Toughie No 3686 by Stick Insect
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty <* – Enjoyment ****
To say that Stick Insect’s first Toughie of 2026 is on the very friendly side would be quite an understatement. As I type this at 8.15 am, I feel sure that there will be recommendations later on today’s Cryptic Crossword blog post for people to have a go at the ‘Toughie’. They won’t be disappointed as it is a very good crossword which I got the chance to enjoy twice over while preparing the blog post; I particularly liked 11a
Please let us know what you thought
Across
1a Non-stop transport crossing busy road could be this? (7,7)
THROUGH TRAFFIC Vehicles or people crossing a busy road might be described as this
10a Opening of book, no time for companion (9)
CHAPERONE The first part (opening) of a book without the abbreviation for Time
11a Earliest rifts in dictionary order? (5)
FIRST Put the letters of RIFTS into dictionary order
12a Fail to get 15 Across? (4,3)
LOSE OUT The solution to 15a and an anagram indicator needed to change it to the first word of this solution
13a Substitute rates shot and header from Zidane (6)
ERSATZ An anagram (shot) of RATES and the ‘header’ from Zidane
15a Regularly struck shoulder and part of foot (4)
SOLE The odd (regularly struck) letters in ShOuLdEr
17a Employment claim (10)
PROFESSION Non-manual employment requiring a degree of learning or training or a declaration (claim)
18a Appalling acts in urban areas after rota changes (10)
ATROCITIES Urban areas go after an anagram (changes) of ROTA
20a Guess answer in trial version (4)
BETA Guess or predict and the abbreviation for Answer
22a Most boring international match screening live (6)
TAMEST An international match ‘screening’ the first person singular of the verb to be (live)
23a Centre of betony flower is browner perhaps (7)
TOASTER The letters at the centre of beTOny and a type of flower
26a Decoy pudding traps rodent (5)
COYPU Hidden (trapped) in the first two words of the clue
27a Let’s set about team doctors (9)
RESIDENTS Lets or hires out into which is inserted (sets about) a team
28a Row about redeploying gear in exam for part of gut (5,9)
LARGE INTESTINE A row goes ‘about’ an anagram (redeploying) of GEAR, IN (from the clue) and an examine
Down
2d Cures despicable people announced (5)
HEALS A homophone (announced) of some slang despicable people
3d Hunter for example supplants island state (6)
OREGON Replace the abbreviation for Island in the name of a giant hunter of Greek mythology with the abbreviation meaning for example
4d Right swot replaced electronic pen for another (5-5)
GHOST-WRITE An anagram (replaced) of RIGHT SWOT followed by the abbreviation used to indicate electronic
5d Cutesy cloth daughter’s abandoned (4)
TWEE A type of cloth without (abandoned) the abbreviation for Daughter
6d Declares commitment very loudly in songs about maiden (7)
AFFIRMS The musical abbreviation meaning very loudly inserted into some songs, the result then going about the cricket abbreviation for Maiden
7d Make official get in a queue when changing partners (9)
FORMALISE A three-word phrase meaning get in a queue where the abbreviation for one player in a game of bridge is changed to that of their partner
8d Erratic zest in rioting inspires singular public apprehension (8,6)
CITIZENS ARREST An anagram (rioting) of ERRATIC ZEST IN into which is inserted (inspires) the abbreviation for SIngular
9d Northern town by Calais, it is sick of the church (14)
ECCLESIASTICAL A market town in Greater Manchester (northern) followed by an anagram (sick) of CALAIS IT
14d Travelling the Far East, with time for husband, produces lingering impression (10)
AFTERTASTE An anagram (travelling) of ThE FAR EAST where the abbreviation for Time replaces that for Husband
16d Civic leader has peer round river, around spring time (4,5)
LORD MAYOR A peer of the realm, the round letter and the abbreviation for River going around the month associated with spring time
19d Dress price Australian native raised (7)
COSTUME The price of something and a reversal (raised) of an Australian native bird
21d Outlaw group sex (6)
BANDIT A group and one of the informal words for sex
24d No catch to serve up joint (5)
TENON A reversal (to serve up) of NO (from the clue) and catch or capture
25d I prosper in the end, working metal (4)
IRON I (from the clue), the letter at the end of prospeR and the usual two-letter working
I found this to be remarkably straightforward for a Toughie, albeit requiring a little bit of perseverance and teasing to complete unaided. Spent longer than necessary trying to identify a “naive Australian” at 19d before I realised there was a crease in the paper which masked the “t”!!
8d is my COTD
Thanks to Stick Insect and cs
1*/3*
My solve time was surpassed by the time it took to narrow down the number of ticks I made to come up with a podium, so good was this.
Eventually, the misdirection of ‘let’s’ in 27a, the civic leader in 16d and 21d, which Mary Whitehouse would have approved of, get the nod.
Gentle but very enjoyable.
My thanks to Stick Insect and CS.
The 9-letter Panagram next to today’s toughie is a funny old word.
Week as I continue my sojourn through toughie land I am once again rewarded.
Very enjoyable, not too taxing and another little tick in the box for the day.
I particularly liked 17a, 11a and the public apprehension in 8d.
I also give my thanks to Stick insect and to Sue.
This was an example to show it doesn’t have to be difficult to be enjoyable. There was so much to like in the construction and misdirection the setter has used.
From many ticks I’ve chosen 10, 11A and 7, 8 and 16D.
Thanks to CS and Stick Insect.
A gentle and enjoyable puzzle – thanks to Stick Insect and CS.
I often wonder when I see the town in 9d (which is nearer Penzance than Inverness) described as ‘northern’ in a UK newspaper how that’s viewed by solvers north of the border.
I liked the ‘in dictionary order’ in 11a (which I don’t remember seeing before) as well as 10a, 12a and 7d.
This was about as soft a Toughie as I can remember, with very few delays in completion. True, a couple of the parsings took some teasing even though the answers were obvious given the checkers. For a favourite I went for 7d.
My thanks to SI and Sue.
As gentle as they come, an escapee from the “Back Page Envelope”, and very enjoyable notwithstanding. Quite heavy on the anagram front but plenty of smiles and some great surfaces.
Honours to 10a, 11a, 8d and 23d.
Many thanks to Stick Insect and Sue
5 puzzles in this week & they’ve all been gentle affairs – just the job to help restore some confidence after the struggles last week. Not quite as quick a solve as yesterday’s Beamer but swift enough & very enjoyable it was too. Like Frankie I had ticks aplenty – 1,10,12,23&27a + 3,7,8,9&16d would be my top ten.
Thanks to Sticky & Sue (sounds like an animation on CBeebies)
Lots to like and enjoy, about as good as it gets. Favourite was 10a. Thanks to Stick Insect and CS.
I didn’t think that I would have time to do this until later this evening but as luck would have it, my car was late. The first pass resulted in a well filled out grid. After that it was a case of filling in the blanks. Like yesterday’s toughie, this was very accessible and not overly taxing. 13, 20 and 27 across are my top picks. Many thanks to the setter, hinter and delayed driver.
Lots of great clues here and a real delight to solve. Our favourites were 3d and 10a.
Thanks Stick Insect and CS
Very much enjoyed this – downloaded onto my laptop and did this on the flight home so was a 100% completion with no hints or tips.
It was straightforward but elegant at the same time imo. Only point of difficulty was 8d – was really trying to make it —/ terror and could not see anything else 🙄
Favourite today was definitely 9d – we often have Eccles cakes for first breakfast in our household
Can we have more toughies like this please
Encouraged by the above comments I had a go and excellent. A first rate puzzle the Setter.
Thank you
1*/4* …
liked 21D “Outlaw group sex (6)”
very enjoyable, if a little late.
thanks, as always for the tip to give it a try.
Much appreciated