Toughie No 3651 by Donnybrook
Hints and tips by ALP
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Toughie difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
A Donnybrook with no linked clues? What’s the world coming to?! Nicely playful with a vaguely classical bent and great fun as always. All yours.
Across
1a Many labels changed using every available method (2,3,5)
BY ALL MEANS: MANYLABELS, changed.
6a Exploited European employed in Bucks? (4)
USED: abbreviated “European” in bucks/American dollars (abbreviated).
10a Such a route, as a rule, is not wide (5)
BROAD: what route (1,4) is generally “not wide”, i.e. a minor one perhaps?
11a Old Peruvian comedians collaborating (2,7)
IN CAHOOTS: “old Peruvian” + comedians/funny people.
12a Herb‘s old ass going backwards (7)
OREGANO: abbreviated “old”, plus the (wild) “ass” one only sees in crosswords, reversed.
13a Silk purse not from this, so Don invests shillings (4,3)
SOW’S EAR: “so” from the clue + (to) “don” invests/contains abbreviated “shillings”.
14a “Daddy” heartless in Lolita, criminal as well (12)
ADDITIONALLY: DAD[d]YINLOLITA, criminal.
18a One trying to raise the bar with crew and Jack? (12)
WEIGHTLIFTER: abbreviated “with” + (rowing) “crew” + (car) “jack” (by example).
21a Land fish that’s caught in ship regularly (7)
TUNISIA: (a) “fish” that has caught/contained I[n]S[h]I[p].
23a Minister once again to hold back (7)
RESERVE: how one might say (with a hyphen) minister/supply again.
24a Bush ranger skinned that monster devours (9)
HYDRANGEA: [r]ange[r] devoured/contained by (many-headed) “monster”.
25a Arsenic added to chicken pasty (5)
ASHEN: symbol of “arsenic” + “chicken”.
26a Degenerate son with tattoos (4)
SINK: abbreviated “son” + the usual-ish “tattoos”.
27a Solid figure picked up parrot and wader around delta (10)
POLYHEDRON: homophone (picked up) of “parrot” + “wader” (bird) around/containing NATO’s “delta”.
Down
1d Proclamation involving shout that startles thicko (6)
BABOON: proclamation/proscription involving/containing “shout that startles”.
2d Highest point in a river – Ganges’s source? (6)
APOGEE: ‘A’ + (Italian) “river”, plus G[anges] (spelled out).
3d Seductive story also penned by Welsh Dante, a drunk (4,3,3,4)
LEDA AND THE SWAN: also/plus penned/contained by WELSHDANTEA, drunk.
4d Change examination to accommodate current leader (9)
EDITORIAL: change/amend + (verbal) “examination”, accommodating/containing (electric) “current”.
5d Canoodles and kisses where knight supplants page (5)
NECKS: “kisses” replacing the initial abbreviation of “page” with that of “knight”.
7d Sloppy start to Scarborough Fair around noon (8)
SLOVENLY: S[carborough] + fair/pretty, around/containing abbreviated “noon”.
8d 500 explorers vacated ancient city’s ruins (8)
DESTROYS: 500 (Roman) + E[xplorer]S + “ancient city’s”.
9d Unhinged Lear’s twentieth Stratford production? (3,7,4)
THE WINTER’S TALE: LEARSTWENTIETH, unhinged.
15d Hospital admitted woman wrapped around tree (9)
INFIRMARY: “admitted” (2) + “woman” (name), wrapped around/containing “tree” (3).
16d Broomstick riders after small and flexible twigs (8)
SWITCHES: “broomstick riders” after abbreviated “small”.
17d Work ending so claimed Universal Credit? (6,2)
SIGNED ON: ENDINGSO, worked.
19d Legendary king in craft wounded – time to go (6)
ARTHUR: craft/talent + wounded/injured, minus abbreviated “time”.
20d News during Christmas about famed Liverpudlian (6)
LENNON: two abbreviations of “new”, during/inside “Christmas” reversed/about.
22d Trouble as wrecked Argo ships gallons (5)
AGGRO: ARGO, wrecked, ships/contains abbreviated “gallons”.
We’ve got six anagrams, a homophone and a raft of containment. I especially enjoyed 6a’s three-letter abbreviation, 10a’s use of “such”, 11a’s construction, 2d’s “Ganges’s source” and 17d’s surface. 18a’s “Jack” tickled me too. How did you get on?
Superb, the more so for there not being any linked and wandering clues!
Solved swiftly and clockwise, finishing at the wonderful 2d. All K was, happily, G; the anagrams leapt from the page, some cracking surfaces. A perfect lunchtime puzzle.
Honours to 11, 18 & 27a, 2 & 3d.
Many thanks to Donny and ALP
Apart from struggling with 2d (my last in), the rest was quite gentle.
The two I liked the most were 11a and 18a.
Many thanks to Donnybrook and to ALP.
After a reasonably friendly week of toughies, no doubt tomorrow, Osmosis, Karla, or someone else will bring me back down to reality !
I think Karla said it would be his tomorrow
Donnybrook is never less than entertaining and this an excellent example of his craft – thanks to him and ALP.
Crowded onto my oversized podium are 6a, 11a, 18a, 17d and 20d.
Not too difficult but marvellously enjoyable as usual with this setter. 11a was my standout favourite by a distance.
My thanks to Donny for the fun and to ALP.
11a my favourite pick from a very good field .18&17 also podium contenders.Held up in the northern sector and needed hint for 2d. Thanks to all .
Top notch & hugely enjoyable. Tuned in from the off for a very swift solve by my Toughie standards & found it more straightforward than his SPPs. That said I didn’t twig the Es for the why at 2d. Ticks all over the shop – particularly liked the long ‘uns so those 4 can fight it out among themselves for podium spots.
Thanks to Donny & to ALP – good to hear some Truckers; great band though never quite the same after Isbell left.
More good stuff from DBk. Nothing too taxing but v enjoyable and witty. Tops were 6a, 11a [LOL] and the cunning anagram at 17d.
Thanks to DB and ALP.
A fairly straightforward solve with a few that needed a bit more thinking about. Lots to like. Favourite was the splendid 11a. Thanks to Donnybrook and ALP.
My best Toughie yet. Five of the first 6 clues went in straight away and then a steady plod. In the end 17d and 26a held me up as I convinced myself there had to be a ” Universal U” in there somewhere.
Thanks to DB and ALP
Inventive and clever, and a lot more straightforward than I expected when I stared at the grid and clues for seemingly ages before the old ass kicked into life… 6a and 17d get my seal of approval today.
Having seen a troop of 1ds in action around a tourist lodge, I think they’d be rather insulted by the illustration!
Thanks to Donnybrook for the puzzle and ALP for the blog
I have just caught up with this, and it was a bit like the 1d who shoved a peanut up his bum – it came out a “treet”
Thanks to Donnybrook and ALP.
I hope the Donald is somewhat distracted as you have messed with his hair his tan, and likened him to a baboon
2*/4* …
liked 22D “Trouble as wrecked Argo ships gallons (5)”