Toughie 3522

Toughie  No 3522 by Dharma

Hints and Tips by crypticsue

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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment **

Another Wednesday when Dharma and I are most definitely not on the same wavelength.  I know there are rules about the number of anagrams in a puzzle etc, but how many Misleading Capitals are too many?

Please let us know what you thought

Across

1a           Drinks from abroad brought back out of date (6)
LAPSED Drinks by licking up and a reversal of the French (abroad) word for from

4a           This first lady’s wearing trousers (7)
THIEVES Part of a  slang verb meaning to appropriate money.   THIS (from the clue) is ‘wearing’ or going round the first lady in the Bible

9a           They’re reluctant to part with bread, even rolls (9)
TIGHTWADS Informal (especially North American) skinflints or misers.  Even in the sense of closely fought and rolls or bundles of something (especially money)

10a         Masculine couple in the auditorium linked to Oscar (5)
MACHO A homophone (in the auditorium) of a pairing (couple) followed by the letter represented by Oscar in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet

11a         Guy‘s path cut by three feet (7)
LANYARD A truncated path and a measurement of three feet

12a         East End labourer finished in southern town (7)
ANDOVER How someone from the East End would refer to a worker (labourer) and a synonym for finished

13a         Show worker taken on by scandal-hit organisation suggestive gestures (9)
PANTOMIME One of crosswordland’s workers inserted into (taken on by) the abbreviation for a scandal-hit organisation, suggestive gestures being added at the end

16a         Sky media top dog giving broadcast (5)
AIRED A synonym for sky and the abbreviated top dog at a newspaper

17a         Drop clean brush (5)
SCRUB Informally cancel or abandon (drop); clean by hard rubbing; stunted trees and shrubs

18a         Clement Attlee ultimately slashes what a stand-in worker is paid (9)
TEMPERATE The ‘ultimate’ letter of attleE ‘slashes’ or goes in the middle an expression referring to what a stand-in worker might be paid 4,4

21a         Terms for bus/coach permit somewhat lacking in substance (7)
SHALLOW The ‘terms’ of buS and coacH and a verb meaning to permit

22a         Year to replace old, current stock (7)
TYPICAL Replace the abbreviation for Old with that for Year in an adjective meaning relating to current affairs

25a         Expensive water displayed by Waitrose via newsletter (5)
EVIAN Hidden in the last three words of the clue

26a         Kindred spirit’s introduction initiated by corresponding (9)
RELATIVES The ‘introduction’ of Spirit goes after (initiated by) an adjective meaning corresponding

27a         Stops drinking beer regularly after time, as presumably do these? (7)
DIETERS Stops permanently ‘drinking’ the regular letters of bEeR which go ‘after’ the abbreviation for Time

28a         Tracks from musical failing to finish, entertaining though (6)
CHASES A musical about RD’s favourite board game without its last letter (failing to finish) ‘entertaining’ a synonym for though

Down

1d           Leak from sauce – I suggest we put on top (3,4)
LET SLIP Another way of saying shall we, or I suggest we, put on top of a slang word for cheek or insolence (sauce)

2d           One has no faith in Harry returning to support father (5)
PAGAN A reversal (returning) of harry or nag ‘supporting’ an informal father

3d           Very old vehicle avoiding motorway (5)
EXTRA Old or former and a type of vehicle without (avoiding) the abbreviation for Motorway

4d           Left boot restricting Pole (2,5)
TO SPARE Kick (boot) into which is inserted (restricting) a pole or bar

5d           Note cocked up by Muse, blowing No.1 from Taylor Swift (9)
IMMEDIATE More misleading capital letters.   A reversal (cocked up) of the third note of the tonic sol-fa scale and a verb meaning to consider thoughtfully (muse) without (blowing) the first appearance of the first letter (no 1) of Taylor

6d           Change ending to composition after failing the other way round (4,5)
VICE VERSA Change the letter at the end of a composition and put it after a failing or very bad habit

7d           Polished United halfway through hit the back of the net (7)
SCOURED The abbreviation for United goes halfway through what the Lionesses did on Sunday (hit the back of the net)

8d           King leaving dignified greeting for old leader (6)
GANDHI The Latin abbreviation for king leaves a synonym for dignified, an informal word of greeting being added at the end

14d         Local area bishop’s breaking record (9)
NARRATIVE The abbreviation for Area and the abbreviated title of a bishop inserted into (breaking) belonging to a place (local)

15d         All things considered, no flipping money left! (2,7)
ON BALANCE A reversal (flipping) of NO (from the clue) and the remainer or money left

17d         Discontinue the Telegraph, put up while away (7)
SUSPEND How people at the Telegraph might refer to themselves collective reversed and followed by a verb meaning to pass time (while away)

18d         Checks short article on Tube travelling north (7)
THWARTS Another misleading capital – a truncated definite article and a reversal (travelling North in a Down solution of a narrow tube

19d         Publication one abandons after the setter reveals character (6)
METTLE A publication without (abandons) the Roman numeral for one goes after how the setter might refer to himself

20d         Volunteers discovered tent is at an angle (7)
ENLISTS The inside (discovered) letters of tENt and leans at an angle

23d         Talk about hearts, mine being superior (5)
PITCH A line of persuasive talk – a mine goes before (being superior)  the Latin abbreviation for about, the abbreviation for the card suit of Hearts

24d         Strongly desires to disown chancellor’s latest large black holes (5)
CAVES Longs or yearns for (strongly desires) without (to disown) the last letter in chancelloR