Toughie No 3735 by Django
Hints and tips by ALP
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Toughie difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****
Solid stuff from Django today, with his usual flourishes. 1a tickled me from the off. I once filed a piece for The Independent about Britain’s “poshest” dump. There were working tumble-dryers discarded there willy-nilly – one still in its box, quickly snapped up by the hawk-eyed manager. There was even an on-site shop to sell the best of the plunder that included a W-reg Ford Fiesta (with MOT) and a speedboat. That’s Dorset for you!
Across
1a Tumble dryer’s a “gift” found at entrance for scrap-heap (8,4)
KNACKER’S YARD: DRYERS+A, tumbled, with gift/talent “at entrance”, i.e., starting.
8a Hearing a command: charge (7)
ARRAIGN: homophone of ‘A’ command/rule.
9a Piece journalist filed (7)
SCRAPED: piece/bit = the usual “journalist”.
11a Queen has subjects touring equatorial regions (7)
TROPICS: abbreviated “queen” with subjects/themes touring/outside.
12a Understanding a county town (7)
READING: double definition.
13a Material salesman used to plug Coca-Cola not OK (5)
CREPE: (travelling) “salesman” plugging/inside (branded) Coca-Cola, minus the OK.
14a/16a Finally play Spice Girls’ Wannabe as on broadcast – keep stopping song (3,2,4,2,7)
YES! WE HAVE NO BANANAS: [pla]Y [spic]E [girl]S + WANNABE+AS+ON, broadcast, all stopped by/containing keep/hold. Apologies for the spoiler-defining clip, but how could I not?!
16a See 14a
19a Tricks Republican exploits (5)
RUSES: abbreviated Republican + exploits/milks.
21a Case of censor having pages in dictionary cut (7)
CROPPED: C[enso]R + abbreviated “pages” in the usual three-letter dictionary.
23a Sulks after banks must withdraw gold sovereign (7)
EMPEROR: sulks/moods minus the outer letters (banks must withdraw) + (heraldic) “gold”.
24a Faldo pockets one pound in return for old golf club (7)
NIBLICK: golfer Faldo (to his friends) pockets/contains the usual one and abbreviated “pound”, reversed.
25a Pop video was lacking energy – reject (7)
DISAVOW: VIDEO+WAS, popped, minus abbreviated “energy”.
26a Obama, Clinton say Biden initially ignored Trump’s biggest feature – breaking report (2-10)
EX-PRESIDENTS: [b]IDEN + T[rump] breaking/inside report/state.
Down
1d Black tea – or tea no milk – made last of all in public bars? (7)
KARAOKE: last letters.
2d A small number supporting Italy – absurd (7)
ASININE: ‘A’ + abbreviated “small”, plus (a) “number” after/supporting Italy’s IVR.
3d Heather’s family discussed by Spooner somewhere in Norfolk (5,4)
KING’S LYNN: heather’s (not erica, t’other one) + family, Spoonerised.
4d Part of staircase RE teacher climbs (5)
RISER: RE + (male) teacher, reversed.
5d Caddie’s estimate of area covered by electronic golf cart going uphill (7)
YARDAGE: abbreviated “area” covered by/inside E[lectronic] + G[olf] + (heavy goods) “cart”, all reversed (going uphill).
6d Pawn souvenir cases along with a copy (7)
REPLICA: abbreviated “pawn” cased/contained by souvenir/memento + ‘A’.
7d One can’t pinch faulty furniture van (12)
PANTECHNICON: ONE+CANT+PINCH, faulty.
10d Perhaps Dirk’s tired in state of open hostility (7,5)
DAGGERS DRAWN: dirk’s (perhaps/by example) + tired/exhausted.
15d Made legal claim assuming pay out is deferred (9)
SUSPENDED: made legal claim/prosecuted, assuming/containing (to) “pay out”.
17d Finding ghetto-blaster in two different Spars (7)
BOOMBOX: two “spars” (nautical and pugilistic).
18d Faster shot meeting upright (7)
NIPPIER: shot/dram + upright/support.
19d Person I groomed enlists (5,2)
ROPES IN: PERSON+I, groomed.
20d Makes great effort in Cornish resort when crossing river (7)
STRIVES: “Cornish resort” (2,4), crossing/containing abbreviated “river”.
22d Nobleman’s fists (5)
DUKES: Essentially a double definition, if you ignore the apostrophe.
We’ve got five anagrams, a Spooner, a homophone and a double definition (or two). I thought 1a read well, 9a’s simplicity and surface appealed to me and 14a/16a’s just very Django! How did you get on?
Stonking entertainment, stonking I say!
We seem to be on a roll lately with amusingly old-fashioned words and expressions: the scrap-heap at 1a, the hilarious song at 14&16a and the furniture van at 7d were met with hooting approval from this neck of the woods.
Plenty of other ticks too, including Faldo and his golf club at 24a and once I’d eventully parsed it, the US leaders in 26a.
Add this to today’s backpager and I reckon I’ve had me money’s worth.
My thanks to Django and ALP.
2*/4* for me.
7d was a new word to me, and the 24a mashie was my favourite.
Thanks to Django and to ALP.
I found this a lot easier than today’s back pager and completed in a fraction of the time. Last in was 8a. I loved Faldo’s old golf club, the Norfolk spoonerism and 28a was nicely crafted. However, thanks to ALP for the breakdown of 14/16a although the answer was clear I didn’t take all the elements into account.
Many thanks to Django and ALP
1*/4*
Much enjoyed, although it seemed very daunting at first in particular the long song as I know very little about the Spice Girls.But here are few three letter words beginning.with Y and even fewer two letter words ending in E, so the answer soon flew off the page. Favourites, the Spooneqrism and DEFERRED. Thanks, Django and ALP.
Django’s puzzles are never less than entertaining – thanks to him for this one and to ALP for the review.
I liked lots of clues, especially 21a, 23a, 24a and 17d.
This very enjoyable crossword would have been very happy on the Backpage, so I suppose it represents a moment of calm before tomorrow’s expected ‘storm’
Thanks to Django and ALP. My favourite clue of so many on my list was 17d
Quite wordy clues I thought and I needed to reverse engineer quite a few to understand the parsing, but the grid filled in quickly enough and all the clueing was fair and fun.I will join the list of those who liked 17d the best.
My thanks to both ALP and Django.
Pretty straightforward, you just have to follow the instructions. Lots to like, nothing to not like. Numerous contenders for favourite but I’ll go with 21a. Thanks to Django and ALP.
Easier than today’s backpager is my take in this very enjoyable Toughie. My father-in-law had a 24a and I still have his hickory shafted putter. I loved the Coca-Cola salesman at 13a once I had worked out the OK. My COTT is the tired Dirk at 10d.
Thank you, Django for an enjoyable puzzle. Thank you, ALP for the hints, a couple of which were needed.
Great fun as usual from this Setter. No particular faves – it was all good, though I’m not sure of the definition for 1d, but then again I’m too old for that sort of thing.
Thanks to Django and ALP. Loved the Senegalese thing and the super performance by JLH. Rather enjoyed Dark Country too, are they really 2 Finns?
Ha, and there was me thinking you’d be swinging your hipster pants to Florence (I really wasn’t!)
Yes, I find Florence only slightly less irritating than the ever-present Sophie E-B.
Haha. Only slightly? That’s harsh!
I didn’t find this easier than the BP but there wasn’t much in it. Im a rare toughie trier but that’s two in a row, for the first time ever most likely.
I don’t know the ‘very Django’ 14/16A song 😬, playing now on train home. Nor the 10D implement or the 24A one, but the cluing was very helpful.
Pody places pegged by 14/16 for its all-round novelty, 24A, and 25A’s below-par video.
Thanks to Django and ALP. I know a decent dump shop in Dorset & Hants too. My Dad bought a go-kart at one not so long ago. He’d have liked the Fiesta though 🙂 ⭐️
Maybe it’s the same place? It really was extraordinary – the manager had even bought a diamond tester cos he was dead fussy about the jewellery he snaffled. I’ve never seen so much bling on one person in my life!
I certainly don’t remember him but I’ll ask Dad, Mr Blimg sounds very memorable!
Cracking puzzle, many thanks indeed to Django for the entertainment, and to ALP for the blog.
Lovely pre lights out solve. I’m in the easier than Twm’s puzzle camp. Frankie has saved me the bother of adding anything further.
Thanks to Django & ALP
1*/3* …
liked 2D “A small number supporting Italy – absurd (7)”