Toughie No 3439 by Beam
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
I thought that this was about as gentle as Toughies get. Agree or disagree? – do let me know.
Thanks to Beam for the challenge.
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
Across Clues
1a Say some sounds starting similarly? (10)
ALLITERATE: a verb to use a specific figure of speech with the words of the clue being an example of such.
6a Find fault with vehicle parking (4)
CARP: a road vehicle and the map abbreviation for parking.
10a Bird dog having no lead (5)
EAGLE: drop the first letter from a breed of hunting dog. A very old chestnut.
11a Fork part eating bad blood orange (9)
TANGERINE: the pointy part of a fork contains a synonym of bad blood or ill humour.
12a Game’s up remonstrating about boss (7)
SUPREMO: hidden.
13a Tool often needed grabbing sugar initially (5)
TONGS: initial letters.
15a She may grab the family jewels! (7)
HEIRESS: a woman legally getting her hands on the ancestral assets. Very amusing!
17a Secret boozer‘s brilliance hiding empty bottle (7)
SHEBEEN: a synonym of brilliance or lustre containing the outer letters of bottle. The boozer here is a place not a person.
19a Stop ritual involving clairvoyance (7)
RESPITE: another word for ritual contains the abbreviation for clairvoyance.
21a On line, complaint rebuffed is weaker (7)
FEEBLER: string together a preposition meaning on or about, the abbreviation for line and an informal complaint or whinge then reverse the lot.
22a Discernment of gallery holding show’s opening (5)
TASTE: Crosswordland’s favourite gallery contains the opening letter of show.
24a Corporation head in a bind, oddly (7)
ABDOMEN: a slang word for a person’s head is contained in A and the odd letters of bind. Corporation here is being used whimsically.
27a Obstacle limits good person, legal sort (9)
BARRISTER: an obstacle contains the abbreviation for a good (i.e. holy) person.
28a Tolerate sweetheart after ace proposal (5)
ABIDE: Beam’s swEetheart follows the cards abbreviation for ace and a synonym of proposal or tender.
29a Tied competition, taking time out (4)
EVEN: remove the physics abbreviation for time from a competition.
30a Youthful adult practically elderly in decline (10)
ADOLESCENT: start with the film classification for adult then insert a truncated adjective meaning elderly into a synonym of a decline or downward slope.
Down Clues
1d Bishops perhaps following a prayer’s end? (4)
AMEN: what bishops are examples of in chess follows A.
2d Record current jams reported for management (9)
LOGISTICS: assemble a word for an official record, the symbol for electric current and what sounds like a verb meaning jams.
3d European city expelling an idiot (5)
TWERP: expel AN from the name of a Belgian city.
4d Aquatic mammals lower than river rats (7)
ROTTERS: some aquatic mammals follow the abbreviation for river.
5d Parts of joints covering daughter’s sinews (7)
TENDONS: parts of joints which may be made by a carpenter contain the genealogical abbreviation for daughter.
7d Repugnant article contains fabrication (5)
ALIEN: one of our indefinite articles contains a fabrication.
8d Joke of Left embraced by labourers (10)
PLEASANTRY: the abbreviation for left is contained in a class of agricultural labourers.
9d Reggae’s the technique captivating art aficionado (8)
AESTHETE: hidden.
14d Kind of daily fare protecting one (10)
CHARITABLE: a (traditionally female) daily and a word for fare or supply of food bracket the Roman one.
16d Sweeping saga is about the same (8)
EPIDEMIC: a saga or heroic work contains a Latin word meaning ‘the same’ which is used to cite someone or something previously mentioned.
18d Insect found in, say, border plant (9)
EGLANTINE: an insect is contained in the abbreviation for ‘say’ and a synonym for border.
20d Happy former partner stopped missing husband (7)
EXALTED: our usual former partner and a verb meaning stopped without the genealogical abbreviation for husband.
21d United vicious around hollow defence (7)
FEDERAL: an adjective meaning vicious or untamed contains the outer letters of defence.
23d Benefit cut taking Republican to heart (5)
SERVE: a verb to cut with the abbreviation for Republican moved to the centre.
25d Chap’s without love producing whines (5)
MOANS: a synonym of chap and the ‘S contain the love-resembling letter.
26d Whack Liberal in flutter (4)
BELT: insert the abbreviation for Liberal into a flutter.
My clue of the day is the very amusing 15a. Which one(s) stimulated your interest?
A great puzzle. I loved 3d, a word I haven’t heard used in years. Thanks to Beam for the puzzle and Gazza for the tips and cartoons.
I’m not at all sure how I managed to insert a random picture. I’ll blame it on this new phone 🤷♂️
I’m sure this lady isn’t a 3d
A lovely solve and the clues read really well.
Maybe not as mind bending as some toughies but a lovely solve in the warm and sunny garden between mowing front and back lawns.
Thank you sir. */****
I agree with our learned blogger. This was very straightforward for a Toughie and probably easier than the back pager? Enjoyable stuff from Beam, as ever, with 1a getting the puzzle off to a very good start.
Thank you Beam and Gazza.
A perfect example of Beam’s craft. Definitely at the lighter end of his spectrum but great fun.
Many thanks to him, and also to Gazza.
Great fun, and would have been slightly more straightforward had I not been preoccupied with trying to think of a dog type from which could derive Egret. Chestnut it may have been but it eluded me for some time.
Super lunchtime challenge, thank you Beam & Gazza
Pretty straightforward with a couple that made me scratch my head a bit and some that made me smile. Most enjoyable. Thanks to Beam for the fun and Gazza.
Easier this may have been compared to many Thursday Toughies, but saying that in no way undermines what was a beautifully compiled puzzle. Hard to pick a winner, but 15a made me laugh so that is a good enough reason to select it.
Thanks to Mr T and Gazza.
I agree this was a very light Toughie but nonetheless enjoyable. I love Beam’s concise style. I don’t have a standout clue, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t plenty of pleasers.
Thank you Gazza for the blog and laughs ( thought 21D most topical but 27A bang on the money) and of course to Beam for the enjoyment.
Evening all. My thanks to Gazza for the analysis and to everybody else for your comments.
RayT
A pleasant solve that did not do too much brain mangling along the way. Just as we like it.
Thanks Beam and Gazza.
A lovely lead in to tomorrow’s (probably) um, rather more difficult toughie. I enjoyed 1a which gave a good foothold. 17a my favourite, 8d LOI.
Thanks Gazza and beam
A bit slow to twig 23d otherwise it would have been a personal best TT finish. Nice to have some respite from the previous 2 days of head scratching & as ever a thoroughly enjoyable Beamer. The slightly risqué 15a was my fav.
Thanks to Ray T & to Gazza