Toughie 3689

Toughie No 3689 by Shabbo
Hints and tips by Whybird

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BD Rating – Difficulty */2   – Enjoyment ****

We have another excellently-clued puzzle from Shabbo today. Apart from a piece of parsing that gave me brief pause, and a piece of not-too-obscure Classical knowledge, the puzzle is very gentle.  The principal issue I had was in treating Shabbo’s wonderfully constructed clues as actual crossword clues, and forcing myself to break them down into their constituents, as opposed to just taking them as statements in their own right. My favourites today, amongst many contenders, are the 1a/5a combo, 19d and 27a. Thank you (again), Shabbo, for a very enjoyable puzzle.

Please let us know how you fared and what you thought of the puzzle. 

Across Clues

1a and 5a Clear hint agent might be getting warmer (7,7)

CENTRAL HEATING An anagram (might be getting) of “Clear hint agent”

5a See 1 Across

9a On-line proposal – adult left in tears? (9)

EMOTIONAL A synonym of “proposal” preceded by the usual letter to indicate something done on-line and followed by the letters indicating “adult” and “left”

10a Player works endlessly (5)

ACTOR Remove the outside letters (endlessly) from a synonym of (manufacturing) works.  I can’t resist pinching Huntsman’s image, as I was looking at the same character…

11a Treasury initially went for banker (5)

TWEED The first letter (initially) of “Treasury” followed by a synonym of “went” in a lavatorial context

12a Trump, perhaps, naked in front of church property (9)

RESIDENCE The elected office occupied by Donald John from which the outside letters are removed (naked) precedes an abbreviation for the Church of England

13a Encouraged, drink wine with journalist (9)

SUPPORTED A charade of a synonym of “drink”, a fortified wine and the usual two-letter term for a journalist

16a Change popular officer’s clothes (5)

COINS Take an abbreviation for a (senior) officer, including the possessive as per the clue, then insert (clothes) a synonym of “popular”

17a Entertains topless goddesses (5)

MUSES Remove the first letter (topless) from a synonym of “Entertains”

18a Security certain to cover party after pub closes early (9)

INSURANCE A South African political “party” is inserted into a synonym of “certain” (to cover) and preceded (after) by a type of “pub” lacking its final letter (closes early)

20a Warm coat transforming hips and knees (9)

SHEEPSKIN An anagram (transforming) of “hips” and “knees”

23a Gold coin in circulation (5)

ORBIT A charade of the heraldic “gold” and an American low-value “coin” 

25a Console Conservative going around prisons (5)

CAGES Take a brand of game console (associated with hedgehogs) and the letter indicating “Conservative” then reverse them (going around)

26a Dump talkative bird embraced by aristocracy? (9)

ELIMINATE A (variant spelling of a) group of birds known for mimicry is inserted into (embraced by) a term that could be used to describe the “aristocracy” 

27a Stores cars in auditorium (7)

LARDERS The solution is a homophone of the plural of a Russian brand of cars

28a Occupy huge centre of Vienna at first (7)

ENGROSS Take a synonym of “huge” (one with unpleasant connotations) and precede that with the middle two letters (centre… …at first) of “Vienna”

Down Clues
1d Designs old bangers to save energy (7)

CREATES A synonym of “old bangers” in the automotive sense has the usual letter indicating “energy” inserted (to save)

2d She was petrified with tail dropping off dilapidated Boeing (5)

NIOBE An anagram (dilapidated) of “Boeing” but lacking the “g” (with tail dropping off)

3d Repair drain runs and work on small shower (9)

RAINDROPS Piece together an anagram (Repair) of “drain”, the usual abbreviation for “runs”, a two-letter synonym of “work” and the letter indicating “small”

4d Introvert embracing cardinal with both hands (5)

LONER A cardinal number is surrounded by the abbreviations for the two hands (or sides)

5d Bluffs and conceals overwhelming ailments (9)

HILLSIDES Take a synonym of “conceals” and insert (overwhelming) a synonym of “ailments”

6d Poster about conflict getting accolade (5)

AWARD A two-letter (promotional) poster surrounds (about) a synonym of “conflict” as a noun

7d Plan camping – no one turned up (9)

INTENTION A (2,4) statement of where you may be said to be if you are “camping” followed by an inversion (“turned up” in a Down clue) of no” from the clue, and the letter that resembles the number “one”

8d Study probing fish in Kew? (7)

GARDENS A synonym of “Study” “in the “room” sense) in inserted (probing) into the plural of a species of long-bodied fish

14d Traveller with new green permit put at the front (9)

PASSENGER An anagram (new) of “green” is preceded by (put at the front) a synonym of “permit” as a noun

15d Kitchen cooked seconds showing consistency (9)

THICKNESS An anagram (cooked) of “Kitchen” followed by two instances (the plural is used) of the letter indicating “second”

16d Rusting company car with dog promoting love (9)

CORRODING The usual two-letter “Company” is followed by the abbreviations for a brand of luxury car and then a species of antipodean dog with the letter resembling “love” (or zero) moved to the front (“promoting”)

17d Michigan getting to grips with American state performance (7)

MUSICAL Take the abbreviation for “Michigan”, insert (getting to grips with) an abbreviation for “American” and then add a three-letter abbreviation for another American state

19d Pronounced how dishes might be carried for starters (7)

ENTREES A (2,5) description of how a waiter, for example, may carry dishes sounds like (pronounced) these “starters”

21d Group pressure upset oil company (5)

POSSE The usual letter indicating “pressure” is followed by a reversal (“upset”) of a major oil company

22d Green water on the rise (5)

NAIVE A brand of mineral water is reversed (“on the rise” in a Down clue)

24d Maybe another entertaining comic (5)

BEANO The solution is lurking (entertaining) amongst the letters of “Maybe another”