Toughie No 3429 by Dada
Hints and tips by ALP
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ****
Dada’s in an avuncular mood today, gifting us a gentle-ish romp that felt airy and upbeat. If it weren’t so perishing cold out there I’d say this was positively spring-like. All yours.
Across
1a Sweet, one jammed in cake hole? (10)
GOBSTOPPER: An old-fashioned sweet (so called because they did indeed fill your “cake hole”) that apparently still exists. I checked!
6a Socialist quit (4)
LEFT: Double definition; adjective and verb.
9a Bound to need bowl for Chinese food (6,4)
SPRING ROLL: Bound/leap + (to) bowl (ball).
10a Pensionable artist cut back (4)
AGED: (French) artist, reversed/cut back.
12a Reportedly vital, little bird? (4)
KIWI: Homophones of “vital” and “little”.
13a Find type of music so (9)
DISCOVERY: Music genre + so/extremely.
15a Initial letters for guide (8)
SIGNPOST: (to) initial + letters/mail.
16a Check line hidden by blusher? (6)
BRIDLE: The usual “line” hidden by/inside a person sometimes said, rather cloyingly, to be blushing on a particular day.
18a Reel in tangled net, minor blow (6)
ENTRAP: NET, tangled, plus minor blow/hit (on the knuckles, say).
20a Participant in conflict has to admire cunning (8)
MEDIATOR: TOADMIRE, cunning.
23a Digging foundations? (9)
SPADEWORK: On reflection, I reckon this is a double definition as though the second (foundations/preparatory labour) is the standard, the first (digging, in the garden, say) works for me equally well. Slightly whimsical perhaps, but there is a question mark. Fun.
24a Damsel cut by old object (4)
GOAL: Damsel/lass cut by/containing the usual “old”.
26a Margin on boater at the front? (4)
BRIM: Margin/edge on/after B[oater]. Nice &lit.
27a Drag fire extinguisher, possibly? (3,7)
WET BLANKET: Summat you could certainly use to put out a fire (real or metaphorical) = a drag or downer. This is another that could almost be a double definition … but I don’t think this one quite is.
28a System of exercises key to understanding Rigveda, last of all (4)
YOGA: Acrostic, last letters. I’m no expert but don’t think this is quite an all-in-one, though the surface is certainly relevant. Re the pic, that is actually my black lab Boris attempting to, ahem, join in. Don’t ask!
29a Again take a look at order, since fraudulent (10)
RECONSIDER: ORDERSINCE, fraudulent. Yes, I know, Huntsman will probably grumble about my snubbing of Joe’s cover. But I prefer Eric’s version!
Down
1d Well, sling your hook and shut your mouth! (4)
GOSH: Sling your hook/leave + shut your mouth/be quiet.
2d Rail man in loco (7)
BARKING: Rail/support + (chess) man.
3d Cash for example I spread out, splitting money (6,6)
TENNIS PLAYER: ‘I’ from the clue + (to) spread out (fingers, say) inside/splitting (a note of) money.
4d Utopian scene cut, commercial is screened (8)
PARADISE: (to) cut (vegetables, etc), with the usual “commercial” and “is” screened/inside.
5d Register I sent off, fifty in it (6)
ENLIST: ISENT, off, with the usual “fifty” contained.
7d Food that’s cracked along with nut for academic (7)
EGGHEAD: Foodstuff that needs to be cracked + the usual crosswordy “nut”.
8d Entertaining current bishop, drops childhood friends? (5,5)
TEDDY BEARS: (Eye)drops entertain/contain current/tide and the usual “bishop”.
11d Spaniards go abroad under British travel permit (8,4)
BOARDING PASS: SPANIARDSGO, abroad, under/after the usual “British”.
14d It appears when old, judiciously saving time (10)
OSTENSIBLY: The usual “old”, plus judiciously/pragmatically containing/saving the usual “time”.
17d Children’s game, climax sounds a hoot! (8)
PEEKABOO: Homophone of climax/height + ‘A’ + (startling) “hoot”.
19d A hint of water soaked up by matter in liquefaction (7)
THAWING: ‘A’ + W[ater] inside matter/object.
21d Audiobook’s plot followed (7)
TRACKED: Homophone of (audiobook’s) plot (of land).
22d Bishop of Rome accompanying you is a muscular, tattooed character (6)
POPEYE: (The) Bishop of Rome + (the old form of) “you”.
25d Light up part of rest area (4)
STAR: Lurker, hidden in the last two words. How could I not?
An impressive variety of clues: five anagrams, double definitions, homophones, an acrostic, a cryptic definition and an &lit, etc. Lots to like here and fun to solve. I especially enjoyed 12a, 23a and 27a but 3d just about takes it. What did you make of it?
Fabulous puzzle , though I would rate it above a one star for difficulty.
Among my favourites are:1a, 12a, 15a, 23a, and 29a.
Thanks to Dada and Alp.
A fun puzzle – thanks to Dada and ALP.
My ticks went to 12a (I bet I won’t be the only commenter to like this one), 7d and 8d with my favourite being the very neat 26a.
Like Gazza, I, too, was taken by the guile and simplicity of 12a to nominate it as my favourite this afternoon. This may have been at the easier end of the setting spectrum, but it was great fun working through the grid.
My thanks to Dada and ALP.
Very nice indeed! I enjoyed this a lot although I got held for a while by 3d trying to fit Johnny, June, Rosanne and even Bill in before the penny finally dropped.
12a was my favourite.
Many thanks to Dada and to ALP.
It took a little while to get into this very enjoyable Toughie which I found tougher than the usual Tuesday fare. Of the many excellent clues I’m picking 12, 16, 23, 27A and 2, 3 and 8D.
Thanks to ALP and Dada.
Breezed thro the top half then slowed considerably for the bottom. Top picks 12a [again] 16a [I liked “blusher”] 20a [pretty good as anagram clues go] and 22d because it conjured up such a bizarre image.
Thanks to Dada and ALP. Link Wray and Eric in the same blog can’t be bad. Check out the video of Link duetting with John Cipolina. alt-J were new to me but sound worth checking out.
Does anybody know why I get “sign in to prove you’re not a robot” at random when I click the vids?
Drives you potty doesn’t it – played 2 on the phone & 2 on the iPad
Absolutely no doubt about our favourite in enjoyable puzzle that we found somewhat challenging in parts.
Thanks Dada and ALP.
An extremely enjoyable solve that would have been completed a darn sight quicker had I not taken an embarrassingly long time to twig the indicator at last in 20a – I blame the lunchtime drinking. Ticks for me against 12,23&27a plus 3,8&17d. Think the childhood friends were my favourite.
Thanks to Dada & to ALP – slight preference for Joe’s cover but love Eric’s & Freddie King’s too & Bobby Bland’s vocal. Guessed Withnail was in with a shout at 25d but backed the wrong horse
Thanks for the reminder about Bobby Blue’s “Reconsider” – one of his best – any idea who the guitarist doing the two note solo is?
Don’t know I’m afraid. I’ve a pretty good Bobby Bland playlist on Spotify though that track absent for some reason
Good fun from first to last. Podium places to 12a, 2d & 8d
Many thanks to Dada and ALP
North no problem South more tricky finished most of this earlier but couldn’t see it off so did the back pager over dinner. Favourite was 11d. Thanks to Dada and ALP.
1*/4* ….
liked 22D “Bishop of Rome accompanying you is a muscular tattooed character (6)”