Toughie No 3446 by Light
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Light’s first weekday Toughie was, I thought, just right for a Wednesday and most enjoyable too; one clue made me smile so much I awarded it a rare ** as a ‘clue I really liked’.
If anyone from Telegraph Towers is reading this, I know I and others have asked this many times before but please can you make the grid smaller so that teeny tiny clues don’t spill over onto a second page of the print out.
Please let us know what you thought
Across
1a Clue I sit and do, exercising mindfulness (10)
SOLICITUDE An anagram (exercising) of CLUE I SIT and DO
6a Ambitious Grande’s latest single out, we hear (4)
EPIC The latest letter of GrandE and a homophone (we hear) of a verb meaning to single out
10a US island, clement (7)
MANKIND The second letter of the definition is a sneaky use of the misleading capital – an island in the Irish Sea and an adjective meaning clement or gentle
11a Holes removed from green bits of potato at home (5,2)
CHIPS IN Bits of potato and the usual two-letter ‘at home’
12a One cunning student probing former Education Secretary’s bloomer (8)
FOXGLOVE An animal known for its cunning ways and an abbreviated student inserted into (probing) a former Education Secretary
13a Shun energy tablet, having taken five a day (5)
EVADE The symbol for energy and an informal way of referring to a particular drug tablet between which is inserted (having taken) the Roman numeral for five, A (from the clue) and the abbreviation for Day
15a Manage part of libretto in Ring Cycle’s finish (7)
OVERSEE Part of a libretto inserted between the ring-shaped letter and the finish of cyclE
17a Second goblet found by a ruin (7)
SCUPPER The abbreviation for Second, a goblet and a preposition meaning for each (a)
19a Separate rubbish dad bins (7)
DISBAND An anagram (rubbish) of DAD BINS
21a This retailer‘s list of sprays inspiring Romeo? (7)
FLORIST An anagram (sprays) of LIST OF ‘inspiring’ the letter represented by Romeo in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet
22a Agrees to wine having top removed by son (5)
OKAYS Remove the first letter (top) from a Hungarian wine and add the abbreviation for Son at the end of the remaining letters
24a Daughter stops one cat twisting end of blue yarn (8)
ANECDOTE The abbreviation for Daughter ‘stops’ an anagram (twisting) of ONE CAT and E (the end of blue)
27a Show in Yankee Stadium’s beginning to get brief coverage (1-6)
Y-FRONTS An informal way of saying show up inserted between the letter represented by Yankee in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet and the beginning of Stadium
28a Argued in conversation with a Parisian lot (7)
FORTUNE A homophone (in conservation) of a synonym of argued followed by the French feminine definite article
29a Girl’s grub from the east, oddly cut fruit (4)
UGLI The even (oddly cut) letters of GIRLS GRUB will, when reversed (from the east in an Across solution) reveal a fruit
30a Naively optimistic watching Aquarius? (6-4)
STARRY-EYED How one might describe someone watching the constellation Aquarius
Down
1d Problem with soft pit (4)
SUMP A mathematical problem and the musical abbreviation for soft
2d City folk‘s noon party stifled by misanthropes? (9)
LONDONERS The abbreviation for Noon and a party inserted into (stifled by) into people who prefer to be on their own as they distrust everyone else (misanthropes)
3d Hold on to my job after leaving university (5)
CLING A description of the job of a crossword setter without (leaving) the abbreviation for University
4d Young one who’ll soon be looking for a pad? (7)
TADPOLE A very nice cryptic definition
5d Fergie maybe cussed blunders, including Hughes’s header (7)
DUCHESS An anagram (blunders) of CUSSED including the ‘header’ of Hughes
7d Raised temperature inside this instant food (5)
PASTA A reversal (raised) of the abbreviation for Temperature inserted into an abbreviated instruction to do something instantly
8d Scene with actor being sad? Bless! (10)
CONSECRATE An anagram (sad) of SCENE with ACTOR
9d Ascending middle eight of Placebo tune tiredness slowed down (8)
RITENUTO A reversal (ascending) of the middle eight letters of placebO TUNE TIRedness
14d Like protein-rich steak, healthy and well done (4,3,3)
GOOD FOR YOU A description of something healthy, eg protein-rich steak
16d Pen perhaps no good, penning note in final work? (8)
SWANSONG A bird, the female of which is known as a pen and the abbreviation for No Good ‘penning’ a musical note
18d Question respect for police officer’s job (5,4)
POINT DUTY A question and some respect
20d Determined this television needs repairing (4-3)
DEAD-SET Without the hyphen, this might describe a television in need of repair
21d Pity fish close to reef caught by pro (4,3)
FEEL FOR A type of fish caught between the ‘close’ to reeF and a preposition meaning for
23d Pair in jail heading off – time for a shower? (5)
APRIL An abbreviated pair inserted into jAIL (heading off telling you to omit the J)
25d Maybe Notts County vs Forest, Clough’s old team (5)
DERBY A match between neighbouring teams or the football club once successfully managed by Brian Clough
26d What does slacker swing? Strap (4)’
LEAD Part of a saying in nautical slang meaning to evade ones duties or a type of strap
Having read on the back pager comments that this was an approachable toughie I gave it a go. Strangely I had zero for the first ten minutes or so and then suddenly it all fell into place and I loved it! So thanks to the setter and CS whose hints I did not need. I’ve just received delivery of 6 whisky tumblers to replace ones ruined in the dishwasher – the box was absolutely gigantic, bigger than for 12 bottles of plonk!
As remarked on the other blog, I thought this a truly wonderful puzzle. Some lovely clueing, consistently excellent surfaces, clever feints and misdirection … for what more could one ask?
COTD the splendid and laugh-out-loud 4d; other podium places to 24a & 28a, but there were another 29 clues in that puzzle (thank you setter for not short-changing us!) which could as easily have been there.
Many, many thanks to Light, and also to CS of course.
Those of us who like our toughies not impossibly tough are being spoilt this week. This was very enjoyable and no obscure knowledge was needed. Although anagrams are not my favourite type of clue they proved extremely useful here. Getting 1a immediately always makes me want to carry on. It’s difficult to choose a favourite but I’ll go for the clever misdirection in 10a as that held out longest, along with much of that corner. Thanks to Light and crypticsue.
Very entertaining puzzle – thanks to Light and CS.
I particularly liked 10a, 11a (removed from green – brilliant), 3d and 4d.
A most enjoyable Toughie and just right for a Wednesday. So many good clues with fair wordplay. My picks were 10A 28A 4D 14D 26D with favourite going to 27A.
Thanks to CS and Light.
Although I enjoyed most of this, I’m sorry to say, I don’t share others’ undiluted adulation. There were certainly many excellent clues but, for me, the gloss was taken off by a few iffy surfaces and a dodgy anagram indicator.
11a and 3d were my top picks.
Thanks to Light and to CS.
After being away for a while and ploughing through dozens of old toughies and backpagers I’d cut out and kept for gorging at a later date, it’s good to be back with ‘live’ puzzles.
I very much enjoyed todays offering: a nice balance of clue types with the always welcome addition of humour.
9d is a new word for me, with 10a, 12a and 21a taking the podium places.
Many thanks to Light and CS.
Is Light anything to do with Beam? Pleasant puzzle with a cracker at 10a. I also liked 21d. I assume 11a is something to do with golf; whilst I get the wordplay the definition escapes me.
Thanks to Light and CS.
Re 11a – I’ve just had a closer look at CS’s pic. Does it refer to getting the little ball into the hole without setting foot on the nice flat area?
It certainly does halcyon of the good days.
One putts on the green with a putter. One chips with a wedge club from off the green.
Agreed it was a nice puzzle
Thanks to all
**/****
Ah – enlightenment! Thanks Martyn.
Thanks to whoever said on the back pager that today’s Toughie was worth a shot, really enjoyed this and only 22a defeated me – just couldn’t think it through. Agree with others that there are some lovely clues here, top marks to the misdirection of 10a, the great 3d and fantastic 7d where the answer was OK but the parsing a huge PDM! Had an alternate answer for 21d but it wouldn’t allow the anagrams at 21a and 24a so soon got jettisoned! Thanks Light and Crypticsue
Just back after a lovely afternoon on the golf course, where the golf itself started off well with an 11a on the 3rd. Not quite dried out enough though, and soft conditions eventually won the day.
I thought 12 and 17a and 21d were my favourites.
Thanks Light and CS
An enjoyable solve for us with 21a being our favourite.
Thanks Light and CS.
I thought I was going to really struggle with this as I got a long way down before I had any joy so I ended up solving it from the bottom up. Is this a new setter? Either way well done you. Spoilt for choice for favourite but I’ll go with 4d as it made me laugh. Thanks to Light and Czs.
An enjoyable and well-clued puzzle.
However re 8d, in terms of Ecclesiastical Law “consecrate” and “bless” are not synonymous. Consecration is a formal procedure which has legal consequences; blessing is a purely informal process which has no legal consequences.
Lovely puzzle. Tuned in from the off (having not found yesterday’s puzzle anywhere as easy as others clearly did) & shaved a good few minutes off my fastest ever Toughie solve time – a Chalicea floughie. Had to confirm the reverse lurker at 9d but otherwise plain sailing. Podium spots for 11,12&21a & a number of ticks elsewhere.
Thanks to Light & to Sue
2*/4* ….
liked 4D “Young one who’ll soon be looking for a pad ? (7)”