Toughie 3601

Toughie No 3601 by Zenas
Hints and tips by Whybird

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BD Rating – Difficulty *   – Enjoyment ****

Greetings all, and welcome to the Toughie Week.  

We have an enjoyable and not-too-difficult puzzle from Zenas today, with a clear theme, but without the associated potential headaches.  There were a couple of new words for me (9a and 11d), but they were obtainable by simply following the clear instructions, so no complaints on that score. The “point” reference in 7d was also new.  1d and 2d get honourable mentions for the surface and imagery, and 8d is very clever, but 3d takes my prize today, despite being my last one in.  I knew the answer as soon as the theme emerged, but it took a while for the penny to drop to the point where I was satisfied enough to write it in.  Many thanks to Zenas for the puzzle, and inducing a bit of early-morning thirst!

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

Across Clues

1 Those amused when large queen is embraced by Ryan? (8)

GIGGLERS Insert the letter indicating “large” and the abbreviation for the late Queen into the surname of a famous Ryan – in this case of the footballing/soccer ilk

5 Humiliates gutless armies defending headquarters (6)

ABASES Insert a synonym for “headquarters” into the outer letters (gutless) of “armies”

9 Mathematician’s device turned on by minute unit of mass (8)

NOMOGRAM This mathematical tool, new to me, is formed by inverting (turned) “on” from the clue, adding a two-letter abbreviation for “minute” (as in short period of time) and then a small metric weight

10 Ruffian took in minister (6)

CURATE A charade of synonyms for “ruffian” (or disreputable dog) and took in” (as in consumed)

12 Think about electronic disruption of intranet (9)

ENTERTAIN The letter used to indicate “electronic” followed by an anagram (disruption) of “intranet”

13 It has ears, hearing French octet? (5)

WHEAT A type of cereal sounds like how the French would refer to the number of items in in an “octet” 

14 Knocked over energy drink and pasty (4)

PALE Reverse the letter indicating “energy” and a synonym for “drink” as a verb

16 Current game is curtailed (7)

DRAUGHT An abbreviated board game (curtailed) gives a current in the sense of a movement of air 

19 Honour magistrate in service? (7)

WORSHIP I have this as a triple-definition – a synonym of “honour” as a verb, an “appropriate” term of address for a magistrate, and the act associated with attendees at a religious service

21 Porter runs after busy person (4)

BEER The type of drink of which “Porter” is an example is found by adding usual letters for “runs” after the name that can be given to someone who is busy, derived from an insect known for its industry

24 See American grunt caught in good argument? (5)

LOGIC A charade of a two-letter (slightly old-fashioned exhortation to “see”, a common abbreviation for American soldiers and the usual letter for “caught” 

25 Let Simeon cast rock (9)

LIMESTONE An anagram (cast) of “Let Simeon”

27 Raw alcohol (6)

BITTER A double definition, a synonym of “raw” (or very unpleasant) a type of alcoholic beverage fitting in with today’s them. 

28 Lads come rampaging for one facing the sword? (8)

DAMOCLES An anagram (rampaging) of “lads come” gives the name of an Ancient Greek who was taught a lesson about the responsibility of power involving a suspended sword. 

29 Poetry about river boats (6)

LINERS Take an alternative term for poetry (or indeed many other types of writing) and insert (about) the letter indicating “river”

30 Paragon expresses hesitations in speech (8)

STUTTERS A charade of an abbreviation for what someone who is a “paragon” can be known and a synonym of “expresses” (or states)

Down Clues
1 Chorister heading off after good redhead (6)

GINGER Take the single letter indicating “good” and follow that with a word for what a chorister is an example of, but lacking its initial letter (heading off)

2 Scots go around police cell (6)

GAMETE Take a Scottish word meaning “go” and insert (around) the abbreviation for London’s police force, “cell” here having the biological sense

3 Laurel got mixed up with this lout (5)

LAGER One of today’s themed beverages is found in anagram form (mixed up) with “lout” in the letters of “Laurel got”. Put another way, if you remove the letters of “lout” from “laurel got”, the solution is an anagram of the remaining letters. It is also a name of a type of “lout”, although I think underlining the “lout” makes it do a little more work than is justified.  

4 Said to stagger with pain supping too much of this? (4,3)

REAL ALE A charade of words that sounds like a synonym of “stagger” (or walk unsteadily) and “pain” as a verb to get something that could inflict both staggering and pain if consumed to excess

6 Swimmer well following dismal week (4,5)

BLUE WHALE A charade of a four-letter synonym of “well” (think “hearty”) preceded by (following) the colour associated with dismalness and the letter indicating “week”

7 Wise man defends pressure point in the modern era (5,3)

SPACE AGE Take a name for a wise man (perhaps with a fondness for herbs?) and insert (defends) the letter indicating “pressure” and the name of the first “point” in backgammon (and also a playing card). 

8 Watch supply teacher’s pet avoiding her (8)

SPECTATE An anagram (“supply” here being a very cleverly disguised anagram indicator – think flexibility rather than stand-in teachers) of the remaining letters from “teacher’s pet” after the removing (avoiding) “her”

11 Retreats back to dock (4)

SNED Reverse a synonym of “Retreats” (think studies) to get a term meaning “to dock” (or prune) 

15 IT hacker with a novel punishment (1,5,3)

A THICK EAR An anagram (novel) of “IT hacker” and (with) “a”

17 Have dog help after unpackaging kind of shop product (3-5)

OWN-LABEL A charade of a synonym of “have” (or possess), an abbreviated name for a type of (gun)dog and the internal letters of “help” (after unpackaging)

18 Tories in good French conference venue (8)

BRIGHTON A popular English south coast resort is formed from French word for “good” surrounding (Tories in) the side of the political spectrum the Tories represent

20 Turned up voucher for booze (4)

PILS A type of “booze” is found by reversing a synonym of voucher

21 Verbosity of dreadful abbots introducing Mass (7)

BOMBAST An anagram (dreadful) of “abbots” and the letter indicating “mass” (ignore the capitalisation) 

22 Pass pork pie for dog (6)

COLLIE A charade of a mountain pass and what a “pork pie” is in rhyming slang 

23 With which the start of Easter breaks Lenten disciplines (6)

FEASTS Take the plural of an activity associated with Lent and insert (breaks) the first letter of “Easter” to get activities which could be associated with breaching the Lenten disciplines.    

26 Overweight solicitors cycling (5)

STOUT Take a generic term for “solicitors” extending beyond the legal context and move the final letter to the start (cycling)