Toughie 3713

Toughie No 3713 by Hudson
Hints and tips by Whybird

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

Greetings! We have a high-quality offering today from Hudson, to whom many thanks.  Perfectly pitched for a Tuesday, I feel, with a good few needing a bit of careful consideration and some less-than-common vocabulary, but nothing too tricky, although 1a had me digging around a bit.  The clues are all scrupulously fair and there are many great surfaces.  1a, 3d, 5d, 9a, 14d and 19d were my particular favourites.

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

Across Clues

1a Consider year near West New York? (6,4)

COUNTY TOWN A charade of a synonym of “Consider” (or matter), the letter indicating “year”, a synonym of “near” and the usual letters indicating “West” and “New”, all of which gives you something that York exemplifies, as indicated by the question mark.  I wasn’t initially convinced about the “near” synonym, but it is listed in the BRB as a stand-alone alternative.

6a Ace teacher having a lie-in (4)

ABED The letter indicating “ace” is followed by the abbreviation of a graduate teaching qualification

9a Foreign words for “one”, “the”, then “a” translated below (10)

UNDERNEATH  Respectively French and German words meaning “one” and “the” are followed by an anagram (translated) of “then ‘a’”

10a Dismal chimney behind entrance to gasworks (4)

GLUM A three-letter, principally Scottish word for “chimney” follows the initial letter of (behind entrance to) “gasworks”

12a Youngster clawing back, after tax, one thousand (6)

KITTEN A reversal (back) of all of a four-letter term meaning “after tax” followed by the letter than looks like the number “one” and a letter indicating a “thousand”

13a Sounding even more hoarse? She’s had her chips (8)

CROUPIER A double definition, the first being a relative description of a worse barking cough arising from a childhood infection, and the second being a cryptic reference to a casino employee who handles the stakes and winnings 

15a CIA & Interpol struggling to catch a noted piece of work (5,7)

PIANO RECITAL An anagram (struggling) of “CIA” and “Interpol” into which is inserted (to catch) “a” from the clue

18a Drop of brandy, say – spirit that’s sweet (12)

BUTTERSCOTCH The initial letter (Drop) of “Brandy” followed by a synonym of “say” and then a beverage from north of the border (from an English perspective)

21a Enemy arrow fired back ending in brief compromise (5-3)

TRADE-OFF Reverse (fired back) a three-letter synonym of “enemy” and a type of date, then add the final letter of (ending in) “brief”

22a Gold commercial interrupts live music (6)

AUBADE The chemical symbol for “Gold” is followed by the insertion of an abbreviation meaning “commercial” into (interrupts) a two-letter synonym of “live” (as in “exist”).  A new word for me, but I do like it when you follow the instructions and look up the resulting jumble of letters and discover it really is a word with the correct sense

24a Language written in Beaulieu Rd, Uttoxeter (4)

URDU The solution is lurking within the letters of “Beaulieu Rd, Uttoxeter”

25a Liberate cavalryman, one on short-term assignment (10)

FREELANCER A charade of a synonym of “Liberate” and a type of “cavalryman”

26a Observe Scottish boss, when speaking (4)

HEED The solution is also how you could phonetically write the Scottish pronunciation (when speaking) of a synonym of “boss”

27a Poor, poor Macbeth dropping Banquo’s last vessel (10)

CHAMBERPOT An anagram (Poor) of  what remains of “poor Macbeth” after the final letter of “Banquo” is removed (dropping Banquo’s last), the solution being an article traditionally kept found in bedrooms

Down Clues
1d Suspect bowler reported in period of play (6)

CHUKKA This period of play (in an equine sport) sounds like (reported) the name applied to a bowler in cricket who has a questionable bowling action

2d Latest news starts to unsettle potential romantic partner (6)

UPDATE The initial letters of (starts to) “unsettle” and “potential” followed by another name for a romantic partner

3d Greg, Dennis and Ernie … gifted individuals? (5,4,3)

THREE WISE MEN If you take the common surname of three noted people having the listed forenames (although I had to look up Greg, which indicates something about my cultural reference points) you could describe these as “gifted individuals” – a cryptic description of some not very seasonal New Testament characters.  Easier to solve than explain!

4d Small and pretty wife wearing casual top (4)

TWEE The letter indicating “wife” is inserted (wearing) into a type of informal clothing (derived from its more formal name as a (1-5) term) 

5d Mac operator at work needing periodic Wi-Fi coverage (10)

WATERPROOF An anagram (at work) of “operator” is inserted into (needing… …coverage) the odd-numbered letters (periodic) of “Wi-Fi”.  A really well put together clue

7d British top celebs importing large advanced weapon (8)

BALLISTA Take the usual letter indicating “British” follow that with a (1-4) term meaning “top celebs” into which is inserted the letter indicating “large” and finally add the letter indicating “advanced”

8d Grog editor served up really regularly in a sober manner (8)

DEMURELY Reverse (“served up” in a down clue) the drink sailors know as “Grog” and the usual abbreviation for “editor” then append the even -numbered letters (regularly) of “really”

11d Stiffening got from a stiffener? (5,7)

DUTCH COURAGE A cryptic definition, the solution being a name for alcohol-induced bravery

14d Various hot rod fans etc (3,2,5)

AND SO FORTH An anagram (Various) of “hot rod fans”

16d Adult female dog eating headless bird? Rather unreasonable (1,3,4)

A BIT MUCH The usual letter indicating “Adult” followed by a name for a female dog into which is inserted a type of (large, antipodean) “bird” lacking its initial letter (headless)

17d Bestride seat used when travelling, accepting U-turn occasionally (8)

STRADDLE Take the name of “seat used when travelling” (think horses of bicycles) and insert (accepting) the even-numbered letters (occasionally) of “U-turn”

19d Wild plan to capture Washington area (6)

MADCAP A synonym of “plan” (used in eg navigation) surrounds (to capture) the two letters often appended to the American city Washington (and sometimes used as an alternative name in their own right) and the usual letter indicating “area”

20d Plates of meat fed Rover, discontented animal (6)

FERRET Take the first and last letters of “Rover” (discontented) and insert those (fed) into the body part represented by “Plates of meat” in Cockney rhyming slang

23d Ray Black upset Ms West (4)

BEAM The letter representing “Black” is followed by a reversal of the first name of the the famous actress and singer Ms West