Sunday Toughie No 236
by Beam
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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Beam has brought all his trademarks today, with a generous 16a and 16d clues today. I have hinted at half, but will try and give a nudge if asked.
Mama Bee wants to go shopping, so I may have to work around her needs.
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. Someone else will 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 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 Friendly, therefore guy protects single (8)
An adverb for therefore and a guy in the sense of a wire, that contains the singular letter used to refer to oneself
9a Docile old criminal taking cut out (8)
To cut out like a failing engine perhaps, in a synonym of criminal or morally crooked, follows an old abbreviation
12a Welcome holding hands after a union (9)
After a from the clue, you need to welcome a guest that contains some masculine hands or staff. A union of minds
14a Emmerdale character regularly in farmhouse (4)
One for the soap opera fans. Regular letters of farmhouse conceal a character who left Emmerdale a very long time ago. He spent more time in The Woolpack than any of the farmhouses in Beckindale, as it was known then
19a Grass keeping info back broke promises (7)
A grass used for thatching contains a reversal of some information
25a Sycophant is more prostrate before Queen (9)
A comparative for more prostrate goes before a Beam™ regnal cipher
28a Unexpected stock issue? (8)
When livestock issues forth unexpectedly
30a See about new exhaust? Absolutely! (8)
A See or Cathedral city in the Fens contains a new abbreviation and to exhaust
Down
1d Labour with detailed motto (6)
A conjunction for with loses its tail and follows some strenuous labour
4d Underwear’s not namely stays (7)
A Latin namely or that is, is removed from some plural underwear
7d Wicked fault represents end, almost (8)
A moral fault, to represent or be and almost all of an end or limited period
8d Ashamed, and second, rather ‘umble? (8)
A second abbreviation followed by someone rather like the ‘umble sycophant Uriah **** from David Copperfield
For fans of proto heavy metal from 1973;
15d Rabbit to put in bare emporium (9)
Rabbit or chatter inanely and to from the clue are put into a bare synonym
17d Sites with power casual about energy (8)
A power abbreviation and casual or lax about an energy abbreviation
21d Caught with fly producing temper (7)
To fly or drive forward follows a caught abbreviation. To restrain, subdue, moderate or temper
22d Not a hint, but a cool band I couldn’t resist
26d Times expressed musically, perhaps Italian initially? (5)
Another Beam™ initial letters of the first five words in the clue, an Italian term for musical timing
Compiler
Beam
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A lovely accomplished performance that could almost be a hint for 6d
A smashing offering from the Master of Brevity and I do hope others who rarely tackle the Toughie give this one a try. As to be expected some great clues with a smattering of humour. There are too many good clues to be able to pick a favourite but I did like the sycophant at 25a.
Thank you, Beam for giving me an extra bash at The Mythical. Thanks you, Sloops for the hints.
I wonder if he is related to the other sycophant at 8d
As indicated by Huntsman in t’other place, this proved to be very accessible and I’d go as far as saying I found it easier than the SPP. I just needed SJB to unravel 9a for me although it could not have been anything else. 8d and 30a received ticks, but I’ll go with the bare rabbit at 15d as my favourite.
Many thanks to Beam and SJB
I think Senf alluded to it yesterday, but the first puzzle of the month is always a bit of a bear to access. The same applied to the first Prize Toughie of August. I had to sleep on the parsing of several 9a included. A highly caffeinated breakfast helped and most dawned soon after. Maybe one of Mr Hefner’s play bunnies would have been appropriate for the bare rabbit
I don’t usually attempt the Toughie but encouragement on the other blog made me give it a go. I’m so glad I did. The SW held out longest with LOI 27a.
Top picks for me were 22d, 24a, 25a, 9a and 8d.
Thanks to Sloop John Bee and Beam.
That the relevant letter was unchecked meant that I had to think about which was the definition and which was the homophone for 22d.
Brain fog in the SE put paid to a very brisk finish. Last in 23d took almost as long as the remainder (having neglected to fall back on the ‘if all else fails’ rule) but otherwise I thought it a gentle Beamer & less tricky than Dada.
As ever lots to like – 12,28&30a plus 15,17&21d my picks.
Thanks to Ray & to John – good to hear some of SJ & the Jukes – The Fever is one of my fav tunes & they do a terrific cover of New Coat of Paint by Tom Waits.
Being from Asbury, they have long been favourites of this Springsteen fan
Apart from never watching a single episode of 14a, i have surprisingly heard of the character.
29a and 2d were my top two, as I liked both of their surfaces.
Many thanks to Beam and to SJB.
Before it dropped the farm, Mr Brearly was a regular until 1991 and reprised the role in 95 when he retired to Spain with Annie. Mama Bee and therefore I, havent watched it in over 30 years
Although I could not have parsed everything without you, JSB, this was most enjoyable. Thank you Beam and JSB. Your ‘could almost be a hint’ was a pure delight – thank you.
I found this very friendly and unusually have finished it “on the day”. I just came unstuck on 2 d as I thought it was a lurker. It was all there! But of course I quickly realised that it wasn’t going to fit in and had to have a rethink. Never watched 14a but it was easy to work out and, like others, 27a was last one in. 23d got a star. Very many thanks to Mr Beam and to SJB for the hints.
I think I see the lurker, I am glad I didn’t sot it last night, as that would have held me up too. A penny drop when i realised that salt was a verb too
As others have said this was very accessible- I completed this morning early doors. I did need to check a couple of answers that I couldn’t parse.
Mr SC unusually very helpful this morning and unlocked several clues for me. SW was my stumbling block 17d/24a being the last in and I glad I had solved 15d as the misdirection in 24a would certainly have tripped me up otherwise.
COTD has to be the rabbit in 15d – I wrangled with that for ever until the penny dropped!!
My only uncertainty is 22d have I chosen the right one as the answer as unfortunately they both fit
Anyway great puzzle and thanks to SJB for the hints
As I said to Madflower the fact that the third letter of 22d is unchecked causes doubts, but I am pretty sure the homophone is the sound of cool, therefore the band around the room is the definition.
There are no guarantees though (see the fact that I mispelled Ad Nauseam in the last Toughie from Light)
Someone else will be doing the review blogs from now on, leaving me just the hints, but even the review blogs come out before The Telegraph publish the result
Thank you I submitted this morning and had gone for the band – but uncertainty still lingered….
If I may… the homophone has to be on one side of the definition. In this case “sound of cool” the homophone (sound of) is on the opposite side of the actual definition that is required for the answer, which is “band round room”.
Although I didn’t find this as gentle as others it was very enjoyable .I couldn’t work out 22d and 28a so didn’t finish.I initially put down what I thought was a lurker in 2d , so this held me up for a while . Many thanks to all.Favourites 8, 24 and 27 .
After a convivial weekend away celebrating the Golden Wedding anniversary of friends known since university days, I have been late to both the NTSPP and this Toughie. The former was much tougher than the latter!
This was a very pleasant Beam puzzle, with much to enjoy. My only pause came from a total lack of Emmerdale knowledge, but the clear wordplay delivered the correct answer. Across podium places went to 12, 30 and then a 3-way tie between 24, 27 & 29. My Down picks were less troublesome, being 1, 17 & 22.
My thanks to Beam and to SJB for the hints – thanks also for some great clips and illustrations.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Beam for the name check in Toughie 2,959 from November 2022, which I recently enjoyed: 1a Gladiator scraps about cheers nearly ended (9)
After a few short-ish periods yesterday and today, got this very enjoyable puzzle done. Thanks to SJB for the hints to confirm some parsings but got to a complete solution unaided. Proud of that so will now print today’s Beam Toughie! T hanks again to SJG and to Beam!