Sunday Toughie 178 (Hints)

Sunday Toughie No 178

by Zandio

 

Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee

 

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A great Toughie from Zandio today, I managed to see it at about 11:30 last night and it didn’t take me much past midnight to fill the grid. Parsing it this morning took longer. The Spoonerism and nod to our new Tuesday Toughie blogger is probably my favourite today, but plenty of podium candidates.

I don’t think it is sufficient to call a theme but a couple of military units hit the cutting room floor, and another sneaks into 28a. I will try and nudge unhinted clues, if  you identify some or all of the picture for 28a

We have 14a and 16d clues today and I have hinted half.

As it is a Prize puzzle I can only hint at a few and hope that will give you the checkers and inspiration to go further. I’ll be back just after the closing date with the full blog. Don’t forget to follow BD’s instructions in RED at the bottom of the hints!

I hope I don’t have to redact any comments but I am not so new at this and don’t want to rock the boat. If in doubt, I’ll rub it out! I think that sentence is a bit redundant. You have all been so helpful in sorting out prior parsing failures, and I am sure I will need similar help again.

Most of the terms used in these hints are explained in the Glossary and examples are available by clicking on the entry under “See also” Where the hint describes a construct as “usual” this means that more help can be found in The Usual Suspects, which gives a number of the elements commonly used in the wordplay. Another useful page is Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, which features words with meanings that are not always immediately obvious. Don’t forget the Mine of useful information that Big Dave and his son Richard so meticulously prepared for us.

A full review of this puzzle will be published after the closing date for submissions. Some hints follow: Remember the site rules and play nicely

Across

1a          Girl I cast in Charlie Chaplin’s original masterpiece (7)
An informal girl and I from the clue are cast in stone within the original Charlie Chaplin.

5a          What Cows Chew, excellent filler for telly – turned over channel! (7)
What cows chew and an alphanumeric synonym of excellent are used as filler between another television abbreviation, turn it all over, and you have a channel.

11a       One doesn’t follow warning from driver who speeds? (10)
A warning from someone using a driver, whose little white ball may be about to hit spectators or fellow driver users, and one who speeds on foot

14a       After spliff, suggest partnership (5,7)
I would suggest something, especially after a spliff. The sensibility of such a partnership probably depends on the strength of the Camberwell Carrot!

18a       Bit of a ring round about backing city contracting in far north (6,6)
Start with a city, and contract it, then reverse it (backing) and insert it between a bit of a ring and to go round about. I did consider the American term for a roundabout, but that would be round about as one word and unindicated, so I will go with a general rounding.

22a       Secretaries approach fencing master in hall (10)
Abbreviated plural secretaries and a means of approach fencing in a wise master.

28a       One may calculate, for example, gallons needed by van (7)
Known for their mental agility, from abbreviated examples and gallons and a synonym of van as the leading units of an army

 

Down

1d         Copper fines hosts to stop supplying (3,3)
A chemical symbol and plural abbreviations host to from the clue.

3d         Twisted American individual Italy caught speeding (10)
One of our usual Americans is reversed on an individual followed by abbreviations of Italy, and caught.

5d         What actor may say, failing to hold Oscar up (5-4)
A failing contains the letter that Oscar suggests and a synonym of up.

8d         Almost dropped winning ace for nothing – that’s scruffy (8)
To stagger almost to the point of dropping, then swap the letter that looks like nothing for an ace.

13d       Fun broadcast delayed, getting fixed (10)
An anagram (broadcast) of fun and a synonym of delayed. Getting fixed or showing sustained, enthusiastic action with vitality.

16d       Irishman wound up server, downing one drink (3,5)
A typical male Irish name is reversed (wound up) over one who serves without the letter that looks like one.

20d       Perfect example of a Spoonerism: “Wherefore, Robin?” (6)
A questioning “wherefore” and Robin, as an example, when treated by The Reverend Spooner, becomes a perfect example. A tribute to our new Tuesday Toughie blogger perhaps

23d       George V lost, upholding “What you should do” (5)
A reverse lurker (upholding in a down clue) is what we are all trying to do here.

 

Compiler

Zandio

 

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