Toughie No 3750 by Donnybrook
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty **** – Enjoyment ****
This turned out to be tougher than I expected when I saw the setter’s name (shown correctly in the newspaper but originally on line showing the setter’s real name rather than his pseudonym) I think a fair amount of that can be attributed to working out what was going on in 3d/6a, especially as I hadn’t heard of the 9a 26a. One of those crosswords that was easier to explain then to solve
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought
Across
1a Detective and another inside corner outlaw (4,6)
DICK TURPIN A slang detective and another abbreviated detective, the latter inserted into a verb meaning to corner
6a See 3 Down
9a Tempestuous in speech getting an Oscar (5)
WILDE A homophone (in speech) of an adjective meaning tempestuous
10a Fixed idea from alumnus prior to meeting (9)
OBSESSION A former pupil (alumnus) and a meeting
12a Stall for box enclosing a small container (13)
PROCRASTINATE For or in favour of and a box, the latter ‘enclosing’ A (from the clue), the abbreviation for Small and a container
14a Horse brought across turbulent Dart – Sea Biscuit? (8)
HARDTACK A horse, especially one in a sorry condition, goes ‘across’ an anagram (turbulent) of DART
15a See 1 Down
17a In US fall back – line showing any number lost? It’s common (6)
MUTUAL A reversal (back) of the season the Americans call fall losing the abbreviation meaning any number; the abbreviation for Line then being added
19a Quipping commentator tense visiting lexicographer (8)
JOHNSTON The abbreviation for Tense ‘visiting’ the surname of a famous early lexicographer gives us the cricket commenter famous for his puns and quips (and a love of cake) during cricket match commentaries
22a Playing fairly in Pointless with mark adjusted (13)
SPORTSMANLIKE An anagram (adjusted) of POINTLESS and MARK
24a Control with straps supporting church buttress (9)
REINFORCE Control with straps (a horse perhaps), supporting or in favour of and the abbreviation for the Church of England
25a Battle here happening, gutless duke flees (5)
ALAMO Happening or fashionable without (flees) the letters on the outside (gutless) of DukE
26a Job getting rook into frying-pan (4)
WORK The chess abbreviation for Rook inserted into a type of frying pan
27a Husband misused methadone in area outside church (10)
HEATHENDOM An archaic term for areas where people are unmindful of religion – an anagram (misused) of H (husband) METHADONE
Down
1d/15a Worn peg securing new articles (4,2,4)
DOWN AT HEEL A peg for fastening things together by fitting into a hole in each ‘securing’ the abbreviation for New and indefinite and definite articles
2d Around left one, a leg support (7)
CALIPER The Latin abbreviation meaning around, the abbreviation for Left, the Roman numeral for one and a in the sense of for each
3d/6a Romeo appears in art from poet – with explosively hot 26 Across of 9 Across about 20 Down’s 10 Across? (3,8,2,2,1,1)
THE PORTRAIT OF MR WH An anagram (explosively) of ART FROM POET WITH H (hot) into which is inserted the letter represented by Romeo in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet. The 26a of 9a is about the mystery of the dedicatee of 20a’s Sonnets
4d What may support case for changing amps in Zeppelin music? (4,4)
ROOF RACK An anagram (changing) of FOR and the symbol for the SI Unit, the Ampere, inserted into the type of music played by Led Zeppelin
5d Members elected first make persistent demands (6)
INSIST Members elected and an abbreviated way of writing first
7d Abandoned male expelled from brood (7)
RUINATE The abbreviation for Male ‘expelled’ from a verb meaning to brood or meditate on
8d One making suggestion: deliver the sticks? (10)
HINTERLAND One making suggestions and a verb meaning to deliver. Sounds like a place where bloggers might live 
11d Pig Enigmatist groomed for show (8,5)
SPITTING IMAGE An anagram (groomed) of PIG ENIGMATIST
13d Device once used to achieve digital compression? (10)
THUMBSCREW A nice cryptic definition of a not very nice old instrument of torture
16d Firm British sailors base in Sandwich – fertile territory? (4,4)
CORN BELT An abbreviated firm, abbreviated British sailors and the letter that is the base of the natural system of logarithms inserted into a type of sandwich known by its abbreviated ingredients
18d Write cryptically about books with separate categories (3-4)
TWO-TIER An anagram (cryptically) of WRITE goes about the abbreviation for the Books in the first part of the Bible
20d Lauded writer in time was told about book (3,4)
THE BARD The abbreviation for Time and the abbreviation for Book inserted into a verb meaning was told about
21d Break cover, say, with repairers in service sent north (6)
EMERGE A reversal (sent north in a Down solution) of the abbreviation for say, for example, and the army unit associated with repairing things electrical and mechanical
23d Fly low, rising after sharp bends? (4)
ZOOM A reversal (rising) of the noise made by cattle (low) goes after a series of sharp bends
I didn’t want to bother with the anagram fodder at 3d & 6a, so waited until I had enough checkers in to assist me. I was then able to unravel it and this tied in the other linked clues.
I wasn’t familiar with the work, so a period of online research after completion proved very enlightening.
Well I never. You learn something new every day…
The husband doing a bit of gear at 27a was my favourite clue, the solution being a fine old word which seems nicely contemporaneous with the theme.
A cracking puzzle, made all the better by my new-found knowledge and the excuse to write contemporaneous. Twice.
My thanks to Donny and CS.
Excellent clues, really enjoyed this one. Well done Donnybrook!
I left the 3d/6a combination until I had a lot of checkers. I got the first 3 words but had to check on the whole as it new to me. 14a was also new but gettable from the cluing.
Top picks for me were 1a, 9a, 8d and 13d.
Thanks to CrypticSue and Donnybrook.
At first pass I thought that this was going to be problematic, but a steady plod revealed more than I was expecting. Like FM I had to wait for sufficient checkers to make inroads into the 3d/6a work with most being apparent from the fodder and only the 1,1 at the end requiring a search. Needless to say I was unfamiliar with the work. The result was that with the initial letter 8d was LOI. I liked the lexicographer’s commentator and it was nice to see Johnners getting a mention.
Thanks to Donnybrook and CS
A proper Wednesday Toughie and very entertaining – many thanks to Donnybrook and CS.
I didn’t know the 3d/6a work but managed to work most of it out before having to consult Google for the last bit.
I liked 9a, 19a, 25a, 8d, 13d and 21d.
I shouldn’t have been disappointed had this very challenging Toughie appeared on a Thursday, even a Friday. Like others I left 3/6 (a NHO) to the end, having all of 3 in my mind but needing checkers to sort out 6 & a visit to Google to confirm. Was unaware that Will had an obsession with anything but his writing.
Some cracking and brow-creasing anagrams and much complicated parsing. A proper Toughie and hugely satisfying. Loved the 14a definition. Honours to 25a, 27a, 1/15, 8d & 21d.
Many thanks to Donny & Sue
A proper toughie indeed but eventually got there with a little help but couldn’t get 19 and 20 . Still pleased because at first glance it seemed I wouldn’t get any but” I stood and delivered ” Thanks for the start young highwayman. No idea about number 3 , like everyone else I had to look it up . Many thanks to all .
Stared at it for too long, got three clues, stared at it some more. Gave up! Looked at the answer for the linked clue…never heard of it! Sorry Donny, not my cup of Earl Grey, too clever for this bear of little brain!
Thanks to Sue for the hints.
Many thanks Sue et al.
The Mr WH in Wilde is a certain ‘Willie Hughes’, which might just be a Victorian knob joke: the character is entirely fictitious, and so nothing to do with the Earl of Southampton, Henry Wriothesley, allegedly the real WH, who shurely was in fact Mr HW, but never mind. One thing we can say for sure is that the literary establishment has not ever come remotely close to conceding that the National Poet could have been bisexual. Wilde thought otherwise, clearly. Good man.
Cheers, and a happy September.
Noddybrook
For 3D 6A shouldn’t the anagram be from
ARTFROMPOETWITH plus R from Romeo and H from Hot?
Very probably
While it is helpful when people point out our undeliberate errors, it does soften the blow a bit if they also say a few words about their thoughts on the crossword
Sorry Sue, obviously not a helpful comment.
I won’t post again.
C’mon, let’s all be friends! (very nice crossword, too)
A fourth change of alias since you first commented in 2018 sent you into moderation