Toughie No 3727 by Kcit
Hints and tips by ALP
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Toughie difficulty */** – Enjoyment ***/****
Fairly breezy for a Thursday Toughie. 26a was unknown to me but the wordplay’s pretty clear. Having said that, 1a was the last to fall. Not because it’s tricky – it’s not – but because the definition is anathema to me. I have long tried – and failed miserably – to ban them. What on earth is their point? They just get in the bloomin’ way when you’re making the bed! The floor, as ever, is yours.
Across
1a Broadcast limits impact of choice of decor? (7,8)
SCATTER CUSHIONS: (to) “broadcast” (confetti, say) + limits impact of/softens.
9a Regret locking in unvarying income (7)
REVENUE: “regret” locking in/containing unvarying/stable.
10a A lot of chance about getting behind iron sailing boat (7)
FELUCCA: “chance”, minus the last letter, + two-letter “about”, after iron’s symbol.
11a Wild English composer, filled with spirit, losing head (9)
DELIRIOUS: “English composer” (of German heritage) filled with/containing spirit/vivacity, minus its first letter.
12a Very fit, picked up no end of poundage (4)
HARD: picked up/caught, minus [poundag]E.
13a Courageous tackling international, on the whole (6)
MAINLY: “courageous” (if you’re a bloke!) tackling/containing abbreviated “international”.
15a In the main, punish backsliding vegetable theft? (8)
KEELHAUL: (onion-like) “vegetable”, reversed, + theft/plunder.
18a Basis of power for male involving muscle (8)
PLATFORM: abbreviated “power” + FOR + abbreviated “male”, involving/containing (back) “muscle”.
19a A conclusion adopted by Georgia’s programme (6)
AGENDA: A, plus conclusion/finish adopted by/inside the state of Georgia’s abbreviation.
22a Hold a large amount back (4)
STOP: a large amount (of money, say), reversed.
23a Trattoria item card initially presented in multiple languages (9)
MACARONIC: “trattoria item” (i.e., Italian food) + C[ard].
26a Hardly without content, Dior’s style is transparent (7)
HYALINE: Outer letters of “hardly” + Dior’s adjectival style first coined in 1955.
27a Unearths money spent suppressing stink (7)
EXHUMES: “money spent” (when working, etc), suppressing/containing stink/reek.
28a Fashion designer I vilify about new character of Jersey? (7,8)
CHANNEL ISLANDER: (French) “fashion designer) + I + vilify/defame, about/containing abbreviated “new”.
Down
1d Father in fashions upheld forced labour (7)
SERFDOM: abbreviated “father” inside fashions/styles, all upheld/reversed.
2d Aida initially very in love? It suggests a Verdi chorus (5)
ANVIL: A, plus abbreviated “very” inside love/zero. The definition alludes to Verdi’s Coro di Zingari.
3d Meaning almost divided in item presented with notes (5,4)
TENOR CLEF: meaning/drift + divided/split, minus the last letter.
4d Antelope‘s smell concealed by another (6)
REEBOK: (human) “smell” concealed by/inside (another) smell/stench.
5d Loose goal fittings taken up, overseen by a French sporting group (8)
UNFASTEN: “goal fittings” reversed, after the French “a” and (football’s) “sporting group”.
6d Abandoned following leadership of Horatio Nelson? (4)
HOLD: abandoned/superseded after H[oratio].
7d Polluted ocean to get profit on still another occasion (4,5)
ONCE AGAIN: OCEAN, polluted, + to get profit/benefit.
8d Second passage about Democrat disgrace (7)
SCANDAL: abbreviated “second”, plus (water) “passage” about/containing abbreviated “Democrat”.
14d One represented as amatorian? (9)
INAMORATA: AMATORIAN, represented = a noun to which this adjective applies.
16d Trademark redesign’s start – sadly hear lots of words (9)
LOGORRHEA: “trademark” + R[edesign] + HEAR, sadly.
17d Ex-leader departs, excluded from data store successfully (8)
CROMWELL: “data store” (computing) minus the abbreviation for “departs”, plus successfully/ably.
18d Henhouse erected around street, hot after the event (4,3)
POST HOC: “henhouse” erected/reversed around abbreviations for “street” and “hot”.
20d One charges account customer (7)
ACCUSER: abbreviation of “account” + customer/consumer.
21d Approach experts, doubling care and skill initially (6)
ACCESS: experts/pros, doubling up the C[are] and S[kill].
24d Northern, Circle? Embankment will turn up for traveller (5)
NOMAD: abbreviation of “northern” and the usual “circle”, plus reversal (turned up) of embankment/barrier.
25d Wrong to hide good omen (4)
SIGN: wrong/offence, hiding/containing abbreviated “good”.
We’ve got three anagrams plus Kcit’s usual riot of reversal and abbreviation. I liked 11a, 17d and 21d. How did you get on?
Cracking puzzle with a few new words for me to remember.
Haven’t come across the boat in 10a, the term for transparent in 26a or the compulsive talking in 16d before, but I reckon I’ve met a few people who suffer from the latter.
15a is a great word, hard to believe it was a common form of punishment in times gone by and the chorus in 2d is wonderful, particularly when performed live.
The approach in 21d was cleverly constructed but my COTD is the ex-leader in 17d, the data storage part was superb.
My thanks to Kcit and ALP.
On the gentle side for kcit but still keeping his slightly “techy” clues. I liked the construction of 18a and stared for ages at the answer to 17d trying to identify the data store [thanks ALP].
Thanks to both. Now you have your brace of Walters ALP how about the trio of Kings? ….and is that the band or the audience cheering on Helen Humes’ intention?!
Who’s your favourite King? I think it’s probably Freddie for me, but it’s a close call. As for Helen Humes, I suspect it was a bit of both!
A very gentle ‘toughie’ to fill the gap between yesterday’s difficult Potoroo and what is bound to be a brain-mangler tomorrow from Elgar
Thanks to Kcit and ALP
I found this quite hard as I usually do at the back end of the week. Lots of unusual and new to me words, however the clueing was such that I could get most of them without help. However from about midway I was relying on the check grid function rather more than I would like as I wasn’t confident in my solution
COTD is 28a
Thanks all