Sunday Toughie No 220
by proXimal
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
proXimal is here again with all his Sunday Toughie trademarks. I found this much easier than his last offering, but mainly because the Spoonerism leapt out of my mind within seconds of seeing the crossword at 23:32 last night.
We have 14a and 14d clues today, and I have hinted at half. I hope you find the checkers to get across the line. I will try and give a bonus nudge or two if you ask, but I don’t think this was as difficult as some from proXimal.
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 One holding groceries and dancing lively dance for Spooner (8,3)
Two dance synonyms are given the Spooner treatment
8a Dick hurt back getting edible tubers (7)
Dick is an informal term for a detective, a more formal abbreviation for a detective for hire is followed by a reversal (back) of hurt by a wasp perhaps
10a Break down about this novel’s bleak end, perhaps (4,4)
A break-down around an anagram (novel) of this. I couldn’t decide which end of the clue was the definition until I remembered what bleak as a noun was
Sunday Quiz! A suitable libation at the mid year or full Birthday Bash, for the first to identify this 10a mountain by its proper name
18a Layer bearing wide cut (4)
The layer of a breakfast staple around a cricket scorers wide
22a Rustic wooden frame is found in middle of wheelhouse (8)
A wooden frame for carrying buckets across the shoulders and is from the clue found in the middle letters of wheelhouse
25a Maybe future ahead makes us become anxious (5,2)
Future is an example of a grammatical nature, it is followed by a synonym of ahead
26a Novelist‘s wife makes changes to yarn – not on! (6,5)
A synonym of makes changes goes between a wifely abbreviation and a type of yarn but drop the on
Down
1d Silverware half-heartedly put on gold support (7)
Silverware used for stirring loses one of the letters at its heart and adds some heraldic gold
3d Parking supplementing new train station (10)
A parking sign, a two-word phrase for supplementing and a new abbreviation, lead to a train station familiar to Peruvian marmalade-eating bears and those travelling to the Big Dave Birthday Bash
5d Prominence of Cyrano de Bergerac with involvement of one VIP (3,5)
Cyrano de Bergerac’s prominence around a Roman one
6d Fellow eats last of Cheddar before Swiss cheese (7)
A chap or fellow around the last of Cheddar and a literary before
7d Life begins at forty: resolved to leave for sea organised appropriately (11)
We have had to wait a while for the proXimal™ compound anagram, but, appropriately, here it is now. An anagram (resolved) of life begins at forty, but another anagram (organised) of for sea is left out
17d Mechanics stripped fasteners beneath sump (3,4)
Threaded fasteners are stripped of their outer letters and go beneath a sump or depression
23d Man is one heard somewhere in supermarket (4)
A homophone of one of the locations of commodities in a supermarket
Compiler
proXimal
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A very enjoyable puzzle although the two I struggled with I solved from checkers. For once, the good reverend caused no problems and I did like Cyrano de Bergerac’s involvement at 5d. MY COTT is the theatrical salesperson at 9d.
Thanks you, proXimal for a very entertaining puzzle. Thank you, SJB for the hints.
Is that Clue of The Toughie or a Yarn without on?
The former. 😊
Struggled to get my head round 10a and I am grateful for a couple of your other explanations. An enjoyable challenge.
Favourite 24a.
Another sunny Sunday in NE Scotland ruined by a chilly breeze.
Thanks to proXimal and SJB. (Ta for the the music video for 1a. Haven’t heard it for years)
It took a while for me to remember bleak the noun.
24a was a nice construction but a yappy lapdog
Your 10a mountain is Machaputare but I have not bothered climbing it as it isn’t a Munro. 😁
Close enough, the mountain is Machupuchare, and as it is sacred no one has set foot on the summit (I hope)
I was there in 1990 on a trekking peak elsewhere in the Annapurna sanctuary
….also known as 10a, located in the Annapurna massif of Nepal.
It is famous for its distinctive double-summit shape that resembles a 10a.
Not sure how “sacred” and “10a” fit together.
It is sacred as it is revered as the home of Lord Shiva. Although an expedition to the summit was undertaken in 1957 they agreed to stop a few hundred feet from the summit. There are rumours that a New Zealand climber made an unauthorised ascent in 1980
16a took me ages to spot – normally I’m quick to see this type of clue.
13a and 22a also slowed me down.
My family was 10a.
Many thanks to proXimal and to SJB.
*my favourite (not family). Blooming unwanted spell correcter!
Or even corrector! (Note to oneself- never write a comment from an android phone; always opt for the dinosaur pc).
I only counted one compound anagram – what’s going on! Such clues are usually selected as my favourites, so a different style of clue gets a look-in today. Actually, I’m not picking 7d anyway as my Down podium is completed with 4, 9 &20. The Spoonerism does get the usual tick from me, though, and is joined on the Across podium by 8 & 10, with 14 running them close. I hadn’t heard of the dance before so, once found, I was very happy to discard the possibility of some kind of euphemism…
Many thanks to both proXimal and SJB.
Probably about mid-standard in terms of difficulty, but towards the top end of the scale for enjoyment.
My favourites were the four peripheral clues, which fell fairly easily to ensure a reasonably quick completion.
Never heard of the tubers in 8a though my answer was confirmed by dictionary.
My thanks to proXimal and SJB.
I think the tubers and Dick are mainly N American, but as it is a Toughie you are unlikely to get an indicator to help
Grateful for the explanation of the compound subtraction anagram. Devious!
I didn’t know the puzzle appears at 23.32; will look out next week.
Thank to all, esp. the Oracle of Cruciverb, SJB
Sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t. 23:15 is about the earliest I’ve seen but occasionally it can be well after midnight. I think it depends on who is doing the nightshift at Telegraph Towers
Not as tricky as proXimal can often be (but I needed to verify that the 1a dance and the 10a bleak were what they had to be). Thanks to our setter and SJB.
Top of the pops for me were 26a, 3d and 5d.
I don’t think I have seen either dance on Strictly, but I think the second one was a feature of dance marathons. It is also the State Dance of South Carolina so Robert C would have known it
A very enjoyable solve, been a while since we’ve seen proXimal. I had to check the tubers. I liked the Spoonerism and the salesperson at the marina made me smile.
Talking of tubers, just planted five rows of tatties on the allotment. Maybe a bit early, so hoping there won’t be any late frosts.
My old climbing buddy has been to Annapurna and seen Machupuchare. I think it’s rather nice that there are one or two places man has never trodden.
Thanks to proXimal for the puzzle and SJB for the blog
Fingers crossed 🤞 for your tatties, a cold wind and rain here but i think a frost is unlikely.
The leader of my own trek to The Annapurna Sanctuary was a climber called Mal Duff, he was not amused when I pointed out his name was basically two synonyms of bad
Great puzzle. Liked the four edges but favourites were 3 and 15 down. Not sure at all about my answer for 7 across, as I can’t parse it, but it’s submitted now so too late.
Re Birmingham. Are all welcome? Trying to persuade my non-crossword solving husband we should have a weekend away. It would be nice to meet some other clever word nerds.
All indeed would be most welcome and I look forward to meeting crossworders and non crossworders alike. I hope you can persuade husband to come.
7a on vacation is an instruction to vacate the contents of the preceding word, add the outer letters that remain to a synonym of had or possessed to fit the definition at the end of the clue. If hinted I may have included a pic of D Trump, but he hasn’t been tanned, more oranged
Thank you! So obvious when you put it like that 😂 I got stuck on the first three letters and couldn’t parse the rest. At least my answer was correct.
Had 3 left to solve before i threw in the towel.
Very enjoyable non the less with the marina salesman favourite today.
Thanks to all.
Had heard of the dance but both the tubers & bleak needed a check with Mr G. A brisk(ish) solve extended by 10a & 15d. Lots to like but 26a gets the nod as pick of a fine bunch of clues for me.
Thanks to proXImal & to John – good to hear Bill at 1a (neat link) but a shame Neil’s great rendition of 12d from Unplugged would have given the game away.
The perils of blogging Prize puzzles. Anagrams are the first to hit the cutting room floor, and you can be assured I have listened to the track you refer to often