Toughie No 3425 by Dharma
Hints and tips by ALP
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ****
I’d have known this was Dharma even without his Toughie byline: garlicky wordplay, clever definitions and sneaky misdirects. Also, ‘twas easier to solve than to parse, in places. So … very him, I’d say. All yours.
Across
1a Phone model checked by its manufacturer before daughter used (7)
APPLIED: Think of the best known mobile phone manufacturer, then insert (checked by) its only model (not that it’s ever called by this one-letter prefix) + the usual “daughter”.
5a Save hard with The Telegraph Group (7)
HUSBAND: The usual “hard” plus how Dharma and co might describe their employer + one of the various “group”s.
9a Bog trade, plumber’s heart’s in it (5)
SWAMP: Trade/switch contains [plu]M[ber].
10a Breaks leg, ignoring pain to begin with and travels abroad (9)
INTERVALS: The usual leg (not cricket) minus its initial P[ain] + TRAVELS, abroad.
11a Perhaps two to four old-fashioned causes finally ditched (6,4)
SQUARE ROOT: Old-fashioned/not cool + causes/origins, minus its last letter – ie, just cause/origin! Smart definition, mind.
12a Periodically in Le Havre, or close (4)
NEAR: [i]N[l]E[h]A[v]R[e].
14a Addition to half of refrain by legendary guitarist with two notes out of sequence? (8,4)
STOPPAGE TIME: Refrain/cease + guitarist (Jimmy) + two (Sound of Music) notes that are not consecutive in a scale. A cheeky misdirect and another fun definition.
18a One hitting the drink maybe in deep trouble? (3,9)
MAN OVERBOARD: Cryptic definition referring to what “the drink” and “deep” both mean in crosswords, in the main.
21a Woman that amused me texted ‘what gets Annie going’ (4)
LOLA: Textese for “that made me chuckle” (not “lots of love”) plus A[nnie].
22a Current Republican leaving venture for minimal reward from Labour? (6,4)
LIVING WAGE: Current/in existence + venture/gamble, minus the usual Republican.
25a Asian beat charged with notes agitato (9)
CANTONESE: Beat/hit charged with/containing NOTES, agitato.
26a Cricket items openers discounted remotely (2,3)
AT ALL: The two main items of cricketing equipment have their first letters/openers discounted/deleted.
27a Most smart papers joined with another engaged in research (7)
TIDIEST: The usual papers (passport, etc) + the usual (news)paper (not FT) inside research/trial.
28a Stormzy’s back following music style introduced by The Cure (7)
THERAPY: [Stormz]Y following the music style so poorly (IMHO) showcased at the Superbowl, all prefaced by the “the” from the clue.
Down
1d Player lowering the tone maybe, scratching head and back (6)
ASSIST: (A) musician who plays low notes, minus the first letter.
2d In exercise, fall behind for all to see, getting pain in the neck (6)
PLAGUE: Inside the usual “exercise” put (to) fall behind and the usual “for all to see”.
3d Essential to redesign Private Eye’s cover – Dharma’s on it! (10)
IMPERATIVE: PRIVATE+E[ye], redesigned, after the (1’1) “Dharma’s”.
4d Club not very but increasingly teetotal (5)
DRIER: (Golf) club minus the usual “very”.
5d Seething over procedure held up thanks to delicate issue (3,6)
HOT POTATO: Seething/boiling + (surgical) procedure, reversed, plus “thanks” + “to” from the clue.
6d Satisfied, waves France away for Spain (4)
SURE: Waves (ie, not flat water) with the usual Spain replacing the usual France.
7d Fellow rogue, after a sin, turned up expressing first sign of remorse (8)
ACADEMIC: Rogue/scoundrel goes after ‘A’ from the clue, plus sin/wrongdoing, reversed, minus/expressing R[emorse].
8d Careful individual speaking (8)
DISCREET: A homophone (speaking) of individual/separate = careful. I never seem to remember which way round these almost identically spelled words go. They’re right up there with stationary/stationery and biannual/biennial!
13d Regret road rages in reverse! (10)
RETROGRADE: REGRETROAD, raging.
15d Material for each marquee in parts (9)
PERTINENT: The usual “for each” + marquee/big top, parted by/containing “in”.
16d Permissible to support character backing Kemi, Jenrick for one suggested (8)
IMPLICIT: Permissible/allowed supports/follows [Kem]I and what Robert Jenrick is (for one) an example of.
17d Banked 100, scored batting first (8)
INCLINED: The usual “hundred” + scored (on a piece of paper, say), preceded by the usual two-letter “batting”.
19d Parents casually purchasing a hat (6)
PANAMA: How one might (casually/colloquially) say father and mother (2,1,2) purchases/contains ‘A’ from the clue. I’ve seen this a few times now, but mum and dad have always (not casually) been purchasing a “new” hat before!
20d I‘m surprised, very much so (6)
REALLY: Double definitionDharma/Stephen has just been on to point out (very sweetly) that this is, of course, a triple. Which reminds me … I got mildly ticked off by a grown-up recently for annotating a triple definition as a DDD. I was firmly told that the correct abbreviation is a TD. Well, I never!
23d Passive tense, popular with former queen at first (5)
INERT: The usual “tense” preceded by the usual “popular” and “former queen”.
24d Centre touched down, wingers nowhere to be seen (4)
CORE: Touched down (in rugby) minus its outer letters. How deliciously timely!
Four anagrams, a little cheek and a couple of gimmes made for a fun, brisk-ish solve. Lots to like here. I did try to whittle it down to three favourites – but failed and gave up. So I’ve gone with 14a, 1d, 5d and 7d. What did you make of it?
PS it would be remiss of me not to give a nod to 14a’s all-time great.
I found this very tough – too tough for a Tuesday Toughie IMHO. I guess, as “they” say, it’s all down to wavelength and I never came close to getting onto the right one.
There were some good clues to be found, and my top picks were 14a, 18a & 7d.
Yesterday I was trying to remember the chords for Lola which I last played sometime in the 70s, so at least 21a was on my mind.
Many thanks to Dharma and to ALP.
Yep, Dharma is an especially “wavelength” setter, I would say. But, for some reason, he’s always clicked with me. Hard to say why exactly. Perhaps it’s just because he used to blog this slot before he got kicked upstairs so I feel a certain affinity. Or maybe we’re both just similarly bonkers!
I found this quite tricky, and it took me a while to get on to the wavelength of the setter.
Thanks to Dharma and to ALP.
I wondered about 19d. I assumed that the indefinite article was an rather than a, and that the parents were simply pa ma.
It’s unusual, certainly. But in “Parents casually purchasing a hat” how would A > AN? I read it as Pa ‘n’ Ma purchasing ‘A’, ie with AND (casually) = N. But I did stuff up 20d’s triple, so who knows?!
I’m not sure what was intended ALP, I just read it as parents casually being ma/pa, containing an. It’s not the first time I have seen a/an being interchangeable, however in this instance I could well be wrong.
I’m sure he’ll pop in later and may well clarify. And you are, of course, right, A can indeed become AN (and vice versa) on occasion but – I would hope! – not with this wordplay.
I thought I was going to struggle with this one as my first pass yielded very few hits; but then it all started to flow nicely as I got into the rhythm of the solve. 14 and 18a were my joint favourites.
Many thanks to SL and ALP.
A very satisfying solve for me, the south in first, then the north which I found a little harder until 10, 11 and 14a fell 1d LOI. 14 and 18a my favourites. I agree with you re 19d ALP. Thanks for the hints, and thanks Dharma
To my surprise, I fared better with this one that I normally do with a Dharma Toughie, although I did have to investigate the ‘legendary’ guitarist post solve! The clues that really appealed were 18a & 1d.
Thanks to Stephen/Dharma and to ALP for the review – I did remember to turn the sound down before looking at same!
Ha, “turn the sound down”? I’m amazed you even click on ’em! I’ll convert you yet!!
Similarly to YS, I started very slowly, but gathered pace after gaining a foothold in the SW. Once I got going, the setter’s style became apparent and rang a bell. Particularly enjoyed 14, 21 and 28a with the musical connections. Great fun, thanks to Dharma and ALP.
Great stuff – very Dharma, very enjoyable. Top pick? Must be 14a with 1d getting the silver.
Thanks to Dharma and ALP – some good selections today but as for Mr Page’s high-point I’d go with “Since I’ve been loving you” from the 3rd album.
It’s a better track, certainly!
Out of interest, what’s your favourite (if you have one) track off Waits’ Closing Time? If you say Ol’ 55 you’re dead to me!
Dunno ALP – it’s years since I heard it all the way thro and I must confess I’m not his biggest fan [of the shoegazy stuff]. I fear you might be – which is why Ol’ 55 is not your fave. But “Grapefruit moon” could be a Robbie Robertson/Band tune and that’s got to be good. Your pick of Martha is also a goodie, more towards his jazzier side & I love the piano.
BTW – I saw the LZ movie yesterday. It’s maybe 15mins over-long but well worth a watch [and a hearing in I-Max]. Look out for Johnnie Burnette 3 near the start.
“I’m not [a} fan of the shoegazy stuff … I fear you might be” – brilliantly savage! Yep, I’m probably a tad folkier than you. But I really must watch the LZ film. Presumably, this features?
It does indeed, and most of the elements of the Yardbirds/LZ covers are already in place. Plus ca change.
Have you heard this Otis Clay cover?
Now that is very nice indeed, Ta.
Slightly trickier than our usual Tuesday fare thanks largely to some beautifully-disguised definitions. Thanks to Dharma for the entertainment and ALP for the review.
I ticked 11a, 15d and 24d with my favourite being 14a.
Stephen, this was nae walk in the park but so worth the effort, when it had finally succumbed it had been a joy to solve. Thanks v much and to Alp for explaining 7d (“expressing” — brilliant) and the rest of his guidance. I didn’t get the TD either.
I thought this enjoyable Toughie was more suited to the Wednesday slot. Definitely tougher than the usual Tuesday. Soon got onto the setter’s wavelength which always helps.
So much to like especially 11 and 14A, 5, 15 and 16D with podium going to 18A.
Many thanks to ALP and Dharma.
Add me to the list of those who felt this puzzle was more suited to being one day later in the week – looked at the top, then started at the bottom; slow but steady progress to the half-way point, then it fell surprisingly swiftly. I took an age to “tune-in”.
It was satisfying to complete, without a doubt, but I found myself grumbling – Dharma’s quest for good surfaces (admirable, certainly) resulted in verbosity; for me there were too many repeated letter-removal clues; and I’ve always felt using the setter’s name in the clue a “Rookie’s Corner” trait and it’s bloody annoying if you don’t know who set the puzzle – in this instance we all know who Dharma is, but for someone not familiar with BD, printing the puzzle, and not noticing the setter’s name, the conceit fails: 3d would have worked perfectly with “I’m on it!”.
Thanks though for a good challenge & mental workout, Dharma, and thanks also to ALP for the review (your hint for 1a doesn’t work for me – however hard I try I cannot get Samsung to fit in the answer, and I have to go for the second best known instead!)
Ha, I knew someone would make that very point! I, ahem, will just add this..
“As of January 2024 … Apple is the world’s largest smartphone maker by volume, while Samsung is second.”
April 2024… “Apple has lost its spot as the world’s biggest mobile phone seller after a steep sales drop as South Korean rival Samsung retook the lead in the global market share. Samsung had been the biggest seller of mobile phones for 12 years until the end of 2023, when sales of Apple’s iPhone models overtook it. ” (The Grauniad).
Oh, fair enough. Though I don’t trust the Guardian as far as I could throw it, I have to concede defeat on this!
Actually, this could run and run. The residual market share as of October 2024 has Apple at 28.38pc worldwide, ahead of Samsung’s 22.82pc!
I have to agree with others that this was much tougher than we’d normally expect on a Tuesday. Much to enjoy though and satisfying to work through. Podium places awarded by me for 9a for the chuckle it caused, 18a and 5d.
I can’t quite get my head around 1a for which I need the hint to confirm. I’ve always assumed to check means to interrupt in cryptic clues. ALP, your hint suggests it’s “(checked by) its only model, which is what the solution seems to demonstrate. However the clue reads “model checked by its manufacturer.” I’m sure I must be missing something! Any other’s thoughts welcome!
It was just easier to write that way, but I can quite see it muddied the hint. I[phone] is checked by APPLE. Check is a container; checked by is an insert. Thus, AC “checks” B and/or B checked by AC = ABC.
Many thanks to everyone who has commented and in particular to ALP for his usual top-notch review.
My intended parsing of 19d is exactly as interpreted in the blog, I wouldn’t use “a” to clue “an” as I don’t see them as interchangeable.
Mustapha G @11. You might not like the setter using his name to clue first person pronouns etc but it’s hardly an unusual device or “Rookie Corner”. The great Vlad (setting for The Guardian since 2014) used it in a recent Prize Puzzle for that publication, as did Coot, another setter I admire, in a recent Indy puzzle. Not one person in the seventy or so subsequent comments mentioned it. Obviously our esteemed Toughie editor was happy with it too. Constructive criticism I’m fine with, disrespectful and uninformed criticism, the latter of which you’ve been guilty of previously when you haven’t understood the parsing, I’ll push back against.
Huge thanks for popping in and for yet another belter. Yep, I can’t see any problem with the first-name device. Each to their own, of course, but one sees it used all the time. Seems perfectly fair to me. As you say, Coot (great setter, lovely chap) is a keen advocate. Ta lots.
Like others I stated of slowly but I never increased the pace as i found this really really difficult. I did enjoy the challenge though. Favourite was 14a. Thanks to Dharma and ALP.
Yep tough for a Tuesday & for the likes of me but unless my memory is playing tricks a fair bit easier than Dharma’s last puzzle. Really enjoyed the challenge & pleased to complete without a letter reveal. All parsed ok too other than I also had 20d as a double. Ticks for 1,11,14&27a plus 1,5,7&16d. Nice to see the political references back too.
Thanks to Stephen & ALP – got bored with Page’s solo a minute in. Re Tom’s great album – Ice Cream Man my fav & love Virginia Avenue too plus nowt wrong with Ol’55 😀. Think I might dig out my copy of Short Cuts & watch a bit of Earl & Doreen.
“got bored with Page’s solo a minute in”
Tsk!!
Ice Cream Man and Virginia Avenue are both great shouts though. Astonishing that he recorded that album when he was just 23.
Am in the middle of compiling a comprehensive Weller playlist. Tom could be the next project.
Ooh, please ping both my way. Those are both going to be long, long playlists!