Toughie No 3455 by Beam
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ***
Beam comes round regularly every fourth Thursday and this is a typical example of his setting art though fairly gentle if you’re aware of his little tricks. Thanks to him for the enjoyment.
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
Across Clues
1a Beam perhaps against blocking cunning (10)
CANTILEVER: a preposition meaning against sits inside an adjective meaning cunning.
6a On reflection consumed fine cheese (4)
FETA: a verb meaning consumed and the pencil abbreviation for fine all reversed.
10a Flipping fish in canvas covers (5)
TARPS: reverse a tiny fish.
11a Saintly nursing feebler back rash (9)
PREMATURE: an adjective meaning saintly or virtuous contains the reversal of a comparative meaning feebler or more docile.
12a Window, for instance, held by putty? (8)
CASEMENT: a conjunction meaning ‘for instance’ is contained in a material similar to putty.
13a Make finer recording with Queen (5)
TAPER: a recording and the Latin abbreviation for regina.
15a Threatening over nothing inside bar (7)
OMINOUS: start with the cricket abbreviation for over then insert the letter resembling zero into a preposition meaning bar or except.
17a Most gloomy faces tense around king (7)
DARKEST: a verb meaning faces or resists and the grammatical abbreviation for tense contain a chess king.
19a Excess heat helps to maintain cover (7)
SHEATHE: hidden.
21a Rank smell, maybe snake-oil (7)
PLACEBO: a synonym of rank or position and an abbreviated personal smell.
22a Drink before detailed pole dance (5)
RUMBA: an alcoholic drink precedes a pole or rail without its final letter.
24a Dagger holder and betrayer by Shakespeare? (8)
SCABBARD: a betrayer (one crossing a picket line, perhaps) and a term used to describe Shakespeare.
27a Crude slice from fine leg anticipated (9)
INELEGANT: hidden.
28a Aimlessly meander being less energetic initially (5)
AMBLE: initial letters.
29a Try case of troublesome religious icon (4)
TEST: the outer letters of troublesome and the abbreviation for a religious icon.
30a Looking back, admire inspiring torso oddly (10)
RETROSPECT: a verb to admire or esteem containing the odd letters of torso.
Down Clues
1d Winning cricket stroke by England’s opener (4)
CUTE: a cricket stroke (which might be square or late) and the opening letter of England.
2d Order Scandinavian to tour African republic (9)
NORMALISE: an adjective meaning Scandinavian contains a landlocked republic in West Africa.
3d Publish paper with no leader (5)
ISSUE: a type of soft paper without its first letter.
4d State news source (7)
EXPRESS: double definition, the second a publication that purports to provide news (although from what I’ve seen of its front pages it’s more a propaganda sheet these days).
5d Stood before court and ended gutted (7)
ERECTED: assemble a literary preposition meaning before, the abbreviation for court and the outer letters of ended.
7d Furnish with ecstasy and crack (5)
EQUIP: the abbreviation for the drug ecstasy and a synonym of a crack or clever remark.
8d Wandering sailor helping around ferry occasionally (10)
ABERRATION: one of the abbreviations for a sailor and a synonym of helping contain occasional letters from ferry. Wandering here is a gerund.
9d Bugs move in live atmosphere, circling (8)
BACTERIA: insert a verb to move or take measures into a verb to live or exist. Finish with the reversal of a synonym of atmosphere.
14d Criminal’s character acquiring new force (10)
CONSTRAINT: an informal criminal with the ‘S followed by a synonym of character or characteristic containing the abbreviation for new.
16d Resistance in power cuts creating shocks (8)
OUTRAGES: insert the abbreviation for electrical resistance into power cuts.
18d Shocking former sweetheart, runs into guy (9)
EXECRABLE: string together a prefix meaning former, Beam’s usual swEetheart and a type of guy or rope with the cricket abbreviation for runs inserted.
20d Strained losing head clutching toilet chain? (7)
ENSLAVE: an adjective meaning strained or stressed without its first letter contains a slang abbreviation for toilet.
21d Pasta’s first before final dish (7)
PLATTER: the first letter of pasta and an adjective meaning final.
23d Spades and bucket overturned in hunts (5)
MEETS: splice together the cards abbreviation for spades and a verb to bucket (down) then reverse that to get gatherings of the unspeakable prior to their pursuit of the uneatable.
25d Supporters beginning to show nerve (5)
BRASS: our usual female support garments and the first letter of show.
26d Criminal tendency (4)
BENT: double definition, the second a tendency or inclination.
Top clues for me were 19a, 21a and 20d (for the amusing picture it painted). Which one(s) grabbed you?
Glorious weather here in Hertfordshire today and I see that the whole country is due to get an unseasonal amount of sunshine over the next week.
It was too bright to do the puzzle outside on my laptop!
The second half of Jane’s dream team on duty today and most enjoyable it was too.
I spent far too long at 1a assuming that Beam was a reference to himself. A great clue and my CoD.
Ticks to 12a, 13a, 21a, 24a, 28a, 1d, 2d, 5d, 8d, 16d, 18d, 20d and 26d.
Thank you Beam/RayT and Gazza.
A joy from start to finish. Clever, succinct clueing,no obscure knowledge required and no anagrams!! What’s not to like? I needed a couple of trips to the LRB which Ray T seems to respect – the word needed is usually there. My LOI was the lurker at 19a. Will I never learn? No favourite but I’ll mention 1, 11, 21 and 24 across and 8, 9, and the cheeky 25 down as podium contenders. Many thanks to Beam and Gazza. Loving the cartoons.
A pleasant puzzle that was polished off in less time than today’s back-pager.
Many thanks to Beam and to Gazza. 1*/3*.
Not so much a devilish Beamer more a gentle long hop but very enjoyable it was. 20d my pick from a great selection for exactly the same reason that our reviewer chose it with podium spots for 1a&8d.
Thanks to Beam & to Gazza
This was almost, dare I say it, a Floughie Toughie. Nevertheless, it was supremely enjoyable with the added pleasure of Gazza’s excellent cartoons.
I had ticks all over my page with 1a taking top spot.
Many thanks to Beam and to Gazza.
All the trademarks are there with a good dash of wit. Tops for me were 21a 2d [largely ‘cos it took so long to crack] 18d and 20d.
Thanks to Beam and Gazza.
My Dream Team day is complete – two great puzzles and a selection of cartoons from Gazza, who could ask for more! Think I’ll go with those who have nominated 1a for the top spot and follow that with 7&20d, both of which made me smile.
Devotions, of course, to Mr T/Beam and many thanks to Gazza for the review and cartoons – particularly liked the guy requesting support for 9d.
Was expecting a tougher Thursday Toughie but this one hoisted the white flag fairly quickly. I must be getting used to Beam’s style.
Cleverly constructed and very enjoyable with a couple of well hidden lurkers.
1a my COTD, as I too was initially tricked by the beam reference.
Thanks to Gazza for airing his cartoon joke book once more and to Beam.
As always from this compiler, concise cluing and a joy to solve. It may not have been difficult but nevertheless it gave a lot of pleasure solving.
There was so much to like that I can’t pick a favourite.
Thank you Gazza for the blog and laughter ( you were on fire today!) and to Beam for the enjoyment.
Enjoyable and not much harder than the cryptic.
Lots of very elegant clues. Took a while to realise king was k not r for LOI. Took longer than I’d have liked as paper hosed by an excitable granddaughter and I had to wait for it to dry!!
Thanks to all.
Evening all. My thanks to Gazza for the illumination and to everybody else for your comments.
RayT
Good evening, Mr T. Loved your self-reference in 1a!
Another superbly crafted puzzle from this maestro.
Thanks Beam and Gazza.