Toughie 3593

Toughie No 3593 by Donnybrook
Hints and tips by Whybird

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

Welcome to the Toughie week!

Donnybrook has given us something of a challenge today.  I found this to be much trickier than usual, and needed quite a bit more applied brain-power than I am accustomed to engaging before the morning tea has kicked in. It certainly wasn’t helped by having 1a as a “part two” of a later clue, which, perhaps irrationally, rather set the tone for a bit of a struggle.  However, all of the clues are clear and fair, even if some are a little more left-field than others.  I’m giving rosettes to 9a (for the holiday memories), 11a and 22a (for the surfaces) and 3d (for elegant simplicity). Thanks to Donnybrook for blasting away the mental cobwebs. 

Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.

Across Clues

1 See 24 Across

6 Key again right with Jaguar model (2-4)

RE-TYPE The single-letter abbreviation for “right” followed by a classic Jaguar model

9 Sanction appropriate that restricts American (4)

FIAT A three-letter synonym for “appropriate” surrounds the common single-letter abbreviation of “American”.  And having once driven a hire-car of the same name, where the fuel tank turned out to be attached with only one bolt, and was regularly grounding on bumpy roads (and also forcing the brake pipe into the ground) I can attest to the feeling of punishment associated with the solution!

10 Editor cross, receiving blow: incomplete novel (5,5)

EDWIN DROOD The usual two-letter “Editor” and a type of cross surround (receiving) a meteorological blow to yield the truncated title of Dickens’ famously unfinished novel. 

11 Romantic acid advocate consuming dope died (9)

LEGENDARY Take the surname of a 60s drug-culture figure and insert (consuming) a synonym of “dope” in the sense of information, and the usual abbreviation for died.  

12 Joint surgery reversed in massive beast (5) 

HIPPO A major joint is followed by the reversal of a two-letter term for “surgery”

14 Nice neighbour one scratched among dogs (6)

CANNES Remove the letter that resembles “one” from the family name for dogs to get a city that is close to Nice in southern France.

16 King eleven times seen in hackneyed war drama (6)

EDWARD The answer is lurking within (seen in) “hackneyed war drama”.  To get to “eleven” you have to include three Anglo-Saxon kings that did not receive ordinal numbers. Or just channel your inner Spinal Tap…

19 Monster in seconds caught collaborator making turn (6)

SCYLLA The usual abbreviations for “second” and “caught” followed by an inversion (making turn) of a synonym for “collaborator” (or partner) 

20 Highland beer in cask? On the contrary (6)

ALPINE “On the contrary” here means “do the opposite of the preceding instruction” so insert a type of “cask” (not the usual one, but a small one holding 4.5 gallons) into a three-letter type of beer

22 Duke embracing king before all others (5)

FIRST Insert a single letter abbreviation for “king” into the body part that could be known as a “duke”

24 and 1 Across Series of perverse platitudes Dahl wrote we struck out (4,5,2,2,4)

TILL DEATH US DO PART An anagram (perverse) of “platitudes Dahl wrote” lacking the letters of “we” (struck out)

27 24 1 character, in flagrante, tense when cavorting (3,7)

ALF GARNETT An anagram (when cavorting) of “flagrante” and the usual abbreviation for “tense”

28 Seabirds – aggressive one coming west? (4)

AUKS A family of seabirds is formed by reversing (“coming west” in an across clue) another type of  seabird known for aggressive, piratic behaviour

29 Angels’ wings move slowly back in heaven (6)

ASGARD Take the outer letters (wings) of “angels” followed by an inversion (back) of a synonym for “move slowly” (implying resistance/reluctance on the part of the object being moved) to get the home of Norse gods

30 Cooked over charcoal, fancy roti with duck inside? (8)

TANDOORI An anagram (fancy) of “roti” surrounds (inside) another word meaning “with” (or plus) and the letter that looks like zero. 

Down Clues
2 Rest associate with Republican seizing power (6)

SPIDER A synonym of “associate with” (or support) followed by the abbreviation for “Republican” into which is inserted (seizing) the abbreviation for “power”, “rest here being an aid used in certain table sports

3 Alive and kicking? (2,3,4)

ON THE BALL A synonym of “alive” (or alert) is suggested by what you may be doing if you are in possession in eg soccer. 

4 Scot a head billeting fellow in Rhode Island (10)

ABERDONIAN A “Russian doll” clue.  Insert a three-letter academic “fellow” into the abbreviation for “Rhode Island”; insert that into another term for “head” (or a foodstuff), all of which is preceded by “a” from the clue. Perhaps the doll is made out of granite? 

5 Keep little piggy outside with queen (5)

TOWER The body part that is known as a little piggy in a nursery rhyme surrounds (outside) the letter indicating “with”, followed by a letter indicating “queen” (or indeed “king” as per 22a)

6 Offensively strong-smelling soldiers side by side (4)

RANK A double definition

7 One’s heel raised to show bones in foot (5)

TARSI Invert (“raised” in a down clue) the letter that looks like “one” as a possessive and a synonym for “heel” (or traitor)

8 Put sulphur in correct hole for magician (8)

PROSPERO Insert the chemical symbol for “sulphur” into a synonym of “correct” (or appropriate) and follow that with the letter that looks like a “hole” to get a tempestuous Shakespearean character

13 Italian dancing on Palatine (10)

NEAPOLITAN A resident of an Italian city is an anagram (dancing) of “on Palatine”

15 Sick at first, old man here for healthy holiday (3)

SPA The initial letter (at first) of “Sick” followed by another informal name for “old man” as a member of the family

17 Victor chucking out last bin-liner, say, by old motorhome (9)

WINNEBAGO Remove the final letter (chucking out last) from a six-letter synonym of “Victor”, followed by an item (eg compostable or plastic) that may be used as a bin-liner and then add the usual letter for “old”, all to get a company that manufactures recreational vehicles

18 Warrior‘s outstanding son circling raised ground (8)

ACHILLES A three-letter synonym for “outstanding” surrounds (circling) the name of some “raised ground” followed by the usual letter indicating “son” to get a warrior with a famous weak spot

21 Gothic writer beginning to socialise with pothead? (6)

STOKER The initial letter of (beginning to) “socialise” precedes an alternative name for “pothead” (or other drug user)

23 Disgraceful mark time erased in letter to Greeks (5)

SIGMA Remove the letter that indicates “time” from a term for a “disgraceful mark” to get a Greek letter (and common mathematical symbol)

25 Reverse, losing velocity still (5)

INERT Remove the letter for “velocity” in physics from a synonym of “Reverse”

26 Good, free box (4)

GRID The letter indicating “good” is followed by a synonym for “free” as a noun