Sunday Toughie No 194
by Beam
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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Beam is a little trickier than his last outing here (To Me™) but I stress again (27a) that is just right for a Sunday Toughie. Plenty of Beam trademarks and an economical sub-six words per clue. 14a and 16d clues today, and I have hinted half.
If asked, I will try and give a nudge, if you don’t get sufficient checkers to complete this fine puzzle
Here we go, Folks…
As it is a Prize puzzle I can only hint at a few and hope that will give you the checkers and inspiration to go further. I’ll return with the full review blog just after the closing date. Don’t forget to follow BD’s instructions in RED at the bottom of the hints!
Most of the terms used in these hints are explained in the Glossary and examples are available by clicking on the entry under “See also” Where the hint describes a construct as “usual” this means that more help can be found in The Usual Suspects, which gives a number of the elements commonly used in the wordplay. Another useful page is Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, which features words with meanings that are not always immediately obvious. Don’t forget the Mine of Useful information that Big Dave and his son Richard so meticulously prepared for us.
A full review of this puzzle will be published after the closing date for submissions. Some hints follow: Remember the site rules and play nicely.
Across
1a Detectives do reprimand taking nothing down (12)
A plural rank of detective, to do or deceive, and to reprimand around the letter that looks like nothing.
9a Release from Queen rejected in part (9)
Beam’s usual regnal cipher is reversed in a part.
12a Cancellation of show containing empty rows (8)
A synonym of show contains what remains of rows when empty.
14a Literal race on motorway (8)
The “motroway” that merges with the Great North Road between Aberford and Bramham Cross Roads and a short, fast race. Motroway is a deliberate error.
17a Radiate energy flashes rebounding once (8)
Some short periods that pass in a flash. Einstein’s energy abbreviation and to radiate are reversed (rebounding).
22a Guide of sailor on oceans, reportedly (8)
Our usual jolly jack sailor follows another homophone (reportedly) of oceans as large amounts.
28a Understand fitting, chaps? Time for alteration (12)
To understand by book-learning, fitting or impartial, some chaps and a timely abbreviation.
Not a Spoonerism I expect to see in The Telegraph any time soon.
Down
1d Stoops going round small plots (7)
A synonym of stoops around s for small.
2d Relief derived from sap we gather (7)
Another homophone (we gather) of a sap or foolish person.
5d Stall that is providing underwear (8)
To stall or be reluctant to leave, and a Latin that is. Another Beam™ trip to the underwear department.
6d Head, occasionally even in pith helmet (5)
A head or summit and occasional letters of even.
7d A little shrub on saikei? (6)
Saikei is a Japanese miniature landscape. Leaving (a little) as the indicator that one of the shrubs that make up that landscape is lurking in the clue.
15d Support single noisiest vacuous supporter (9)
A support for a washing line, a single cricket score and what remains of noisiest when vacuous.
21d Faced rising irritation causing storm (7)
To have faced is reversed (rising in a down clue) and an irritation.
The Minack Theatre in Cornwall is probably the best place to see this Shakespearean play.
25d Place of smallest room, some say (4)
A homophone (some say) of the smallest room, in place of.
Compiler
Beam
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Another fine Beam puzzle. I thought I was going to struggle but after a scattering few had given me some checkers, the rest gradually fell in to place. Too many good clues to pick a favourite.
Thanks to RayT for the puzzle and SJB for the hints.
Pretty much my experience too, I got three on the first pass, but picked up the pace with checkers.
Very gentle for a Toughie – thanks to Beam and SJB.
I ticked 14a, 22a and 8d.
I thought it was a tricky start but got easier as I progressed. 14a on my 24a too
Beam being a bit tricky I thought, just as well I had time to untangle the net he’d cast. Some great laughs to be had and far too many nominations for a single podium but my tick list shows 10,14,22&28a plus 8,18&25d all in contention for the top spot.
My thanks and devotions to Mr T/Beam and thanks also to SJB for the hints.
I have just 19a wrestled with a new espresso machine, but can’t find fault with your 24a Platform.😉
General enquiry re Prize crosswords
Since October 4, every time I submit an Prize Cryptic or Toughie entry (6 times ) I get a message in the format: “Unexpected token Prize Toughie No 194 is not valid JSON”
Then I get thanked for my entry. Does anybody else get this? Or know what it means, or why I get it?
Various people have taken this up with Telegraph Towers. Manders has had the query acknowledged but as yet no definitive answer is forthcoming.
My Mac says something about the string not matching the required pattern (or similar
) when I submit prize crosswords these days.
Yes, I get that too on my iPad
I contacted the Telegraph and simply got a bog-standard reply about deleting the app and re-installing, as though the error is at my end.
It patently is an error in the software at the Telegraph but they seem to be burying their head in the sand about this.
Let’s hope they look at this site and notice just how many people are experiencing the fault. It’s very frustrating when it happens on ALL the Prize Crosswords !
Welcome to the blog, John.
Did you like the puzzle?
Yes, and I access Puzzles online on my laptop, so I wouldn’t be able to delete and re-install an app anyway I don’t think?!
Yes, I get the same message. I very rarely submit my puzzle online, but for a prize puzzle I might.
If there is a bug in their system I won’t waste the effort of my fingers until they fix the fault.
Smylers (a resident IT professional of this parish) suggests it is just an internal data problem within the Telegraph
A late afternoon start on this excellent puzzle from Beam, as a result of having to spend several hours scooping out possibly 1,000 litres of water from our flooded basement. Over the last couple of years here in Valencia, when it rains in October, it rains!
Many thanks to Beam and to SJB.
14a and 8d were my top two.
My sympathies, I have just watched the Country file long range forecast and a settled zone of high pressure over the UK explains our glorious autumnal weather and your downpours. We didn’t get away scot free as I have spent ages on trimming the trees and hedges. Several trips to the tip later and I am cream crackers.
Thanks
I was about to type an explanation of why this happens in October every year, but to search dana would explain why this is happening. Hot air/ cold air etc etc
Thanks for your reply. BTW I’m not just cream crackered, I’m donald ducked
Redact if required
Even later than Jezza, but spending most of the day at a mini-rugby festival (I have a grandson in the U9s) was undoubtedly much more fun than bailing out a basement – hope no major damage was done!
Another fun puzzle from Beam with many ticks awarded, which I have managed to pare down to a double 24a, but not one in each direction on this occasion – 1 & 22 across and 3, 8, 17 & 20 down. Not only “an economical sub-six words per clue” as SJB has noted, but avoiding double word or hyphenated answers and answers across multiple clues. Beam is a master of the art!
Many thanks to him and to SJB.
If I fail to comment next weekend, the mushrooms I picked when out walking yesterday, and enjoyed in an omelette this evening, were maybe not ceps after all…
🤞 on the shrooms,
I selected this to illustrate the kindness part of 20d and regret it hit the cutting room floor
Thanks Spartacus.
The only damage was to my back and to my hip….
I’ve learnt from experience that when something like this happens, I go to the bathroom cabinet and fill myself with anti inflammatory medicines before any pain kicks in. Stop the pain before it starts etc etc
A couple of days hill walking over uneven ground can have the same result on my knees. Rather than wake up in severe pain at 4am in the morning, I have also learnt that pre-emptive anti-inflammatories can be very effective!
I am also happy to see that the tick I awarded to 20d provided an excuse for SJB to rescue his alluring illustration from the cutting room floor…
For me comfortably the easiest of the 3 weekend prize puzzles but enjoyable as ever. Only 6d & 14a required post completion confirmation.
Thanks to Beam & John – cracking Nearly Dan gig last night.
19a. Another irritating South of England phantom ‘r’ to make an excruciating homophone.
Other than that – excellent
The homophone was fine by me, but my northern ears (Born in Newcastle – lived in Yorkshire for more than 50 years) are not tuned to the nuances of southern pronunciation.
19a. Another irritating South of England phantom ‘r’ to make an excruciating homophone.
Other than that – excellent. Thanks to compiler and reviewer