Toughie No 3586 by Hudson
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
CrypticSue is still convalescing from her knee op so you’re lumbered with me again; she’ll be sorry to have missed blogging this very enjoyable puzzle from Hudson to whom many thanks.
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
Across Clues
1a One cleans up, making a tidy pile (6,7)
VACUUM CLEANER: cryptic definition, pile here being the surface of a carpet.
9a Russian chap, retired copper, left a river boat thus described (9)
NAVICULAR: reverse a (terrible?) Russian forename and add the chemical symbol for copper, the abbreviation for left, A and the abbreviation for river to get an adjective meaning boat-shaped.
10a Sweet piece that’s traditionally suited to cornet? (5)
FLAKE: cryptic definition – this cornet is not a musical instrument.
11a Your challenge: catching five flatfish (5)
SOLVE: a type of flatfish containing the Roman five.
12a Second daughter beginning to enjoy fashion (4)
MODE: assemble a short word for a second, the genealogical abbreviation for daughter and the first letter of enjoy.
13a One who prepares cold and hot oeufs every now and again? (4)
CHEF: tap abbreviations for cold and hot and regular letters from oeufs.
15a Base tax, NIC adjusted? That’s not quite right (7)
INEXACT: an anagram (adjusted) of the letter used for the base in logarithms, TAX and NIC.
17a Brand new unwrapped tent (7)
MARQUEE: a synonym of brand and ‘new’ without its wrapping letters.
18a Light-headed riding nag – so stimulated! (5-2)
GIDDY-UP: an adjective meaning light-headed or dizzy and an adverb meaning riding/mounted.
20a Old mate, terribly bald, discovered healthy breakfast food (7)
OATMEAL: string together the abbreviation for old, an anagram (terribly) of MATE and the inner letters of bald.
21a A Ferry song about boating’s intro on the radio (2-2)
RO-RO: this sounds like the first two words of a popular children’s song.
22a Wartime spies quaffing large gin tinged with this? (4)
SLOE: the abbreviation for a secret force set up in 1940 to conduct espionage in enemy-occupied countries contains the abbreviation for large.
23a Not seeing clearly, backward point takes over leg side position (3-2)
MID-ON: the reversal of an adjective meaning ‘not seeing clearly’ or dull-witted and a point of the compass bracket a crickety over.
26a Arabian sultanate exporting new perfume (5)
AROMA: an abbreviation for Arabian followed by a Middle-East sultanate without the abbreviation for new.
27a Contract Tories reportedly swindled? (9)
CONSTRICT: an abbreviation for Tories and a homophone of swindled or hoaxed.
28a One sent in to defend character of Dutch master? (5-8)
NIGHT-WATCHMAN: cryptically this could one of the characters depicted in Rembrandt’s most famous painting.
Down Clues
1d Having run out of polish, Grecian ordered male cosmetic (9,5)
VANISHING CREAM: remove the cricket abbreviation for run from a word for polish or lacquer and append an anagram (ordered) of GRECIAN and the abbreviation for male.
2d Quibble about very vacuous individual (5)
CAVIL: abbreviations for about or approximately and very followed by the outer letters of individual.
3d Dramatic Russian acts – prepare clean navy uniform first thing (5,5)
UNCLE VANYA: these ‘acts’ by Chekhov come from an anagram (prepare) of CLEAN NAVY with the letter that uniform represents in the Nato Phonetic Alphabet coming first.
4d Flipping puppet Emu lackadaisically swallows peace pipe (7)
CALUMET: hidden in reverse.
5d Almost exposed party member’s top rank (7)
EARLDOM: start with a synonym of almost without its outer letters and add a festive party and the top letter of member.
6d Vulgar, loud supporter from the South (4)
NAFF: the abbreviation for loud and a synonym of supporter all reversed.
7d Pub wake after burying Bill – oh, getting upset (9)
ROADHOUSE: a verb to wake containing an abbreviated bill or poster and the reversal of OH.
8d Let’s hope it’s not as tough as old boots! (4,10)
BEEF WELLINGTON: cryptic definition of a tasty dish.
14d Trim the CIA – crazy sums! (10)
ARITHMETIC: an anagram (crazy) of TRIM THE CIA.
16d Warmer red that is turning blue? (9)
EIDERDOWN: stick together RED and the abbreviation for ‘that is’ then reverse that and add an adverb meaning blue or depressed.
19d American skunk/weed Alec inhaled when cycling (7)
POLECAT: an informal word for weed or cannabis containing the cycled letters of ALEC.
20d Each November visiting boundlessly gregarious island neighbours (7)
OCEANIA: the abbreviation for each and what November represents in the Nato Phonetic Alphabet go inside an adjective meaning gregarious or companiable without its bounding letters.
24d Belief is liberating exploit from negative mindset (5)
DEISM: start with a negative mindset anticipating failure and remove the synonym of exploit or achievement.
25d Execute witch around noon (4)
HANG: an ugly witch containing the abbreviation for noon.
I ticked 1a, 18a, 23a, 28a and 16d. Which one(s) stimulated you?
Very sorry indeed not to be able to blog this perfect start of the week Toughie from one of my favourite setters
I’d be interested to know if anyone else put an alternative pile tidier with the same enumeration in 1a until of course it didn’t work with the Downs
Thanks very much to Hudson and Gazza
I got 1 down before 1 across which made it easy. I enjoyed this puzzle apart from the cricketing clues which always fox me.
2*/5* for me.
My only pause was at 28a, where the cricket part of the clue was obvious, but not the Dutch master.
Ticks all over the page, but I’ll limit them to 1a, 11a, 17a, 18a, 5d, 19d, and 25d.
Many thanks to Hudson and to Gazza.
Very jolly, very Hudson. 21a, 1d and 24d for me. 1a’s “pile” was a lovely touch too. Best thanks to G and H.
A couple in the SE held me up, but since the trains are all running slow it didn’t concern me too much. Plenty to enjoy, put me in CS’s club for one across until the checkers put me right. 1d gets my vote.
Thanks to Hudson & Gazza.
What a terrific Toughie. In fairness, it took me a tad less time to complete than the cryptic, but it was jammed full of excellent clues and gentle humour with 1a my favourite. Not only was it the first one in, but being so long it was the perfect clue to get a load of downs in quickly. Great stuff.
Many thanks to Hudson for an enjoyable challenge and to Gazza. Super cartoons today. I hope Sue’s knee gets better soon.