Toughie 3680

Toughie No 3680 by Elgar

Hints and Tips by crypticsue

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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment *****

Another of Elgar’s extreme Toughies – it took me just over twice as long as I’d hope to spend solving a Friday Toughie.  I did think there might be a theme  but it wasn’t until I solved 4d and investigoogled that I discovered that today (1^st May) is a special day in the ongoing celebrations of the Bicentenary of the Modern Railway, and this  crossword, in particular, celebrates the 150th Anniversary in the line found in 24d and part of the top row of the grid

My thoughts on the links with the theme are outlined at the end of the hints.  Sorry no time for illustrations today

Please let us know what you thought

Across

1a           Blemish first seen on chestnut, as one left from faller? (4-4)
LEAF SCAR Something left on a tree to mark where a small part of a tree has fallen

5a           Checking into hotels, I love spinning a yarn (5)
LISLE Hidden in (checking into) hotELS I Love

9a           Source of meat & cheese Romeo delivered to Lord & Lady Montague? (5)
PARMA The letter represented by Romeo in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet inserted (delivered to) in informal names for father and mother (Edit:  As SJB points out, Lord & Lady Montague were Romeo’s parents, so he was of course ‘delivered’ to them)

10a         Delay passing through the southern wastelands, now clear (8)
THWAITES Delay or remain inserted into (passing through) THE (from the clue) and the abbreviation for Southern

11a         Reds when cycling deduce placing in singles (10)
SOLFERINOS Purplish-reds – cycle the last three letters of a synonym for deduce and insert into singles (performances perhaps)

12a         G Best’s striking partner recalled his rocket? (4)
WALD Treat the name of one of George Best’s fellow players in the same way as his name is in the clue and then reverse (recalled)  I looked into the solution and could find things about statistics but not rockets

15a         What’s blighted mown crop? (5)
SWATH An anagram (treated) of WHATS

16a         Dumb-cluck Trump’s beginning to cut Iran’s region up (8)
MEATHEAD The ‘beginning’ of Trump inserted into (to cut) the abbreviation for the region where Iran is situated, followed by up or forward

19a         Silver Lake shown in some pub picture (8)
ANAGLYPH The chemical symbol for silver and the abbreviation for Lake inserted into (shown in) an adjective and pronoun meaning some, the result followed by an abbreviation for pub, as shown on Ordnance Survey maps

21a         Alternative to northern playwright (5)
ORTON A conjunction used to indicate alternatives, TO (from the clue) and the abbreviation for Northern

25a         Grand, when hooking river fish (4)
GARS I was held up for a while until I realised the fish were plural! The abbreviation for Grand and a conjunction meaning when into which is inserted (hooking) the abbreviation for River

26a         Horse called Bananas hems daughter in all right (10)
CLYDESDALE An anagram (bananas) of CALLED ‘hems’ a word of agreement (all right) into which the abbreviation for Daughter has been inserted

28a         Copy overwriting article in black doctor’s writing? (8)
SCRIBBLE Take the heraldic name for black and ‘overwrite’ the A (article) with a verb meaning to copy or steal another’s work

29a         6 churchman can’t get a TV signal (5)
IDENT If you look at the solution to 6d, the first word tells you where to put a member of the clergy without (can’t get) the A

30a         Fuel in van: steam train operating 27 by Stephen, most commonly (5)
STOKE The first letters (in van) of Steam Train Operating and the first letter of 27d, followed by the letter most commonly found in stEphEn

31a         Cases led to cook being taken down a grade (8)
DECLASSE An anagram (to cook) of CASES LED

Down

1d           I break down fat; Porky benefits, we hear (6)
LIPASE Homophones (we hear) of a fib (porky) and a verb meaning benefits

2d           Elevation of brother briefly depressed jet stream? (7)
AIRFLOW A reversal (elevation) of almost all (briefly) of a member of a religious order (brother) followed by a synonym of depressed

3d           Out of area fish-hunter involves pelagic algae (3,7)
SEA LENTILS A marine mammal (fish hunter) and part of a verb meaning involves without the A (out of area)

4d           Hit in place of thematic transport, runs away (6)
ATTAIN Hit in the sense of achieve – AT (in place) and the thematic transport without (away) the cricket abbreviation for Runs

6d           Current problem for head doing well (2,2)
IN IT The symbol for electrical current and a nasty problem for the head, usually requiring one of those ‘letters’ from school!

7d           Sheltered position of ship close to Poole put in on time (3,4)
LEE GAGE The letter at the ‘close’ of PoolE inserted into the onside of a cricket field and a period of time

8d           Was overcome without ace, overcome by spades and diamonds (7)
SWOONED The abbreviation meaning without and a single thing (ace) ‘overcome by’ or inserted between the abbreviations for the card suits of Spades and Diamonds

13d         Pop art’s principal movement (4)
DADA Another informal name for your ‘pop’ and the principal letter of Art

14a         Plant in which new-born baby is delivered? (10)
STORKSBILL Split 5’1, 4, this plant’s name could refer to the way in which a new-born baby is delivered

17d         Archbishop not short of lassies! (4)
LANG The surname of this Archbishop is also a Scottish word (of lassies) meaning not short

18d         Irregular pay keeps commoner in old county town (7)
APPLEBY An anagram (irregular) of PAY ‘keeps’ a person of unpolished manners or vulgar tastes (commoner)

20d         When fool’s got before court, after stealing old fruit (7)
APRICOT The abbreviated date when people can be fooled goes before an abbreviated court, the latter ‘stealing’ the abbreviation for Old

22d         Lear’s girl climbs aboard large military engines (7)
ONAGERS Ancient military engines for throwing great stones – reverse the name of one of King Lear’s daughters and inserted it into (aboard) the abbreviation for outsize or large

23d         Stick two presents together (6)
ADHERE The abbreviation for the time we live in and present or in this place

24d         Understand about Times editorial’s last fix (6)
SETTLE A simple way of saying understand goes ‘about’ two abbreviations for Time and the last letter of editoriaL

27d         Where Scotty worships his commanding officer (4)
KIRK It is always good when the clue that had a second page all to itself on the print out solves itself as you read it, thus obviating the need to write it on the first page in order to save a second piece of paper.   Where a Scotsman would worship and/or the name of the commander of the starship where Scotty was the engineer

Hidden in the solutions are places on the Settle Carlisle line:

Appleby

Armathwaite

Carlisle

Denthead/Dale

Garsdale

Horton in…

Kirkboswald

Kirkby Stephen

Langwathby

Ribblesdale/Head

Kirkby Stephen

Settle