Toughie No 3423 by Beam
Hints and tips by Gazza
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Beam’s in a very benevolent mood today – thanks to him.
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
Across Clues
1a Loosely stitch the French gear (6)
TACKLE: to fasten with loose stitches and a French definite article.
4a Charges supporters after matches, finally (7)
SALLIES: charges or sorties come from placing supporters or colleagues after the final letter of matches.
9a Tool held by simple men, typically (9)
IMPLEMENT: hidden.
10a Sage with almost mystical insight, initially (5)
SWAMI: initial letters.
11a Firm makes tons conserving energy (7)
EARNEST: a verb meaning makes or takes home and the abbreviation for tons containing the physics abbreviation for energy.
12a Helping to maintain British standing (7)
ABIDING: a present participle meaning helping contains an abbreviation for British.
13a Learned about Conservative anger for heresy (9)
SACRILEGE: an adjective meaning learned or knowledgeable contains an abbreviation for Conservative and a verb to anger.
16a Talk posh backing English etiquette (5)
USAGE: reverse an informal verb to talk at length and our usual letter meaning posh. Finish with an abbreviation for English.
17a Raises reportedly for recruits (5)
HIRES: this sounds like a (seldom used) verb meaning raises or lifts.
18a Qualified opinion male dismissed about sweetheart (9)
COMPETENT: a synonym of opinion (which I hope we’ll get a lot of on this blog today) without one of the abbreviations for male containing an endearment like sweetheart.
21a Craftsman beginning to get more sluggish (7)
GLAZIER: the first letter of get and a comparative meaning more sluggish.
22a Pain in mouth not closing windpipe (7)
TRACHEA: insert a dull pain into an informal word for a person’s mouth without its closing letter.
25a It could be farewell to Macron! (5)
ADIEU: a weakish cryptic definition of how the French president might say farewell.
26a Saw about lead time providing benefit (9)
ADVANTAGE: a saw or maxim contains a noun meaning the lead or foremost part and the abbreviation for time.
27a Husband winds up getting suspenders? (7)
HANGERS: the genealogical abbreviation for husband and a verb meaning winds up or annoys.
28a Lethargic mole taking shelter (6)
SLEEPY: what a mole is in the world of espionage contains a word meaning shelter.
Down Clues
1d Flash skin of pecs showing muscles (7)
TRICEPS: a flash or brief period of time and the outer letters of pecs.
2d Bound to put cloak before queen (5)
CAPER: a synonym of cloak or mantle and the Latin abbreviation for queen.
3d Subject such as seen in fiction (5)
LIEGE: an abbreviation meaning ‘seen as such’ inside a fictional statement.
4d Settled and fed, eating one’s fill (7)
SATIATE: verbs meaning settled and fed bracket a Roman one.
5d Apathy of girl embracing topless hunk (9)
LASSITUDE: a girl (especially one from Scotland) embraces a word for a hunk or sexually active man without its first letter. If you don’t know the BRB definition of the sexually active man it’s worth reading.
6d It’s dead stupid purchasing single rug (9)
INANIMATE: an adjective meaning stupid contains the letter that looks like a single and a type of rug.
7d Pebbles gleam around excavated gravel (7)
SHINGLE: a verb to gleam contains the outer letters of gravel.
8d Discharge perhaps coming from bench (6)
SETTLE: double definition, the first meaning to discharge debts or pay in full.
14d America possibly supports auto plant (9)
CARNATION: what America is an example of follows an auto.
15d Start school? (9)
INSTITUTE: double definition.
17d Wife inside house cut tripe (7)
HOGWASH: the genealogical abbreviation for wife goes inside the abbreviation for house and a cut or laceration.
18d Roughly fixing bow on ship’s framework (7)
CARCASS: a 2-letter abbreviation meaning roughly contains a synonym of bow or curve with our usual abbreviated ship bringing up the rear.
19d Drive inspiring sex over reason (6)
MOTIVE: a verb to drive or propel contains the reversal of a short word for sexual activity.
20d Experiment to limit elderly affliction (7)
TRAGEDY: a verb to experiment contains a synonym of elderly.
23d Void, vain and ugly, regularly ignored (5)
ANNUL: regular letters from words 2-4.
24d Pull and keep holding sweetheart (5)
HEAVE: a verb to keep contains Beam’s traditional swEetheart.
My favourite clue today was the amusing 27a. Where were your ticks allocated?
Very benign from Beam today. I think I liked 5d best.
Thanks to him and Gazza
I think it must have been the positive comments about this puzzle being very user-friendly that pushed out my solving time on this one. Looking back, I can see no real reason why that should be the case as there was nothing obscure in the grid, just brilliant, concise clues. I am normally on Beam’s wavelength from the off, but not today. As always it was a delight to solve, with a plethora of possible favourites, from which I chose 16a.
Many thanks as always to Mr T and Gazza.
This was an excellent complement to today’s splendid back-pager and equally enjoyable despite wildly contrasting styles.
My podium selection is 13a, 27a & 5d.
Many thanks to Beam and to Gazza.
Very benign.
As you say a nice counterpoint to the cryptic. I’ve a fancy that more than a few solvers would actually find this one a little easier
*/***
Thanks to all
A sound and enjoyable puzzle, straightforward but nonetheless satisfying to complete. I did find some of the clueing verging towards the repetitive – not just the two sweethearts (albeit performing different roles) but a lot of insertions, and a fair few add a letter / remove a letter clues. The price, I guess, of excluding anagrams and keeping the clueing so very brief.
Many thanks to Beam & Gazza – good spot on BRB’s ‘stud’, which should be added to their list “some less than objective definitions” at the back of the revised 13th (current?) edition.
Apart from parsing a couple (which, when I saw the hints, I couldn’t believe I’d missed) I thought it was easier than the back page puzzle. Always satisfying to say you’ve completed a toughie, though!
Our setter certainly in benign mood today but still managing to include some of his less familiar synonyms along with his sweethearts – you two-timer! – and her late majesty. Top clues for me were 12&28a plus 5&17d.
Devotions of course to Mr T/Beam and many thanks to Gazza for the review and cartoons – had to laugh at the employee with his big dreams!
Definitely a gentle one for a Thursday but nevertheless a pleasant solve. Always a concise offering from Beam.
No standout clues for me.
Many thanks to Gazza for the blog and funnies and to Beam.
Was expecting more of a battle for a Thursday toughie, but enjoyable nonetheless. 7d and 18d the pick of the bunch for me. Thanks Beam and Gazza.
The West went straight in, the East took a bit more thinking about. 5d was a bung in and even after reading the hint I’m none the wiser, i can’t think what the word could be. All in all the usual good fun and high quality clues from our setter. Favourite was 13a which I got as soon as I stopped tong to shoehorn ‘ire’ into it. Thanks to Beam and Gazza.
5d The girl is LASSIE and the hunk to be topped is STUD.
Ok thanks I get it now, I only had lass. No wonder I could work it out.
Speedy solve with no real hold ups. It may be 13a but 8d didn’t really work for me.
Thanks to Beam and Gazza.
Evening all. My thanks to Gazza for the decryption and to everybody else for your comments.
RayT
Thanks for popping in and for providing us with a great puzzle.
Good evening, Mr T. Always a pleasure to have you pop in to acknowledge our existence! Thank you for another very enjoyable solve.
Gentle fare but enjoyable nonetheless & not unwelcome after the demands of the back-pager. Agree that 25a was on the weak side but the surface read was surely spot on. The discharge synonym the only real head scratch in an otherwise brisk solve. Podium picks would be 13&18a + 5d.
Thanks to Beam & Gazza
We took longer that we should have to twig 4a in what was an enjoyable puzzle to solve. We agree with the blogger with 27a as favourite.
Thanks Beam and Gazza.
A very pleasant solve over a cold beer before heading out for a lovely and ridiculously cheap evening meal.
Thank you RayT and Gazza.
Thanks for a toughie that I found easier than today’s back pager from Silvanus. I just seem to get your wavelength most of the time and am usually rewarded with a completed puzzle.
Thanks to RayT/Beam
1*/4* ….
liked 28A ” Lethargic mole taking shelter (6)”