Toughie No 3437 by Donnybrook
Hints and tips by ALP
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ****
I think most of us would clock this as a Donnybrook number – even without the byline – at a hundred paces. All his favourite tropes are here: a mini (literary) theme, the split clue, a chunky anagram and, of course, a biblical nod. Oh, and a dollop of geography too. Re the theme, it’s been many, many years since I’ve read any of his so there may well be elements I’ve missed, but there is certainly the author, his most famous book and, of course, his well-known fictional land. If I remember rightly, there is also an attempted 15d in 3d/9d but that’s where my memory fades. All yours.
Across
1a Time cut short with this might we presume? (6)
SCYTHE: Time as in Father Time and what he is usually depicted carrying.
5a American rule deployed in south-eastern and very old city (8)
SARAJEVO: One of our usual “American”s + (old British, say) rule inside the usual SE and abbreviated “very” and “old”.
10a Leading TV soap’s initial troubles (6)
UPSETS: Leading/winning + TV/box + S[oap].
11a Jailhouse Rock from Mozart – a classic recalled? (8)
ALCATRAZ: Reverse lurker.
12a Renowned, the Navy at sea from time to time (5,3,3,4)
EVERY NOW AND THEN: RENOWNEDTHENAVY, at sea.
16a Combatant with others joining the French Resistance (8)
WRESTLER: W[ith] + (the) others + one of the French “the”s + R[esistance].
18a Dawn where subtle emanation covers over river (6)
AURORA: Subtle emanation (direct from Chambers) or air covers the usual “over” and “river”.
20a Proteinous seed a gym enthusiast ingests (6)
PEANUT: ‘A’ ingested/contained by the usual “gym” and enthusiast/fan.
21a Flanders collaborator really losing face: it’s for the birds (8)
SWANNERY: Flanders’ singing partner (nothing to do with WWII or The Simpsons) + really/so, minus its first letter.
22a Sacristy with His pots vandalised? We look to the Heavens! (15)
ASTROPHYSICISTS: SACRISTYHISPOTS, vandalised. Could there be a more Donnybrook clue? Even the capped-up “His” is so very him!
27a Demise in Hertfordshire town much-followed on X (8)
TRENDING: Demise/death goes inside the only Hertfordshire town I can ever think of.
28a Direct from Rabelais, nothing found in books (6)
ORIENT: The French (for Rabelais) for “nothing” inside one of the usual collections of biblical books = (to) direct.
29a Impalpable in the present life cryptic tale captures (8)
ETHEREAL: TALE, cryptic, captures/contains “the present life” otherwise known as “the —- and now”.
30a Recognise cutting tool’s back-and-forth motion (6)
SEESAW: Recognise/get + cutting tool. Not a knife but you knew that already!
Down
2d Always under cover, evacuated Darbyite in republic (4,5)
CAPE VERDE: The usual “always” under/after cover/lid, plus D[arbyit]E.
3d and 9d Pint for sore head worked, saving religion for book (3,8,2,5)
THE PRISONER OF ZENDA: PINTFORSOREHEAD, worked, contains (Buddhist) religion.
4d Odd characters from East Sheen in Ruhr location (5)
ESSEN: E[a]S[t]S[h]E[e]N.
6d Everything and nothing close to Verica’s town (5)
ALLOA: The usual “everything” + “nothing” + [Veric]A.
7d Struggled to be heard after orchestra’s last gong (5)
AWARD: Homophone of struggled/battled after [orchestr]A.
8d Skill needed to load what’s a medium-sized revolver? (5)
EARTH: The usual “skill” loading/inside a synonym for the question “what”.
9d See 3d
13d Indolent Huxley discontented with his entire output? (7)
WORKSHY: H[uxle]Y with/after the “entire output” of the/a writer – or anyone really!
14d Partridge perhaps ascending to embrace unknown creature (5)
NYALA: The most famous Partridge, reversed, contains one of the usual unknowns.
15d What might be despot’s ending – incendiary going off? (11)
TYRANNICIDE: [despo]T + INCENDIARY, off. Not quite an &lit (I bet Donnybrook was tempted to omit those first three words but I can quite see why he didn’t!) but a fun and sharp all-in-one.
17d Cheerful after tenancy comes to stop (3-2)
LET-UP: Cheerful/chipper after tenancy/lease.
19d Hope setting sun bathes woman in college (9)
RURITANIA: Sun (god) bathes/contains a woman(‘s name) that’s been put in(side) a diminutive and generic “college”. Very smart construction and a lovely definition that refers, of course, to (Anthony) Hope, as per 3d/9d.
20d Go on piano by conductor (7)
PRATTLE: The usual “piano” + famous conductor (Simon).
23d Supporter on Thursday shows effectiveness (5)
TEETH: (Golf) supporter + the abbreviation for “Thursday”.
24d Group under religious rule right to dam German river (5)
ORDER: The usual “right” dams/plugs one of the more common German rivers.
25d Plant found in Madras as locals know it? (5)
HENNA: I guess one might call this an indirect lurker. The word you’re looking for is hidden in what Madras is now (and has been for nearly 30 years) called. Smart.
26d Star player Jeremy works with the press? (5)
IRONS: A double definition of sorts. Actor Jeremy and/or works with (the) press, ie presses.
Well, we’ve had a bit of everything today: five anagrams (including that trademark whopper) a cryptic definition, an all-in-one and an indirect lurker. Fun and brisk, this. My favourites – 8d, 15d and 25d – all came in the second half, which is never a bad thing. But 19d is my personal pick. How did you get on?
Perfect, enjoyable Tuesday Toughie
Thanks to Donnybrook and ALP
Quite friendly for a Toughie but great entertainment spread throughout the grid. I agree that 19d was the outstanding clue this afternoon, with 15a a close second.
My thanks to Donny and ALP.
Gentle (could have been early week back pager) and very enjoyable, even with the trademark split clue (grump!). Hope’s 3d/9d was great fun as was the sequel, Rupert of Hentzau. Saw the Z and, what with the J & K too, wondered if we might be in for a pangram, but not to be.
Podium places to 11a (brilliant definition), 8d & 15d
The only source of irritation was that yet again the DT’s technological incompetence resulted in the puzzle printing on two pages. I cannot recall this happening with any other crossword I print from the major dailies. It’s not even as if Donny had been excessively verbose in the clueing.
Many thanks to Donny & ALP.
I’m not au fait with the 3/9d but still enjoyed the puzzle. Outright winner for me was the jailhouse rock with 21a & 20d taking silver and bronze. If RD pops in, he can tell a story about a 21a.
Thanks to Donnybrook and to ALP for the review.
Our second fun puzzle of the day – thanks to Donnybrook and ALP.
For my podium I picked 11a, 15d and 18d.
I didn’t find this as straightforward as others (do I ever?). Needed the hint to parse 1a and had to look up 19d as I’d heard of it but soft know where it came from, I do now. Satisfying to complete. Favourite was 12d. Thanks to Donnybrook and ALP.
Ok up north but trickier for me down south. 21a & 19d were the troublesome duo & it was only when Donald eventually dawned on me that I was then able to complete by bunging in the other unparsed – I’ve never read the book but vaguely remembered Stewart Granger, James Mason & Deborah Kerr in the film remake. Embarrassed to say I couldn’t remember what Madras is now called either despite IPL cricket. All very enjoyable & wouldn’t disagree with our reviewer’s picks.
Thanks to Donny & to ALP for the 2 needed explanations, review & music. Watched Terms of Endearment not so long ago for the first time in years & thought it stood up pretty well.
I enjoyed this one but found the parsing for 19d very complex for a cryptic regular straying occasionally into toughie land.
I felt it was about the standard of a tough Thursday Friday cryptic. So */*** stars for me.
I had a friend who’s mum was called Zenda and she was known by all as The Prisoner
Thanks to all
Back in adland, in the early 1990s at Saatchis, there was a creative team whose art director (the one with the crayons) was named Zelda. You can guess by what name her somewhat put-upon copywriter (the one with the Mont Blanc) was known.
Thanks ALP, thanks all for comments.
Ha, indeed. Huge thanks for popping in, and for such entertainment.
1*/4* ….
liked 20D “Go on piano by conductor (7)”