Toughie No 3667 by Prime
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment ***/****
This seemed quite tricky mid-solve, so I was surprised to look at the clock afterwards – it was actually pretty speedy. I think such contradiction was largely because it took me a moment to find a way in and most of the shorts needed at least one crosser to crack. There is a smidgeon of vocab (12a) and a dollop of religion (12d, etc) but nothing outlandish and all fairly clued. Over to you.
Across
4a Female channel avoided by extremists (3)
EWE: channel/gutter, minus the outer letters.
8a You could eat off this clean, not barren, part of garden (8)
CROCKERY: CLEAN, minus the four-letter “barren”, plus (70s?) “part of garden”.
9a Part of crossword not finished by second person, keen? (6)
GRIEVE: part of (a) crossword (you’ve been looking at one!), minus its last letter, plus the usual (biblical) “second person”.
10a EU chemists changed where notes are written (5,5)
SHEET MUSIC: EU+CHEMISTS, changed.
11a Band go to Scotland (4)
GANG: double definition, the second being a Scottish word for “go”.
12a Pastry combination that’s run out, obtained by one who went against the tide (6)
CRONUT: abbreviated “run out” inside the one-time Danish king of England inextricably linked to the tide.
14a Revenge repulsed US city gent after 21A (8)
REPRISAL: US city (2) + gent (3), repulsed/reversed after a synonym of 21A.
15a Wise people primarily study during tedious course (7)
PRUDENT: P[eople] + “study” during/inside tedious course/treadmill.
17a Sloth, in time, holding back sex (7)
INERTIA: IN + time/age, holding/containing the usual “sex” reversed/back.
21a Pedlar reportedly uses boat, reaching isle (8)
SALESMAN: homophone of “uses boat”, plus“isle” (in the Irish Sea).
23a Loud score entertaining Royal Institute (6)
GARISH: score/cut, entertaining/containing abbreviation of “Royal Institute”.
25a Vegetarian alternative worked out fine (4)
TOFU: OUT+F[ine], worked.
26a Married couple of Americans exacting about hotel where union agreement was signed (10)
MAASTRICHT: abbreviated “married”, and “American” (twice), plus exacting/stern, about/containing abbreviated “hospital”.
28a Grow weary working where wine might be served (6)
FLAGON: grow weary/tire, plus “working” (2).
29 Gin is slipped into pint for silent type (8)
TRAPPIST: gin (not drink) + abbreviated “pint” slipped in(side) IS.
30a Obligation that is exasperating at first (3)
TIE: acrostic.
Down
1d More cunning Olympian? (6)
ARCHER: double definition, the second being an example of an Olympian either classically (Apollo, etc) or (more probably) sportingly. Take your pick!
2d Reminder to switch sides for line in bar? (4)
OCHE: reminder/evoked memory, with its first and last letters switched.
3d A dull surface with an unnatural colour all the time (8)
PERMATAN: three-letter synonym of “A” + dull surface/finish, plus AN.
4d Blemish carried by some? Yes, or everyone (7)
EYESORE: lurker, hidden in the last four words.
5d Where breakfast may be served, say, before Christian Union hosted by doctor (6)
EGGCUP: say/for example, plus abbreviated “Christian Union”, hosted/contained by two-letter “doctor”.
6d What shows drivers behind being in debt, abandoning first newspaper (4,6)
WING MIRROR: “being in debt”, minus the first letter, + (tabloid) “newspaper”. I have no idea what the second half of this surface means!
7d Leader from semis shockingly leaving Mastermind (8)
SVENGALI: S[emis] + LEAVING, shockingly.
12d Catch Christian falling short (3)
COP: Christian (descendant of ancient Egyptians), minus its last letter.
13d Doubly good, being hugged by someone without clothes, if you know what I mean (5,5)
NUDGE NUDGE: abbreviated “good” hugged/contained by naked person, all doubled, i.e. twice.
16d Genuinely, replacing student with college fellow is unimprovable (4-4)
READ-ONLY: genuinely/truly, with one (of two) abbreviated “student” replaced by “college fellow”.
18d Final drink almost followed by standing agreement (8)
NIGHTCAP: almost/nearly + agreement/treaty, reversed (standing).
19d Tree ready to lose top (3)
ASH: ready/money, minus its first letter.
20d Moderately paced, also rising, volcano (7)
ANDANTE: also/plus + (a) volcano, reversed (rising).
22d Second parent in Texas hospital department (6)
MOMENT: “parent” (as spelled in the US) + the usual “hospital department”.
24d Division of MI6 covering church Mass (6)
SCHISM: MI6 (formally) covering/containing abbreviated “church”, plus M[ass].
27d Guessing game remains pretty vacuous (1-3)
I-SPY: remains/exists + P[rett]Y.
We’ve got three anagrams and two double definitions, plus an acrostic, a lurker and one homophone. I must admit the glut of “where” definitions (10a, 26a, 28a and 5d) did start to grate, slightly. But this was fun – 17a & 29a tickled me and 2d’s lovely. What did you think?
A nice middle of the week Toughie. The king that went against the tide is popular today as he appears elsewhere
Thanks to Prime and ALP
I found this quite friendly for a midweek Toughie yet it still had plenty of intrigue and humour to keep me interested. I particularly enjoyed 29a and 2d.
Thanks to Prime for the challenge and to ALP.
Pretty gentle for a Thursday Toughie and enjoyable – thanks to Prime and ALP.
I’d never heard of the 12a pastry.
Top clues for me were 8a, 2d and 13d.
Ha for those of you enjoying 2d it’s a new word to me and needed help! Also needed to google synonym for revenge as my mind was coming up blank.
Otherwise very enjoyable particularly enjoyed 13d, 26a and 15a however my COTD is 26a
Despite the unusual grid layout, I found this to be surprisingly accessible and entertaining.
The pastry concoction at 12a was unknown to me and on investigation sounds revolting.
2d’s line in bar heads my podium, (I do love a game of ‘arrers’), alongside the mastermind at 7d and silent type in 29a.
My thanks to Prime and ALP
I found this quite straightforward, except for my last three clues, namely 12a, 2d, and 3d (which took as long to crack as the rest of the puzzle).
I knew the “one who went against the tide” as 6 letters…
Many thanks to Prime and to ALP.
Top clue for me was 13d, followed by the “final drink” at 18d.
Tuesday’s still the toughest of the week so far – this was quite gentle. I sniggered at 13d and enjoyed 3d as well.
Thanks to Prime and ALP.
In relative terms I agree that this was on the easy side of midweek Toughies. Don’t get me wrong, but I still needed ALP’s assistance to finish off the NW where 8a, 2d and 3d delayed proceedings, but I still don’t see how A can be synonymous with PER? (OK I now see it). Everything else was completed unaided which is pretty good for me.
Thanks to Prime and ALP.
Reasonably straightforward until it wasn’t. For that read NW. I didn’t understand/know of any answer there except 10a and then I had the words reversed to start off with. I think I’ll leave it there as I might start turning into Brian. Thanks to Prime anyway and ALP.
Very enjoyable and not too tricky, with 3d my last in and cream of the crop. Thanks very much to Prime and to ALP. Rare to see Gang of Four featuring in the hints and that debut EP on Fast Product is more fun than the slightly sterile Entertainment, at least to my mind.
A very enjoyable and satisfying solve, which would have been much quicker had my first one in, at 4a, not initially been ‘ann’ (channel without the ch and el) corrected wrongly to ‘she’ (usher for channel, without the u and r) and finally the right answer when I eventually clocked the lurker in 4d. Doh!
Many thanks to Prime and ALP
A reasonably quick grid fill but both the early Christian & the doughnut required some research. Last in was the 2d penny drop reviving fond memories of Sid Waddell & Jocky Wilson. Fav was 26a with podium spots for 7&13d, the latter because it prompted a play of the Python sketch.
Thanks to Prime & to ALP – love that Colter Wall song & Ash G’s cover of Ain’t No Sunshine.