Toughie No 3499 by Django
Hints and tips by ALP
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment *****
A Django’s always a treat and this was no exception. Fizzy surfaces, a couple of smilers and clever wordplay. Surprisingly gentle for a Thursday, I fairly zipped through this, so I hope my one-star rating doesn’t spark too much harrumphing! All yours.
Across
1a Cold massage breaking ship’s surgeon’s habit (6)
SCRUBS: The abbreviation for “cold” and the usual “massage” break/go inside (steam)ship.
5a Criminal mastermind finally traps James Bond – overlooking very problematic plot point? (5,3)
LOOSE END: [crimina]L + [mastermin]D traps/contains Bond’s number (spelled out), minus the usual “very”. Lovely.
9a Coming in considerably tense, entirely foolish person doesn’t cope (5,5)
FALLS APART: Entirely/totally + fool(ish person)/twit comes/goes inside a synonym for considerably/very much and the usual “tense”.
10a Blood on zip at the front (4)
GORE: The usual on/about, with zip/vim preceding.
11a Item Banksy used, e.g. to screen publicity about name (5,3)
SPRAY CAN: e.g./for example screens/contains the usual “publicity” + the two-letter “about” + the usual “name”.
12a Love cycling jersey’s finishing in blue (6)
EARTHY: Cycle an informal verb (or symbol) for “love” (first letter to last) + [jerse]Y.
13a Regularly whack them around and make an impression (4)
ETCH: Reversed alternate. [w]H[a]C[k]T[h]E[m].
15a Peak tourist period working away in open ocean (4,4)
HIGH SEAS: Peak tourist period (it’s not low!) minus the usual “working” (2).
18a Unemotional sort after golf clubs given away as fairground prize? (8)
GOLDFISH: The usual “golf” + an unemotional sort (4,4), minus the usual “clubs”.
19a Detest tablet on pillbox? (4)
HATE: Tablet (drug) on/after “pillbox” (by example).
21a This writer’s work initially incites angry viewer’s complaint (6)
MYOPIA: How Django would say “this writer’s” + the usual “work” + I[ncites] A[ngry]. Clued with feeling I suspect!
23a Once again takes on study before new post (8)
READOPTS: (to) study + POST, new.
25a Sign record with love (4)
LOGO: (to) record + the usual “love”.
26a London attraction seen in Ken Loach film about western plot (3,7)
KEW GARDENS: (the most famous?) Ken Loach film contains the abbreviation for “western” + plot (lawn, etc).
27a Father and I ultimately lie in bed all day to get warm (8)
FRIENDLY: The abbreviation for “father” + ‘I’ + [li]E [i]N [be]D [al]L [da]Y.
28a Problem for 14 year old with temperature seeing doctor first (3,3)
DRY ROT: The abbreviations for “year”, “old” and “temperature” following the most common one for “doctor” = what would/could be a problem for 14d.
Down
2d Married man hides crush (5)
CHAMP: Man/bloke hides/contains the usual “married”.
3d Let go of handle and sue after collapsing (9)
UNLEASHED: HANDLE+SUE, collapsing.
4d Perhaps Google Maps gave data for dynamic growth according to terms (6)
SEARCH: Last-letter acrostic (terms).
5d Practise to get better – and hear why later when put to work (5,3,4,3)
LEARN THE HARD WAY: ANDHEARWHYLATER, put to work.
6d Count more than two huge icebergs originally at sea (8)
OUTWEIGH: TWOHUGE+I, at sea.
7d Keen to have time in Ecuador on vacation (5)
EAGER: (period of) time in E[cuado]R.
8d Direction from Gagarin – or the astronaut (5-4)
NORTH-EAST: Lurker, hidden in the last four words.
14d 8 wood? (3-2-4)
TWO-BY-FOUR: Do the reverse maths!
16d Choosy lad managed to make time for lessons? (9)
SCHOOLDAY: CHOOSYLAD, managed.
17d Focus of whip before a Whitehall journalist took over (8)
HIJACKED: [w]HI[p] + a comic called Whitehall + the usual “journalist”.
20d Chance of alcoholic drinking a shiraz at the end (6)
HAZARD: Alcoholic (ie, not soft) drinking/containing ‘A’ + [shira]Z
22d Flat/apt (5)
PRONE: Double definition.
24d Fly circling round fizzy drink (5)
TANGO: Fly, reversed (circling) + the “round” letter.
Five anagrams, a lurker, an acrostic and a fair few single-letter indicators made for a very jolly and pretty brisk solve. I especially enjoyed 18a, 28a and 14d. But 5a takes it for me. How did you get on?
So that’s where Tuesday’s Toughie went. Enjoyable from start to finish as you’d expect from Django, even allowing for the annoying final clue on a second page
Thanks to Django and ALP
I just caught the printing in time to reverse the page and save it going to a second sheet. Why oh why oh why etc etc …..
I loved this, and was pleased to get it just finished before the hints were published. A little surprised to find you’d rated it only * for difficulty … until I realized the clues didn’t match and I’d accidentally done yesterday’s Prime puzzle instead!
Still, I was pleased to see ‘Horizon’ in there, thereby keeping up Django’s ongoing theme of Post-Office-scandal-related clues, even in a puzzle that literally nobody except for me thought was by Django. Ooops. I’ll try to fit in the actual puzzle later, especially now I know it’s only *!
Apart from the Whitehall comedian (never heard of him, but then again that’s not my sort of thing), the rest was plain sailing.
A smidgen more than a 1* time rating for me, but I agree with 5* for enjoyment.
I had nine ticks on my printed sheet of paper, but I will vote for my last to parse, which was 5a – James Bond (very clever!).
Many thanks to Django, and to ALP for the write-up.
An absolute cracker, witty and wonderful throughout. Great surfaces. Could tick almost everything, but will exercise some discretion and put 5a, 18a & 28a on the podium, with 14d & 17d taking the runners-up spots.
Many thanks to Django and ALP
Great fun as always from Django – thanks to him and ALP.
I was delighted to save a whole sheet of paper by handwriting the final across clue on my printout.
My five selections exactly match those of Mustafa G thereby saving me more effort.
Wonderful entertainment, lasting longer than it should have as I had the last word in 11a as ‘gun’, which made 4d unsolvable until I realised my mistake when I focused on its last word.
So many top clues, I’ve also picked out 5a 18a and 28d.
As a kid, I came away with an 18a as a prize when the fairground pitched up at Southwark Park.
Alas, despite carefully transferring it from its temporary accommodation which was a plastic bag into more spacious surroundings (a large pudding bowl) when I got home, by the next morning it was an ex-goldfish.
The old man proffered sound advice: “Next time, choose a candyfloss, it’ll last longer!”
Thanks to ALP for the blog, and Django.
This really was top notch.
Terrific puzzle but I didn’t think it was all that easy – say 2* for me. I’ll also go with Mustafa on the favourites with a toss-up between James Bond and the goldfish for the top slot.
Thanks to Django and ALP – eclectic as ever. Nice to revisit a bit of Roy H but is that really Cameron Diaz singing? Is she like that naturally or did she have to be taught?
This was a much better example of crossword puzzles than the new murder and crossword series on C5 I’m watching as I type. I’ve seen less ham at the bacon factory.
The Django was a treat and the favourite amongst many was the 8wood when I stopped thinking about 8d and the recently felled Sycamore Gap tree.
Thanks to Django and Alp
Made harder work of it than a 1* but loved it. Ticks galore – 5a the clear pick of ‘em for me & special mention for the 14d/28a combo,11&26a plus 17d.
Thanks to Django & ALP – Ben & JW my pick of the tunes.
Thanks ALP, thanks all.
Ta lots for popping in – and for an absolute snorter.
2*/4*
liked 24D “Fly circling round fizzy drink (5)”