Toughie 3438 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Toughie 3438

by crypticsue  

Toughie  No 3438 by Weatherman

Hints and Tips by crypticsue

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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty **** – Enjoyment **

Trickier than I’d expect from a Wednesday Toughie and once again our setter seems fixated on inserting something into something else – over half the Down clues use this device and there are others in the Across clues too

Please let us know what you thought

Across

1a           One serving American wearing very large watch (5)
VIGIL The Roman numeral for one and an abbreviated serving American inserted between (wearing) the abbreviations for Very and Large

4a           Perhaps Poet Laureate admitting nothing’s right (9)
STARBOARD A way of describing an exceptionally brilliant poet ‘admitting’ O (nothing)

9a           Leader‘s philosophical way is spread without resistance (9)
TAOISEACH A philosophical system, IS (from the clue) and a synonym for spread without the symbol for Resistance

10a         Someone far from home once a year getting tense (5)
EXPAT Once or formerly, an abbreviated way of saying a year and the abbreviation for Tense

11a         Big-name actress occasionally detained people (7)
INMATES The even (occasionally) letters of the first three words of the clue

12a         Some buffalo were duly put down (7)
LOWERED Hidden in some of buffaLO WERE Duly

13a         Water that is cut off from US city by idiot (6)
LAGOON An abbreviated US West Coast city and a stupid person (idiot)

15a         Post that supports large family over housing predicament (8)
DOORJAMB A reversal (over) of a large family into which is inserted (housing) a predicament

 

18a         Fleece article released by fashion firm (8)
CONCRETE Swindle or fleece and a verb meaning to fashion or make without the indefinite article

20a         Look with degree of interest around plant (6)
APPEAR A reversal (around) of an abbreviation referring to the amount of interest paid yearly followed by a plant

23a         At sea, lose oar in spray (7)
AEROSOL An anagram (at sea) of LOSE OAR

24a         Fast time for Mo Farah? (7)
RAMADAN A time for fasting for a Muslim like Mo Farah

26a         Unusual path with river further east than expected (5)
OUTRE A path, way or course where the abbreviation for River is moved to the end of the word (further east than expected)

27a         Healthcare professional‘s the first to internalise criticism (9)
THERAPIST THE (from the clue) and IST (first) into which is inserted (to internalise) some criticism

28a         Oldest trees men note riddled with disease (5-4)
FIRST-BORN Some trees and the usual abbreviation for ordinary ranks of soldiers (men) into which is inserted (riddled with) an abbreviated disease

29a         In tune with unmarried primate (2,3)
ON-KEY A type of primate without the abbreviation for Married

Down

1d           Surprisingly civil about small group being malicious (9)
VITRIOLIC An anagram (surprisingly) of CIVIL goes about a small group of musical performers

2d           Train chess whiz to take piece (not king) (5)
GROOM An abbreviated chess whiz takes a chess piece without (not) the chess abbreviation for King

3d           Country stars purchasing lush hotel (7)
LESOTHO A constellation (stars) ‘purchasing’ a habitual drunkard (lush) and the letter represented by Hotel in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet

4d           Break down after ashes finally scattered (6)
SPARSE Analyse or break down (as we have all down with the clues in this crossword) goes after the final letter of asheS

5d           Two mammals conserving last of warmth in the furthest point from the sun (8)
APHELION Two mammals ‘conserving’ the last letter of warmtH

6d           Jockey wore bra, causing conflict (4,3)
BOER WAR An anagram (jockey) of WORE BRA

7d           A Co-operative store plugs sweetener (9)
ASPARTAME A (from the clue) and having lost wildness (co-operative) ‘plugged’ by a convenience store

8d           Saw old man penning note (5)
DATED An informal name for your father (old man) ‘penning’ a musical note

14d         Retired ordinary seaman invested in innovative green electricity producer (9)
GENERATOR The abbreviation for Ordinary and a sailor reversed (retired) and inserted into (invested in) an anagram (innovative) of GREEN

16d         Desperately try one cab rank (9)
BARONETCY An anagram (desperately) of TRY ONE CAB

17d         Fired up amid argument, producing dagger (8)
STILETTO A reversal (up) of a synonym for fired inserted into (amid) an argument

19d         Maybe telepathy on court saves point (7)
RESPECT The usual on the subject of and the abbreviation for court ‘saves’ an abbreviated form of telepathy

21d         Fish in Italian river with an old, inspiring politician (7)
POMPANO Crosswordland’s favourite Italian river, AN (from the clue) O (old) ‘inspiring’ an abbreviated politician

 

22d         Encourage holy man to abstain from fish (4,2)
URGE ON Remove the abbreviation for a holy man from a type of fish

23d         Cold potato fritter to start (5)
ALOOF The Indian word for potato and the first letter (to start) of Fritter

25d         What a writer needs following drive – booze (5)
DRINK What a writer needs goes after an abbreviated drive

 

 

14 comments on “Toughie 3438”

  1. Well, I really enjoyed that – I thought it was an absolute cracker, once I’d recovered from the vocab in 5d and 7d! 24a is just splendid. Loved 4d and 25d too, etc. Many thanks to Weatherman and CS.

  2. An absolute cracker from start to finish. Had not clocked the setter when printing this off, being more concerned that I didn’t waste a second sheet of paper, but seeing now who it is, and how much I’ve enjoyed their previous puzzles, I’m not in the least surprised at how much fun this was.

    No problems with finding the answers although the exact “why?” was a little slower in coming for two of them (7d, 19d) and I have ticks everywhere. COTD for me was 4a, followed by 22d & 4d.

    Many thanks Weatherman, and also of course to Sue for the blog.

  3. Had to work really hard to complete this one and doubt that I’ll ever be able to spell 9a without help! The fish was new to me but very helpfully signposted and I admit to having to check on the furthest point from the sun before I could find the two mammals. Top clues for me were 28a & 1d.

    Thanks to Weatherman for quite a challenge and to CS for the review.

  4. It took me a while to get on the right wavelength with this one, and I have to admit to struggling a bit to get over the line. It was certainly satisfying to solve, but maybe not as enjoyable as I had anticipated. That said, there were still some excellent clues to be unearthed, none better than 24a.

    My thanks to Weatherman and CS.

  6. I got a handful of answers quickly and thought the whole thing was going to be a breeze. How wrong can you be? This turned out to be hard work, but I really enjoyed the challenge. Fortunately I remembered how to spell 9a, and I knew both answers for 5d & 7d.

    My only problem is with the definition for 19d. How does the answer relate to “point”?

    My podium choices are 4a, 24a, 28a & 2d.

    Many thanks to Weatherman and to CS.

  7. I really enjoyed this even though it took time to parse a few. Never heard of the fish but the wordplay got me there. I too don’t understand how respect means point..
    I have ticks almost everywhere but give 4A and 24A joint podium.
    Many thanks to CS for the blog and Weatherman for the enjoyment.

  8. Thanks to commenters & any lurking solvers, and to CS for the blog. It can be hard to have a sense of the difficulty of a puzzle once you’ve been staring at the clues for an age, so apologies to those who found this tough! I’m glad the effort was worth it for some, at least.

    Rabbit Dave – Collins offers the following for ‘respect’, and the Concise OED has similar: 3. A detail, point, or characteristic; particular: he differs in some respects from his son.

  9. A proper midweek Toughie and very enjoyable it is – thanks to Weatherman and CS.
    My top clues were 4a, 15a and 7d.

  10. A real joy to solve with penny-drop moments all over the place. So many ticks that just impossible to choose a favourite.
    Thanks Weatherman and CS.

  11. Like RD this went in quite quickly for a bit, and I had the East side filled in. The West was a different matter though, not helped in the slightest by thinking wrong stars and putting in wrong country in 3d. Once that was corrected the rest followed, but very slowly. And a new fish to boot! Thanks for explaining how to remember the spelling of 9a CS, and thanks Weatherman, lurked for a bit but got there in the end

  12. Very tough & pleased to finish (eventually) with only the 1 letter reveal though shy of a couple of whys – will think on before reading the review tomorrow. 5&21d both new to me & couldn’t remember the penultimate letter of the sweetener was an M or an N so looked it up.
    Thanks to Weatherman for an enjoyable puzzle & to Sue

  13. I found this much tougher than yesterday but got there in the end. Ironically the one I struggled to parse had parse in the solution!!
    I’m getting further into toughie land. I see the same solvers posting every day. Any clues or recurring themes with the toughie or is it just harder??
    Any advice welcome. Thanks to all

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