Toughie No 3473 by Dharma
Hints and tips by ALP
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment *****
Typically clever stuff from Dharma. He’s shown us a lot of love here to put a real shift in: honed surfaces, imaginative wordplay and fun pay-offs. As ever with him, there was some retro parsing, but his definitions are always scrupulously fair. You can probably tell that I liked this, a lot. All yours.
Across
1a Is tale about one who served? (6)
AGASSI: ‘Is’ from the clue + tale/yarn, reversed (about). Deceptively simple!
4a Perhaps Google challenger, one going for nothing, will get the thumbs-up … (8)
APPROVAL: What Google is, by example (shortened), + challenger/opponent, with the usual “one” changed to the usual “nothing”.
10a … unlike official sport ebbing into recession (9)
DIFFERENT: (Match) official + (motor) sport, reversed/ebbing, inside/into (a) recession/depression.
11a Hunger after former runner eats very thriftily to begin with (5)
COVET: (Seb) runner contains/eats V[ery], plus T[hriftily].
12a Leaves before old boat sadly takes on volume of water? (7)
TOBACCO: BOAT, sadly, before the usual “old”, contains/takes on (a) cubic centimetre.
13a Urge mummy’s boy to lose weight ahead of posh university (7)
IMPULSE: Mummy’s boy/weed loses the abbreviation for “weight”, plus the usual “posh” and (London) university.
14a Aussie finally opening tinny having put love before the drink (5)
OCEAN: [Aussi]E inside/opening tin(ny), with the usual “love” at the start.
15a Opinionated note put in computer by setter? (8)
DOGMATIC: (Sound of Music) note inside (a) computer (not a PC) by/after setter (not a compiler!).
18a Band together with husband cutting most of volume for song and dance (8)
BALLYHOO: band together/join forces + the usual “husband” inside/cutting volume/tome, minus the last letter.
20a Cereal bar name half promises to be good for you (5)
BRAVO: Cereal bar/minus N[ame] + the first half of a four-letter word for promises/swearts.
23a Father quaffing large brew back in bijou flat (7)
PLATEAU: Father/dad contains/quaffs the usual “large” + (a) brew + [bijo]U.
25a Foolish spectator swapping ends in Luton (7)
WITLESS: Spectator/observer, changing [Luto]N to L[uton].
26a Heard neckwear’s uncomfortable? (5)
ROUGH: Homophone of (Jacobean, etc) neckwear that’s pleated.
27a Hot before, in the past, later and in the future (9)
HEREAFTER: The usual “hot” + (poetic) “before” + later/following. Smart.
28a Concern of former royal having stopped duty (8)
EXERCISE: former (late) royal stops/goes inside duty/tax.
29a Put your oar in sea and paddle home wiped out (6)
MEDDLE: (A) sea (shortened) + [pad]DLE (ie, with pad/home deleted). Lovely surface.
Down
1d Vet with aggressive cat delivering first character test (8)
AUDITION: (to) vet (the books, etc) + aggressive/big cat, minus its first letter/character.
2d Shy of masculine guy drinking fine, cool cordial (7)
AFFABLE: Guy/man minus/shy of M[asculine] contains/drinks F[ine] and cool/super.
3d Left abandoning Southern congestion charge – could the French set up this route? (4,5)
SUEZ CANAL: The usual “southern” + (London) congestion charge, minus the usual “left” + could/is able to, plus French for “the”, reversed/set up. Impressive Lego.
5d Suggestion of green activity depressing one in eight in Twickenham maybe … (7,7)
PUTTING FORWARD: Activity on a green (not bowling!) plus (depressing in down) one of eight players in a team at Twickenham (Allianz, if you really must) or Sandy Park, etc.
6d … review arising in March/middle of April (5)
RECAP: (to) march + [ap]R[il], reversed/arising.
7d One who once scored six against German outfit? (7)
VIVALDI: The Roman “six”, the sporting “against” and German outfit/supermarket. Reads beautifully, this.
8d Refuse meat when middle becomes dry (6)
LITTER: Type of meat (best with onions?), with its middle letter swapped out for the usual “dry”.
9d Doubts views underpinning Spare (6,8)
SECOND THOUGHTS: Views/ideas after/underpinning spare (as in a spare pair of trousers or, indeed, a fifth heir).
16d Imprisoning wrong ‘un, a right mouthful for judge (9)
ARBITRATE: ‘A’ + the one-letter “right” + mouthful/snack, containing/imprisoning wrong ‘un/scoundrel.
17d Understand kids, right? (8)
CONSTRUE: Kids/tricks + right/correct.
19d Generally when beer drinking regret finishing early (2,1,4)
AS A RULE: The usual “when” and “beer” containing/drinking the usual “regret”, minus its last letter.
21d On the ball, turnover of Dundee’s wingers alarmed (7)
ALERTED: On the ball/aware + the first and last letter of “D[unde]E”, reversed/turned over. I suspect some might find this somewhat same-sidey, but I am blind to such things. Truly, I am!
22d Small winnings making United mania ultimately thin on the ground (6)
SPARSE: The usual “small” + (boxing?) winnings, turning U[nited] into [mani]A.
24d Bored by Hello and so on’s set of moral values (5)
ETHIC: The usual “and so on” contains/is bored by the usual “hello”.
Just one anagram (a partial at that) and not so much as a sniff of a chestnut. Impressive. My list of ticks is just ridiculous – I might as well stick a pin in it. So … I’ll go for 20a, 29a and 7d. How did you get on?
What an absolute delight from beginning to end!
One of the most entertaining solves I’ve had in a long while, full of humour, excellent surfaces and very clever clueing.
With a partial sporting theme, this was Test match standard setting.
Impossible for me to pick a podium as this one has more ticks than a mangy mongrel.
Take a bow, Dharma!
Thanks also to ALP for confirming the parsing of 22d. That was my LOI. Although the answer was obvious, it had me going for a while.
Pretty tricky for a Tuesday I thought but an excellent puzzle from Dharma (his best Toughie so far for my money). Thanks to him and to ALP.
I’ve never driven near the 3d abbreviation but I thought it stood for the area where the charge is levied rather than the charge itself.
I could have ticked nearly every clue but I’ll restrict myself to 1a, 23a, 5d and 9d with my favourite being 7d.
It did not help that I failed to notice the puzzle would print to two pages, which put me in a sour mood, but the continuing utter ineptitude of DT’s Puzzles & IT teams did not detract from the crossword itself. As I noted in the other blog comment section, a satisfying challenge and while no gimme, nonetheless an approachable Toughie. Maybe 0.5 more on my personal Toughie Mohs Scale.
Some odd surfaces, some great surfaces, but always a requirement to read the clues very carefully indeed to unravel the wordplay; impressive self-control on the inclusion of anagrams – 12a was among my last few in, before which I had wondered whether we were on for a Beam-ish puzzle.
Honours to 12a, 25a & 1d. Many thanks to Dharma & ALP
It took me a while to get onto the right wavelength and, when I did, I made steady progress but still found it very tough (Thursday plus standard) particularly in the NW corner.
Nevertheless it was well worth persisting with. It was most enjoyable and I was very satisfied when I completed it with only 2d unparsed.
I had lots of ticks with 7d & 9d fighting it out for top spot.
Many thanks to Dharma and to ALP.
Think this is the first work of Dharma where I understood what I needed to do to achieve the answer! Really enjoyable I liked all of them, so thanks to him and to ALP for explanations. These remind me a bit of Dharna’s when he used to do them. I had the definition at 11a down as two words.
Frankiemillwall at #1 sums it up in the opening two sentences.
Last one in was 1a – “one who served”…..!
Many thanks to Dharma and to ALP. 2*/5* for me.
That was very tough, but an excellent puzzle. The SE corner held out the longest for me, with 20a and 17d proving to be the most stubborn.
Like our blogger I had plenty of retro parsing to do but got them all ticked off in the end.
Plenty of sport and a baroque composer. What’s not to like?!
Many thanks to Dharma and ALP.
An excellent puzzle which I felt would not be out of place on a Thursday. SW went in first and NW was last to complete. I had so many ticks but my favourite was 7D.
Many thanks to ALP for the blog and to Dharma for an enjoyable challenge.
That was a cracker, thanks, Dharma. And thanks to ALP for the comments. A couple of notches above normal Tuesday fare, largely for the amount of cutting and replacing needed, but all clearly and fairly clued. Favourites 23a and 7d for the surfaces, and 9d for the topicality. I share Gazza’s quibble about the congestion charge, although I see those areas as being pollution controls, with congestion a secondary (alleged) benefit.
Most enjoyable! Many thanks to setter. No single favourite as I liked them all!
Loved it, very clever wording, and a spot of humour too! Nice one!
Welcome to the blog, Soonas.
If one prints both the Cryptic and Toughie, utilising 1 sheet of paper, which is turned round 1/2 way through, this will resolve Mustafa’s frustrations. To avoid any overrun printing over the Crossword heading, the sheet should be inserted upside down on the 2nd occasion.
Thanks Dragonfly – that’s what I usually do, but was distracted at just the wrong time this morning, did not notice the DT had screwed up yet again, hit print, came back 2 minutes later, and groaned.
I never get this problem with printing from other papers. Just the DT, and only since their inept site redesign.
Many thanks to everyone who has solved and commented, always appreciated, and especially to ALP for his usual top-notch review.
Huge thanks for popping in, and for yet another belter.
I can’t remember enjoying a crossword as much as this since maybe one of the late great Petitjean’s or possibly a Notabilis puzzle.
Bravo lad! My paper is covered with asterisks but I’ve got em down to these 5:- 20a [cereal bar name – brilliant] 3d [the surface is a bit weird but brilliantly captures the wordplay] 7d [we’ve seen “scored” often but the rest of it is stupendous] 19d [just perfect] and 24d [perfect again].
Thanks Dharma and ALP – enjoyed the tunes.
Having abandoned this to solve the cryptic crossword over my evening meal I returned to it after a short post prandial nap and finished it with almost indecent haste, albeit with a few bung ins which I needed the hints to parse, amazing what forty winks will do. I appreciated the cleverness of this. Favourite was 25a. Thanks to Dharma and ALP.
Is ‘putting forward’ the right part of speech for ‘suggestion ‘?
To make a suggestion should involve putting forward your ideas. If you don’t put them forward for consideration how will we know?
Cracking puzzle Gromit, I struggled a bit but the hints helped me over the line. If we get more like this from Dharma I think a different day may be appropriate, as I found it quite Tough for Tuesday
Thanks to Dharma and ALP cracking tunes as usual
Dharma certainly in the wrong slot – pretty tough for a Tuesday. Also agree with our reviewer’s 5* enjoyment rating – super puzzle. A large number of whys (other than 22d -d’oh) travelled on a later bus for me also. Ticks galore – 7d my fav with 1,25&29a plus 5,8&9d other particular likes.
Thanks to D&A – especially for my fav track off the Seeger Sessions. Thought you’d go for SRV (Tin Pan Alley) for 26a.
Thank you to those who recommended this — so many fantastic clues! (Basically all the ones mentioned by others above.) And thank you to ALP for the much-needed assistance in unlocking the fun: this was definitely a tough Toughie for me. But most of all, thank you to Dharma for devising it!
2*/5* …
liked 13A “Urge mummy’s boy to lose weight ahead of posh university (7)”