Toughie No 3664 by Elgar
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty *** – Enjoyment *****
Given the battle I had to solve, parse and blog Elgar’s 300th Toughie, I will admit to being more than a little apprehensive when I printed off his 301st, where the last three Down clues had a whole piece of paper to themselves. I was both relieved and delighted to find that he had set us his friendliest crossword for many a long year; I did know the hymn and the unknown catalogue was fairly clued; and the whole was most entertaining, my favourites being the brilliant 26a and 12d
Please let us know what you thought
Across
9a Lord Rothermere finally seen in press just this morning? (7,2)
EARLIER ON A titled nobleman (Lord) and the final letter of rothermerE inserted into a verb meaning to press [clothes]
10a A bit of nosh fills hole, followed by a bottle of milk (5)
PINTA The first letter (a bit) of Nosh ‘fills’ a hole in the earth, A (from the clue) being added at the end
11a `Rocks, put through the mill and then inserted, remain solid (5,4,6)
STAND ONES GROUND Some small rocks and a verb meaning put through a mill between which is inserted AND (from the clue)
12a One’s off the drugs now one’s run out (3-4)
NON-USER AN anagram (out) of ONES RUN
13a Outings involving such performers could be soul-destroying (7)
YODLERS These performers who sing or shout, changing from an ordinary voice to falsetto and back, could be in an anagram with OUTINGS could make SOUL-DESTROYING
15a New Inn infiltrated by CID: notice its unusual subtlety (4,11)
NICE DISTINCTION An anagram (new) of INN into which is inserted (infiltrated by) an anagram (unusual) of CID NOTICE ITS
19a Sample of retro artistes busking, like guitarists and drummers in bands … (7)
SUBSETS Hidden in reverse (sample of … retro) in artiSTES BUSking
22a … top singer doing back catalogue (7)
NOTITIA A reversal (back) of top or first-class, a singing bird and doing or in process produces a roll, register or catalogue of public functionaries
24a Are sailors behind ship’s gathering agreed this device will raise water? (10,5)
ARCHIMEDES SCREW ARE (from the clue) and some sailors, the latter going after the abbreviation for Steam Ship, into which is inserted (gathering) a synonym for agreed
26a Solo in musical show set on Manhattan’s West Side (5)
MARIA A vocal solo goes after the west side of Manhattan to give us the name of a solo in a musical set on Manhattan’s West Side – brilliant!
27a Medium of writer, Fleming for one, with something similar on cycle (6,3)
INDIAN INK The forename of the writer of James Bond novels (Fleming for one) inserted into a phrase meaning with something similar, the last three letters of the second word being ‘cycled’ to the front of the solution
Down
1d Allies Day (4)
WEDS Allies or joins closely (in marriage) or an abbreviated day of the week (the capital D in Day being there to mislead
2d At first, Alexander Pope’s drinking large Roman brandy (8)
ARMAGNAC The first letter of Alexander and the abbreviation for the Pope’s religious denomination of the Pope, into which is inserted (drinking) the Latin (Roman) word for large
3d Within limits in dynamics, element’s missing in valves (6)
DIODES An element without the IN inserted into the outside letters (limits) of DynamicS
4d Such as haematite, coarser on original raised walls (4,4)
IRON ORES Hidden in (walls) in reverse (raised) in coarSER ON ORIginal
5d A snog, is it, by every other shed? Literally dreadful! (6)
ANGSTY An informal way of saying literally full of dread – the odd (every other shed) letters of A sNoG iS iT bY
6d Scattered produce raised around arid ground runs short (8)
SPORADIC A reversal (raised) of some produce goes around an anagram (ground) of ArID without the cricket abbreviation for Runs
7d Low-down exploit: nothing escapes charge (6)
INFUSE An informal short form of information (low-down) and a verb meaning to exploit
8d Miss one cutting off the wall (4)
MAID The Roman numeral for one ‘cutting’ strange or recklessly foolish (off the wall)
12d Women, in a sequence; ladies an inspection may reveal, from top or bottom (5)
NINAS Some women often associated with messages in crosswords can be revealed hidden in the first four words of the clue and in reverse in ladieS AN INspection
I did look to see if there was anything hidden but looked again after Mustafa’s and see that the surnames of two actresses with this forename are to be found, one in the top line and the other at the bottom, with an American singer-songwriter between them
14d Old Nick elevating new man for big delivery job (5)
SANTA The devil (Old Nick) ‘elevating’ the abbreviation for New from the end to the middle of the word
16d Prayer one’s interrupting also breaks for a hymn (4,4)
DIES IRAE A prayer or earnest longing into which is inserted (interrupting) the Roman numeral for one, and then later (breaks) A (from the clue) gives a hymn used in a Latin mass for the dead
17d Indirectly reference Wagner’s nine elevated parts in work (8)
INNUENDO The German (as used by Wagner) word for nine reversed (elevated) and inserted between IN (from the clue) and a verb meaning to work
18d For a while, stop during school-time to get it (8)
INTERMIT During school-time (2,4) with IT (from the clue)
20d My apparently trashed hat (6)
BICORN An interjection of surprise (my) put in a rubbish container (apparently trashed)
21d Attend performance of Porridge broadcast from stage (6)
SCENIC Theatrical (from or of the stage) – a homophone (broadcast) of a phrase meaning attend at an informal name for a prison (Porridge being a sitcom set in a prison)
23d Is America unable to promote half of Florence? (6)
TUSCAN An informal way of asking whether America is unable to, promoting the second half in front of the first
24d Explosives – live – tick! (4)
AMMO First person singular of the verb to be (live) and an informal word for a short period of time (tick)
25d Console guards close to bleak site for collaborative work (4)
WIKI A games console ‘guards’ the final letter (close) of bleaK
Thanks Elgar – more like this would be most welcome. I’m off for a celebratory cup of tea and a proper spiced fruity Hot Cross Bun – not least because my mother always insisted that Good Friday was the first day one should eat a Hot Cross Bun.
Plenty to enjoy here although I struggled with the hymn and bunged in the alpine singers.I also liked 12d and. 26a.
Thanks to Elgar and CS and a happy Easter to all.
Extremely enjoyable and a surprise to find that Elgar had found his missing carpet slippers. Thanks to him and CS.
I liked 11a, 12d and 17d with my favourite being the excellent 26a.
Great fun, and fairly accessible after a very slow start. I, too, thought 26a was superb and readily gave it my top spot. Unusually, I didn’t feel completely brain-mangled after finishing the puzzle, just very satisfied to have got across the line.
Many thanks to Elgar for the challenge, and to Sue.
Super puzzle, and startlingly benign, so much so that I did check that it was indeed an Elgar! Happily for once I actually spotted the Nina (given it was so obligingly highlighted in 12d) and quite early. So many excellent clues, with podium comprising 12d, 26a, 16d & 27a.
Many thanks to Elgar and to CS
As others have said, an Easter EFE (easy for Elgar), I missed some of the subtleties of the parsing (I stopped looking when I saw the first Nina, and didn’t notice the reversal.
Thanks to Sue and Elgar.
And I didn’t notice the other three in the top and bottom row either. Are there any more I missed?
Other than Miss Simone on the top and bottom
Well spotted, SJB !
Only Elgar could have 5 (?) NINAS in the same crossword.
I had counted 6 – three along the top and bottom, two in the clue and one in the answer – any more for any more? 😉
I suspect there may be another one. This time an actual Nina, in that the names of Columbus’s three ships also appear.
oh good spot Odrum
Respect, people.
Passed me by, well and truly.
The puzzle that keeps giving…
I wish I had called it an Easter EGG (Elgar Goes Gentl(ish)). So, have we settled on Three Nina’s performing and Three Nina’s sailing? My punt on Cristina Ricci as Wednesday Addams is obviously pushing the envelope
There are a few more. If you read along a number of the rows in reverse you can pick out the letters. The same with some of the columns. There are also a few blocks that you can read round to do the same. These might all be a consequence of the number of Ns, Is and As used in the grid anyway, rather than included by design.
In any case a big thank you to Elgar for adding Ninas, finding them is always a nice bonus after a hard solve.
Husband queried why I had only done five clues after some time and he was perplexed by my answer that is was ‘an Elgar’. He’s still not sure why I rejoiced that I did twelve clues correctly, unaided! 😂
I think it’s remarkable progress given that a year ago I would see the name Elgar above the grid and know I would struggle to complete three clues WITH the hints. So, a huge thank you to the whole blog community for contributing to my continuing education. One day, maybe the whole of an Elgar puzzle ……. 🤞
They do seem to get [a bit] easier as one gets older – honest!
Agreed, not our setter’s most difficult offering, praise be for that.
The catalogue at 22a and the hymn in 16d were unknown to me but fairly clued.
The performers in 13a had me slapping the thighs of my leather lederhosen whilst trying to solve a problem like 26a.
My thanks to CS and Elgar.
Elgar should set more of these. It was great fun and left time for a spot of gardening. For once I agree entirely with our Blogger’s ratings and 26a but I also liked the element missing in 3d and the trashed hat at 20d. I spotted the middle lady but had to Google the other 2 – must get out more.
Wonders will never cease! I surprised myself by managing a third of this unaided.
Sorry – Thank you, Elgar for the puzzle. Thank you, CS for the hints.
Pleased to have finished an Elgar puzzle, even if it was EFE! It was still quite a challenge and a couple of Sue’s fine hints were needed (thanks!). 14d was a late entry but it made me chuckle!
I’m struggling to spot the Nina…could someone point me in the right direction?
Thanks to Elgar for the Good Friday challenge and Sue for the hints and tips.
The surnames of three Ninas can be seen by reading across the top and bottom rows
Thanks Sue, just spotted them!
Thank you!!
With tongue firmly in cheek, I offer Christina Ricci as Wednesday Addams as another. Christina is commonly abbreviated to Nina and Wednesday to Weds 1d?
I managed about half unaided, then had a peek at the first of Sue’s hints (9a) to kick start further penetration of this slightly benign, but an Elgar puzzle nonetheless, so my brain does feel mangled.
Never heard of the catalogue at 22a, the hymn at 16d nor the console at 25d, so needed the hints to finish them together with 7d and 27a. My first in was the water raiser at 24a which I’ll nominate as my COTD
Still recovering, but I don’t know whether it’s the sheer elation of getting so far with an Elgar, or the fact there won’t be another for a couple of weeks.
My thanks to CS and Elgar.
On the recommendation of Mustafa G I attempted this Elgar puzzle and fell 4 short. Given that I can normally solve a couple of his clues this was obviously “Elgar lite”. I enjoyed the tussle.
Thanks Elgar for the puzzle and CS for the hints.
Now for a bottle of red wine!
22a alone makes this a 4* at least. Tough word and brutal wordplay.
Changing from Mark1977 to your full name sent you into moderation
As I said in my prologue, I thought the wordplay for 22a was fair – ‘back’ usually indicates a reversal is required. Top or first-class is A1, the smalll bird appears in many a crossword as a ‘singer’ and ON meaning working or doing something. Perhaps I’ve solved too many cryptic crosswords in the last 56 years after which time these things do become routine
What did you think of the rest of the crossword?
Finished this Saturday morning. Needed lots of help never heard of 22a or 16d .
One day may get more than 75-80% on my own
Think this must be the first Elgar I’ve done without any assistance. I usually need one or two nudges to get the last few. Great fun as usual.
Thanks
Proper Elgar at his best, although I was utterly defeated by 16d, as neither the solution or the key building block’s were known to me, and I couldn’t have solved it from the hint either – I just don’t know that stuff. But I could see that from the clue, so no point in wasting time over it. Not mad keen on 21d or 24d either. 12d is great, even though I normally hate such verbose clues.
I endorse the plea for more like this. Damn hard but largely solvable, which is exactly what is needed to fill the weekend.
Thanks Elgar and CS