Sunday Toughie No 206
by Light
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
The grid-fill was easier than the parsing, but I think I have got there eventually. I have hinted 12 of 28 clues today, so I have scope for a nudge or two if you (8d) Just ask.
The anagram at 12a needs careful checking of the fodder to find the player as his instrument has been renamed over time.
I hope you get the checkers to finish this fine puzzle and envelop the Welshness.
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 Gossip about one who may exchange bowler and batter (10)
One of our usual abouts, someone who may exchange a bowler for a homburg, and to batter around the head.
10a People from Philippine Islands returning through pergola gate (7)
A lurker (through), that is reversed (returning), that is a people and their language.
12a A musical interlude
14a American doctor providing tablets at first for free (6)
A usual American, an abbreviated doctor, a conditional providing and the first of tablets.
17a Tangled Up in Blue ultimately discarded by music magazine (8)
An ultimate letter, an abbreviated music magazine, and discarded like a snakeskin.
19a Character from Lewis close to suspect on slope (6)
You will need to check the back of Clive Staples wardrobe for the Lewis character and add a closing letter.
25a City’s wingers in niggle with Slot (7)
Some winging letters, with an abbreviation and the slot on a computer where peripherals can be connected. There are many cities with this name worldwide, but maybe the one in Wales is best known by Light. Nice football surface Arne…
26a another musical interlude
Down
1d Firm with Oscar, caught climbing palm tree (4)
Our usual firm and abbreviations of Oscar and caught that have been reversed.
3d Drop King’s tour for lecture (4,3,1,5)
A lachrymosal drop. And a King’s tour up and down the eponymous dyke he built to keep the Welsh out of Mercia. That worked well Twmbarlwm!
7d Petty Officer leaves unsurpassed (3-4)
Not 100% sure I have parsed this correctly. I can find an abbreviated officer in the leaves of a citrus tree, but he is a couple of ranks above Petty Officer. Maybe Petty is an abbreviation indicator, from the original French petit. As Gazza points out we have a 5,4 phrase for petty from which a Sergeant Major has left.
11d Places with no privacy that attract Persian queen? (8,5)
I bunged this in from checkers, but again, I am not sure about all the parsing. Species of the Scomberoides genus, such as the Talang or Barred Queen**** seem to fit, but I doubt that they have ever been seen in the small aquaria we seek.
18d Took advantage of the sun rising in the morning – what’s lying in time? (4,3)
An expression of slight surprise for what, it lies in a 24 hour time period and follows the reversed (rising in a down clue) morning.
21d 22 fine eggs served up (6)
A synonym of fine and the eggs of head-lice are reversed (served up in a down clue) Is 22d now a triple definition?
Compiler
Light
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A top-notch puzzle from Light – thanks to him and SJB.
For 7d we need an adjective meaning petty (5-4) with a non-commissioned officer being removed from its start.
I took the queen in 11d to be a female animal with a taste for the inhabitants of the answer.
I particularly liked 3d, 7d and 8d with my runaway favourite being the clever 15a.
Struggled to parse 4 answers (if I am correct). You have carefully avoided hinting 3 of them but I agree with your tentative parse of 7d.
Was wrong in my prediction of your musical hint for 26a – I thought you would go for Johnnie.
Favourites the 3d lecture and the 8d amigo.
Recognise the building in the 25a hint from many hours trainspotting at the nearby station.
Thanks to Light for the entertaining puzzle and SJB for the hints.
You may have seen Light there as that was where he was born.
What a great first Sunday Toughie of the year, I thoroughly enjoyed this.
A couple of words new to me in 10a and 12a, but they were not difficult to get from the wordplay.
I got the feline connection in 11d but am not sure as to why it has to be a female of the species, though I guess the question mark explains it.
Amongst the many ticks on my page, the Dylan song in 17a (I’ll have to play Blood on the Tracks later if I get time, his finest album IMHO) and the character from Lewis in 19a were particularly good.
The synonym for vamoose made 8d my favourite though.
My thanks to Light and SJB.
Loved this – proper smart. Especially tickled by 15a’s “jolly” construction, 19a’s (brilliant) “character from Lewis” and 11d’s outrageous “Persian queen”. 7d’s very clever too. Lovely stuff. Best thanks to Light and Sloop.
15a was cotd for me.
12a is not a word I have ever seen before, but managed to construct the correct answer from the fodder.
19a was a lucky guess.
Many thanks to Light for the entertainment and to SJB for the hints.
Well, I have a completed grid but the parsing of some is way beyond my pay grade … among which is Gaza’s favourite 15a. Any enlightenment would be gratefully received.
I liked 3 down and 11a.
Thanks to the setter and to the Yottie.
I think schoolkids welcome this mini break equally distant between longer holidays.
Well, I have a completed grid but the parsing of some is way beyond my pay grade … among which is Gaza’s favourite 15a. Any enlightenment would be gratefully received.
I liked 3 down and 11a.
Thanks to the setter and to the Yottie.
If you are referring to the parsing of 15a, you need to follow the instructions of your answer… if that helps?
Nice puzzle. I agree with DaveP about parsing, but all made sense in the end.
I have a very good idea about the Queen of Persia – not sure how far I can go here?
So grateful for all the hard work hinting on this, SJB, and good work Light.
PSI’ve just realised how to find the compiler on my iPad
I think this is the persian…
This is the likely answer….
I’d bare my backside in Binns Window, if anything other than a Persian Pussy crossed our compilers mind.
If you change from grid to list view the compiler appears there too, I cut and paste from there to get the clues for my blogs.
A pleasant, not-overly Toughie from Light today. The 10a ‘People’, 12a ‘musician’ and 4d ‘SA resident’ all required a quick check as I was not familiar with them, but all were fairly clued. A couple of penny-drop moments were required for 19a (I learned something about Gaelic characters whilst down a rabbit hole), and the parsing of 7d – although the required abbreviation does not appear to be formally used without an R in front (UK) or an A afterward (US). Apparently there was a famous officer in the Indian Army, called Sam Manekshaw, who was often referred to by just his initials…
My Across podium places went to 1, 15 & 24. My Down podium also brought the broadest smiles: 8, 11 & 21.
My thanks to Light for the entertainment and to SJB for the hints etc. The 12a musical interlude is a favourite piece, but IMHO the 7d greatest rendition was performed by Jacqueline du Pré
You are right about Jacqueline du Pré, but JLW got the exposure as he is pleading poverty and a slipped disc in the Telegraph today.
Solved at silly o’clock thinking I was doing the Dada puzzle. Not a quick grid fill & certainly tricky on the parsing front. Both 10&12a were unfamiliar but thankfully gettable from the wordplay. The why at 7d eluded me (thanks Gazza) & I’m missing something at 15a too, which isn’t surprising if G says it’s clever. Otherwise reckon I have ‘em correctly parsed. An extremely enjoyable challenge. 17,19,22&25a plus 8,11&21d particular likes no doubt to be joined by 15a once somebody explains it.
Thanks to Light & to John – off to see Davy Knowles with The Band of Friends play some Rory G tonight which should help dispel some of the gloom from getting beat by the Brummies at midday – having looked nailed on for a return to the top flight after 25 years I’m getting more anxious by the game.
As I replied to Serendipity above, follow the instructions to your answer (literally) and then refer back to the clue.
I must be a bit thick – still can’t see how 50% of what I assume is the correct 4 letters has owt to do with jolly 🤔
Look up jolly in the Usual Suspects (https://crypticcrosswords.net/crosswords/usual-suspects/)
Thanks, a Jolly Jack Tar does indeed make up 50% of the second word.
Well I never knew that. Ta
My own teams survival in the Premiership has been helped by getting points from Slot’s boys and ManYoo today.
Thanks Gazza.
A missing e sent you into moderation.
An enjoyable first toughie of the year with some good aha moments, although like others, some of the parsings eluded me. 4d puzzled me, I knew the answer but couldn’t make it fit, mostly because I’d spelt 12a incorrectly. And I just couldn’t see 21d, so thanks for the hint SJB…the answer is obvious really and made me smile. I liked 8d too.
Thanks to Light for the workout and SJB for help with a couple of parsings.
I knew someone would trip over there.
Yep, fell for it hook, line and sinker….spent my whole life thinking it was an i…!
Very odd, the puzzle keeps buffering when I try and go onto it. I got a couple of clues and then the thing disappeared and won’t come back again. Might try on my phone instead.
Clearing cookies and browser cache usually helps.