Toughie No 3692 by Luxor
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
By Friday Toughie standards this is fairly straightforward. Thanks to Luxor for the enjoyable puzzle.
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
Across Clues
1a Lost bearings over idle talk exposed as military bluster (5-8)
SABRE-RATTLING: an anagram (lost) of BEARINGS containing a word for idle talk without its outer letters.
10a Valuable craft for Spooner in the very beginning (4,3)
YEAR DOT: the Rev. might turn this into an expensive vessel.
11a Pollock, for example, pulling line (7)
PAINTER: double definition, the first is not a fish but an American noted for splashing his material around.
12a Some joining ranks, say, having no time for Union (4)
AXIS: remove the abbreviation for time from what may join ranks (outside a railway station perhaps).
13a Walk in the park and drive home leaking last of petrol (5)
CINCH: a verb to drive home or settle (an argument, say) without the last letter of petrol.
14a Petty quarrel blows over (4)
SPAT: reverse light blows.
17a Gunner oddly engulfed by liabilities resulting from fire (7)
IGNEOUS: the odd letters of gunner are contained in financial liabilities.
18a Clean uniform grabbed by one touching down at Heathrow? (7)
LAUNDER: the Nato Phonetic Alphabet’s uniform is contained in something or someone touching down at an airport.
19a Polish ambassador blocking return of phones (7)
SHELLAC: the abbreviation title of an ambassador goes inside the reversal of a verb meaning phones.
22a Initially, meat and flour might make food for recent arrivals (7)
FORMULA: an anagram (might make) of M[eat] A[nd] FLOUR.
24a Very European welcome at first centre of industry (4)
HIVE: abbreviations for very and European preceded by a word of welcome.
25a Exam’s no big deal when avoiding numbers 4 or 6 (5)
TRIAL: start with an adjective meaning ‘no big deal’ and remove the Roman numeral for either four or six.
26a Raw material partly sourced from the East (4)
ECRU: hidden in reverse.
29a Contemplate independence subject to light support (7)
MULLION: assemble a verb to contemplate or ponder, the abbreviation for independence and a preposition meaning ‘subject to’. The answer (new to me) means a vertical support between panes of glass in a window.
30a Jazz fan engaging soldier with a vocal composition (7)
CANTATA: an informal jazz fan contains a soldier insect. Finish with A.
31a Tell runners, perhaps, pursuing lighter subject without me (5,3,5)
SPILL THE BEANS: what runners may be an example of in your vegetable garden follows a thin strip used for lighting a flame and a synonym of subject without ‘me’.
Down Clues
2d Great Britain now and then supporting American horse (7)
ARABIAN: regular letters from ‘Great Britain’ follow an abbreviation for American.
3d Dictator’s cross and aggressive (4)
RUDE: homophone of a cross or crucifix.
4d Sells particular attributes having run as new leader (7)
RETAILS: particular attributes or characteristics with the first letter changed to the abbreviation for a cricket run.
5d Characteristic advice broadcast specially for dieters? (7)
TYPICAL: what sounds like a bit of advice or a hint is followed by what resembles (1,3) a description meaning ‘aimed at dieters’.
6d Ordinary Californian city vice revealed (4)
LAIC: an abbreviated Californian city and the inner letters of vice.
7d Agree about thespian regularly getting writer’s block (7)
NOTEPAD: a verb to signify agreement contains regular letters from thespian.
8d Flaming pile this person pockets at the heart of school’s dodgy business (7,6)
PYRAMID SCHEME: a flaming funeral pile and a personal pronoun contain an adjective meaning ‘at the heart of’ and an abbreviation for school.
9d Rare, virtually pure talent for dancing is uncanny (13)
PRETERNATURAL: an anagram (for dancing) of RARE PUR[e] TALENT.
15d Tree-hugger climbing after agreement (5)
KOALA: stick together a preposition, from French, meaning after or ‘in the style of’ and an abbreviated informal agreement then reverse it all.
16d Conquer afresh after dropping vacant Clive for beefy substitute (5)
QUORN: an anagram (afresh) of CONQUER after dropping the outer letters of Clive.
20d Cover version of novel record’s captivating (7)
ENVELOP: one of our usual abbreviated records contains an anagram (version) of NOVEL.
21d Standard-bearer holding nothing for royal accessory (7)
CORONET: an old word for the lowest-ranked commissioned officer whose duties included carrying the colours contains the letter that resembles zero.
22d Intended fund to sack new head of economics (7)
FIANCÉE: a verb to fund without an abbreviation for new is followed by the first letter of economics.
23d Release from loveless marriage blocked by Earl Grey? (7)
UNCHAIN: remove the zero-resembling letter from a synonym of marriage and insert an informal word for what Earl Grey is an example of.
27d Watch part of local speeches (missing second half) (4)
DIAL: the first half only of a word meaning local or regional forms of speech.
28d Opener for pot of neat rum (4)
ANTE: an anagram (rum) of NEAT.
For my podium I’ve plumped for 11a, 12a and 15d. How does yours match up?
Unaccustomed as I am (‘ere we,go…) to this compiler’s style, I nevertheless soon hooked on to it.
A cracking puzzle, full of flowing surface readings and misleadingly amusing definitions.
Nice to have nothing obscure or contentious on a Friday.
My COTD is the Revd’s 10a, another amusing term often heard on my old manor.
The shortened mobile moneyboxes at 12a and the semi-homophonic, low-fat 5d were among many clues to raise a smile here in this scorchio Kentish garden.
A fine way to sign off the week, my thanks to Luxor and CS.
Whoops, Gazza I mean!
Gentle for a Friday,15d took me a while though. 25a and 31a were my favourites. Thanks to Gazza and Luxor.
More of a 2* Toughie than a Friday Toughie but an enjoyable crossword. My favourite clue was 25a
Quite a lot of wordy clues but fortunately the two that needed a separate page of their own were easy to solve so didn’t need writing on the first sheet of paper
Thanks to Luxor and Gazza
For me this Friday Toughie came up trumps as I rarely start them, let alone finish. After a slow plod to fill about half, I needed Gazza’s hint to point me in the right direction for 11a having jumped between a fish and a rugby player to no avail. That set the ball rolling again and I ended up with 2 to solve. BRB verified the raw material at 26a and I wouldn’t have got 13a without Gazza’s help.
Many thanks to Luxor and Gazza
3*/4*
This was great fun and finished inside my normal time for a Friday. I really liked the setter’s style, and I got onto his wavelength fairly speedily. For a favourite I went for the neat 15d.
Many thanks to Luxor and Gazza.
Nice to see this setter on a Friday toughie instead of the usual EV slot. This was fun and not too tricky, though I slowed down considerably in the SW corner. Top clue was 25a with runners up 31a, 5d and 23d.
Thanks to Luxor and Gazza.
A most enjoyable puzzle, even if not at the customary Friday brain-mangling level. But certainly a Toughie and not a back pager, at least. If that was typical of Luxor’s style I might try an EV puzzle one day – where does one find them, please?
It took a little while to get on to Luxor’s wave length, from which it was a steady clockwise solve. Nice range of clue types and all was fairly clued. Ended up with a number of larger and smaller ticks, and for the podium settled on 30a, 9d & 15d.
Many thanks to Luxor and to Gazza for the blog.
My understanding is that the EV puzzles only appear in the print edition of the Sunday Telegraph.
Thank you Gazza, appreciated, although an insufficient reason to buy a/the paper. Odd that it’s not included in the puzzles subscription.
Agreed on both points.
Having enjoyed Luxor’s debut despite finding it very tough, I decided to give this one a go too. Although it was fairly challenging, I found it much more approachable and it was very good fun. My only failure being unable to parse 8d.
With plenty of ticked clues to pick from, 15a just edges home as my favourite.
Many thanks to Luxor and to Gazza.
A couple of clues where definitions needed a bit of searching or pondering (21d and 29a) but eventually it all came together for us. Favourite 15d.
Thanks Luxor and Gazza.
Tough enough for me though easier than Dharma yesterday. I’ve a good few unparsed so will avoid the hints & have another look tomorrow. Of the ones I’m clear on 15d my fav too. Unfamiliar with this setter’s style but warmed to it as the solve progressed.
Thanks to Luxor & in advance to Gazza.
Tackled this Saturday morning as we were in the lakes yesterday chasing wainwrights.
Really enjoyed this and the setters style. Took a long time for me to complete all but 12a and 15d which I came here for help with. A much better result than usual for a Friday Toughie.
I enjoyed 12d, 8d and 25a my COTD is 24a
Thanks all
Less tough than Dharma on Thursday for me, but still a genuine Toughie, even if moderate for a Friday. Great fun, though. No real obscurities (perhaps the fabric) and all the parsings were clear, even if a few took some unpicking. 12a takes my prize, closely followed by 19a.
Many thanks to Luxor and Gazza.