Toughie No 3767 by Dharma
Hints and tips by ALP
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Toughie difficulty **/*** – Enjoyment *****
As ever, it took a moment of flitting about the grid to refind my Dharma legs but, once regained, this fell into place very nicely – started gingerly, finished at pace. Nowt obscure and all very stylish: sharp wit, smart constructions and silky surfaces. Up there with his very best, I’d say. The floor is yours.
Across
1a Guards bags, getting one for nothing (7)
PICKETS: bags/appropriates, with the usual “one” replacing the usual “nothing”.
5a Celebrated ruler, first to back annex houses (7)
ADMIRED: (Islamic) “ruler”, moving the first letter to last, housed/contained by annex/affix.
9a Bad time to abandon spruce that’s rotten at heart (7)
NAUGHTY: spruce/dapper, minus abbreviated “time”, contains (at its heart) an expression for “that’s rotten” (or disgusting).
10a Claims the entire perimeter excludes diameter (7)
ALLEGES: how one might say “the entire perimeter” as (3,5), minus abbreviated “diameter”.
11a Most ambitious clergymen defrocked, previously suspended (9)
HUNGRIEST: “clergymen”, defrocked/less outer letters, after the “suspended” (that comes previously).
12a Show annoyance with men in school (5)
TUTOR: (audibly) “show annoyance” + men/soldiers.
13a Beat up revolutionary students here (5)
PULSE: UP, reversed, plus (London) university.
15a Puff away after cycling, speak and dry up (9)
EVAPORATE: “puff away” (on e-cigarettes), with the last letter “cycled” to the front, plus “speak”.
17a Puts a spin on party accepting first of right-wing characters (7,2)
DRESSES UP: (NI) “party” accepts/contains R[ight-wing] and (sibilant) “characters”.
19a A-ha vocalist covering Confusion, … (5)
HAVOC: lurker, hidden in the first two words.
22a … small triumph, ending in prog rock (5)
SWING: abbreviated “small” + triumph/victory + [pro]G.
23a Place with lots of scope to pursue cruises discussed (9)
SALESROOM: scope/range after homophone of “cruises”.
25a Smart to turn down drop of schnapps after prune tart (7)
CUTTING: (to) “smart”, minus S[chnapps], after (to) “prune”.
26a University life expert hosting a show briefly (7)
ACADEME: expert/pro, hosting/containing A + show/exhibition, minus its last letter.
27a Great partner has strength to bed two Romeos (2,5)
MR RIGHT: strength/force, bedding/containing two NATO “Romeos”.
28a Rigid structure of romance making American take a break (7)
TRESTLE: romance/story, turning its internal A[merican] into take a break/relax.
Down
1d Alcohol increase causes disturbance (5-2)
PUNCH-UP: (party?) “alcohol” + increase/rise.
2d Deep Anglo-French connection? (7)
CHUNNEL: Cute cryptic definition.
3d Number in that position ending on top (5)
ETHER: “in that position”, with its last letter moved to the start.
4d Cleared luggage filling luxury ship lacking in character (9)
STYLELESS: L[uggag]E filing/inside luxury/grandeur and (steam) “ship”.
5d Look forward to drivers overtaking with charm (5)
AWAIT: the usual-ish “drivers” overtaking/containing abbreviated “with”, plus the two-letter charm/appeal.
6d Kind to boring flier in small chopper (4,5)
MILK TOOTH: kind/sort + TO, boring/inside (the world’s most infuriating) “flier”.
7d Flustered magistrate forgetting mobile SIM in event on Thames? (7)
REGATTA: Subtractive anagram, i.e., MAGISTRATE, flustered, minus SIM, mobile.
8d Justify aid from abroad being superior (7)
DESERVE: aid/assist, after the foreign “from” (that is superior/first).
14d Liberal essentially discharged cops when working (4-5)
EASY-GOING: E[ssentiall]Y cops/takes the two-letter “when”, plus working/running.
16d Plan leapt out for one seeking a review (9)
APPELLANT: PLAN+LEAPT, out.
17d Touch computer up to create recording device (7)
DASHCAM: touch/bit, plus “computer”, reversed.
18d One likely to get you out and back to house – top dog (7)
EVICTOR: [hous]E + top dog/winner.
20d Six-nil, fast and furious … (7)
VIOLENT: Roman “six”, plus the usual “nil”, plus (religious) “fast”.
21d … contest over, saving Tuchel’s backside (7)
COMPETE: over/done, saving/minus [Tuche]L.
23d Name announced for monstrosity (5)
SIGHT: homophone of (to) “name”.
24d Odds on bunging in answer – slim (5)
SPARE: (betting) “odds” + “on”, bunging in/containing abbreviated “answer”.
We have a brace of anagrams, two homophones, a lurker and a cryptic definition, etc. I especially liked the eminently credible surfaces in 9a and 25a, 10a’s pleasing neatness and 2d’s cute simplicity. How did you get on?
A really enjoyable puzzle from Dharma with clever wordplay throughout and, as ALP says, not a whiff of an obscurity, Many thanks to Dharma and ALP.
It’s difficult to prune my list of highlights to a manageable level but I’ll go with 9a, 12a, 23a, 6d and the 20/21d pair.
I do love a Dharma, it must be a wavelength thing. I feel as though I can arrive at an answer by getting on his general direction of travel and tying in one or two key words. The rest then seem to fall into place.
Plenty of skilful wordplay and humorous definitions to admire, especially the defrocked clergymen in 11a, puff away after cycling at 15a and the drop of schnapps in 25a.
The rigid structure in 28a, the overtaking in 5d and liberal in 14d were cleverly put together.
Top stuff, my thanks to the aforementioned and ALP.
I’ve followed King Krule’s career and enjoyed his music since he first appeared on the indie scene. His song Biscuit Town from The Ooz album refers to the specific part of Bermondsey where I grew up. His mental health issues are clearly evident in his work.
Well, I never – I didn’t expect to find another King Krule fan on here! Good man. PS … I’m still here – SE16 forever!
Small world, ALP!
My mum worked for Peek Freans, which is why the area I referred to is so called. I used to go to Southwark Park School just along the road.
Had no idea you were on the manor.
Small indeed. Massively fond of this area. That Easy Easy vid features Stave Hill if you remember that? Gazing at it through the window right now!
The world is shrinking by the minute. I bought a 4 bed house on Dock Hill Avenue when the development was brand new!
Top notch stuff from the lad. I’d give it 3.5* min for toughness but that’s just me because several were in the “why did that take me so long” category [eg 4d, 13a, 23d]. Top picks were 6d [ace wordplay & ace definition] 21d [another top surface and cunning use of “saving”] and 24d [“odds on” is brilliant].
Thanks to Dharma and ALP.
ALP perfectly summed this up for me; slow to start, a tentative middle and a (fairly) speedy end, delayed by putting an A into 2d instead of the U, so 9a last in. I needed the hints to explain the parsing of 5a and 28a, but otherwise feel chuffed that as a relatively novice Toughie solver, I got as much as I did.
Thanks to Dharma and ALP
I heartily concur with your opening comments ALP. I found this pleasantly challenging and very enjoyable. Thankfully no obscurities, so with the fair definitions it just remained to unravel the elegant parsing of the wordplay. I started out from the SE and worked anti clockwise with the NE last to fall. Lots of ticks with 27a, 2d and 6d standing out but my overall favourite was my LOI 5a. I particularly like the neat cluing of the shifting of letters here and in 15a and 3d. Many thanks to Dharma and ALP for clarifying one or two of the parsings that escaped me. ***/*****
This is an exceptionally good Toughie from Dharma. ALP has summed it up beautifully, describing it as ‘all very stylish: sharp wit, smart constructions and silky surfaces. Up there with his very best’.
6d is top of my podium. For me, it has all the attributes of a perfect clue. In Halcyon’s words, it has ‘ace wordplay & ace definition’.
This is not to decry the superior quality of the other clues, each of which deserves special mention and a place on the podium. I enjoyed each and every one! It is most difficult to make a selection from an abundance of excellence, but here goes:
1a, 9a, 13a, 15a (I see a good deal of this ‘Puff’ where I live), 17a, 23a and 26a; 1d, 2d, 4d, 17d and the very clever and amusing 18d (‘back to house – top dog’).
Many appreciative thanks to Dharma for this thoroughly enjoyable, entertaining and excellent Toughie.
Many appreciative thanks, too, to ALP for the excellent review.
Excellent puzzle, properly challenging and hugely satisfying to complete. Tackled in four distinct quarters, clockwise from the NE, and it took me a while to re-tune to Dharma’s wavelength.
COTD 6d and loads of other ticks, but let’s go for 25a for the surface, 27a for the snigger & 2d for the cryptic.
Many thanks to Dharma and to ALP
Very pleased to have completed this. One of those puzzles where the answers went in and then I needed to go around again to properly parse them. Very pleased to have done this one unaided
My favourite today was the 27a double Romeo
Thanks all
Many thanks to ALP for his usual faultless review and to those who have taken the time to leave a comment, always appreciated here.
Best thanks as always.
Always love a Dharma puzzle & this no exception. A ponderous start, pacy middle & slow to twig a few holdouts at the end. Ticks all over the shop & particularly loved the NW. The full 5* entertainment here.
Thanks to Dharma & to ALP –
Hello ALP. Just a note to say what an inventive array of music! As you went to so much trouble to sort the videos out, the least one could do is actually listen to them all. What a witty choice for 1a. I liked Swingin’ Hammers a lot. The hilarious video by Big Damn Band made me think of this rather more rough and ready one-take video for ‘Footsteps’ by a Japanese band called 171:
ALP and Huntsman’s playlists are my go-to tunes during the week.
I like 171 a lot but I doubt Crypticsue will use it for 6d in the Prize cryptic today
Hi Zandio, what a lovely thing to say. Quite something coming from a chap with your mighty music spurs. Thank you. Oh, I love 171 – right up my street – so ta lots for that too. The lead singer does need to get rid of those Larry Grayson specs, mind!