Toughie No 3747 by Silvanus
Hints and tips by ALP
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BD Rating – Toughie difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****
Friendly wordplay from Silvanus with just a sniff of GK (1a, 12a, etc). Nothing overly exotic and all typically fair. Not really a Toughie – just a very enjoyable crossword. The floor is yours.
Across
1a Around ten, sitting by wife, inspiring English philosopher (12)
WITTGENSTEIN: TEN+SITTING, around, by/after abbreviated “wife”, inspiring/containing abbreviated “English”.
9a Huge claims backing course run for public speakers (7)
ORATORS: huge/outsize, claiming/containing course/cycle of duty and abbreviated “run” reversed.
10a Meat’s first cut following bishop’s blessing (7)
BENISON: “meat” minus its first letter, after abbreviated “bishop”.
11a Pudding in a firm single mass brought over (7)
TAPIOCA: A + firm/company + single/one + “mass” (of butter, etc), all reversed.
12a Vertebrate creature, tame one mostly I trained (7)
AMNIOTE: TAME+ON[e]+I, trained.
13a Crest of bird, piece missing (5)
RIDGE: “bird”, missing piece/section.
14a Strong urge to travel in podiatrist’s case? (5,4)
ITCHY FEET: What might a podiatrist treat, possibly? I’m quite sure they have to look at far worse things!
16a Hunt down suspect possessing lead to intriguing mystery (9)
WHODUNNIT: HUNT+DOWN, suspect, possessing/containing I[ntriguing]. As Zenas cleverly suggested yesterday, it could be Mrs White in the kitchen, with rope!
19a Joint festered after covering’s removed (5)
ANKLE: “festered” (as an irritating dispute might), minus its first and last letters.
21a Persuades new Reform UK MP to interrupt opponents (7)
ENTICES: abbreviated “new” + Reform’s deputy, interrupting/inside “opponents” (bridge).
23a Essentially grim struggle facing artist in warm coastal area (7)
RIVIERA: [g]RI[m] + struggle/strive + the usual “artist”.
24a Permanent police trap in Californian city? (7)
LASTING: how one might write “police trap in Californian city” as (2,5).
25a Can of Amarillo, so reasonable to purchase in retirement (7)
AEROSOL: lurker, reversed in the third, fourth and fifth words.
26a Consort quietly with criminal in bar, Lecter! (6,6)
PRINCE ALBERT: (musical) “quietly” + IN+BAR+LECTER, criminal.
Down
1d Muffled music played originally during midweek (7)
WRAPPED: “music” (genre) + P[layed], during/inside “midweek”(day).
2d Pull up boring character having a pair of shades (3-4)
TWO-TONE: pull/drag, reversed, boring/inside character/air.
3d North of Paddington, maybe extremely grandiose development (9)
GESTATION: “Paddington” (maybe/for example) after G[randios]E.
4d Greek character, graduate touring one ancient Nile region (5)
NUBIA: (13th) “Greek character”, plus usual-ish “graduate”, touring/containing Roman “one”.
5d Residence ultimately built above eastern French city (7)
TENANCY: [buil]T + abbreviated “eastern” + a French city that is, in fact, eastern.
6d Forthcoming about supporting contest Neil regularly mounted (2,5)
IN STORE: about/concerning, supporting/following the regular letters of the fourth and fifth words, mounted/reversed.
7d Studio’s features possibly found in Daniel Radcliffe’s car? (7,6)
POTTER’S WHEELS: how one might describe such a car – on screen at least.
8d Secretly drunk (5,3,5)
UNDER THE TABLE: double definition.
15d Cry, react badly over upsetting rule squeezing university (9)
CATERWAUL: REACT, badly, plus rule/statute, upset/reversed, squeezing/containing abbreviated “university”.
17d Comparatively dull-witted Serb out rambling (7)
OBTUSER: SERB+OUT, rambling.
18d Fervent manner of female quitting work (7)
UNCTION: work/role, minus abbreviated “female”.
19d Hurtful broadcast twin oddly put out (7)
ADVERSE: broadcast/promote, minus T[w]I[n].
20d Revolutionary delicatessen keen to accommodate Middle-Eastern diet (7)
KNESSET: lurker, reversed in the second and third words.
22d Follow on after Nottinghamshire’s No. 11, say, discontented umpire (5)
SEGUE: the 11th letter, plus say/for example, plus U[mpir]E.
We’ve got six anagrams, two lurkers and a double definition, etc. I particularly liked 9a, 16a, 2d and 19d. How did you get on?
More like a toughie than the last couple of days I thought. A couple of obscure-ish answers in 1a and 12a, but both were easily gettable.
The mystery at 16a and the development at 3d were neatly clued and the rekrul diet at 20d was cleverly hidden but the interrupting politician at 21a gets my vote for COTD.
My thanks to Silvanus and ALP.
Had to knock this one out early doors as the Sheila and I are off to say g’day to the visiting Aussie side of our family. Looking forward to raising a tinnie or two of the golden throat-charmer with ’em, though defo not the muck they used to advertise on TV.
Strewth, mate!
I found this hard but then I’ve only just started to attempt the Toughie. Several new words for me and I hadn’t heard of the philosopher.
My favourites were 24d, 26a, 7d and 8d.
Thanks to ALP and Silvanus.
Wonderful puzzle, and all the GK was, fortunately, familiar. Some lovely and clever clueing and great surfaces throughout, of course. Happily the cryptics such as 7d fell swiftly. Honours went to 14a, 7d, 20d (superb!) & 22d.
Many thanks indeed to Silvanus & ALP.
On a day such as this with her “dream team” in evidence, I do miss our Anglesey correspondent’s comments, and hope that after all these months Jane is on the road to recovery.
Very difficult for me, and a bit of internet help was required to finish it off. I managed to get 1a, because I remembered from the Monty Python classic that he was “a beery swine who was just as schloshed as Schlegel”
The simple 8d was my favourite.
Thanks to Silvanus and to ALP.
I thought this maybe lacked a touch of Mr Smooth’s usual sparkle but still enjoyed it immensely. 12a was a fodder punt & though 4d sort of rang a bell it also needed the thumbs up from Mr G. No problem with 1a who I remembered as being a beery swine who was just as schloshed as Schlegel.
Ticks aplenty as per – 1,14,16&23a + 3(my fav),8&20d particular likes.
Thanks to silvanus & to ALP – didn’t guess a single tune. Felt sure you’d have Python & go for the label’s first hit at 2d.
1a made me smile, but I always remember (and sing to myself) “There’s nothing Nietzsche couldn’t teach ya bout the raising of the wrist”
Fairly gentle for a Silvanus Toughie but as enjoyable as his puzzles always are – thanks to him and ALP.
For my podium I selected 14a, 2d and 20d.
This wasn’t terribly tough but it was, as always, immensely enjoyable and a joy to solve. The brilliant reverse lurker at 20d was my favourite thus afternoon.
My thanks to both silvanus and ALP.
I’m guessing the compilation of this was quite tricky for Silvanus with very few options for entries at 10 and 12a as well as 17 and 18d, so one must forgive any obscurity, especially 12a. Anyhow, it was fun. My gold stars go to 24a, 20d [lovely surface, one thinks of the SWP getting into groceries] 22d [again for the surface] and the one that held out the longest 7d [doh].
Thanks to Silvanus and ALP.
Hadn’t heard of 1a, 10a, 12a or 20d so they all had to be checked and struggled to equate pat with mass but it had to be what it was. The rest were all pretty fair. Having said that I still made heavy weather of it but I did enjoy the challenge. Favourite was 7d. Thanks to Silvanus and ALP.
Despite the very contrasting styles, part two of Dream Team Thursday was equally enjoyable as part one.
10a was a new word for me and 20d was my favourite.
Many thanks to Silvanus and to ALP.
Many thanks to ALP and to all those solving and commenting. Much appreciated.
Many thanks for dropping in, and for yet another cracker.
For a Thursday Toughie I found this to be both accessible and thought provoking in equal measure. I had heard of the philosopher but don’t know anything about him; 4d, 10a and 13a required confirming with the BRB, however all readily identifiable from the fodder.
Extremely satisfying to finish unaided. Thanks to Silvanus and ALP.