Toughie No 3663 by Beam
Hints and tips by ALP
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Toughie difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***/****
Beam’s back with his usual flurry of synonyms, the Queen, a sweetheart, and – of course – no anagrams. Scant sauce though, so maybe he listened to Jane – of whom I know we are all thinking, especially having seen today’s latest update. Everything crossed.
Across
8a Fantastic creature is still single (4)
YETI: still/even + single/one.
9a Sorry fraud cancelled without a fine (10)
SHAMEFACED: fraud/fake + cancelled/erased, minus one of two abbreviated “fine(s)”.
10a Let go embracing very French lover (8)
MISTRESS: let go/lose, embracing/containing “very” in French.
11a Tap and wrench the thing loudly (6)
FAUCET: homophone of “wrench the thing” (5,2).
12a Queen returning, ready for show (9)
REPRESENT: Queen, reversed, plus ready/at hand.
13a Sound of bird could alert him? (5)
MINER: homophone of one bird = a worker once reliant on a(nother) bird for safety.
15a Walks over to see relative (4-3)
STEP-SON: walks/treads + two-letter over/about.
17a Card game, sort of bridge (7)
PONTOON: double definition.
20a Animal included in cattle drive (5)
STEER: double definition.
22a Painter pretending to cover render (9)
INTERPRET: lurker, hidden in the first two words.
25a Brooded with rage seeing caricature (6)
SATIRE: brooded (as hen) + rage/anger.
26a Beefs up strong people, reportedly (8)
TIGHTENS: homophone of (classically) “strong people”.
27a Debauched default reversed in time (10)
DEGENERATE: default/backslide, reversed, inside a synonym of “time”.
28 Harbinger literary mariner rejected (4)
OMEN: Verne’s (sub)mariner, reversed.
Down
1d Grounds sailors, maybe in rising currents (8)
SEDIMENT: “sailors maybe” (more than 11pc of those serving in our Navy aren’t, mind!) inside “currents”, reversed.
2d Mechanic could be hunkier (6)
FITTER: double definition.
3d Slander when individual set about one (9)
ASPERSION: synonym of “when” + individual/being, containing the usual “one”.
4d Cultivating fruit on top of ground (7)
RAISING: (small) “fruit” + G[round].
5d Slaves enduring rigid feudal system, initially (5)
SERFS: acrostic.
6d One possibly takes off on holiday? (8)
NATURIST: cryptic definition. Somewhere warm, I trust!
7d Demanding split with sweetheart (6)
SEVERE: split/cut + Beam’s usual “sweetheart”.
14d Alien power blocking enemy resistance (9)
FOREIGNER: (regal) power blocking/inside “enemy” and abbreviated “resistance”.
16d States quietly careless consuming energy (8)
PREMISES: (musical) “quietly” + careless/negligent, consuming/containing abbreviated “energy”.
18d Old boss purchasing new plant (8)
OLEANDER: abbreviated “old” + boss/chief, purchasing/containing abbreviated “new”.
19d First sign, perhaps (7)
INITIAL: double definition.
21d Almost try finding comfort in puzzle (6)
TEASER: “try” from the clue, minus its last letter, with comfort/rest inside.
23d Postman’s endless list for round (6)
PATROL: (animated) “postman” plus (apostrophe ‘S’ as “has”/link, presumably) list/lean over, minus its last letter.
24d Horizontal position going up and down (5)
LEVEL: a palindromic horizontal (position).
We have four double definitions, one cryptic, three homophones, an acrostic, a lurker and a neat all-in-one – 13a stood out for me today. How did you get on?
I thought the grid layout may have added a level of difficulty today, but all in all I found no great problems.
LOI was 13a as I racked my brains and went through the alphabet before arriving at a solution.
9a and 3d make it to my podium for no reason other than being fine words, along with the postman in 23d.
My thanks to Beam and ALP.
A sound Beam Toughie, which I largely enjoyed very much. 13a did not completely make sense until I read the blog, at which point the penny dropped. 6d seems very loose, even with the ? after ‘on holiday’ – a naturist is a naturist, whether or not on holiday. Honours to the excellent 3d, 5d (Beam’s typically perfect acrostics) and 9a.
Many thanks to Beam and ALP
Very enjoyable, I spent a while with toughens in 26a which slowed me down in the SE and then it also transpires I had 13a wrong.
Oh well, tomorrow’s another day.
Thanks to Beam & ALP.
I enjoy Beam’s Xwds, I marvel at his synonyms, elastic to breaking point (if not beyond😎) and his brevity. They always take me forever to work out – but I usually do get there, unlike with some/many other setters.
On the hard side, today – i was convinced i’d be a DNF until I got to the bottom half of the grid.
I liked 6d and 13a but 3d was top for me.
I don’t own a full BRB, and i expect it disagrees, but for me Satire at 25a was a stretch too far for me.
Thanks to Beam and ALP.
I am almost lost for words that one of my favourite setters should include an unindicated 100%, no ifs, no buts Americanism as the answer to 11d.
That apart, this was sheer excellence from the master of brevity.
3d was my favourite with a special mention for 5d.
Many thanks to Beam and ALP.
What a treat, second Beam toughie this week. It took some working out but an enjoyable solve, as ever. I quite liked 11d (sorry RD!). Too many clever clues to choose a favourite.
Thanks to Beam and ALP
I’ll have a pint of whatever RD and Moonraker are drinking, please.
I think you mean 11a, chaps.
Nothing stronger than your finest Earl Grey at this time of day! 11a, of course!
As it gets towards the back end of the week I fail to finish , normally and sure enough I ran out of steam with some in the bottom half .I have a rheum so maybe this is a contributary factor . Put Siren for the bird ? Partly made sense – wren !Sir ! Enuff .thanks to Beam and ALP . How is 6d correct ? Favourites 9 and 10 .
Hi Fran. A direct object would, of course, be expected for “takes off” in this sense rather than an implicit one, but it is a cryptic definition with a question mark which allows some leeway, I think. As MG points out, naturists are – presumably – not only such on holiday. But, unless they work somewhere particularly exotic, I guess the practice is largely confined to their leisure time. However, I’m no expert. My very limited knowledge is confined to occasional walks along a certain beach in Dorset, where – unaccountably – men of a certain age like to play Frisbee au naturel, in all weathers. It is not a pretty sight!
I can’t remember when I struggled so much with a Beam toughie but struggle I did, all the way through. I managed to stumble over the line eventually. Favourite was 1d. Thanks to Beam and ALP.
Evening all. Many thanks to ALP for the illumination and to everybody else for your observations. I hope that all goes well for Jane.
RayT
Many thanks for popping in – always greatly appreciated. Ta lots for the puzzle.
I’m still 1 shy in Beam’s Prize Toughie from Sunday & feared the same here. 6d & 13a the holdouts but a quick glance at the underlining in the hints confirmed they were cryptic definitions & the pennies dropped eventually. Tougher than usual I thought & very enjoyable.
Thanks to Beam & ALP