Toughie No 3675 by Dharma
Hints and tips by ALP
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Toughie difficulty */** – Enjoyment *****
I thought this was pleasingly gentle for a Thursday, especially from Dharma. As ever, it’s all about wavelength, of course, so mileage may differ. But I’ve always found him immensely doable and fun. Still, I have begrudgingly tacked on an extra half just to acknowledge some of the arguably trickier wordplay. An absolute belter either way. Over to you.
Across
1a Band member Mike into Orbison playing sober covers (10)
TROMBONIST: abbreviated “Mike” inside ORBISON, playing, with sober/teetotal covering/containing.
6a Second-class fare brought about complaint (4)
BEEF: abbreviated “second-class”, plus fare/price brought about/reversed.
9a Social awareness campaign satisfied by book’s contents (2,3)
ME TOO: satisfied/fulfilled + [b]OO[k].
10a Wave from five on board gravy train (4,5)
SINE CURVE: (Roman) “five” on board/inside gravy train/cushy job.
12a Perhaps boxers from division below guys boxing (13)
UNDERGARMENTS: division/wing, that “below” + (refined) “guys” boxes/contains.
14a Quiz show’s “next question” skilled and clear (8)
PASSABLE: “quiz show’s next question” (Mastermind) + skilled/fit.
15a Ponder out loud before pork pie finally declined for breakfast? (6)
MUESLI: homophone of “ponder” + (slang) “pork pie”, minus/declining its last letter.
17a Readily bent, policeman’s first to get sacked, being to blame (6)
LIABLE: readily bent/flexible, minus P[oliceman].
19a American president’s eaten India’s food (8)
MACARONI: abbreviated “American” that (French) president has eaten, plus abbreviated “India”.
21a Hint for hater possibly prompts rethink (6,2,5)
CHANGE OF HEART: reversed anagram – i.e., how a setter might clue “hater”.
24a Spooner’s high-flier sleeps – aided by these? (9)
NIGHTCAPS: Spoonerise “high-flier” (toy or bird) and sleeps/dozes.
25a Running over miles, regularly scratched Land Rover (5)
NOMAD: running/working, reversed (over) + abbreviated “miles” + [l]A[n]D.
26a Well, the Telegraph lying about member … (4)
SUMP: how Dharma might describe “the Telegraph”, reversed/lying about, plus (political) “member”.
27a … stems from company’s negotiations involving service (10)
CORNSTALKS: company’s/firm’s + negotiations/debates, involving/containing two-letter (military) “service”.
Down
1d Train‘s before noon, note guards (4)
TAME: before noon/in the morning, guarded/contained by (Sound of Music) “note”.
2d Overcomes painful condition covering head and biceps (7)
OUTGUNS: “painful condition” (it really is!) minus its first letter + (big?) “biceps”.
3d Route over time cutting corruption, it’s very clear (5,8)
BROAD DAYLIGHT: route/thoroughfare + time (24 hours), cutting/inside corruption/contamination (of potatoes, say).
4d Taking out a line, Bill snorts casually having ignored British Airways (8)
NOSTRILS: [B]IL[L]SNORTS (i.e., having deleted/ignored one abbreviated “line” and B[ritish]), casually.
5d Natural stimulant close to amphetamines boosted Queen (5)
SENNA: [amphetamine]S + (Stuart) “queen”, boosted/reversed.
7d Slips up checking article before start of domestic chores (7)
ERRANDS: slips up/blunders, checking/containing “article” (of speech), plus D[omestic].
8d Outsider suggesting tip, sir? (4,6)
FREE SPIRIT: another reverse anagram – i.e., how to clue TIPSIR.
11d Meet this person out of bed and another time succeeded in bed! (4,2,7)
COME UP AGAINST: this person/Dharma + out of bed/risen, plus another time/once more + abbreviated “succeeded”, all in (child’s) “bed”.
13d Isn’t a PLC worried after secretary rebuffed those wanting to join it? (10)
APPLICANTS: ISNTAPLC, worried, after “secretary” (2) that is rebuffed/reversed.
16d Realises plastic’s out of fashion, so we’re told (6,2)
CASHES IN: homophone of an expression (4,2,2) that effectively means “plastic’s out (of fashion)”.
18d Union put up Trump’s mantra, postgraduate left crushed (7)
AMALGAM: Trump’s mantra/slogan, crushing/containing “postgraduate” (degree) and abbreviated “left”.
20d Tip-top gem penned by Rice? Quite the opposite (7)
OPTIMAL: As indicated by “quite the opposite”, “Rice?” penned/contained by (a) “gem”.
22d Loves clothing label in New Zealand area (5)
OTAGO: “loves” (“love”, abbreviated twice) clothing/containing label/ticket.
23d Likelihood of large cup breaking like this soaring (4)
ODDS: “large cup” (women’s clothing), breaking/inside “like this”, soaring/reversed.
We’ve got five anagrams (including two reversals), two homophones and a Spooner, etc. I particularly enjoyed 17a, 16d and 23d, plus both reversals. 11d’s Lego is jolly too. How did you get on?
A very high-class puzzle, full of amusingly deceptive definitions and cleverly constructed clues this was a real pleasure to solve.
Of the former, the biceps in 2d, the airways at 4d and the large cup in 23d stood out, whilst the band member at 1a, the stems in 27a and the encounter in 11d were fine examples of Lego engineering.
Chapeau, Dharma and my thanks to ALP for the blog.
A thoroughly enjoyable puzzle – no obscurities, no synonyms stretched to breaking point just lots of clever well-crafted clues. Thanks to Dharma and ALP.
I have a host of ticks on my printout including 9a, 24a, 8d and 16d.
A good Thursday Toughie and fortunately I managed to get onto Dharma’s wavelength, which I don’t always do. Perhaps he was a little more gentle with us today.
I needed the parsing of 21A, 2D and 11D to confirm my answers. I’m still not convinced that gun equates to biceps.
Of many likes I’ve chosen 10,24 and 25A, 4D with podium going to 16D.
Thanks to ALP for the enlightenment and Dharma for the challenge.
Hi PJ,
I think the biceps = guns synonym originates from working out in a gym, or ‘pumping iron’ as it is colloquially called.
It is a common term when performing bicep curls to refer to ‘pumping the guns’.
At least it is in the gyms I’ve used.
Hi Frankie
Thank you for the explanation. We learn something every day don’t we.
Didn’t know the term for biceps and needed the hints to parse 12a and 19a. The area in NZ was also new to me but fairly clued. I did better with this than I normally do with this setter but maybe he was being gentle with us. Numerous candidates for favourite but I’ll go with 12d. Thanks to Dharma and ALP.
Good fun and I found it quite tricky in parts [the NW]. Dharma is developing a recognisable style and witty surfaces are a good part of it. My top picks were 19a, 25a, 11d and 23d. Thanks to him and to ALP [The Captain and Ivor C in one post!]
I grimmaced at the American slang in 2d, my LOI, mainly because it took me so long to recall – not a word I’ve ever encountered other in (I think Telegraph Toughie) crosswords. Also grumbled at 8a being an outsider, but c’est la vie. At least on its second serving of the week the 19a pasta today wasn’t confined to being a lunch dish!
Otherwise for once I was able to tune in to Dharma’s wavelength quite swiftly, which certainly helped, with the first four across clues going in almost as they were read. Some good surfaces and humour scattered throughout. Honours to 24a, 10a and 11d.
Many thanks indeed to Dharma for the entertainment, and to ALP