Toughie No 3622 by Robyn
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty */** – Enjoyment *****
While I was waiting for the computer to warm up, I did wonder who would have set our Wednesday Toughie. I was both surprised and delighted to find that Robyn had set this Wednesday treat. Quite a few bits of sneakiness in the clues and so the extra half a star for difficulty was added because there were a couple of bits of parsing where it took a moment to see what was going on.
Across
1a Racket made by Conservative group drinking coffee (10)
CLATTERING The abbreviation for Conservative and a group ‘drinking’ a type of coffee
6a Output of powerful server right for computer company (4)
ACER The output of a powerful server in a tennis match and the abbreviation for Right
9a Wants Cambridge University to probe case of British forger (10)
BLACKSMITH Wants or is deficient in and the American Cambridge University ‘probing’ the outside letters (case) of BritisH
10a Nincompoop‘s rot loudly dismissed once (4)
GOOF A two-word phrase meaning to rot without one (dismissed once) of the musical abbreviations meaning loud
12a Group that supports flogging swine after odd capers (5,2,5)
BOARD OF TRADE Nothing to with chastisement, but a more informal definition of flogging – a male pig (swine) and an anagram (capers) of AFTER ODD
15a Mull wine I won’t initially place on the counter (6)
PONDER A reversal (on the counter) of a type of wine, a word of refusal (I won’t) and the initial letter of Place
16a Notorious player of Chelsea’s beginning like a star (8)
CASANOVA The ‘beginning’ of Chelsea, another way of saying like a, and a star
18a Release a Spanish tango number (8)
UNTETHER The Spanish indefinite article, the letter represented by Tango in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet and something that numbs or anaesthetises
19a Series occasionally set in boring outskirts of Reading (6)
STRING The occasional letters of SeT and IN (from the clue) ‘boring’ the outside letters of ReadinG
21a Somewhere in Norway beside tree, shivering? One might call you cold (12)
TELEMARKETER A place in Norway (which I would imagine most people know from the name of a wartime film) and an anagram (shivering) of TREE
24a Complain untrustworthy person is left-leaning (4)
RAIL A reversal (left-learning) of someone who can’t be trusted to tell the truth
25a Concluded auditor’s chair is removed from office (10)
OVERTHROWN Concluded or finished and a homophone (auditor’s) of a type of chair
26a Portion of asparagus is Italian meal accompaniment (4)
RAGU Hidden in a portion of aspaRAGUs
27a What hides harbour primarily inundated by sea wave? (10)
BREAKWATER WhAT without the H (hides harbour primarily) inundated or covered by a wave breaking on the seashore
Down
1d 27 possibly dunked in overturned ice bucket (4)
CUBE Nothing to do with 27a but more to do with maths – hidden in reverse (overturned) in the last two words of the clue
2d Horse advanced on watering hole, moving north (4)
ARAB The abbreviation for advanced goes on (in a Down solution) a reversed (moving north) watering hole
3d First attempt to film lead in Sleeping with the Enemy? Don’t rush (4,4,4)
TAKE ONES TIME The first attempt to film (4,3), the ‘lead’ in Sleeping and something Eva Peron apparently said was her greatest enemy
4d Say what pupil unhappy on results day may demand (6)
REMARK Split 2-4, this is what a pupil unhappy with their exam results might demand
5d Race coming from a particular country (8)
NATIONAL A race (usually preceded by the word Grand) or an adjective meaning coming from a particular country
7d Sweet lover I see with incredibly chic, cool clothing (10)
CHOCAHOLIC An interjection meaning I see ‘clothed by’ or inserted into an anagram (incredibly) of CHIC COOL
8d French article called to stop widespread firing here (5,5)
RIFLE RANGE The French masculine definite article and called (on the telephone) ‘stop’ or are inserted into an adjective meaning widespread
11d Crafty behaviour by two card players who unfortunately eclipse others (5,3,4)
STEAL THE SHOW Crafty behaviour, two abbreviated bridge players and an anagram (unfortunately) of WHO
13d Leaders in Scottish Parliament lampoon Speaker – Speaker who’s struggling (10)
SPLUTTERER The ‘leaders’ in Scottish Parliament Lampoon and someone who speaks or pronounces
14d Is inspiring note on fieldwork inspiring? (10)
INSTILLING IS (from the clue) ‘inspiring’ the abbreviation for Note, followed by working the land
17d Car salesman is above being critical of others (8)
REPROVER An informal name for a salesman goes above a car marque
20d One rebuilt opera houses for US city (6)
PEORIA An anagram (rebuilt) of OPERA houses I (one) – the city is in Illinois
22d Return of tense, shy wolf (4)
BOLT Not an animal but a verb! A reversal of the abbreviation for Tense and a verb meaning to shy or throw into the air
23d Ron naughtily pinching bottom of Valerie Singleton (4)
ONER Not quite sure this is the sort of image I wanted with by my breakfast porridge, but an anagram (naughtily) of RON ‘pinching’ the bottom letter of valeriE gives us a single thing or person
What a lovely surprise. Typically smart definitions – 16a’s “notorious player”, 21a’s “one might call you cold”, etc. 3d and 11d tickled me too. A real treat. Best thanks to Robyn and Sue.
I thought this was excellent and perfectly-pitched for the Wednesday slot. Chewy enough but not overly tricky. Many thanks to Robyn and to CS for unravelling some of my bung-ins.
Finished this with help from the clues and I think for me*** for difficulty, but very enjoyable . Last ones in 10a, which I am still not sure of , 20d although I knew it was an anagram, I had never come across this city before but I got there by sheer guesswork.22a I’ve seen before but I always forget the other meanings of shy .21a I couldn’t fathom even with the checkers in . Thanks to all . Favourites 12a and 13d .
My misspelling of the sweet lover at 7d caused me all sorts of problems with 12a and held me up for longer than it should have.
I’ve never heard of the city in 20d and needed to check it existed even though the wordplay clearly implies it does. I wonder if it was our setter’s LOI too.
Plenty to enjoy though, there were many cleverly pieced together clues, my pick being the crafty card players in 11d.
My thanks to Robyn and CS.
Tough luck last night Frankie – thought you were well worthy of a point.
Thanks H, so did I.
We blew a couple of chances we really should have put away. If you’re up against a top team like your one you expect to be punished.
Esse, who came through the ranks with us, will be a good signing for you.
He’s a good lad and despite getting the inevitable dog’s abuse from our lot during the game, is wished well by most of us.
Re 7d, I assumed it would be oh rather than ah….
Your assumption is correct, Jez.
Enjoyed the solve today. Particular favourites are 9a and 3d.
Thank you
An unexpected treat – let’s hope it’s not a one-off and we’re going to get a regular supply of Robyn puzzles. Thanks to him and CS.
I particularly enjoyed 9a, 16a, 21a, 3d, 11d and 17d.
A lovely surprise to get a Robyn puzzle. Got stuck in the stalls but once out of ‘em with 1a a steady anti clockwise grid fill that was a constant reminder of this setter’s clever wordplay. NTS a deal tougher for me than our reviewer’s difficulty rating but with a pleasing lack of anything obscure, though like others I wasn’t familiar with the US city in either location so thankful for little option left from the checkers & fodder. As per usual a number of the whys boarded a later bus but will read the review to check they got on the right one.
✅s aplenty – 9,12,21&27a plus 3,7,11&14d particular likes.
Thanks to Robyn & to Sue
A lovely surprise to get a Robyn puzzle. Got stuck in the stalls but once out of ‘em with 1a a steady anti clockwise grid fill that was a constant reminder of this setter’s clever wordplay. NTS a deal tougher for me than our reviewer’s difficulty rating but with a pleasing lack of anything obscure, though like others I wasn’t familiar with the US city in either location so thankful for little option left from the checkers & fodder. As per usual a number of the whys boarded a later bus but will read the review to check they got on the right one.
✅s aplenty – 9,12,21&27a plus 3,7,11&14d particular likes.
Thanks to Robyn & to Sue
What a delightful surprise to find a Robyn Toughie today, and very good it was too!
I’ve never heard of 20d, but given the anagram fodder and checking letters, it was easy enough to divine.
I couldn’t parse 10a and have kicked myself, having read CS’s review.
There were some lovely definitions and plenty of clever wordplay leading to a plethora of ticked clues with 9a my favourite.
Many thanks to Robyn (more soon please!) and to CS.
Such a pleasure to see another puzzle from Robyn, can’t imagine how he finds time to do any setting these days. Several clues that I needed to 15a over but that made the eventual victory even sweeter. I’d only heard of 10a in the sense of blunder, didn’t realise it could also be used to refer to the person who’d made it and I had to hope that the 20d city I’d cobbled together from the wordplay actually existed! Not too keen on 17d as I can’t envisage anyone actually using it but that’s a minor gripe about an otherwise excellent compilation. Top marks here went to 9&21a plus 3,7,11&22d.
Many thanks to Robyn and to CS for the review and the pictorial evidence that 20d does exist!
I didn’t find this as straightforward as others, and it took me a few attempts to complete.
Sorry Sue, but I have never heard of the place in Norway, and the film was 3 years before I was born.
20d was another that I struggled with.
The couple that I liked most were 9a and 16a.
Thanks to Robyn and to CS for the decryption.
Had you been over here during the post Christmas period, you would have noticed that it was a number of unfestive films, including the Guns of Navarone, that appeared on TV schedules more than once
Fortunately I was in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt sitting in my garden in Valencia supping vino and cerveza, and not watching much tv. That said, the weather here hasn’t been that great this December/January…
Remember it was the first film shown at our new monthly Sat night cinema at boarding school (The Omega Man was 2nd). Kirk Douglas & Richard Harris didn’t exactly hit it off on set.
Started slowly, speeded up in the middle and slowed down at the end but got there. Never heard of the city but I have now. On reflection about right for a Wednesday. Favourite was 9a. Thanks to Robyn and CS.
I thought I was never going to get started, but eventually a few pennies dropped. In the end I needed Sue’s hints for 22a and 11d; like others I misspelt the sweet lover, but probably it wouldn’t have made any difference. 22d was last in as I was playing around for ages with ‘coy’ for ‘shy’ and trying to tie it in with ‘coyote’ for ‘wolf’. However, I seem to be one of the few to have heard of the US city as a competitor in my old industry is located there.
Overall, nicely balanced for my level of Toughie solving. COTD is 8d.
Thank you Robyn and Sue
3*/4*
That US place is a crossword favourite, when you have 4 vowels and 2 consonants
A very pleasant surprise to see the setter’s name come up. A delight to solve with chuckles all the way. Top clue was 9a.
Thanks Robyn and CS.
Even if I am a day late, I couldn’t miss a Robyn.
Does anyone else remember turning skis ⛷️ by going down on one knee? Modern downhill bindings don’t allow this anymore.
Thanks to Robyn and Sue. I hope to see Robyn again in a Sunday Toughie soon
2*/4* …
liked 7D “Sweet lover I see with incredibly chic, cool clothing (10)”
Do my eyes deceive me?! Is Robyn truly back?!
Just finished the puzzle and it’s vintage Robyn. Man I’ve missed his puzzles. I hope we don’t have to wait another 6 months for another one. Thanks Robyn and Sue for the blog.