Toughie No 3511 by Silvanus
Hints and tips by ALP
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment ****
After some relatively chewy Toughies this week, I was expecting a proper kicking from the mighty Silvanus today. But no – he’s in supremely avuncular mood. Scrupulously fair as always, with clear definitions and no real GK to speak of, bar 17d’s (gently clued) flora. Light fun. All yours.
Across
1a Caribbean island reversing recent arrest, nominee is claiming (10)
MONTSERRAT: Lurker, reversed in the fourth, fifth and sixth words.
6a Great deal of money, mine perhaps (4)
BOMB: Definition + definition by example.
10a Unlimited praise for what barista serves up (5)
LATTE: (to) praise/flannel, less the first and last letters (unlimited).
11a This writer felt satisfied penning If (9)
METHOUGHT: The usual-ish “satisfied” containing/penning if/yet.
12a Female departing country amid regret quits HMRC previously (6,7)
INLAND REVENUE: F[emale] deleted from/departing a (Nordic) country + quits/all square amid/inside the usual “regret”.
14a Promising to secure million for Republican is arrogant (8)
ASSUMING: Promising/guaranteeing, with (securing) its integral R[epublican] replaced by the usual “million”.
16a Flipping sensible limits court establishes by law (6)
ENACTS: Sensible/rational, reversed/flipping limits/contains the abbreviation for “court”.
18a Observing husband is lacking in love (6)
NOTING: Remove the usual “husband” from “love” (tennis, etc).
20a Trite statement by gutless animal charity (8)
ALTRUISM: Trite statement/platitude by/after A[nima]L.
22a Circumventing directors, one may face carpeting (8-5)
SKIRTING BOARD: A synonym for circumventing/bypassing + the usual-ish “directors”. Lovely definition.
26a Language of hate, hard to ignore, person broadcast (9)
ESPERANTO: [H]ATE+PERSON, broadcast.
27a City skill reflected in draw (5)
TRACE: City (of London) + skill/talent, reversed/reflected.
28a “Order!” Speaker’s requested (4)
SORT: Homophone (speaker’s) of requested/asked for.
29a Doctors in Spain, shy around nurses in charge (10)
PHYSICIANS: SPAINSHY, around, contains/nurses the usual “in charge”.
Down
1d Sauce Underground worker (4)
MOLE: Double definition.
2d Wins title, wrongly dismissing league’s outsiders as “fools” (7)
NITWITS: WINSTITLE, wrongly, dismissing/less L~E.
3d Lift going up allows American to enter (5)
STEAL: Allows/permits, reversed (going up), with the usual one-letter “American” entering/inside.
4d Kid, maybe smallest offspring, protects mum around home (8)
RUMINANT: The smallest offspring (of the litter, etc) protects/contains the usual mum/mother around/outside the usual “home”.
5d Succeeding to promote area for change (5)
ALTER: Succeeding/subsequently has its A[rea] “promoted” from second to first place.
7d Natural new grain in ordinary crops, originally (7)
ORGANIC: GRAIN, new, in(side) O[rdinary] C[rops].
8d Irritating European group returning to entertain different people (10)
BOTHERSOME: E[uropean] + group/crowd, reversed/returning, entertaining/containing “different people” as in not you or us, etc, but the rest.
9d Articulate Native American facing reminder of the past (8)
SOUVENIR: Homophones (articulate) of perhaps the best-known Native American tribe + facing/facade (dental, say).
13d Suspect a nastiness in French barman (5-5)
SAINT-SAENS: ANASTINESS, suspect.
15d Financial backing from Canada supports artist adding track (8)
MONETARY: [Canad]A supports/follows (Impressionist) artist, plus/adding the usual two-letter “track”.
17d Second son wearing suit arrives at plant (4,4)
CLUB MOSS: Second/moment plus the abbreviated “son” wearing/inside suit (of cards).
19d Tourist, one who’s grounded? (7)
TRIPPER: Definition + definition by example. Grounded as in (fallen) on the ground.
21d Where to find Gary, popular with royalty once (7)
INDIANA: The usual popular/fashionable + royalty once/late princess = the home (state) of Gary, the city.
23d Nordhausen in Thuringia inspiring Beethoven’s final symphony (5)
NINTH: Lurker, hidden in the first three words.
24d Extremely deficient grid being refined (5)
ATTIC: Grid/network, less its outer letters (extremely deficient). Fun in-house surface.
25d Props close to actors on set knocked over (4)
LEGS: [Actor]S on/after “(to) set” (hair, say), reversed/knocked over.
Five anagrams plus a couple of lurkers made for a brisk and cheery solve. I especially liked the brilliantly defined 22a as well as 9d and 21d but I think 11a (not just for its fine misdirection but for the sheer bravura of the word choice) just about takes it for me. What did you make of it?
I have to disagree with our blogger, nothing wrong with that, a real head scratching Toughie from the half of the Dream Team that is on duty today – ****/****
Candidates for favourite – 18a, 22a, and 21d – and the winner is 22a.
One of the few ‘claims to fame,’ and there aren’t many, I know I’ve been there, of the town in 21d, which is overshadowed by the nearby ‘Windy City,’ is that it was the home of the musical Jackson family, before they were famous.
Thanks to Silvanus and ALP.
I agree with ALP, this was not as difficult as I was expecting.
There were some cracking surfaces as I’d expect from Silvanus, and I’ve picked out 3d, 8d and 21d as three of the smoothest.
Many thanks to our setter and blogger.
An enjoyable Silvanus puzzle which wasn’t too much of a stretch – thanks to him and ALP.
I didn’t have a problem with 21d because it reminded me of a clue which Ray T produced a long time ago giving me a namecheck:
A top spot here’s Gary Jones, perhaps (7)
I particularly liked 11a, 22a and 4d but my favourite was the aforementioned 21d.
How depressing to see this given 1* for difficulty by our blogger. Although it was absolutely brilliant, and a great pleasure to solve, I thought it was the hardest Silvanus puzzle I have ever tackled! Ah well, we are all different.
With ticks aplenty, after due consideration 22a gets my vote as favourite.
Many thanks to Silvanus and to ALP.
Compared to yesterday’s toughie, which I found quite gentle, this was considerably harder.
Technically a dnf, as I put the fodder of 13d into an anagram solver as my last one in; I had the checkers in place, and knew I was looking for a French composer, however I had never heard of him.
Many thanks to Silvanus for a most enjoyable workout, and to ALP for the review
4*/4* for me.
A first rate Toughie from Mr Smooth and I was surprised by our reviewer’s rating of only 1* for difficulty. Perhaps I shouldn’t have been, given his own recent NTSPP!
I dithered for a while over both 6&8a until checkers came to my aid and have to admit that I needed to check the spelling of the French barman. No other problems to report and plenty to smile about. Prizes handed out to 11,18,20&22a although I could easily have awarded several more.
Many thanks to Silvanus for the pleasure and thanks to ALP for the review.
To add to the debate on the degree of difficulty, I will award this 3*, so just right for a Thursday Toughie in my book.
I particularly enjoyed the two classical music references at 13d and 23d.
DNK the sauce at 1d, but Mrs Shabbo came to the rescue on this one.
25d was my LOI. I just could not see it for some reason.
Trademark smooth surfaces from Silvanus, to whom, many thanks.
Thanks also to ALP for the blog.
Back to the cricket…
Compared to yesterday’s dnf this was a breeze but I still found it pretty difficult. Never heard of 11a, the sauce in 1d, 13d, 17d, the place in 21d or 24d in that sense, no wonder I struggled. LOI was 25d. There were a number of contenders for favourite though but I’ll go with 22a. Thanks to Silvanus for the mental beating and ALP.
Although I get the extremely deficient grid I still can’t see the relationship between the definition and the solution in 24d
The answer is defined in Chambers (adj.) as “refined, classical, pure (in taste, language, etc)”
Many thanks to all solvers and commenters and to ALP for his first blog of one of my puzzles. I also appreciate the name check in one of the clues in last Saturday’s NTSPP!
See you all again soon.
Huge thanks for popping in, and for yet another cracker. Twas an absolute joy.
Tackled way too late yesterday evening but fortunately completed just before the eyelids said no more. Not so sure about just the 1* but agree it was on the gentler side for a Smooth Toughie. Had never heard of 17d so that required a check with Mr G & wouldn’t have bet good money that I’d have remembered 1a had a T had it not been hidden. As ever a delight from start to finish & the full 5* enjoyment here. ✅s aplenty with 1,12,20&26a + 2,8&9d particular likes. 9d my last in & COTD.
Thanks to Silvanus & to ALP – nice to hear a bit of Bert. Withnail was always gonna be 21d’s music but Dave Alvin sprang to mind
Love Dave. Withnail might actually have to get a rest the next time Indiana pops up!
Done yesterday lunchtime but neglected to comment, and wanted to note my thanks to Silvanus for a super Thursday Toughie. Somewhat more than 1* for me, no doubt, and I found parts of the E considerably more chewy than the W though, when the sticky answers did arrive, I wondered at my obtuseness in not getting there sooner!
Ticks everywhere, so honours to 12a, 28a, 13d, 15d & 21d.
Many thanks to Silvanus and ALP