Sunday Toughie No 202
by Beam
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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A floughie(ish) Toughie from Beam today, all the Beam trademarks are there Queens sweethearts and initial letters clue and a smattering of underwear.
We have 14a and 16d clues and I have hinted at half. I hope you find the checkers to finish, but some tricky clues have had to remain unhinted, so I will try and provide a nudge if you ask (and I am not out shopping)
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 Reason with dope? (12)
A double definition to start, one more formal than the other.
9a Pirate fellow captures right international vessel (9)
I had a bit of trouble deciding whether I was looking at the vessel or the pirate aboard it, but, looking at the wordplay, we have four letters for a fellow of equal rank, which contain abbreviations of right and international, and the large open vessel for storing liquids.
13a Use Beam’s occasionally cunning plan (6)
A cunning plan follows the occasional letters of our setter today.
15a Operated inside cut appendage skin (8)
One of your appendages is cut; it contains a synonym of operated. Beam usually clues three letters here as an item of underwear, but today he saves the undies for the next clue.
23a Queen of a foreign country overthrown (6)
The indefinite article and a landlocked country in West Africa (that neighbours 10a) are overthrown for a Latin queen.
27a Trouble with part used for love (9)
Trouble (much about nothing, according to Shakespeare) and the part allocated for use.
28a Bloke’s scream reduced stretch for killing (12)
Possessive bloke’s and a scream of hilarity. Killing without malice aforethought usually gets a reduced stretch in prison.
Down
1d Rogue’s sweetheart accommodating since deadlock (7)
An adverb for since in accommodated within some rogues, followed by Beam’s ™ swEet-heart.
3d Liberal profanity a few finding offensive (9)
Put together an abbreviation, a profanity and a few, and you should find the solution offensive.
7d Sailor in charge, in time, quit (8)
Abbreviations of an Able Bodied Seaman and in charge, containing a specific time of 24 hours duration.
Whilst researching a suitable clip, I couldn’t play the obvious clip of Edward VIII but found this instead;
8d Old ladies hurry getting to club (6)
Plural old ladies and an archaic synonym of hurry. It equates to a middle-length iron club equivalent to a modern five-iron.
14d Organ vessel with detailed wrinkle (8)
A vessel for cooking and a wrinkle without its tail
16d Backfire bang echoed round exhaust’s opening (9)
Backfired or returned. Synonyms of bang and echoed, on either side of the opening letter of exhaust.
17d Ores really oddly found in excavations (8)
Odd letters of really are found in excavations for the extraction of ores.
22d Square described by Pythagoras? (5)
How someone from the ancient home of Pythagoras would describe a square or marketplace.
Compiler
Beam
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re:22d is it a hidden word?
A “lurker”…
It is, I would have mentioned in the hint but felt I should leave you a little work for the grey matter.
Very gentle puzzle from Beam today – thanks to him and SJB.
The definition in 28a is just ‘killing’ with the rest of the clue being wordplay.
My ticks went to 28a, 3d and 5d.
Thanks for fielding the early comments, Christmas shopping with an Alzheimer’s sufferer is a pain
It might be difficult but the ‘pain’ is what you’ll feel when she’s no longer with you – enjoy being with her whilst you still can.
Wise words, thank you
Hear hear
Totally agree.
The south went in very easily but the north seemed almost impenetrable for a while….and then I got 1a (oh that sort of dope!) and it was plain sailing from there. A very enjoyable solve on a damp Lancashire day.
Thanks to Beam and SJB
Straightforward puzzle. I had to work backwards to understand the places 10a and 26a; a bit tenuous.
Agreed, 28a was fun
Nearly had to wait 6 mins to catch our thespian monarch. (Actually, I fast forwarded it)
Here’s a clip for the word mash 7d
https://share.google/images/Rkhyn6hV8Q4Rln1Rt
Thanks to SJB and all
As SJB and Gazza have already noted, this Toughie was on the gentle side today. There is much to like though, as always in a Beam puzzle, with my favourites being 9,18 & 26 in the across clues and 8, 16 & 20 in the down clues. I don’t usually include these types of clue in my favourites, but I did think that 12a and 5d were excellent examples of their genre. Like spindrift, I also thought ‘described’ might be seen as an indicator as well as the whole clue being &Lit; then like SJB I also had ‘reduced stretch for’ as part of the definition for 28a, otherwise I can’t see how it contributes?
Many thanks to Beam, and also to SJB.
P.S. After finishing this puzzle this morning, I turned my attention to a Beam Toughie (No. 2831) that I had printed off, dated 7th April 2022. Lo and behold, coincidentally, 2d in that puzzle was ‘Chamber orchestra’s lead instrument (5)’
The ‘reduced stretch’ in 28a is a truncated period.
Ah, thanks Gazza, I see now!
When copying the previous Beam Toughie I noticed I had included a player of that instrument there as well. Beam must be a fan of Julian Lloyd Weber.
Talking about being a fan of music – thanks for the clip of Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush. Bush’s pure, somewhat breathy, contribution works as a perfect counterpoint to Gabriel’s husky delivery. I have always liked that track, as well their collaboration in ‘Games Without Frontiers’.
I did most of this at breakfast whilst George read the news. I have just knocked off the last five – a very enjoyable guzzle on a dark and wet Sunday afternoon. I was quite proud of getting the club, not being a sporty type but I think 20d was my favourite with 1a a close runner up. Many thanks to Beam and SJB and I shall now submit the result and await the arrival of my pen!
I did learn about the difference between 8d and the more lofted equivalent of a seven iron. Every day is a school day.
One of the first seconds hand clubs I bought in the early 60s. Hickory shaft of course
Like Sloop & Spartacus I also had the last 4 words at 28a as the definition but guess it borders on the foolhardy to disagree with Gazza – reckon either works so it would be good to see what Ray intended. Enjoyed this very gentle Beamer while watching the start of a quite brilliant exhibition of faultless match play snooker by Mark Selby. A brisk completion with the archaic verb at 8d the only unfamiliarity that required post solve confirmation. As ever beautifully clued & thought the lurkers well disguised.
Thanks to Beam & John – enjoyed the Hamlet clip, which I’d not seen before.
I’m with Gazza re 28a, the reduced stretch referring to the last three letters of the answer.
Ah see it now – excellent clue.
I think Gazza is more right than I, the reduced stretch is just wordplay to indicate that the prison sentence may be reduced if the killing was not premeditated. Also the reduced stretch is the third bit of Lego as it provides the truncated term for the last three letters
Definitely not one of the most difficult of toughies but cleverly constructed and enjoyable nonetheless.
My holy trinity consists of the skin in 15a, the organ in 14d and backfire in 16d.
Thanks to Beam and SJB for his weekend double duty.
I baulked a bit at having bang in the clue and solution, but it was quite fair really.
Always a pleasure to tackle one of Mr T’s puzzles, whichever hat he’s wearing. Think 28a took my gold star today and other prizes went to 1a plus 3&20d. The African countries threw me a bit but checkers and use of the old grey matter sorted them out eventually. Just occasionally, I rue the day when Gazza insisted that a puzzle isn’t really completed until every bit of parsing is sorted out. He’s quite right of course, but I sometimes wish I couldn’t hear his voice in my ear!
Devotions as ever to Mr T/Beam and thanks to SJB for the hints and video clips.
As usual with a Toughie, I needed hints so not an unaided finish, However, I decided if I didn’t tackle them I’ll never get the hang of them. Therefore, I solve as much as I can, use the hints to give me a few more and work on the remaining clues with the resultant checkers.
Anyway, encouraged by my unaided finish (almost) last Sunday I pressed on and was happy that I solved about three quarters before reporting to the hints. My COTT is troubled love part at 27a.
Thank you, Beam/Ray T for a greta puzzle. Thank you, Sloops for the hints.
Fortunately I solved this at midday in the 22 degrees warmth of the garden in the Valencia sunshine, as I was incapable of much else when I watched the understandably emotional Brit, Lando Norris, secure his first F1 title championship this afternoon in Abu Dhabi with Verstappen close on his heels.
Many thanks to Beam for a very entertaining puzzle, with ticks to 23a, 3d, 17d, and 20d.
The intimate undies at 18a made me smile, and hence gets my vote.
Thanks also to SJB for the hints.