Toughie 3620

Toughie No 3620 by Sparks
Hints and tips by Gazza

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

Sparks has provided today’s enjoyable Toughie. Thanks to him.

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

Across Clues

1a Covering several eventualities after hospital’s suppressed complaint in theatre? (7)
CATCALL: remove the map abbreviation for hospital from an adjective (5-3) meaning ‘covering several eventualities’.
9a Something eccentric: Penny once absconding in Tristan’s beloved underwear (8)
CAMISOLE: an irregular part on a rotating bit of machinery is followed by Tristan’s beloved in a medieval legend without the pre-decimalisation penny.

10a Turned back cover – novel is Catch-22 (7)
DILEMMA: the reversal of a cover and an Austen novel.

11a Beaten in a vote count returned in 24 hours (8)
WALLOPED: A and the reversal of a vote count go inside an abbreviated 24-hour period.

12a Second means of transport on which one won’t go to work (6)
STRIKE: the abbreviation for second and a child’s means of transport.
13a Weatherman from radio torn about carbon cuts (4-6)
RAIN-DOCTOR: an anagram (about) of RADIO TORN into which the chemical symbol for carbon is inserted.

15a Desire progressive characters in When Eight Bells Toll (4)
WILL: select characters progressively from the last four words.

16a Superficially glossy fashion magazine covering famous daughter (9)
ENAMELLED: the title of a French fashion magazine contains an adjective meaning famous. Finish with the abbreviation for daughter.

21a Passionate with 11 Down upon discarding braces regularly (4)
WILD: stick together the abbreviation for W(ith) and the answer to 11d then discard regular pairs of letters.

22a Rely on measure used by police force sealing north London station (10)
EMBANKMENT: a verb to rely follows a printer’s measure. Follow that with the short form of our capital’s police force containing the abbreviation for north.

24a Combination of two cards? (6)
TENACE: combine two playing cards to form a word meaning (and I’m quoting the BRB here) ‘ the combination in one hand of the cards next above and next below a high card held by the other side’.

25a Turn on dog that could improve sprint time? (8)
TAILWIND: a verb to turn follows a verb to dog.

27a Ambiguous small shift in possessing WMD? (7)
UNCLEAR: an adjective meaning ‘possessing weapons of mass destruction’ with two letters swapped round.
28a Showy expression using “thrice” or otherwise (8)
RHETORIC: an anagram (using … otherwise) of THRICE OR.

29a Attitude encountered when taking in godson, essentially (7)
MINDSET: a synonym of encountered contains IN and the essential letters of godson.

Down Clues

2d Chap conveying bearing of celebrity? (8)
ALISTAIR: split 1-4,3 this name could be a top celeb’s bearing.

3d Trustworthy contractor’s housing OK for consumer (8)
CREDIBLE: the housing letters of contractor followed by an adjective meaning ‘ok for consumer’.

4d Start of Little Brown Jug initially accompanies naked feller? (10)
LUMBERJACK: assemble the starting letter of little, a brown colour, the initial letter of jug and the inner letters of a verb meaning accompanies (in a musical performance, say).

5d Fair delay upset arrivals to begin with (4)
GALA: a reversed delay and the first letter of arrivals.

6d Part of Venice trip’s centrepiece scored quite highly? (6)
RIALTO: the central letters of trip and an adjective describing a high singing voice.

7d Hard cheese about backing up estimate (7)
COMPUTE: a hard French cheese (not one I’m familiar with) containing the reversal of UP.

8d Engraver (Dürer) captures green vegetation (7)
VERDURE: hidden.

11d Wine guide identifies something found in paint! (5,4)
WHITE LEAD: a generic type of wine and a verb to guide.

14d Superficial arty types, ultimately deluded, allowed to be taken in by fake Titian (10)
DILETTANTI: the ultimate letter of deluded followed by a synonym of ‘allowed’ contained in an anagram (fake) of TITIAN.

17d Did Peter out of victory in major cup having played first (8)
DWINDLED: a synonym of victory goes inside the abbreviation for a large cup (which usually is one of a pair!). Finish with a verb meaning played (a card, say) first.
18d What might result in foul backlog above base of pipe (8)
BLOCKAGE: a semi all-in-one – an anagram (foul) of BACKLOG precedes the letter at the base of pipe.

19d Milestone score that’s not raised? (7)
CENTURY: the answer may be informally referred to as a reversal of NOT.
20d Bound dictionary left in large stores? On the contrary (7)
OBLIGED: our usual abbreviated dictionary contains the abbreviation for left inside a synonym of large

23d Don’t bicker – you’ve got two presents (3,3)
NOW NOW: an adjective meaning present is repeated.

26d Ingenuous climbing devotee one stops (4)
NAIF: the Roman one goes inside the reversal of a devotee.

Top clues for me were 1a, 25a and 17d. How about you?