Toughie No 3507 by Weatherman
Hints and tips by ALP
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment *****
Weatherman slides fizzily into the Thursday slot with muscle and menace. I can cope with Welsh food, religious festivals and even 18th century philosophers but chemistry (2d) will always break me. Mercifully, the trickier GK is very fairly clued and it all makes for an absolute snorter. All yours.
Across
1a Sculptures controversially resembling naked male (5,7)
ELGIN MARBLES: RESEMBLING+[M]AL[E], controversially.
8a Mexican state capital’s representatives returned to interrupt welcome party (7)
HIDALGO: This refers to the UK’s capital, as represented by the Greater London Authority. Reverse/return it inside/interrupting the usual “welcome” and “party”.
9a Fallen angel‘s long-term con taking in retired copper (7)
LUCIFER: A con[vict] with a (very) long term takes in/contains the symbol for copper, reversed/retired.
11a North African uncultivated land is hard (7)
MOORISH: Uncultivated (heath)land + ‘is’ + the usual “hard”.
12a Running wearing unusual grass garments (7)
SARONGS: Running/working wearing/inside unusual GRASS.
13a He quits the feminist movement briefly over symbol (5)
TOTEM: ‘T’ (“he” quits “the”) + a modern, five-letter – (5) or (2,3), take your pick – feminist movement, minus its last letter (briefly) and reversed/over.
14a Rather hot sandwiches right after pub grub from Wales (4,5)
BARA BRITH: Rather/slightly (1,3) + the usual “hot” sandwiches/contains the usual “right”, after the “pub” that’s not “inn”, “local”, “PH” or “tavern”.
16a Revolutionary attempt to change the image of motorsport? (9)
FIREBRAND: How one might describe such an attempt as (2,7), using the usual two-letter “motorsport”.
19a Initially, naughty sailor abandons duties and hums (5)
NIFFS: N[aughty] + (Trump’s favourite) duties, minus/abandoning the usual sailor (not AB or “salt”).
21a Celebrated Liberal avoids getting charged (7)
IONISED: A synonym for “celebrated” minus/avoiding the usual “Liberal”.
23a Courts detaining you and me in European country (7)
AUSTRIA: Court(yard)s detaining/containing “you and me”.
24a Declaim Seventies band Sweet (7)
ELOCUTE: 70s band + sweet/endearing.
25a Killer trailing press around island (7)
MAJORCA: Killer (fish) trails/follows (to) press/stuff, reversed/around.
26a Boring origins of playwright, artist, and movie star covered up (12)
INTERMINABLE: Remove the first letters/origins from Harold, Tracey and Clark.
Down
1d Last goal seconds before time (7)
ENDMOST: Goal/aim + seconds/trices + the usual “time”.
2d Occasionally, Burial about to get inspired by riotous glam metal (7)
GALLIUM: [b]U[r]I[a]L, reversed/about gets inspired by/goes inside riotous GLAM.
3d Fear of the new hip bone breaking grips old American (9)
NEOPHOBIA: HIPBONE, breaking, grips/contains the usual “old” and “American”.
4d Answer the Spanish guards heading for Team Sky’s supporter (5)
ATLAS: The abbreviation for “answer” + Spanish “the” (plural) guards/contains T[eam].
5d Lacking energy, political philosopher and advisers raised spa treatment (4,3)
BACK RUB: 18th century political philosopher (Edmund) minus the usual “energy” + public advisory network (3) all raised/reversed.
6d Turkish title hopefuls essentially fined for corruption (7)
EFFENDI: [hop]EF[uls] + FINED, corrupted.
7d They set out likely conditions, subject to female relative leaving money (3,3,6)
THE MET OFFICE: Subject/topic + ‘to’ + the usual “female” + money/funding, minus the three-letter relative inside. Not mum, dad, bro or sis – the other one!
10d A horn has twice blasted on fifth of March for festival (4,8)
ROSH HASHANAH: AHORN+HAS+HAS, blasted on/before [marc]H = Jewish New Year.
15d Swimmer‘s nuts, cycling following first couple of relays (3,6)
RED SALMON: Cycle (edible) “nuts” (7) (the last two letters are moved to the front) after/following RE[lays].
17d Reverse into river when disheartened and exhausted (3-4)
RUN-DOWN: (to) reverse/annul goes inside the usual “river” and W[he]N.
18d Airline’s reminder to fix large part of bridge (7)
BASCULE: (Top UK) “airline’s” + reminder/prompt fixes/contains the usual “large”.
19d Theatrical attempt to have bill reduced? (4,3)
NOSE JOB: Cryptic definition. The theatre alluded to is not in the West End, etc, and the bill isn’t monetary.
20d Endlessly walk, consumed by passion to see evergreen (3,4)
FIR TREE: Walk/hike, minus the last letter (endlessly) is consumed by/goes inside passion/heat.
22d Distant hope harboured by Padre Amorth (5)
DREAM: Lurker, hidden in the last two words. So, happily, no knowledge of exorcism is required.
We’ve got six anagrams – largely partials – one cryptic definition, a single lurker and a fair bit of containment. Very smart, very entertaining. I especially enjoyed 16a, 15d (for the surface) and 19d, but 26a’s the winner for me. How did you get on?
Super Toughie, hugely enjoyable. Did not bother to parse 8a (thought Maggie got rid of that authority, or was it the previous one? Haven’t been to that there Lunnon for best part of 20/25 years, and will be quite happy not to go there again in the next 30 or however much longer I have left) or 7d, was pleased to remember the bridge, Welsh nosh, festival and the relevant bit of the periodic table. A bit of a cracker all round with my honours bestowed upon 9a, 16a & COTD 26a.
Many thanks indeed to Weatherman and ALP
A mixture of amusing and clever clues, with some being both.
‘The Fallen Madonna with the Big Boobies’ by Van Klomp from ‘Allo ‘Allo was brought to mind by 9a, with the hums in 19a and the cosmetic surgery in 19d also making me laugh.
The feminist bandwagon in 13a was cleverly referenced and I liked the F1 paint job at 16a.
26a was far from boring, with the 4d strongman and the cycling fish at 15d also superb.
Spoilt for choice to pick out a winner, so I won’t even try, I’ll just tip my hat to Weatherman and thank ALP for the blog.
Very enjoyable Thursday-level Toughie – many thanks to Weatherman and ALP.
I did know most of the GK though I needed to check the Mexican state and that 24a is actually a verb.
I particularly liked 16a, 26a, 7d (our setter’s place of work?) and my favourite 19d.
Great Thursday Toughie. My favourite was 26a
Thanks to Weatherman and ALP
I found this quite a challenge but enjoyed the tussle. I wonder if Weatherman worked for the 7d? Thanks to ALP for help with a couple of parsings, especially 26a which is very clever! And thanks to Weatherman for the entertainment.
Good stuff. 16a, 26a,1d, 2d [the very thought], 17d and 19d [lol] all brilliant clues.
Thanks to Weatherman and ALP. For once I spotted your music pick [for 2d -tho’ it was a bit obvs]. The sitar thing was interesting.
Thanks ALP for the fine blog, and to commenters & any lurking solvers. I’ve no connection to 7d, but perhaps I should sneak my place of work into a future puzzle…
Ta lots for popping in. Super stuff, as ever.
Well this week has had the correct level Toughie for every day. So tomorrow will be a battle! I found this a notch harder than ALP, but as a chemist in a former life, 2d was one of the gimmes. Jewish festivals and old philosophers less so. 5d was imparted, still not sure I follow 7d, and don’t fully get 19d (the bill part, ok). I have 24a’s band mentally as more than just “70s”. I’m sure Weatherman recently promised something harder, and we’ve got that in spades.
Thanks to both ALP and Weatherman.
But the pennies have just dropped on the unparsed remainder having reread ALP’s hints properly!
Have teased out 19 correct (checked) answers (1 unparsed) & am retiring hurt. Above my lowly pay grade but may have another stab the morrow so will avoid ALP’s explanations for now.
Thanks for battering Weatherman.
That was thanks for the battering.
Completed this morning with a bit of checking (14a,10&18d) via Mr G but no letter reveal.
Particular likes from a host of ✅s included 1,16,19,24&26a plus 7&19d.
Thanks for the explanations ALP