Toughie No 3721 by Dada
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment *****
Welcome to the Toughie Week.
Dada has given us a cracker to get things started: lots of inventive and misleading clues with smooth surfaces. Perfect for a Tuesday I think – plenty that needs the old cogs to be given a spin or two, but nothing that didn’t yield to a little bit of lateral thinking, and a few “gimmes” to get the ball rolling. 4d, 10d, 23a, 26d and 28a all get big ticks from me today, but it almost would have been easier just to refer to the list below; there are so many good ‘uns. 26d gets top spot for the combination of conciseness, surface and misdirection. Thanks, Dada, for an absolute delight.
Please let us know how you fared and what you thought of the puzzle.
Across Clues
1a Picture what happens when clouds collapse and fusion occurs (1,4,2,4)
A STAR IS BORN A double definition. The first is a film title and the second an astronomical event
9a Just untrustworthy, the dog, or my generous spirit? (5,9)
FAIRY GODMOTHER A four-letter synonym of “Just” (or equitable) is followed by an anagram (untrustworthy) of “the dog or my”
11a Missing, a trough returned (4)
AWOL Take “a” from the clue and add a reversal (returned) of a synonym of “trough” (best thought of in the meteorological sense)
12a Somewhat joyless existence in English county (5)
ESSEX The answer is lurkin’ in the letters of “joyless existence”, innit?
13a Mouth in river covered by water supplier (4)
TRAP The usual letter indicating “river” is inserted into a source of water found in eg domestic situations
16a Washed with soap, youth’s quarantined in that place (8)
LATHERED A synonym of “youth” surrounds (‘s quarantined) a five-letter word meaning “in that place”
17a Take some notes (6)
SNATCH A double definition, the second sense referring to a small piece/fragment of music
19a Nervous – and difficult? (6)
UNEASY The solution is also a way you could describe something that was “difficult” in a cryptic or an unusual/archaic sense, as indicated by the question mark
20a Handle OK, or loose? Stick rotated to secure it (8)
DOORKNOB Take a synonym of “Stick” in the sense of adhesion, reverse it (rotated) and then insert (to secure) an anagram (loose) of “OK or”
22a Dress old actress shortened (4)
GARB Remove the final letter (shortened) from the surname of a famous Swedish-American actress
23a Cracked waste receptacle (5)
POTTY A double definition, the first sense being a reference to mental state
24a Phone broken by a bird (4)
TEAL Take a three-letter abbreviation for “Phone” and insert (broken by) “a” from the clue
27a Lift rugby player in Paris team I battered (14)
MISAPPROPRIATE A type of front-row forward is inserted into an anagram (battered) of “Paris team I”, “LIft” here being synonymous with 17a
28a Chicken put to death in national park (11)
YELLOWSTONE A charade of a colourful synonym of “Chicken” and an eg Biblical way to put someone to death
Down Clues
2d Remarkably short sentence with lesson part translated (4,2,3,5)
SLAP ON THE WRIST An anagram (translated) of “with lesson part”
3d Area found in cybercafe, going upstairs? (4)
ACRE The solution is found, in reverse (“going upstairs” in a down clue) amongst the letters of “cybercafe”
4d Ate from tin with edges warped (8)
INGESTED an anagram (warped) of “tin” and “edges”
5d After friend, acquire discount (6)
BUDGET A three letter synonym for “acquire” follows (after) a three-letter synonym of “friend” (not the one beginning with “P”)
6d Dig finds nothing buried in folly (4)
ROOT The letter that resemble the numeric “nothing” is inserted (buried in) a synonym of “folly” (or nonsense)
7d Hollywood actor, old player then so active (8,6)
CHARLTON HESTON The surname of two notable footballing brothers followed by an anagram (active) of “then so”
8d What a dozy person may do – cancel plans to host a dancing event? (4,3,4)
DROP THE BALL A double definition, the second being a slightly cryptic way to describe cancelling an event that could have resulted in Cinderella having a different future
10d Consequences, for example, when a leg or arm up for treatment (7,4)
PARLOUR GAME An anagram (for treatment) of “a leg or arm up”
14d Informative novel, surprisingly vacuous (5)
NEWSY A synonym of “novel” followed by the first and last letters (vacuous) of “surprisingly”. Not a word I’d heard of or will ever use – I much prefer the word in the clue!
15d Ship not starting on time, still (5)
INERT A type of passenger ship lacking its first letter (not starting) is followed by (“on” in a down clue) the usual letter indicating “time”
18d Left-hander stirring soup with what? (8)
SOUTHPAW An anagram (stirring) of “soup” and “what”
21d Pen in pink circling error, finally (6)
CORRAL A type of the colour “pink” (think marine organisms) surrounds (circling) the last letter (finally) of “error”
25d Blade cut roof from tent (4)
EPEE Remove the first letter (“cut roof” in a down clue) of a type of tent
26d Riddle is written up on paper (4)
SIFT Reverse (“written up” in a down clue) “is” from the clue and follow that (“on” in a down clue) with a two-letter abbreviated newspaper
Annoyingly, I was held up for ages by my LOI, 1a. I could see it must refer to a film but nothing fitted with my checkers. I thought it must be a French title or refer to a doctor as I had the third word to be two letters beginning with d. This assumption ensured I missed the whole point of what was a rather clever clue. Eventually I revisited 4d and realised I had been too casual and incorrectly assumed the anagram began with ‘di’, not ‘in’.
It was at this point I castigated myself with a term which was rude, insulting and entirely merited, in equal measure.
Apart from that taking as long as the rest of the puzzle put together to sort out, it all flowed rather well.
I liked the definition of lift in 27a and good old Ben Hur at 7d, but the answer to 14d, though a pukka word, seems lazy and sits uneasily with me.
Thanks to Dada, Whybird and my own stupidity for the added crypticality.
Really enjoyed the puzzle despite making much harder work of it than the modest level of difficulty merited.
1a (my fav) embarrassingly was last but one in & unlike Frankie I didn’t even have the excuse of an incorrect checker – loved the last adaptation, in my view the best of ‘em (& by a margin too) not least because Lukas Nelson’s band Promise Of The Real are Bradley Cooper’s backing band in the film.
Ticks aplenty elsewhere – 9,12,23&27a + 2,5,7&10d other particular likes.
Thanks to Dada & to Whybird
I liked what I saw of the Lady G/Brad version. For once, I managed to resist the likes of Evergreen. I’m not a Babs fan, it’s fair to say.
Good stuff from Dada – thanks to him and Whybird.
Top clues for me were 1a, 19a and 23a.
I thought this was brilliant not least because I solved with no assistance!!
Another vote for 1a what a great clue.
I am not fond of the american word for friend in 5d however that is being pernickety
Thanks all
LOI was 2d as I had an incorrect answer for 11a which I quickly corrected once I realised 2d was an anagram. Completed at a pedestrian (even for me) pace. All fairly clued just my own incompetence holding me back. Favourite, like others, was 1a. Thanks to Dada and Whybird.
I’m with Spangledcat in giving myself a pat on the back for solving it unaided and that 1a was also last in; blindingly obvious. Like FM I also was delayed with 4d beginning with DI until I reviewed the available letters. All in all a superb set of surfaces.
Thanks to Dada and Whybird
I found that easier than Sunday’s Dada. Been dipping in and out of it whilst gardening this afternoon and enjoyed the distraction. 1a popped in to the brain from who knows where and is my clue of the day.
Thanks to Dada for the distraction and Whybird for the hints and tips.
2*/4* …
liked 23A “Cracked waste receptacle (5)”