Toughie No 3514 by Prime
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment ***
The trend for properly tough Toughies continues
Please let us know what you thought
Across
1a Contributor‘s chat over cold beer in shade (11)
PARTICIPANT A reversal (over) of an informal discussion (chat) followed by the abbreviation for Cold and a type of beer inserted into a shade or colour
10a Moon reflected across southern town (5)
EPSOM A reversal (reflected) of move about listlessly (moon) into which is inserted he abbreviation for Southern
11a Fall of red and black football team, shortly after return of English Spurs player (9)
NOSEBLEED The abbreviation for Black and almost all (shortly) of a football team go after the reversed name of the South Korean football player who currently captains Spurs and the abbreviation for English
12a Consultancy breaking 50-50 with two making common border (9)
LEYLANDII I have absolutely no idea what the second and third letters of the solution have to do with consultancy How one is supposed to know that Ernst and Young took over a consultancy company and then the whole became EY Consultancy, I have no idea. A bit of specialist general knowledge required here. Anyway, they ‘break’ or go between two of the Roman numerals for 50, followed by a conjunction meaning with and the Roman numeral for two
13a More times: time within time (5)
EXTRA The letter used in multiplication sums and measurements to mean times and the abbreviation for Time inserted (within) a series of years (time)
14a Including nothing irrational, pen life story (6)
BIOPIC The letter meaning nothing and an irrational number inserted into a brand of ballpoint pen
16a Law largely restricting work for bread (8)
TORTILLA Almost all (largely) of the Book of the Law in Judaism ‘restricting’ work (the land)
18a You shouldn’t have piercing knife around performances (8)
RECITAL An informal word of thanks (you shouldn’t have) ‘piercing’ a reversed (around) knife
20a Reported restraint of one making vows (6)
BRIDAL A homophone (reported) of a restraint usually worn by a horse
23a Triple murderer’s sheltering Madagascan? (5)
LEMUR Hidden (sheltering) in the first two words of the clue
24a Prepare too much in public shower? (9)
OVERTRAIN Open to view (in public) and the sort of shower our garden desperately needs
26a Burn a lot of paper, with permit on the way (9)
STREAMLET A quantity of paper and a verb meaning to permit go on or after an abbreviated way
27a Fashionable to skip Delaware massacre site (5)
ALAMO An originally French expression meaning fashionable without (to skip) the abbreviation for the State of Delaware
28a Doctor greets pilot, noisy one who’s departed? (11)
POLTERGEIST An anagram (doctor) of GREETS PILOT
Down
2d Examine arsenic, for example (5)
ASSAY The chemical symbol for arsenic and an adverb meaning for example
3d Kitchen features in a quiet university uprising (7)
TIMPANI The percussion section of an orchestra is known as a kitchen. A reversal (uprising) of IN A (from the clue), the musical abbreviation meaning quiet and an abbreviated American University often found in crosswords
4d Country where miracle happened, around this time (6)
CANADA The place where Jesus is said to have performed two miracles goes around an abbreviation for this time
5d Not natural to adopt island supported by power of water? (8)
POSEIDON Not natural or put in an assumed attitude ‘adopts’ the abbreviation for Island, followed by a word meaning supported by
6d Extremely worthy Frenchman’s good in retreat – in case (7)
NOBLEST A reversal (in retreat) of the French word for good followed by a conjunction meaning in case
7d Philosophy corrupting most of belief in morals (13)
NEOLIBERALISM A philosophy that is the only word that fits the checking letters is an anagram (corrupting) of most of BELIEf and MORALS
8d Newly designed base on yard light (8)
RESTYLED A base or support, the abbreviation for Yard and an abbreviated type of light
9d Writer glad aeroplane gets dismantled (5,5,3)
EDGAR ALLAN POE An anagram (dismantled) of GLAD AEROPLANE
15d Unit gathering about northerly capital again (4,4)
ONCE MORE A single unit ‘gathering’ the Latin abbreviation meaning about and a reversal (northerly) of the capital of Italy
17d Somehow, of old, books filled with illumination (8)
FLOODLIT An anagram (somehow) of OF OLD and abbreviated literature (books)
19d Tormented with difficulty in severe weather (7)
TORNADO Tormented and trouble or difficulty
21d Struggle to get on a dog after resistance (3,4)
RAT RACE A (from the clue) and track or follow (dog) go after the symbol for Resistance
22d Trojan cow (6)
HECTOR A Prince of Troy or a verb meaning to bully (cow)
25d First lady’s partner’s the president (5)
ADAMS Belonging to the partner of the first lady in the Bible – the second President of the United States
Sharply done. 1a, 11a, 7d and 22d all very much worked for me. Re 12a, I can only assume that those two letters apply to the firm “** Consulting”. New to me, for sure, and one that made me sweat. I actually wrote “Jeepers” in the margin beside that clue! Best thanks to Prime and Sue.
12a EY Ernst & Young was my guess
No doubt, but I had no idea they’d initialised their name. Did you?!
No I didn’t. Even if my guess was correct, I am not claiming credit for it. I needed to confirm on the Internet.
Me too! No shame in that. It’s a neat little trick, to be fair. I’ll be interested to see how popular it is, mind!
This was extremely difficult for me, and I gave up with three remaining.
Re 12a, LANDLII was clear from the wordplay and I had the Y from 2d.
I enjoyed what I could manage! Thanks to Prime, and to CS for the explanations.
Tricky indeed with some very well disguised definitions (e.g. fall of red, burn, power of water) – thanks to Prime and CS.
I did know the 12a auditors but I didn’t know the 11a Spurs player (although it couldn’t be much else once the answer hove into view from the checkers).
I particularly liked 14a, 18a, 26a and 5d.
This was not easy. Struggled to get a foothold in the north so gradually worked from the bottom up.
Some quite complicated clues which once again had me musing over a completed grid for quite some time until I managed to parse them.
Honours to 1a, 18a, 5d and 9d, with the 11a fall of red dripping all over the top step of my podium.
Thanks, Prime and CS.
Well that was tough – but not that tough. For once I give it less [say 4*] than CS. But it was packed with super-inventive clues. My awards go to 12a [Mrs H uses said consultancy so that was parsable and it’s a brilliant definition] 26a, 4d, 5d [another brilliant def] and 15d.
Failed to parse 16a as I washing up on tort for law [isn’t predictive text wonderful? – I typed “as I was hung up on”].
Thanks to Prime and CS.
I managed to complete in a reasonable time, for which I would award a 2-3 * for difficulty, based on my own average completion times.
However, I couldn’t parse about 50% of the clues until I read CS tips, so I should probably agree with the 5* given by CS
A superb puzzle, just spoiled a bit by the Ernst Young clue. Far beyond reasonable General Knowledge
Thanks to CS for the explanations
Superb, a proper Toughie as CS said. Accidentally started in the south and found most of the bottom half and sides reasonably straightforward if tricky, but the northern Midlands and Scotland were another matter altogether.
Delighted to complete with a fully parsed grid and all known, even the consultancy – they were a competitor of a firm for which I once worked several lifetimes ago, so I was very lucky today!
Lost track of how many times inspiration struck, including my LOI, 5d. An immensely satisfying puzzle. Many thanks to Prime and CS
Needed the hint for the Trojan & only got that far with help of 3 letter reveals. A bit beyond my pay grade really but very much enjoyed the challenge.
Thanks to Prime & to CS – needed help with a couple of the whys also
I didn’t like this at all. Far too much “guess a word that might be the definition and try to spanner it into the rest of the clue”. 12a is a stinker, 6d doesn’t work for me, and there’s an equally good solution for 22d (DEXTER) which is both a computer virus Trojan and a breed of cattle. I can’t identify a favourite clue.
Thanks to CS for the multiple parsing assists, and to Prime for forcing me to double check the day of the week. Again!