Toughie 3536 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Toughie 3536

by crypticsue  

Toughie  No 3536 by Elgar

Hints and Tips by crypticsue

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

I really enjoyed solving this Toughie – I had a full ‘bottom half’ in about 3* time but the top took a lot longer to solve.  Lots to enjoy – my favourite was 10a, with quite a few of the Down clues appearing on the shortlist – I do like a crossword where you are still smiling about some of the clues quite a while after you’ve finished

I got so involved in sorting out 28a, I forgot to look for a Nina which is silly really as I am always disappointed when setters use this grid and don’t include a Nina.  Thanks to Gazza for pointing out that there is something round the edge of the grid starting at the first letter of 3d and proceeding in a clockwise direction

Please let us know what you thought

Across

8a           This is nothing odd in fraudster (4)
RUSE The even letters (nothing odd) of fRaUdStEr

9a           I like males this way with cycling spirit (10)
ENTHUSIASM  Males, an adverb meaning in this way, I (from the clue) and a synonym for like, the first letter of the males being cycled to the end of the word

10a         “Sausage?”: here!; “Spring?”: present!; “Swiss?” … (4-4)
ROLL-CALL  Adding a type of cake to Swiss and then looking at the whole clue, this could be a reading of a list of names to ascertain attendance

11a         British occupying correspondingly backward area where Ottomans ruled (6)
BOSNIA The abbreviation for British, a reversal of an expression meaning correspondingly, and the abbreviation for Area

12a         Small bank initially splits funds, setting aside 2K (4-5)
ITTY-BITTY Two lots of a fund of money, without the K at the front of the words (setting aside 2 K) and inserting the initial letter of Bank between them (splits)

13a         Half-hearted person taking meal of exceptional quality (5)
SUPER A person eating a meal without the middle letter (half-hearted)

15a         Naked reviewer consumed, it’s implied, rare form of H (7)
TRITIUM The inside letters (naked) of a reviewer inserted into (consumed, it’s implied) an informal name for the stomach

17a         Athlete heard catalogue of shrink’s patients? (7)
CYCLIST A homophone (heard) of a catalogue of patients of a psychologist

20a         Musical arrangement close to his heart (5)
SCORE The ‘close’ to hiS and the innermost part of something (heart)

22a         Keep cutting oxygenated gas current, more conclusively (1,8)
A FORTIORI A stronghold (keep) ‘cutting’ some gas into which is inserted the chemical symbol for Oxygen; the symbol for electrical current being added at the end

25a         Bit of advice one ignored near the end, something stiffening joints (1-5)
T-PLATE A bit of advice ‘ignoring’ the Roman numeral for one and an adverb meaning towards the end

26a         Restrict graffito to military building (8)
PENTAGON Confine or restrict, a graffiti signature and a preposition meaning in contact with (to)

27a         Tactless perhaps of couple at dances (3,2,5)
OUT OF PLACE An anagram (dances) of OF COUPLE AT

28a         Disagreeing with applicant politician ticking boxes (4)
ANTI  Unless you are looking very carefully at the clue,  you wouldn’t necessarily notice that the lurker hidden in (boxed by) applicANT Ticking doesn’t work as it contains two Ts.

Elgar apologies for any confusion his error may have caused  – applicant has now been changed to politiciAN TIcking

Down

1d           Train routes run across sea out of south-east – this? (8)
EUROSTAR Not an all-in-one as this train goes under the sea – An anagram (train) of ROUTES R (run) and seA (out of south-east telling you to omit the SE)

2d           Open Jug lifted in Faldo’s penultimate year (6)
DEPLOY  A reversed ancient Greek wine jug is inserted between the penultimate letter of falDo and the abbreviation for Year

3d           Troublesome partner once buried by tax chits? (9)
VEXATIOUS A former partner ‘buried’ between a type of tax and some promises to pay at a later date (chits)

4d           Ear-bone being analysed, pathologist’s left gaps (7)
OTOLITH An anagram (analysed) of paTHOLOgIsT without (left) the letters GAPS

5d           Film artistic pair receiving degree from medical school (5)
DUMBO A pair of musicians or variety artists into which is inserted an abbreviated medical degree

6d           Superman’s trademark luck is out with Red “S” spurned by editor (4-4)
KISS-CURL An anagram (out) of LUCK IS with Red S – ‘spurned’ by editor telling you to ignore the abbreviated editor

7d           Serpent and Fury rise up toweringly (6)
ASPIRE A type of snake (serpent) and some anger (fury) combine to give a verb meaning to tower up

14d         Ornamental shrub reported by London park warden (9)
HYDRANGEA A homophone (reported) of a particular London park warden

16d         Salt barely covered herb (8)
TARRAGON A sailor (salt) and a two-word description of something being barely covered

18d         They covered mail working together, a cos and Truss (only one succeeded) (8)
SURCOATS An anagram (working together) of A COS and TRUSs (omitting one of the abbreviations for Succeeded

19d         Avoiding the rush-hour, like yodellers yodelling? (3-4)
OFF-PEAK Where yodellers might yodel?

21d         Loud kid’s toy may set about dog with waggly tail (3,3)
CAP GUN  Another word for may put about a type of dog where the last two letters are reversed (waggly tail)

23d         Nursemaid engrossed in moderately religious book (6)
ISAIAH An alternative spelling for an Indian nursemaid inserted into (engrossed in) a suffix moderately or approximately

24d         Delightful Greek valley is leaving couple a walk in the park (5)
TEMPE A valley in Thessaly praised by ancient poets for its unsurpassed beauty – Remove the Is (Is leaving) from a couple and an informal easy thing (a walk in the park)

 

 

20 comments on “Toughie 3536”

  1. I found this pretty tough even by Elgar’s standards and I was grateful for the very neat Nina which helped me to finish around the top. Thanks to Elgar and CS.
    I didn’t know the Greek jug, the ear-bone or the form of hydrogen so the BRB had to be consulted on all those. I also wasn’t aware of the specific meaning of 7d.
    I ticked 9a, 15a, 16d and 21d with my outstanding favourite being 10a.

  2. I normally avoid Elgar toughies, as in the past they were completely beyond me, but today, with little to do this morning, I was tempted to have a go.
    I was surprised that most of this went in without too much difficulty.
    I failed on 15a and 24d, and could not parse 23d.
    Still…. I did better than I thought I would!
    Many thanks to Elgar – I enjoyed what I managed to complete, and to CS for the decryption.

  3. Another enjoyable and doable-in-less-than-a-day puzzle from Elgar. Even the foul-up [28a] was doable and the reason for it rather obvious. My top picks are the 2 excellent and amusing homophones [17a and 14d] 22a for its oxygenated gas, the dog with the waggly tail [woof woof] at 21d and “moderately” at 23d. Chambers confirmed 24d but I couldn’t parse it so thanks CS for that and the blog and Elgar for the challenge.

  4. I needed help for my last two clues, 23 and 24d, but otherwise it was all my own work. The Nina was obvious once it was pointed out, but selecting a favourite was tough as the selection pool was pretty large. In the end I went for 19a.

    Many thanks to Elgar and Sue.

  5. Typical Elgar with a mix of super clues and a few I had to look up to confirm my answers, though they all tied in.
    The ones I checked are the same ones Gazza mentioned as well as the Greek valley in 24d. I wasn’t aware of the alternative spelling of ayah in 23d either.
    The mistake in 28a was fairly obvious, the second one in fairly quick succession. London buses and all that…
    As halcyon notes, the oxygenated gas in 22a and the waggly tailed dog in 21d were clever, but my COTD is the cycling involved in 9a.
    I’m kicking myself for not investigating the possibility of a Nina before I read the blog as for once I reckon I’d have spotted it.
    Always satisfying to crack an Elgar, thanks to him and to Sue for the blog.

  6. Par for the course I completely missed the Nina so thanks to Gazza. I found this required a few look ups for isotopes and jugs etc and as a dead tree solver 28a was bunged in assuming the clue was an error. 10, 12 and 17a raised the biggest smiles. This was a full fat toughie in my opinion, as they should be on Fridays. Thanks to Elgar and CS.

  7. Left with three unsolved, and I can’t understand the Greek valley parsing even with the hint! As usual didn’t even consider a Nina, which is a pity as it might have helped. Pleased with getting as far as I did, there was a lot to like.

    Thanks.

    1. Greek valley is (i)TEM and [easy as] P(i)E without the Is. Elgar likes you to think about Is as a verb whereas what he wants you to do is remove more than one letter I

  9. Failed on 4d, 12a and 24d, even after CS hsd pointed out the Nina. Not helped by plumping for Itsy-bitsy for 12a once the Nina went in. Never heard of the ear bone or the valley. I didn’t spot the error in 28a, but it’s good to know even Elgar is mortal. I really don’t like the “consumed” element of 15a, although the answer was clear enough (better at chemistry than classics).
    Stand-out for me was 10a.
    Thanks to Elgar for the challenge, and to CS for a very much needed and appreciated blog.

  10. Short of up-to-date puzzles I went back to the stockpile and earlier this morning pulled what turned out to be an Elgar Toughie from the heap. That was an unexpected shock at 0615 hours!

    Great puzzle, though I was oblivious to the Nina and defeated by the unheard-of T-Plate, Greek valley, and half-hearted person. A few others were successful biffs, for the understanding of which many thanks indeed to CS.

    10a was genius and others on the podium were 9a, 6d & 14d. A good many clues could indeed have joined them on the list.

    Many thanks to Elgar and to Sue

  11. Never oo late to comment? Very belated thanks to Elgar and crypiticsue. A true brain-melter for me, nevertheless I got there in the end. This was in my stockpile and I’ve been working on and off at it since it was published. I always find Elgar puzzles a real challenge and it wasn’t that long ago when I never thought I’d be able to finish one, now however, I have the satisfaction of having completed several, albeit slowly. Great enjoyment.

    1. Never too late to comment. The blogger always gets an email when someone comments on their post.

      1. Thanks crypticsue, that’s useful to know. I very much appreciate the time and effort put in by yourself and the other bloggers, and of course the setters.

  12. Glad to hear I’m not the only one who stockpiles these and completes well after the moment has passed (juggling 3 part-time jobs means these have to wait until the occasional Saturday lie-in)
    Would say on the milder side for Elgar- once I’d got 6d I spotted the nina and most of it fell into place (with a little help from Google to confirm a few answers) and only gave up on 22a and 24d. Favourite was 10a. Many thanks for the blog, enlightening as always.

    1. Welcome to the blog

      A roll call is when someone calls out a list of names to confirm attendance. So we have sausage roll ‘here’, spring roll ‘here’ and Swiss roll ‘here’

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