Sunday Toughie No 164
by Zandio
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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I had a rather pleasant tour of the North East Coasts and Castles yesterday, but I was rather tired and a restorative Torabhaigh meant that I fell asleep before I had fully parsed this last night. Coffee and a bacon butty restored me this morning.
Is Zandio having a go at my drinking in the unches going right from 16… perhaps not
14a and 14d clues today and I have hinted half
Here we go…
As it is a Prize puzzle I can only hint at a few and hope that will give you the checkers and inspiration to go further. I’ll be back just after the closing date with the full blog. Don’t forget to follow BD’s instructions in RED at the bottom of the hints!
I hope I don’t have to redact any comments but I am not so new at this and don’t want to rock the boat. If in doubt, I’ll rub it out! I think that sentence is a bit redundant. You have all been so helpful in sorting out prior parsing failures, and I am sure I will need similar help again.
Most of the terms used in these hints are explained in the Glossary and examples are available by clicking on the entry under “See also” Where the hint describes a construct as “usual” this means that more help can be found in The Usual Suspects, which gives a number of the elements commonly used in the wordplay. Another useful page is Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, which features words with meanings that are not always immediately obvious. Don’t forget the Mine of useful information that Big Dave and his son Richard so meticulously prepared for us.
A full review of this puzzle will be published after the closing date for submissions. Some hints follow: Remember the site rules and play nicely
Across
1a Beside/besides needs considerable delineating as a rule (2,3,5)
Synonyms of beside/besides and considerable combine for a phrase alternative for as a rule
12a Curry’s partner burst a blood vessel, both lacking resistance when cold’s prevalent (3,3)
Something that partners well with curry (although I generally prefer a naan) and the temper that may cause a burst blood vessel, both terms are lacking the abbreviation for resistance
15a Spread of green veg and goat oddball’s tucked into (6,6)
A green veg and what goats do into which has been tucked a synonym of an oddball
18a A 50/50 return this writer settled by reviving Universal (3-9)
A from the clue, two Roman numerals and a synonym of reviving, contain a reversal (return) of how this writer may call himself
21a Showdown time is off, with nobody suffering final loss (4,4)
Off or rotten and a synonym of nobody without its final letter
24a Bordering Spain, launch pad with no apparent function? (4)
To launch a high ball in tennis perhaps and the IVR code for Spain, leave the last five words as the definition
27a Model accompanied by Zandio? One should put a story in print (10)
Zandio’s job description accompanies a model. I would point you in the direction of the byline below but the Telegraph prefers to refer to Zandio and his fellows as “Compiler”
Down
1d State of Europe‘s broken trains – objectively backward (6)
I was somewhat confused by broken as an anagram indicator, together with backward, it is a containment and reversal indicator. The European state is broken into two words in reverse in the clue
2d Germany and Belgium traded in mud structures for homes (6)
Tricky to parse last night, but I got there with a big PDM this morning. Start with some mud based residences and swap the IVR codes of Germany and Belgium to make some more general residences – Thanks Wombat I hope you get the mythical🖊️
8d Small cart upset hosts in craft centre (8)
S for small and the reversal (upset) of a cart for carrying beer hosts a synonym of in or with it. A centre for making “crafts”
14d English – standard with Oxford University, and knowing a lot (10)
An English abbreviation, an authoritative standard, the abbreviation of Oxford University and a synonym of knowing or cunning
17d Qualified in French, she welcomes international great in the ascendant (8)
She in French welcomes the abbreviation of international and a synonym of great reversed (in the ascendant in a down clue)
19d One can’t stop and tot up – it’s around 100 (6)
To tot up and it from the clue around a Roman 100
23d Fair measures, with rise for the bottom 25 per cent (4)
Imperial measures but the last letter rises up the order until it fits the definition
Compiler
Zandio
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an oldie but goodie
That’s All Folks…
My most recent comments, 4 weeks ago, were for a Zandio puzzle, and he is back – as am I after a period of being somewhat ‘hors de combat’. The annotations on my printout fell into groups of three this week. My three favourite clues were 4d, 8d and 23d; three clues that engendered admiration and amusement were 15a, 3d and 5d; my three last-ones-in from a hat-trick of PDMs in the SW corner were 18a, 24a and 16d.
Like SJB I was misdirected at first by the unusual containment indicator in 1d, and the ‘settled’ in 18a just seems to be there to complete the surface reading – unless I have missed something, which would not be the first time…
My thanks to both Zandio and SJB.
P.S. I have caught up on puzzles 161-3 and look forward to reading the reviews and comments in due course. For whatever it’s worth, I will probably be inspired to add some brief comments too…
I think it does indeed improve the surface reading, it allows the reversed writer to nudge up to or “settle by” the reviving restorative nature of being beside the seaside, like I was yesterday on a sunny but restorative Bamburgh Beach yesterday (pic in preamble)
I hope you are recovered from your battle injuries and look forward to seeing what you have to add to blogs passim.
I also had a tour of the North East coast a few years ago, cycling from Edinburgh to Alnwick over several days along routes 76 & 1. Bamburgh Castle is indeed very imposing, as was the headwind and torrential rain across the moorland in Berwickshire…
I am recovering well, thank you, but no cycling in prospect yet, just long walks. I’m looking forward to sunnier days and riding around the Kent & Sussex countryside again in the coming weeks!
I had a cycling holiday in those parts as a child, I am sure our paths crossed in space if not time. One high/low light I recall was cycling over Carter Bar to Ferniehurst Castle ( a Scottish Youth Hostel in the 1970s) in a howling gale and horizontal rain. We turned towards the coast and did eventually cover many of the same roads as yesterday
Not sure about 2 down. If you take the definition as “homes”, and consider tne order that Germany and Belgium are mentioned in, you might come to the opposite conclusion.
I think you are right, so that is another pen 🖊️ I am unlikely to win.
All the more for those that got it right 😃
One of the perils of doing crosswords when tired and also no longer having the comfort blanket of the old site that gave a % of correctness before submission
I will amend the hint
Nice to be thanked in the hint when I haven’t done anything.😎
Credit where due, I am sure you are on the right lines even if we have to wait for confirmation
Indeed — so surely credit is due to Wombat, rather than Wahoo!
Apologies to both Wombat and Wahoo and Smylers too for spotting my error – no excuses but the original comment came as a WordPress one for approval just as I was going out for shopping and much needed coffee
Lots to like in this excellent Zandio production – thanks to him and SJB.
My ticks went to 9a, 24a, 4d, 8d and 17d.
So far so good, the paper is covered with notes and ideas, I had 5 down but then read your analysis of 1a and have to go back to the drawing board. Or should I say the think tank. I’ll be back but in the meantime thanks to Zandio and SJB
I don’t think you have 5d wrong, maybe my hint for 1a is inadequate.
Beside or next to, a conjunction like besides or as well as and a synonym of considerable lead to a phrase equivalent to as a rule
The usual left-field brilliance. I especially loved 25a, 14d and 16d. 24a’s def tickled me too – not summat I’ve ever really pondered but it’s impossible to argue! Many thanks to Zandio and Sloop.
But did you get the Kevin Turvey reference?
This was pleasantly hard enough for me, although I was surprised to see 6a, 9a and 12a at this time of year. I really liked 27a (I had a different one in my mind for a while), and 8d, but 7d LOI and favourite. I looked at this for 10 minutes before I pronounced it properly! Most of a bottle of Malbec not helping methinks!
Thanks SJB and Zandio
This Bee was well oiled last night too ( see the row from 16a >>>
For all SJB’s hard graft, humour and attention to detail in producing these hints, as with all the others who put the time in to sort the toughies out for us, I think it would be nice if there were more comments forthcoming…
Thanks Jules, as Spartacus hinted toughies sometimes get solved much later, I expect I will be fielding comments until Tuesday or Wednesday and maybe longer if Jane gets a new laptop soon
Fully agree
Not the toughest Zandio puzzle but tricky enough for me & very enjoyable. After last week’s DNF with the Beamer happy to finish albeit with last in 4d a bit of an I assume so. Unsurprisingly 21a my clear fav & 9a in the runner up spot.
Now back to the golf & Rory.
Thanks to Zandio & to John
Pleased to see the Golfy surface of 26a didn’t fool you this week
This felt Tough and like it was by Zandio — so, perfectly as described! Thank you to Zandio for the entertainment, and Sloop for facilitating my joining in with bits of it that were beyond me. My top two were 25a and 2d.
I feel that I’m still missing something in 9a and 21a, which I’m mainly noting here so as a note of which answers to check on Wednesday week.
I recognized the castle straight away: we have a photo of it in our kitchen. Our family also likes Warkworth Castle because there’s enough of it to go inside but it still feels like a castle when doing so (rather than being so well preserved and furnished, it could be a stately home), and Alnwick Castle, where the children got broomstick flying lessons.
Alnwick and Bamburgh are both a bit “Stately homish” Lindisfarne and Dunstanburgh are much more like Warkworth but a bit of a hike. Go to Dunstanburgh for the Craster kippers and Lindisfarne for the Mead and the Gertrude Jekyll garden. Bamburgh will always be may fave though because of many childhood hols on that beach just where that photo was taken
Yeah, Bamburgh can’t be beaten for having that beach right next to it.
We visited Lindisfarne castle last year, and were slightly bemused that almost all the information boards in the rooms are entirely about the owner of Country Life (the magazine, not the butter) who lived there for a couple of decades in the early 20th century — interesting, but seems quite a narrow perspective on a 16th-century building.
The ice creams at Pilgrims Gelato on the high street, however, were some of the best we’ve had anywhere.
Hail, Mr Bee. Are you still on this? As usual night’s sleep has filled in my five errant clues. The useful comment about your overindulgence in the unches confirmed 7d but 4d was my nemesis. I was about to go to the Bible when I suddenly had another thought. Maybe an author I am not meant to know? In which case it is extraordinarily clever! Anyway, as my printer still will not acknowledge the new computer I cannot submit it anyway so the mythical can go to Steve. Regards to Mama Bee.
Yep still here and working on today’s crossword now. I went with the unknown author too and he/she is widely credited as such in footnotes etc
Is your printer hard wired or on a WiFi network? You may need a new driver or possibly you need to tell the laptop it’s network address
A largely enjoyable and straightforward solve yesterday. Some nice trickery and no exotic ‘G’K. I heartily dislike clues of the 27a ilk for various reasons, but would be slightly less riled were the DT’s able to include the setter name on the Toughie puzzle when users print it out for themselves rather than buying the paper – let alone making sure all 15×15 cryptics consistently print on a single page, a much more important priority.
Honours to 5d, 11d & 15a. Many thanks to Zandio and SJB
The compilers name is there but you really have to look for it, it appears when I cut and paste the clues and it is up there between hints and comments.
They do keep tinkering with things and the latest trick is changing the skip filled lights and hide clues option having to be reset every time. I think Telegraph Towers need an IT geek to sort things out
Yes, it’s certainly there SJB, but you have to look for it, and you can print without looking below the top of the frame – I try to avoid even glancing at the clues and (almost) never come in here to the blog before completing the puzzle, so the Toughie setter is nigh assured of anonymity in my experience!
TT’s IT is abysmal. They should licence the layout and design used in The Times!
23 any hints. Nothing to reconcile obvious answer with ‘measures’ in wordplay.
Welcome to the blog, Cribblecobblis.
Fair measures, with rise for the bottom 25 per cent (4)
Imperial measures but the last letter (bottom 25 per cent) rises up the order until it becomes a Fair on a nice sunny day hopefully.
Welcome from me too