Toughie No 3729 by Chalicea
Hints and tips by Whybird
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ***
Welcome to another Toughie Week.
For once I managed to Guess the Setter, so started with a win, and the North went in fairly rapidly. However, Chalicea has thrown a couple of curve balls today that had me scrabbling around to check both existence and meaning, and I also came up with what I thought was a reasonable answer for 27a which, being incorrect, made the SW trickier. I particularly liked 1a, 4d, 6a, 13a 28a and 30a but I’m giving my Gold Medal position to 16d.
Thank you, Chalicea, for an enjoyable start to the week.
Please let us know how you fared and what you thought of the puzzle.
I am taking a brief sabbatical for the next couple of weeks in an attempt to catch up with some “glorified seagulls”. Next week, you will have Gazza and the following week ALP, so thanks to both for filing in.
Across Clues
1a It might indicate “rat” in a French cryptic crossword, in a decorative style (3,7)
ART NOUVEAU This decorative style is also a clue a crossword setter in France could use for the solution “rat”
6a Shed tears when onion, say, is around (4)
BLUB Reverse (is around) a word of which an “onion” is an example (say)
9a Uplift characters in chapel at evensong (5)
ELATE The solution is lurking (in) amongst the letters of “chapel at evensong”
10a Sling nets around chicks (9)
NESTLINGS An anagram (around) of “Sling nets”
12a Treachery, ultimately without inducement (7)
TREASON The final letter (ultimately) of “without” followed by a synonym of “inducement”
13a Grand hammer and mortar (5)
GROUT The usual letter indicating “Grand” followed by a synonym of “hammer” (or defeat heavily)
15a According to Spooner, Starmer veto for this container (4,3)
BEER CAN How the Reverend Spooner could refer to (ie switch the first letters) a “veto” (until he changes his mind…) from the UK’s recently ex-prime minister is a homophone of the required (beverage) container
17a Note on puss that is to get punished (5,2)
CATCH IT A synonym of “puss” is followed by (on) a four-letter synonym of “note” and then split (5,2) as indicated
19a Glum is a queen over Arabic poems of mourning (7)
QASIDAS Take a synonym of “Glum”, “is a” from the clue and a single letter meaning “queen” (in eg chess) and then reverse the lot (over). A new word for me but fairly clued
21a Donkey consuming just what is needed, a tortilla (7)
BURRITO A type of small, Mexican/SW American donkey surrounds (consuming) a two-letter synonym of “just what is needed” (and for Holy Grail fans, Kryptonite for the Nights Who Say “Ni”)
22a Valuable fibre unknown in fancy tile (5)
IXTLE One of the letters used to indicate “unknown” is inserted into an anagram (fancy) of “tile”. Another new word for me, again fairly clued, it was just a case of running through permutations of various “unknowns” until I found a match in the BRB
24a Hesitation admitted by a student, a group of students and an ex-student (7)
ALUMNUS One of the two-letter spoken sounds that indicate “Hesitation” is inserted into (admitted by) “a” from the clue, the usual letter indicating “learner” and the abbreviated term for the body which purports to represent the interests of students in the UK
27a Exaggerates merits of measures backing series of balls (9)
OVERSELLS The plural of a unit of measurement (often used for measuring cloth) follows (backing) the plural term for the basic unit of deliveries in cricket followed by (backing). Don’t get lured into the singular cricket term followed by a synonym of “measures” in the sense of “judges”!
28a Point of moving north (5)
THORN An anagram (moving) of “north”
29a Industrial waste local lasses turned over (4)
SLAG A reversal (turned over) of a colloquial (local) terms for “lasses”
30a Most dark-hued dilapidated sweatshirt (10)
SWARTHIEST An anagram (dilapidated) of “sweatshirt”
Down Clues
1d Very old French impressionist briefly turned up (4)
AGED One of the French impressionists lacking his final letter (briefly) is reversed (“turned up” in a down clue)
2d Cunningly resist rat, one guilty of 12 Across (9)
TRAITRESS An anagram (Cunningly) of “resist rat”
3d Fat to be set, trimming both sides (5)
OBESE Remove the initial and final letter (trimming both sides) from “to be set”
4d Meat cooked in ovens (7)
VENISON An anagram (cooked) of “in ovens”
5d As formerly used in pesticides? (7)
ARSENIC A double definition (or possibly an “all-in-one” – it works both ways), the key being that “As” here is a chemical symbol
7d Some baffling official jargon (5)
LINGO The solution is lurking amongst “baffling official”
8d Vessel capsized by figure working around island terminus (3,7)
BUS STATION A reversal (capsized) of an abbreviated (nautical) vessel precedes (by) a fur-letter abbreviation for a synonym of “figure” (as in datum) and a two-letter synonym of “working” into which is inserted (around) the abbreviation for “island”
11d Less weighty method of kindling fire (7)
LIGHTER A double definition
14d Omnipresent upper-class vehicle touring one South American capital (10)
UBIQUITOUS The Mitford’s letter indicating “upper class” followed by a public-transport vehicle into which is inserted the letter than resembles the number “one” and a South American capital city, located close to the equator
16d Computer programmers drawing in primarily gifted, eccentric oldies (7)
CODGERS A synonym of “computer programmers” into which is inserted (drawing in) the initial letters (primarily) of “gifted” and “eccentric”
18d Icy pellet welcomes shade (9)
HAILSTONE A charade of synonyms of “welcomes” and “shade” (in the sense of colour)
20d Take in broadcast about barrier (7)
SWALLOW A synonym of “broadcast” (as in eg agriculture) surrounds (about) a type of “barrier”
21d Speedy warship changes top, becoming an aggressive fighter (7)
BRUISER Take a type of large, fast warship and alter the initial letter (“changes top” in a down clue)
23d Letter of thanks following article (5)
THETA An “article” (in language) followed by in informal synonym of “thanks”
25d Nick‘s drama covering end of militant Conservative (5)
NOTCH A type of Japanese drama surrounds (covering) the final letter (end) of “militant” and the letter indicating “Conservative”
26d Raised money used at first for military group (4)
UNIT Take a synonym of “money” (also a metallic element) and the initial letter (at first) of “used” and then reverse them (“Raised” in a down clue)
Plain sailing although I did need to google two of my constructions (19a and 22a) and the parsing of 27a. I did like 1a and 24a.
Thanks to Chalicea and Whybird.
A couple of curve balls definitely and I made the error in 27a which caused untold problems in completing the sw, which held both of the curve balls. That said, 22a rings a very faint bell, so perhaps it has been used in the recent past. 14d and 13a gain honorable mentions, but cotd for me is 14d. Thanks to Chalicea and Whybird.
Always good fun when it’s Chailcea’s turn for first Toughie of the week! The developing common theme of 19a and 22a being new words applied to me. However. they were, as always with Chalicea, clued fairly and with the checkers they were not difficult to complete; educational confirmation only took place when the whole puzzle was completed. 1.5*/4.5*
Candidates for favourite – 1a, 6a, 12a, 1d, 3d, and 16d – and the winner is 1d.
Thanks to Chalicea and Whybird.
A fluffie toughie. Mostly. And all the better for that.
My favourites 21a and 21d.
I never heard of 19a nor 22a.
Everyday a school day.
Thanks to Chalcea and Whybird.
It’s Keir Starmer so 15a doesn’t really work.
I did enjoy this which means I completed all but 22a. the anagram of tile plus an unknown was clear from the clue however I did need to check it was a real word and which of the various “unknowns” I needed.
19a was very well clued for such an obscure word I thought. I also checked the SA city as had never heard of it so learning something new every day! and came here for the parsing of 25d
COTD is a tie between 1a and 24a both brilliant so I cannot choose between them.
Thanks all
As I expected, a fun puzzle from Chalicea with lots of smiles. It was a DNF for me because I did not know the Arabic poetry at 19a nor the fibre at 22a. The rest was a steady and enjoyable solve but I performed my usual mistake by trying to put an “i” into 24a. I never learn. Unusually, my COTT is the Spoonerism at 15a.
Thank you, Chalicea for a fun puzzle. Thank you, Whybird for the hints and Suzie.
This was light and good fun, as we have come to expect from Chalicea with only a minimal use of the BRB required to look up 19a & 22a.
My podium selection is 1a, 24a & 1d.
Many thanks to Chalicea and to Whybird.
Even this early in the thread it has all been said, as I had the same problems and difficulties as others, and similar positive thoughts on the puzzle. 6a was my favourite this afternoon.
Many thanks to both Chalicea and Whybird.