Toughie No 3472 by Elgar
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment *****
Elgar in full on Toughie mode with a couple of clues where it took quite a bit of muttering and checking with a friend to confirm that my thoughts were right. If there is anything hidden in the grid, I haven’t found it at the time of typing and scheduling the blog but will keep looking
Please let us know what you thought
Across
1a Briefly drop off payment to get Tiddles back in it? (6)
CATNAP you might have to make a ransom payment if Tiddles had been a victim of this
4a Is he unable to hold his binoculars still? (8)
TWITCHER My favourite clue, not least because it made Mr CS laugh when I read it out loud and then said ‘Ah… a particular type of birdwatcher’ who is possibly unable to hold his binoculars still(or anything else)
10a Lead on? Conceivably stop, with a blow to the head (3,2)
LIE TO Lead on with mistruths or a nautical term meaning to stop with the head to the wind
11a College, by choice, catalogued library resources (5,4)
UNION LIST An abbreviated college and a two-word phrase meaning catalogued. Materials available on a single subject, in each case naming the library and locating the material precisely in it
12a Holding his ale, is this Spooner’s only problem? (4,3)
BEER MUG Spooner would refer to this as his only problem
13a Horse beginning to rear disturbs person mounting up? (7)
TROTTER The letter at the beginning to Rear ‘disturbs’ someone adding up
14a Drink celebration – parole’s violated when joining in (9,5)
SINGAPORE SLING A celebration into which is inserted (joining in) an anagram (violated) of PAROLES
17a OK to cut inmate Prisons Alliance entitlements (8,6)
CONJUGAL RIGHTS A synonym for OK ‘cuts’ an informal prisoner and a slang name for prisons
21a Disheartening lifetime restriction applied to Middle-Eastern country … (7)
LEBANON The outside (dis heartening) letters of LifetimE and a restriction (3) applied to (2)
23a … as a result of which cereal imports are in reduced form (7)
WHEREAT A type of cereal crop ‘imports’ the second and third letters (in reduced form) of aRE
24a Element 68 above element 90? (Periodical fault-finder) (9)
THUNDERER The chemical symbol for Erbium (68) and a word meaning the opposite of above go after the chemical symbol for Thorium – the result being a nickname for the Times Newspaper
25a Snubbed area where you could be putting suit (5)
AGREE The abbreviation for Area and a truncated (snubbed) area for putting a golf ball
26a Right work to draw in cowboy? (8)
PROPERLY Work at steadily ‘draws in’ a cowboy who catches horses
27a Stokes’s foremost side includes at No.1 Root, master to Harry Brook (6)
STREAM The foremost letter of Stokes and a sports side includes the first letter (at no 1) of Root; an alternative way of parsing this clue would be to make an anagram (harry) of MASTER
Down
1d Fruit bread probed by a research facility (8)
CALABASH Money (bread) ‘probed’ by A (from the clue) and an informal name for a research facility
2d Definitive check for entering that location (9)
THEREINTO Definitive check (xxx xxxx) and a synonym for for
3d Capsizing points to a loss of sense (7)
ANOSMIA A reversal (capsizing) of points or directs a weapon towards (4,2) and A (from the clue)
5d They squeal at initiation when fellow’s raised strap descends! (7-7)
WHISTLE-BLOWERS The first (at initiation) letter of When , followed by belonging to a man (fellow’s), a reversal (raised) of a verb meaning to hit with a strap, finished by a synonym for descends
6d Wrapping can frustrate (7)
TINFOIL Another word for a can and a verb meaning to frustrate or defeat
7d Who is that cuddling Jack? (5)
HOIST A misleading capital for the definition of something hidden in the first three words of the clue
8d Can you distil something from this sharp reply? (6)
RETORT A vessel used in chemistry for distillation or a ready and witty answer (sharp reply)
9d Doctor curtly agrees with nurse: long bones at the top (7,7)
SURGEON GENERAL The senior medical officer (bones) in the military – an anagram (doctor) of AGREEs (curtly telling you to omit the S) with NURSE LONG
15d Some power cycling done by the young impressing daughter (3,6)
NTH DEGREE Cycle the letter at the end of an expression meaning THE young to the front of the phrase and ‘impress’ or insert the abbreviation for Daughter
16d This other manager monitoring hotline? (8)
ISOTHERM Hidden in (monitoring) the first three words of the clue
18d DA’s “X”? Well, “XX” rather than “XY” (4,3)
JANE DOE An American (as used by a District Attorney) name for an unidentified murder victim, in this case a female because the chromosomes are XX rather than XY
19d Not nice? I then do without tango (7)
INEXACT Not done with great care – I (from the clue), immediately after (then) without the letter represented by Tango in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet) and a synonym for do
20d Oddly full, shame about dump (3-3)
FLY-TIP The odd letters of FuLl and a reversal (about) of a synonym for shame
22d Carpenter’s mate, first in boxing ring to maintain drive (5)
BRUNO The mate of Harry Carpenter, the boxing commentator – the first letter of Boxing and the ring-shaped letter into which is inserted (to maintaining) a verb meaning to drive
One of Elgar’s more accessible toughies, thankfully, but still with a couple of definitions new to me: the sailing term in 10a and the loss of sense in 3d.
The reverend makes another (for me) welcome appearance, in 12a. Hopefully no one can complain about him this time.
As it is an Elgar Friday toughie I’ll award podium honours to three in each direction, namely 24, 25 and 27a and 5, 15 and 18d.
I’m still struggling to parse 19d, even with Sue’s explanation, but I’ll get there in the end.
Many thanks to brilliant pairing that is CS and Elgar.
Nice can mean accurate so it if is ‘not nice’ it is 19d
Got it! Thank you.
A top-notch puzzle (even more enjoyable because there are no cross-referencing clues making us jump around the grid). Many thanks to Elgar and CS.
I have lots of ticks including 4a, 10a, 13a, 27a, 18d and 22d.
An absolute cracker, especially so for the same reason cited by Gazza. As Frankie notes, at the more accessible end of Elgar’s range but for me still undeniably a 5* Friday Toughie. I was greatly encouraged that 1a & 1d fell on reading, but progress swiftly slowed! Three of the four long clues fell reasonably straightforwardly, but 5a stood nearly to the end and its parsing escaped me entirely. Ticks absolutely everywhere, with honours going to 4a, 24a & 7d, with runners-up 18d & 19d.
Re 19d – this has stuck with me for a good few decades, as the wonderful Good Omens by Pratchett & Gaiman features a C17th character who had written “The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch” with the text clarifying ‘nice’ as meaning precise or exact. I recall reading that Pratchett enjoyed crosswords – he certainly references them in his Discworld novels. He is credited with saying that “Numbers are easy to outwit. They can’t think back. The people who devise the crosswords, now they are indeed devious.” …. how true!
How terribly rude of me, I do apologise : may I add my thanks to Elgar and of course to Sue!
A top-notch gimmick-free Elgar. Thought ii would be a relatively friendly one; like MG above I got 1a and 1d straightaway [even tho I failed to see the 2nd def in 1a and spent ages trying to parse it]. The 4 long ones were also reasonably soluble but then the real fun started, especially taxing in the SE [the double clue at 27a was wilfully devious]. No particularly faves – just good fun all round.
Thanks to Elgar and CS [added thanks for the explanation of the “blow to the head” bit of 10a].
I’ve had another birthday, so I’m always pleased when I can finish an Elgar and know my brain is still operating. i found this one at the easier end of his Friday Toughies and a bit lacking in pdms as it all flowed quite quickly from one corner to the next instead of my usual grid with single answers dotted about. Still enjoyed though. Thanks to both better and slogger.
Late as usual for a Friday, I needed a fair few nudges from CS’s hints but got there eventually.
Favourite clue was 24a, I recently arrived at the latest tapsters to see Elgar composing a few clues for a forthcoming puzzle, I wonder if, when composing 24a, he has the periodic table memorised a-la Tom Lehrer.
Thanks to Sue and Elgar
Elgar at his very best! Far from being straightforward, but doable slowly over time. Perfect for dipping into and out of over a weekend. And a good dose of science, too. As a birder and occasional 4a, that one takes my prize. Thanks to Elgar and to CS for refining the parsing of 10a.
Apologies for this (Gazza will understand). I’m trying to update my profile picture, which seems to be locked into the distant past…