Sunday Toughie No 230
by Silvanus
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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For Silvanus’s third Sunday Toughie (# tooth hurty) I may have expected a dental reference or even a reference to the summer solstice, which passed as I slept on the parsing.
I think the slightly niche British TV references should be widely enough known to those overseas.
14a and 16d clues today and I have hinted half. I hope you find the checkers to finish, but I will nudge if required and able.
Here we go, Folks…
As it is a Prize puzzle I can only hint at a few and hope that will give you the checkers and inspiration to go further. I’ll return with the full review blog just after the closing date. Don’t forget to follow BD’s instructions in RED at the bottom of the hints!
Most of the terms used in these hints are explained in the Glossary and examples are available by clicking on the entry under “See also” Where the hint describes a construct as “usual” this means that more help can be found in The Usual Suspects, which gives a number of the elements commonly used in the wordplay. Another useful page is Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, which features words with meanings that are not always immediately obvious. Don’t forget the Mine of Useful information or the Big Dave’s Little Guide to Cryptic Crosswords that Big Dave and his son Richard so meticulously prepared for us.
A full review of this puzzle will be published after the closing date for submissions. Some hints follow: Remember the site rules and play nicely.
Across
1a Television programme rock drummer missed or … (8,7)
The first two words of the clue are the definition, the third is an anagram indicator. I will leave the rest for you and both DCI’s Tom and John Barnaby to solve
10a University feeds craze concerning art, literature etc (7)
A usually religious craze, followed by a university abbreviation and one of our usual concernings
13a Offer Cambridge University loan previously (6)
An informal loan or advance payment goes before (previously) the American University in Cambridge, Mass.
19a Those not scared about holding sparklers, maybe (6)
A lurker (holding) that is reversed (about) in the first three words of the clue
23a Discovered idiot guards sick prisoner showing determination (9)
What remains of a slang term for a silly or idiotic person when discovered, goes around (guards) one who is a sick prisoner during a time of conflict
26a “Fatty” Arbuckle, originally flipping religious, shot bears (7)
The original letter of Arbuckle, and a shot of medicine that contains (bears) an informal adjective for obtrusively religious that has been reversed (flipping)
28a How to avoid a sunburnt back? Stay cool (4,4,5,2)
A double definition, providing that the item of outerwear has sufficient UV resistance
Down
1d Hebrew teacher inspires American hairstyling products (7)
One of our usual Americans in a Hebrew teacher who led the Israelites out of slavery
3d Leaves behind away team’s kit heading for stadium (9)
Being away from home, a team’s kit and the heading for stadium
5d Batty woman arrived briefly upsetting centrepiece of musical medley (8)
A reversal (upsetting) of a character from Last of the Summer Wine and most of a synonym of arrived, followed by the centrepiece of musical.
8d Cunning minor takes drug (7)
Something minor or insignificant takes the drug Ecstasy in its abbreviated form
16d Hors d’oeuvres and beer consumed by social worker, quietly downing two litres (9)
A social worker insect and a heavily hopped beer created for export to the sub-continent and a synonym of quietly from which two litre abbreviations has been removed.
18d Emotion drained, male is in gloomy state (7)
Drain emotion, add a male and put it in a synonym of gloomy
20d Jerk working as ship’s doctor (7)
To jerk or rush and a synonym of working
25d Kitty ultimately raised for game (4)
A kitty or fund of money held in common, but raise the ultimate letter
My local club (Toulston) is having it’s first competition of the year next weekend
Compiler
Silvanus
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Apart from writing in an incorrect second word at 28a, this fell into place very nicely; fortunately 17d came to my rescue.
Many thanks to Silvanus and to SJB.
11a, 1d, and 17d were my top three.
I am sure I made the same mistake at 28a as 17d came to my rescue too
I have spent far too long sitting here with empty bottle of Sauvignon sitting on the table, under the umbrella, George fast asleep beside me. But glory be, I have finished. I liked the rock drummer and the hors d’oeuvres although we didn’t quite drink two litres. I might well become 26a. At one point I must have dozed a bit as my pen trailed across the page so I think I now deserve a hour on the lounger. Many thanks to Sylvanus and to SJB.
What a fine picture you paint, you deserve the lounger. Because of the early sunrise, I had the blog ready in good time and solved the Dada over coffee then ice cream with Mama Bee
A bit of a slog in this heat, but got there in the end. 35C in my kitchen. No doubt our Tyke is used to it but I am a temperate person!
Anyway, back to the puzzle which steadily fell nicely into place, only requiring SJB to parse 26a for me as the definition was clear.
Thanks to Silvanus and SJB
Too hot for this honorary Tyke/Geordie
Silvanus is, as always, very entertaining. Thanks to him and SJB.
I took the precaution of leaving the second word of 28a blank on my printout until I had a checker.
Ticks from me for 9a, 18a, 3d and 4d.
I haven’t found a better way than waiting for a checker when faced with that dilemma in 28a
A great prize puzzle that I found tricky in places and somewhat crawled over the line with 15a LOI.
Missing the anagram indicator at 1a didn’t help the solve either.
4d, 16d and 18d favourites today.
Thanks to Silvanus and SJB
There is something rotten in the state of 18d
Thanks to all. Back again soon, I hope!
Thanks for Sunday Toughie #3. A quiet day today (too much football and golf perhaps), but stick a feather in your cap and call it 5d
At least you didn’t mention the cricket (say no more…….).
Didn’t get round to this until late last night. As ever very entertaining & on the gentle side for a Smooth production. That said I didn’t parse 23a though didn’t given it a great deal of thought if truth be told. Fav was 16d where unlike 23a I clocked the initialism straight away.
Thanks to Silvanus & to John
My local brewery always did a fine beer of that type,but it is hard to find these days as his pubs are closing left right and centre
Also finishing this off on Monday morning – I had left 10a and 6d. I couldn’t drag my brain away from humanities and nothing else was coming up for me. Anyway finally got there this morning with the help of the blog and that wnabled me to solve 6d.
Part from 6d/10a combo I thought this was a stunning puzzle. I too had the wrong second word in 28a at first. I also think said 28a was my top clue although many to choose from. I did like 18d and 24d as well
Thanks all
I hadn’t realised that 6d could be a medley either but it did remind me of Mr Cagney sticking a feather in his cap
Final catch up from a 3 week hiatus…
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Tried hard to make 5d into MADRIGAL, but wordplay didn’t quite get there (despite MAD GAL) and the crossers then ruled it out! The correct answer only popped into my head much later on. Lots of nice clues in this puzzle with my favourites being 9, 22 & 23 in the Across direction and 3, 16 & 24 in the Down direction.
My thanks to Silvanus for a fine puzzle and to SJB for his review.
By coincidence the next puzzle in my put-to-one-side set of downloads was a Silvanus from October 2022. A wee bit trickier than this particular Sunday Toughie but consistently high quality from this setter. [And BTW there are some great cartoons in Gazza’s review