Toughie No 3618 by Light
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty */** – Enjoyment *****
A lovely Wednesday Toughie which had quite a bit of an American theme, together with several earworms to keep you singing while you solved, including, if you really dig deep into your musical memory bank, My Old Man’s a Dustman!!
Please let us know what you thought
Across
1a Film producer Goldwyn, lacking energy, eats bananas around one (4,6)
WALT DISNEY An anagram (bananas) of goLDWYN without (lacking) an informal word for energy and EATS into which is inserted (around) I (one)
6a Introducing electronic security code for bank that has many branches (4)
PINE The security code you need to use your bank card ‘introduces’ the abbreviation for Electronic
10a Articulated parts for expensive vehicle (5)
ROLLS A homophone (articulated) of some parts
11a English appeal for help carrying squash drinks (9)
ESPRESSOS Drinks that seem to be appearing in crosswords on a daily basis – the abbreviation for English and an appeal for help, into which is inserted (carrying) a verb meaning to squash
12a Briefly squeal when crossing Channel Island current (7)
THERMAL Turn informer (squeal) without the final letter (briefly) ‘crossing’ one of the Channel Islands
13a Last of pharmacy masks that provide brief coverage (1-6)
Y-FRONTS The last letter of pharmacy and false faces (masks)
14a Like many colours streaming over the pond? (4-8)
STAR-SPANGLED A cryptic definition, colours here referring to flags
18a Remix Urban’s one hit song (4,2,3,1,1,1)
BORN IN THE USA An anagram (remix) of URBANS ONE HIT
21a Fill up manger at the back for horse seen in field (7)
CHARGER A verb meaning to fill up completely and the latter at the back of mangeR combine to make a horse seen in a field of combat
23a Lennon’s opener inspired by wild Get Back (7)
SALVAGE The opener of Lennon ‘inspired’ by a synonym for wild
24a Citizen from Tyneside accompanying wife ahead of ball (3,6)
NEW YORKER The abbreviation for the part of the country where Tyneside is situated with (accompanying) the abbreviation for Wife, followed by a type of cricket delivery (ball)
25a Taking jacket off, draw aquatic mammal (5)
OTTER Removing the outside letters (taking jacket off) from a type of draw
26a Plant regularly cut back anyhow on sierra (4)
SOYA The letter represented by Sierra in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet followed by the odd letters (regularly cut) of a reversal (back) of AnYhOw
27a Alloy nails and nuts and bolts (5,5)
BRASS TACKS A type of alloy and some nails
Down
1d Become fond of male until campaign is over (4,2)
WARM TO A military campaign goes over the abbreviation for Male and a preposition meaning until
2d 50 myths about island flowers (6)
LILIES The Roman numeral for 50 and some falsehoods (myths) go ‘about’ the abbreviation for Island
3d Perform Beatles song? In favour of Help! (2,9,3)
DO SOMETHING FOR Perform [work], the title of a Beatles song and a simple way of saying in favour of
4d Suspect set alarm off outside pound (5,1,3)
SMELL A RAT An anagram (off) of SET ALARM goes outside the abbreviation for Pounds Sterling
5d Close to questionable politician, initially trust your gut (5)
EMPTY Gut here is a verb. The ‘close’ to questionablE, an abbreviated politician and the initial letters of Trust and Your
7d Absurdly popular new cathedral welcoming Salvation Army (8)
INSANELY The usual two-letter popular, the abbreviation for New and a Cambridgeshire cathedral ‘welcoming’ the abbreviation for the Salvation Army
8d Where 24 may be edited is sedate (4,4)
EAST SIDE An anagram (edited) of IS SEDATE
9d Appear as Santa’s helper? Not fit, grow tired (4,7,3)
WEAR ONESELF OUT Appear dressed as Santa’s helper (3, 3’1, 3, 6) but with the FIT at the end of the final word removed
15d With internal resistance, see Spurs developing tensions (9)
PRESSURES An anagram (developing) of SEE SPURS into which is inserted the symbol for Resistance
16d Sailor backs leaving base and secretly disappears (8)
ABSCONDS An abbreviated sailor and backs or supports without (leaving) the letter that is the base of the natural system of logarithms
17d Grease cleaned up here in general practice (8)
BROADWAY An adjective meaning general and a practice or established routine
19d Very bitter writer swigging whisky, miles away! (6)
BALTIC A type of ballpoint pen ‘swigging’ a type of whisky without (away) the abbreviation for Miles
20d Love son’s suit (6)
HEARTS The imagined place of the origin of love and the abbreviation for Son
22d Perhaps one gathering leaves as lecher emerges halfway through (5)
RAKER A lecher and the letter found halfway through emeRges
This was right up my street, plenty of skilful wordplay and loads of humour.
The many cross-pond references made me curious enough to Google today’s date and sure enough it’s Ratification Day over there. I live and learn.
We got off to a good start with the film producer in 1a.
The remix in 18a was always going to be a favourite and the citizen from Tyneside in 24a was a smart misdirection.
It’s surprising how frequently our setters like to flash their undercrackers; 13a had me smirking childishly yet again.
LOI was 19d which held me up a while as I tried unsuccessfully to fit a w in. Then I spotted the writer and the whisky became apparent.
Great entertainment, my thanks to Light and CS.
Good fun – thanks to Light and CS.
In 9d I took ‘appear as Santa’s helper’ to be 4,3’1,3,6 from which the word ‘fit’ has to be deleted at the end.
Top clues for me were 23a, 1d, and 17d with my favourite being the very neat 9d..
That’s very clever. I’ll amend the hint
For me a lite Light Toughie. The SW held me up for a while until I twigged the place where grease needed to be cleaned up which then gave me the misdirected citizen at 24a and after I deciphered Urban’s song, the rest was bunged in. My favourite was 19d; it’s cold up north, skol.
Thanks to Light and crypticsue
Light normally stretches me, but today I was with him all the way. Lots to like with my picks going to 12 24 and 25A, 16 and 17D with 9D favourite.
Thanks to CS and Light.
Terrific puzzle but certainly not Light lite for me. By no means a fast grid fill & figuring out the whys took even longer. Thought I had ‘em all figured out (though yet to read the review) bar 1a until reading Gazza’s comment – very clever so I’ll promote that to my pick ahead of 3d. Ticks aplenty elsewhere & certainly 5* enjoyment.
Thanks to T & in advance to Sue – will ponder some more on the 1a why.
I thought there must be something [else] American going on so thanks to Frankiem for doing the Google. Pleasant enough solve but nothing striking until 17 and 19d, but only because I hadn’t fully sussed 9d which trumps the other 2 for top spot.
Thanks to Light and CS.
Light by Light, as it were. Excellent fun throughout with the clever 9d my favourite.
Many thanks to the aforementioned and Sue.
Jolly fun stuff with some good misdirections. I tackled 9d the same way as Gazza, and that takes my Gold Star, closely followed by 10a and the vanishing sailor. The “seen in field” was an unwelcome distraction in 21a, but otherwise no problems.
Thanks to Light for the puzzle, and CS for the blog. Some compensation for missing out on yesterday’s Hudson, perhaps?
No misdirection in 24a. There is an area in North Tyneside called New York
Welcome to the blog
Thanks all, and thank you to Sue for the blog.
Very late with our comment today.
Really enjoyed the puzzle with the stand-out favourite being 9d.
Thanks Twmbarlwm and CS.
Slow and steady — I kept thinking I’d need a hint soon, but always managed to solve just one more clue, finishing in normal-for-me Toughie time, with lots of fun along the way. Thank you to CrypticSue for being my safety net, and to Light for the puzzle. My favourites were trusting your gut in 5d and Santa’s helper not being fit in 9d.
2*/3* …
liked 10A “Articulated parts for expensive vehicle (5)”