Sunday Toughie No 214
by proXimal
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
proXimal is here again with all his Sunday Toughie trademarks. Tougher than usual I think, but not helped by my failure to find 27a in any dictionary! There appears to be a surplus I and the only source I can find suggests it is a common misspelling. Tomdisappointingsturges 65 will be very disappointed indeed if we allow misspellings to become commonplace.
We have 14a and 16d clues today and I have hinted half. I hope you find the checkers to get across the line.
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!
I hope I don’t have to redact any comments, but you have all been so well-behaved that the red pencil is likely to remain in retirement.
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 Stew fruit for Spooner’s classically trained actor (8)
To stew or otherwise heat food, and a gourd-like fruit with sweet flesh, are given the Spooner treatment. A bit of a stretch pronunciation wise perhaps
12a Desire tips from actor Charlie Sheen (6)
A cardinal sin and, in this case, the “tips from” refers to the final letters of the next two words
15a Bid in good time for computer application (7,6)
To bid or order and to be in good time for a meeting
18a Ways of hiding nauseous reaction being imprisoned by two deities (13)
Of from the clue conceals a disgusted reaction, it is concealed between deities of Norse and Greek mythology
I ought to play the album version, but this is better IMO
22a Drug chart reviewed following one entering stupor (8)
A chart or plan is reversed (reviewed), it follows the letter that one represents that has entered a stupor, by taking too much unbranded Valium perhaps
27a Models I twice separately encountered in record books (9)
Two I’s are separately inserted between a record and some large volumes, but I can only find some AI sources that indicate this is a common misspelling. A superfluous I, I wonder how it got there!
28a
29a Nut clamping to wheel oddly in vehicle recess (8)
Some more car parts, a nut or similar idiot contains odd letters of to wheel
Down
1d Lose machine pistol, unfortunately abandoning hit on rogue (8)
Our first proXimal™ extraction anagram. An anagram (rogue) of hit on, has abandoned machine pistol, and what remains is anagrammed again (unfortunately) – remember the technique for 14d as I may run out of hints
3d Exposed figure in trouble climbing coastal region (7)
A synonym of trouble is reversed (climbing in a down clue) around what remains of figure when it is exposed by removing its outer letters
4d Head of college dropped for real (4)
A school teaching mechanical and industrial arts and the applied sciences is abbreviated and drops its first letter down the order until it becomes a word for real (borrowed from the German)
7d With post in support, present other side (9)
A synonym of post, supports one of present. What comes when we have been visited by the Grim Reaper with his 28a
10d Teaching in France, you tinker with course, ultimately getting demoted (8)
An informal French you, followed by a tinker, beggar or tramp that demotes the last letter of course to the end
16d Interdependence of lifting corporation with excellence leader overlooked (9)
A synonym of excellence overlooks its leading letter, and follows a reversal (lifting in a down clue) of an informal term for your corporation
17d Backing old American in China pursuing contract rivals (8)
Start with rival players in contract bridge, then a friend or “China plate” that contains o for old and one of our usual Americans
25d Writer of superb I, Robot (4)
A misspent youth in the Sci-Fi section of many bookshops tells me who actually wrote I Robot, but as this is a cryptic rather than GK crossword, we need to look for a cryptic “writer”
Compiler
proXimal
Could new readers please read the Welcome Post and the FAQ before posting comments or asking questions about the site.
As this is a Prize crossword, please don’t put any ANSWERS, whether WHOLE, PARTIAL or INCORRECT or any ALTERNATIVE CLUES in your comment.
Please read these instructions carefully – they are not subject to debate or discussion. Offending comments may be redacted or, in extreme cases, deleted. In all cases the administrator’s decision is final.
If you don’t understand, or don’t wish to comply with, the conventions for commenting on weekend prize puzzles then save yourself a lot of trouble and don’t leave a comment.
An enjoyable puzzle from one of the Sunday Toughie ‘originals’ – thanks to proXimal and SJB.
Pity about the non-word at 27a.
I liked 9a, 19d, 20d and 21d (mainly because that’s what we used to call our gym shoes).
Plimmy’s or sandshoes where I come from, but I have heard the name before.
I think the last three of your faves may be down clues
Now fixed – thanks.
Wow that was tough today and I needed the hints to get over the line in the NE.
Despite the brain mangling I did enjoy it, sort of!
5*/4*
Will go with 3d as favourite
27a – the plural with the i is still valid if archaic – according to my AI search
Thanks to Proximal and SJB
I found the archaic plural as ******ai
But ******ies as just a common misspelling
If asked randomly to spell the word, I’d have just added an ‘s’
Moi aussi
Took me ages to justify 1a, and I’m afraid it ranks pretty low as far as spoonerisms go!
Nevertheless it was a good puzzle to get sorted. Thanks all
I started with a Jamaican stew, made with another fruit and saltfish, to go with the other fruit. I changed my mind as it was even worse when Spoonerised
I have no idea what the slang word for gym shoes is, in Wimbledon we just called them gym shoes or plimsoles. However, despite being the last one in I have had a go. A very enjoyable guzzle, thank you proXimal- I did like 7d. Another weekend gone and another month started, another guzzle over.
Thanks SJB, I also would have just added an ‘s’!
You should be able to find the four letter plimsoles if you remove the first a and the time abbreviation from the synonym of changes. It is definitely in the dictionary as a dialect noun
I enjoyed this nicely challenging Toughie… until I got to my LOI (1a) whereupon I spent as much time pondering as the rest of the clues put together. Had to look at the hints and, frankly, that’s the dodgiest Spoonerism I can remember.
Thanks to proXimal and to SJB for the blog.
I stopped fretting over pronunciation of the Spooner when the answer dawned on me, otherwise I would have been pointlessly waiting for Godot, but I spent even longer looking for a word that wasn’t there in 27a
A largely excellent and very rewarding, properly tough Toughie, however the Spoonerism doesn’t really work for me, and while 27a parses perfectly it does not seem to be a valid word, as others have said. Spent far too long trying to justify a type of grass with a reportedly risqué reputation back in the 70s, but no monkey I could think of fitted the bill.
Honours to 7d, 8d, 10d & 18a. Many thanks to ProXimal and SJB
I thought the French tinker with the movable e was a good clue but a bit much for the Sunday Telegraph.
I had to check the grass was really a grass as it wouldn’t be suitable for a putting green
A couple of clues have beaten me today.
Most of this was fairly gentle, but for the life of me I cannot see neither 1a nor 2d. Time to throw the towel in and admit defeat. There are far more important things to do, such as go and pour myself a quadruple g&t.
Ticks to 9a, 18a, and 20d.
Thanks to proXimal and to SJB.
Apologies for my incorrect use of neither/nor following a negative. It didn’t look correct when I wrote it!
A tussle today and I am another having problems with 1a. I have said in in my head again and again without success. (I see the alternative website which we love to hate is struggling too!)
The tailless 23a monkey favourite today.
Thanks to proXimal and to SJB.
I would pronounce the stew synonym with an oo sound but with the first sound of the fruit it would be an uc sound. Seeing the classical actor allowed me to get the first letter of 2d. I could see the aromatic furore reversal but contracts like a furrowed brow or mending bone was still hard to see
Cheers SJB !
Your “aromatic furore reversal” enabled me to finish the puzzle in a few seconds.
Phew! Time for another g&t..
Thanks SLB I could not have got over the line without you.
Like everyone else, to me 1a is a bit of a stretch; 27a is just not a correct spelling, at least I can’t find any reference to it and 4d is of foreign derivation and in my opinion should be indicated as such.
The computer instruction was my last in and the ways with two gods is my COTD.
Thanks to proXimal and once again to SLB.
You may be right about 4d, but English has borrowed so many words from all points of the compass. Its first use in English was c 1916 and is in the dictionary; it has more right to be in a crossword than the just wrong 27a
An indicator may have helped, but I don’t think we can expect setters to indicate the origin of every word that English has borrowed.
Mega-toughie. Hardly understood the hints! I got the long’uns. Will revert to explanations next week
Time will tell what was meant by 27a. Massive thanks to SJB, proving AI has a long way to go
A long night grinding through dictionaries ensured I slipped off to the land of nod just before your comment. AI does indeed have a long way to go
I threw in the towel 3 shy of completion (1a 2&4d) having spent plenty long enough on the puzzle getting that far. Oddly the correct fruit in the dodgy Spoonerism briefly passed my mind but I still can’t see the stew bit. Even if I’d twigged the other two giving 2 extra checkers I doubt I’d have got Sir Ian. The 2 missing downs yielded easily enough with the initial letter in.Never heard of pumps being referred to as in 21d either.
On the plus side I spotted the anagram extractions quicker than usual. As ever lots to like – 18,22,23&29a 3,10,16&17d the picks for me.
Thanks to proXimal & to John for the 1a pic – love Stephen Stills but their version can’t hold a candle to the original Idlewild South version by the Allman Brothers Band or Gregg’s later solo versions. Your clip & the clue at 28a reminded me of a much covered Blind Gary Davis song
Great tune that, thanks
Stephen Stills at 18a was going to be from the solo album “18a gap” but I didn’t want the answer all over the YT clip. My problem with the Spooner was moving from an ook sound to an ack sound via uck. It was a relief when Sir Ian came to mind and I could go back to trawling dictionaries