Toughie No 3742 by Weatherman
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty * – Enjoyment ***
Weatherman set us an enjoyable, not very difficult, Toughie, where the unknowns were fairly clued
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought
Across
1a Turning about, I see island’s rescue boat (5,3)
NOAHS ARK A reversal (turning) of a synonym for about and follow with an interjection of surprise (I see) and the name of one of the Channel Islands
5a On the radio, get bigger hits (6)
WHACKS A homophone (on the radio) of grow or increase (get bigger)
9a My girlfriend coming around loves playing dirge (4,5)
GOOD GRIEF An informal abbreviation for a girlfriend ‘coming around’ two letters meaning love and an anagram (playing) of DIRGE
11a Black English bears track animal (5)
BRUTE The abbreviations for Black and English between which is inserted (bears) a furrow made by wheels (track)
12a Belief in those people saving lives (6)
THEISM Those people ‘saving’ a simple way of saying lives
13a One willing to rest at Barking (8)
TESTATOR An anagram (barking) of TO REST AT
15a A light wince at running club (5,8)
WIGAN ATHLETIC An anagram (running) of A LIGHT WINCE AT
18a Uncontrollably emitting gasp, transfixed by current puppet show (8,5)
SPITTING IMAGE An anagram (uncontrollably) of EMITTING GASP into which is inserted (transfixed by) the symbol for electrical current
22a Play drinking game with new guide (8)
DRAGOMAN A play ‘drinking’ a game of skill for two players, the result followed by the abbreviation for New gives us a guide or interpreter in Eastern countries
23a Opponents welcoming gossip about shadow chancellor (6)
STRIDE A definition that probably won’t stand the test of time and appear in a crossword puzzle book – opponents in a game of bridge’ welcoming a reversal (about) of spiteful gossip
26a Don’t go near opera singer from the East hiding ring (5)
AVOID A reversal (from the East in an Across clue) ‘hiding’ the ring-shaped letter
27a They might stream teenagers getting taxi for husband (9)
YOUTUBERS Young persons collectively (teenagers) where the abbreviation for Husband is replaced by a taxi company’s name
28a Wings of party leaning to the left (6)
ELYTRA You might not know the beetle’s forewings but the clue very helpfully tells you that they are hidden in reverse (to the left) in pARTY LEaning
29a Worked out in empty farmyard stores (8)
FATHOMED What you are if you are in (2,4) ‘stored’ by the outside (empty) letters of FarmyarD
Down
1d Nearly pull student who won’t go to bed early? (5,3)
NIGHT OWL A poetic or archaic word meaning nearly, a verb meaning to pull and the usual abbreviated student
2d Solitary American sausage with its ends cut off (5)
ALONE The inside letters (with its ends cut off) of a type of American sausage
3d Claims benefits of crime, enthralling good lad (5,2)
SIGNS ON A moral crime ‘enthralling’ the abbreviation for Good, followed by a male child (lad)
4d Storyteller circles bar (4)
RAIL A reversal (circles) of a storyteller
6d Rating puzzle setter stifled by that working environment (7)
HABITAT A sailor (rating) and how our setter would refer to himself, inserted into (stifled by) an anagram (working) of THAT
7d Vintage musical uplifted each class (9)
CRUSTACEA A vintage (especially of wine), a reversed (uplifted) musical and the abbreviation for each
8d Profane southern bore (6)
SWEARY The abbreviation for Southern and a verb meaning to bore or tire
10d Encouraging user at first to stop cutting down (8)
FUELLING The first letter of User inserted into (to stop) cutting down (trees perhaps)
14d Immediately mounting your gold and art (8)
STATUARY A Latin abbreviation meaning immediately followed by a reversal (mounting) of the abbreviation for your and the chemical symbol for gold
16d Grand American president ultimately a politician of taste (9)
GUSTATORY The abbreviations for Grand and American, the ultimate letter of presidenT, A (from the clue) and an informal name for a politician of a particular party
17d Backed very left-wing poetry jams (8)
REVERSED Some poetry ‘jams’ the colour associated with something very left-wing
19d Appropriate, like a monk? (2,5)
IN ORDER Double definition
20d Really popular book takes time (2,5)
IN TRUTH Popular or fashionable and a book of the Old Testament, between which is inserted (takes) the abbreviation for Time
21d Conscious that Democrat has cut supplementary program (6)
ADWARE A synonym for conscious ‘cut’ by the abbreviation for Democrat
24d Breakfast food on the counter doesn’t need small part of food processor (5)
ILEUM A reversal (on the counter) of something you might eat for breakfast without (doesn’t need) the abbreviation for Small
25d Baby duck discovered heading north for island (4)
CUBA Reverse (heading north in a Down solution) the inside (dis covered) letters of bABy dUCk
I found this a bit of a mixed bag with a sprinkling of learning opportunities. Favourites were 9a, 29a and 25d. Thanks to CS and Weatherman.
I didn’t find this as easy as our blogger did and was not helped by having to confirm the definition of a couple of words which were new to me, too.
Quite a variety of knowledge required to complete this one, with a pair of newer terms thrown in for balance.
I cracked on at the start and then slowed down to a plod by the end.
9a got a tick, I’m always on the lookout for interjections now as we seem to have had plenty of late. I liked the streamers in 27a too.
My thanks to Weatherman (it’s raining here in my part of Kent) and CS.
Might not have been difficult for our reviewer but plenty so for the likes of me & especially so in the lower reaches. Not sadly an unaided finish either – 14d & 22a were the holdouts – wasn’t really familiar with either word & only twigged the wordplay once I revealed the intersecting letter checker. The reverse lurker at 28a another obscurity & I can’t honestly say 16d is an adjective that is in my vocabulary. The over the pond term for bologna sausage rang a bell but also needed confirmation so all in all Mr G put in a shift.
Enjoyed the tussle though – 1,9&27a along with 1,7&10d my picks
Thanks to Weatherman & to CS
I thought this was just right for a mid-week Toughie.
I didn’t know the answer to 28a but it was very fairly clued and confirmed with a quick referral to the BRB. I also didn’t know the American sausage in 2d, necessitating another look in the BRB.
Three questions:
1) Isn’t 4d ambiguous? Without checkers, how do you know that you are reversing the storyteller and not the bar?
2) Why is “very” needed in 17d?
3) Is it OK for “discovered” in 25d to apply to two prior words?
I had lots of ticks and my favourite is a toss-up between 9a & 29a.
Many thanks to Weatherman and to CS.
I didn’t find this that gentle and had to verify several answers that the wordplay generated but I did enjoy the whole process. Many thanks to Weatherman and CS.
I particularly liked 22a, 29a, 3d and 25d
I rarely disagree with our bloggers on the difficulty rating but I had to do a retake when I saw the one star. There were a few clues that took me a while to sort out, and so the overall toughness was increased by a fair bit. That said, even the obscurities were fairly clued, so a lot of the blame has to be mine. Generally good fun, though, with 25d my favourite.
My thanks to both Weatherman and Sue.
On the whole fairly straightforward.
The couple that slowed me down were 28a and 14d.
29a got a tick and so did 24d [part of food processor].
Many thanks to Weatherman and CS.
After a shaky start and only managing half a dozen I was about to give this a miss. However, a trip to the dentist settled me down and with Sue’s hint for 1a to get going again I saw things in a new light, especially once I unravelled the club at 15a and realised I had incorrectly bunged the only other possible anagram into 13a. Had to check on the shadow chancellor, whilst 22a, 28a and 15d were new words for me.
My favourites were the streamers and worked out in the farmyard.
Many thanks to Weatherman and crypticsue.
I came across the American sausage recently, so the wings were my only unknown,, and the grid was 3/4 full quite quickly. The remaining quarter was quite challenging, and though I did not need to reveal anything or get help from the blog,I think the puzzle is worth at least one more star and probably two for difficulty. I would not begrudge two more stars for enjoyment, as it was a superb puzzle. My favourite was the food processor. Thanks, Weatherman and CS,,