hesitation; a swinger (8)
PENDULUM: The usual “writer” + “uninteresting” minus its last letter + one of the usual hesitation(s).
2d Main force of discharge channel involving a river in Italy (3,5)
SEA POWER: Discharge/waste channel contains/involves ‘A’ plus crosswords’ favourite Italian river.
3d Stays in outlandish sectors (7)
CORSETS: SECTORS, outlandish.
4d Some of mine are reportedly more accessible (6)
NEARER: Lurker, hidden in the third, fourth and fifth words.
5d Essentially strange knowledge finally shared advanced to-do list (6)
AGENDA: [str]A[nge] + knowledge/info + [share]D + the abbreviation for “advanced”.
6d Expert installs, going very fast, system that benefits employees (6-7)
PROFIT-SHARING: Expert/ace + installs/puts in + going very fast/racing. Fun Lego.
7d Urban address? It’s the subject of idle gossip (4,2,3,4)
TALK OF THE TOWN: How one might cryptically describe an “urban address”, as in a speech in such an area.
13d Part of perfect little garden in Durban (3)
ERF: Lurker, hidden in the third word. Magic dictionary alert!
15d Last of miserable mostly soaked sheep (3)
EWE: [miserabl]E + soaked/sodden, minus its last letter.
17d Grain, and a husk of another, scattered about land (8)
AGRARIAN: GRAIN+A+A[nothe]R, scattered.
18d Musical composition of buff beginning to tour vast continent (8)
FANTASIA: Buff/devotee + T[our] + vast/largest continent.
19d As used in glass manufacture? (7)
ARSENIC: If you’re aware of this element’s two-letter symbol and one of its uses (even I know and I failed all three science O’levels!) this is effectively a Quickie.
21d How to keep ordinary lines empty (6)
HOLLOW: ‘HOW’ keeps/contains the usual “ordinary” and “lines” (ie line + line).
22d Preserve record before complete cessation of action (3,3)
LOG JAM: Record/journal before/plus (fruit) preserve.
Nowt scratchy here – two lurkers and five anagrams made for a fairly gentle romp. 9a reads well and 7d’s jolly but 6d’s Lego gets my vote. How did you get on?
I always smile when printing off and see it’s Chalicea because I know it’s going to be an enjoyable solve… and it was. The perfect Tuesday start to the Toughie week.
As always, lots to like, with mention to 23A and 5D with favourite going to 7D.
Thank you ALP for the blog and to Chalicea for the enjoyment.
Straight forward clues made up for my lack of general knowledge in a couple of places. One step up from floughie in my opinion.
Thanks to Chalicea and ALP.
This was light and great fun, making for a very pleasant lunchtime diversion.
Many thanks to Chalicea and to ALP.
Gentle fare that took about the same time as the back-pager to polish off though to be fair I did have to go back & properly parse a few. Wasn’t overly keen on last in 11a but otherwise enjoyable. NTS the wee ones at 10a&13d required a post solve check with Mr G. An enjoyable solve with the long ‘uns at 6&7d my top two.
Thanks as ever to Chalicea & to ALP – lovely to hear Harry (what a film), Desmond & Emily. Liked the JH6 tune (clip hurt my eyes though)&quite liked the Willy Mason number. Knew The Civil Wars from their Billy Jean cover.
Indeed, what a cracking and enduring film it is, though I was tempted by another great Harry’s poignant cover..
Never seen that before. Paris Texas one of my favourite films.
Just the Highlander’s expression and the Durban garden that needed checking in this otherwise light puzzle from our lady setter.
No particular favourite but an enjoyable solve.
Thanks to Chalicea and to ALP for the review.
Generally plain sailing but I was a bit foxed by the Scottish concession when trying to parse 11a. I also took an embarrassingly long time to get 24a – so that one gets my top spot. I wondered which tune you would pick for it ALP and 007 makes a nice change from the usual burning ears song. Thanks for continuing my musical education. It’s worrying how much stuff never got onto one’s radar – I loved the JH6 [new to me – anyone who comes up with Howling Wilf has to be loved]. And thanks to Chalicea for the crossword.
Didn’t know the money, the Scottish expression or the garden so had to check them but otherwise light, bright and enjoyable. Favourite was 6d. Thanks to Chalicea and ALP.
I suspect, re those 3, that was all of us!
A gentle and enjoyable puzzle. I really don’t know why Chalicea is not occasionally on the ‘back page’ in an early / mid week slot, where a wider audience would get to enjoy her crosswords, rather than in a Toughie slot.
Thank you Chalicea and ALP
Very late to this today, poor quality golf being played in a very strong cold wind at Selsey.
Got this sorted fairly enough, but had to check the same 3 as others above
Thanks all
Many thanks ALP. As always I am so glad you all enjoyed it. Yes, Mustafa G, I used to be on Saturday’s back page but others are there now. We setters don’t have much say about where or when we appear. The Harry Nilsson number has taken me back years, ALP, thanks.
Huge thanks for popping in, Chalicea. Great fun, as always.
Always nice to finish a Toughie, even if it wasn’t that tough.
Thanks to Chalicea & ALP.