Toughie No 3555 by Dharma
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ****
Perhaps slightly trickier than usual from Dharma today, with some imaginative synonyms (10a’s “spot”, 11a’s “accept” and 25a’s “band”, etc) and a couple of extended definitions (11a’s “not much to write home about” and 8d’s “yet to be developed”). All typically smart, of course. Over to you.
Across
1a Sprinkles delicate biscuits making fine finishing touch to dessert (6)
WATERS: Make the F[ine] in “delicate biscuits” [desser]T.
4a Slice fish, removing head and dig in (7)
PARTAKE: Slice/portion + cod-like fish, minus the first letter.
9a Bags top European prospect (9)
LANDSCAPE: Bags/wins + top/summit + the usual “European”.
10a Soft spot for stout (5)
PLUMP: The usual musical “soft” + spot/carbuncle.
11a In East London accept fashion’s not much to write home about (7)
AVERAGE: How a Cockney might say accept/tolerate + (all the) fashion.
12a Stylish end to programme on a group of conservationists (7)
ELEGANT: [Programm]E + “on” (cricket) + ‘A’ + UK “conservationists” (green spaces, grand houses, etc).
13a Abandoned clubs must be left and weighed (9)
EVALUATED: Abandoned/deserted, replacing its C[lubs] with L[eft].
16a I’m surprised to hold note after last piece from Ronnie Wood (5)
EBONY: An interjection meaning “I’m surprised” holding/containing the abbreviated “note” after [Ronni]E.
17a Fathers and sons divided by passion (5)
SIRES: Abbreviated “sons” (i.e., “son” plus “son”) divided by/containing passion/rage.
18a What diehard Remainers did in public possibly sad yet … (9)
OUTSTAYED: In public/published + SADYET, possibly.
21a … standard course and popular, with Spain moving to the far right (7)
ROUTINE: Course/way + the usual “popular” with the usual “Spain” moving from the end of the first synonym to the very end, the far right.
22a For cruciverbalists nowt in Stevenage? (3,4)
NEW TOWN: What might “NOWT” be to the likes of Dharma?
25a Sing the praises of one-time band making a comeback (5)
EXTOL: One-time/former + band/bunch, reversed.
26a Bounty and cake put in a skip (9)
ABUNDANCE: Cake (sticky, say) inside ‘A’ + skip/caper.
27a Oddly, latest rolls filled with short pastry (7)
STRUDEL: L[a]T[e]S[t], reversed/rolling, containing short/abrupt.
28a Appeals to overturn police force points (6)
TEMPTS: Police force (London) overturned/reversed + abbreviated “points”.
Down
1d Benefit from the Telegraph line on price (7)
WELFARE: How Dharma might refer to the Telegraph + the usual “line” + price (bus, etc).
2d Stiff shirt collars nurses cleared out (5)
TENSE: (Casual) shirt collars/contains N[urse]S.
3d American government appointee lying about Bob Marley? (5)
RASTA: The usual-ish “American” + government appointee/adjudicator, reversed/lying about.
4d Nancy’s ready with tip – it’s fake (7)
PRETEND: The word for “ready” in Nancy, France, plus tip/extremity.
5d Donation topped by artist leaving rare picture (9)
REPRESENT: Donation/gift topped by/beneath [RA]RE.
6d Dancing Dua Lipa’s clothes: blue and flattering (9)
ADULATORY: DUA, dancing, + L[ip]A + blue/Conservative.
7d Fellow feeling the pay needs altering after Mike’s accepted (7)
EMPATHY: THEPAY, altered, with M[ike] accepted/inside.
8d Temporary housing south of city yet to be developed (6)
LATENT: Temporary housing/shelter south of/beneath one of the usual cities.
14d Wind instrument … you won’t get a tune from this! (3,6)
AIR GUITAR: Wind/draught + (musical) instrument.
15d Cowboy film rating new censors essentially put paid to (9)
UNSKILLED: Film rating (that everyone can see) + abbreviated “new” + [cen]S[ors] + put paid to/dispatched.
17d County half-heartedly holding five small inquiries (7)
SURVEYS: (Home) county, half-heartedly (i.e. missing its third or fourth letter) holding/containing the Roman “five”, plus the usual “small”.
18d General, no more a liberal discharged (7)
OVERALL: No more/ended + ‘A’ + L[ibera]L.
19d Perhaps Spanish pickpocket on Guernsey pinches (6)
TONGUE: Lurker, hidden (pinched) in the third, fourth and fifth words.
20d Suppressing fury, flipping spouted empty threats (7)
DANGERS: S[poute]D, flipped/reversed, suppressing/containing fury/rage.
23d Club heading for win gets upper hand (5)
WEDGE: W[in] + upper hand/advantage.
24d Admit nothing with twisted piece of cunning wordplay (3,2)
OWN UP: The usual “nothing” and abbreviated “with” + “piece of cunning wordplay”, twisted/reversed.
We have just three anagrams (plus one reversal), a lurker and a raft of Lego. As ever, Dharma’s fair definitions helped enormously. I especially enjoyed 1a, 11a and 6d, but the 18a/21a couplet took it for me. How did you get on?
On the whole fairly straightforward for a Thursday toughie, with the right-hand side of the puzzle completed first.
The ones I liked were 13a, 14d, and 15d (not intended that my picks follow a numerical sequence!).
Many thanks to Dharma and to ALP.
Good afternoon. This was testing. The south fell first and then I took a break. This is certainly one of the toughest toughies that I have completed. And I am still trying to parse 4 or five. Thanks for the review and to the setter
I thought this was spot on for a Thursday. My progress through the puzzle was stately rather than sprightly with most clues needing a degree of thought. I ended up in the NW corner and enjoyed the whole journey.
I ticked lots of clues including 13a, 16a, 17a, 22a, 15d and 24d.
Many thanks to Dharma and ALP.
I found this very tough, particularly in the NW corner, but I did enjoy the challenge.
My only slight qualm is that I can’t quite equate “bounty” with the answer to 26a.
Many thanks to Dharma and to ALP.
Hi RD. Autumn’s bounty, etc.
Thanks, ALP. Doesn’t that sound much more poetic than “Fall’s bounty”?
Definitely a Thursday standard Toughie. A steady but not easy challenge. My picks were 14 and 15D.
Many thanks to ALP and Dharma.
Many thanks to ALP for his usual spot-on review and to those who’ve commented, much appreciated.
Ta lots for popping in. Yet another cracker.
Thanks again for the puzzle.
For me, a toughie without any esoteric GK required gets a big thumbs up from me. You managed to do that, so many thanks.
I found this hard going and had to get up early to fill the grid. Great puzzle though, it looked easier when I had finished.
Thanks to Dharma and ALP.
Tough going for me as is usually the case with this setter’s Toughies. Started yesterday evening & 4 holdouts required the benefit of a decent night’s kip. A couple of whys eluded me but no letter reveals so I’ll take that.
13,18&21a plus 14&15d were particular likes. If pressed 18a would get my vote as pick of ‘em not least because it reminded me of the screwball comedy, The Man Who Came To Dinner.
Thanks to Dharma for a very enjoyable & challenging puzzle & to ALP – wasn’t familiar with that Mother Earth album which I’ve just downloaded on Spotify
Hugely enjoyable and having had the fortune to tune-in when, on putting in the bars, 22a leapt out at me, the S fell quite swiftly but with steadier progress as I moved N and W, so I finished thinking that Dharma had been more gentle with us than is sometimes the case. Unmistakeably his work, though, with the many music references, immaculately smooth surfaces and fair – if sometimes left-field – definitions.
Could have ticked almost every clue on the basis of the surface reads alone, but will limit to 23d, 4d (good red herring – took me a minute to dismiss Euro and Franc), 3d & 1d.
Many thanks to Dharma and ALP
As I was tied up at the time, I printed this off and saved it for later. What a super Toughie! I did find it quite difficult but the challenge was rewarded by a high level of entertainment. I concur with ALP’s ***/****.
It is clear that a good deal of care and attention to detail has gone into the construction of the clues. The surface readings are spot on (for example, 18/21, ALP’s fave and also on my podium). ALP has already highlighted the clever synonyms. One feels that the setter really enjoyed compiling this Toughie… I certainly enjoyed solving it.
I found something to appreciate in all the clues. This makes it almost impossible to select a favourite. For example, these are some of my likes:1a, 4a, 11a, 13a, 16a, 18/21a, 25a and 26a (this last made me laugh!); and 4d, 6d, 7d, 8d, 14d, 15d, 19d and 24d.
The second word of 14d kept me puzzling for ages. I like to do as much as I can under my own steam. In the end, I succumbed to using Chamber’s Word Wizard for my checking letters. As soon as I saw the ‘instrument’ listed, I knew it had to be that. This was confirmed by the BRB. I am, of course, familiar with the mime but was unaware of its name.
For once, I have a full and correct grid!
My verdict? All in all a super entertaining Toughie accompanied by an excellent review. Many appreciative thanks to Dharma and to ALP respectively.