Toughie No 3769 by Beam
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty */** – Enjoyment ***
Whybird is abroad on work-related matters this week so I’m standing in for him.
Thanks to Beam for a pretty gentle Toughie.
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
Across Clues
1a Sadness left singles going round bars (10)
LONELINESS: the abbreviation for left followed by a synonym of singles or individuals containing ‘bars’ (as seen in bar codes).
6a Metal canister containing baby powder? (4)
TALC: hidden.
9a Literal panic losing head (5)
ERROR: a synonym of panic or fright without its first letter.
10a Show flamboyant skill backing restaurant (9)
TRATTORIA: assemble a verb to show or broadcast, an abbreviation meaning flamboyant or excessive and a synonym of skill then reverse the lot.
12a People shortly engaging hotel (7)
INHABIT: a phrase (2,1,3) meaning shortly contains the letter that hotel represents in the Nato Phonetic Alphabet.
13a Check car tyre’s opening (5)
AUDIT: a German car and the opening letter of tyre.
15a Security of platform on house (7)
HOSTAGE: a synonym of platform or rostrum follows an abbreviation of house.
17a Example of one in record book (7)
EPITOME: the Roman one appears between a music record and a weighty book.
19a Lacking gallons on motorway’s wrong (7)
MISSING: the abbreviation for gallons follows the Leeds-London motorway with its ‘S and a moral wrong.
21a French painter’s capturing grand attractions? (7)
MAGNETS: a French impressionist painter with the ‘S contains the abbreviation for grand.
22a Diet perhaps incorporates English meal (5)
FEAST: a verb to forego food (diet perhaps) contains an abbreviation for English.
24a Cuts around any plants (7)
MALLOWS: a verb meaning cuts grass contains a synonym of any.
27a Protection for future monarch? (9)
CHRYSALIS: a cryptic clue. This is the outer case which protects a pupa on its journey to becoming a butterfly.
28a Wind up drinks with sweetheart (5)
TEASE: non-alcoholic drinks and Beam’s usual swEetheart.
29a World is circumnavigated holding record (4)
DISC: hidden.
30a Print media covering party bias (10)
PREPOSSESS: a word for the print media contains a term for a party of individuals who socialise together.
Down Clues
1d Place of convenience, some say (4)
LIEU: this sounds like an informal word for a public (or private) convenience.
2d Chap basking in reflected glory? (9)
NARCISSUS: cryptic definition of the Greek youth who fell in love with his own reflection.
3d Large bow maybe made from tree (5)
LARCH: the name of this tree can be split into the abbreviation for large and a synonym of a bow or curve.
4d Somebody is possibly impotent (7)
NOTABLE: … when split 3,4.
5d Rock idol talked oddly (7)
STARTLE: an idol or celeb and the odd letters of ‘talked’.
7d Bitter seeing account empty (5)
ACRID: the abbreviation for account and a verb to empty or purge.
8d Outline plan consuming energy drink (10)
CHARTREUSE: a word for an outline or diagram and a cunning plan containing the abbreviation for energy.
11d Finding time flying (7)
TRACING: the abbreviation for time and a present participle meaning flying or travelling at speed.
14d Guilty fraud removed without a fine (10)
SHAMEFACED: a synonym for fraud or fake and a verb meaning removed or erased without one of its two abbreviations for fine.
16d Flies through in a detailed examination (7)
AVIATES: a preposition meaning through is inserted between A and a de-tailed exam.
18d Embellish old poetry including rubbish (9)
OVERSTATE: the abbreviation for old and a synonym of poetry containing a word for tasteless rubbish.
20d Better stroll in gear after vacation (7)
GAMBLER: a verb to stroll goes between the outer letters of gear.
21d Male type exceedingly soft? (7)
MILKSOP: a neat all-in-one clue. Glue together the abbreviation for male, a synonym of type or genre, an adverb meaning exceedingly and the musical abbreviation for soft.
23d Queen seen in one’s estate (5)
ACRES: estate here means a large area of landed property. Insert a single-letter abbreviation for queen into a one (in card games) with its ‘S.
25d Promises some cereal getting hot inside (5)
OATHS: some cereal, defined by Dr Johnson as ‘grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people’ contains the tap abbreviation for hot.
26d Caresses move upwards (4)
PETS: reverse a verb to move on foot.
The clues I ticked were 12a, 27a and 14d with my favourite being 21d. Which one(s) appealed to you?
Largely delay-free, and plenty of Beam’s usual tells. Held up at the last by the party bias and soft male, but a most enjoyable puzzle.
Honours to 12a, 27a, 2d & 21d
Many thanks to Beam and Gazza
Rare to find Beam and Gazza on Toughie duty on a Tuesday, but they make a very welcome combination so many thanks to both of them.
I wasn’t sure about estate (singular) defining 23a (plural) so I checked in both Collins and Chambers. They both say that 23a (plural) means estates (plural).
Other than that very minor quibble, this was a great pleasure to solve. My podium choice is 12a, 2d & 21d, the last of which is a sublime all-in-one.
Collins Online defines 23d as: land, esp a large area. And an estate is: a large area of land. Surely the clue is fine?
For example: The Duke was plagued by poachers on his Yokshire acres/estate. There’s thousands of acres but only one estate.
I enjoyed this a lot. LOI was 30a as the party escaped me for an age.
Top picks for me were 12a, 27a, 8d and 2d.
Thanks to Gazza and Beam.
Somehow I managed to work from east to west on this one, finishing on 14d.
Needed to confirm the plants in 24a, but the rest went in well enough.
The future monarch protection at 27a was clever, as was the bloke reflecting in 2d and the &lit at 21d, haven’t come across that word in ages.
My thanks to Beam and Gazza, I enjoyed the cartoons as usual.
I usually enjoy Beam’s puzzles and this was certainly no exception, although I, too, was delayed by bias where I cannot think of an example in which it is synonymous with the answer. So many excellent clue of is hard to find a favourite. I liked the wordplay as definition at 21d, but my favourite was 27a where the penny dropped with a clang when I identified the monarch.
Synonymous as verbs
Other than 21a&d plus 30a this was fairly smooth sailing – a brisk(ish finish nevertheless.
Plenty to admire including 10,27&30a plus 2,14 &21d..
Thanks to Ray & to Gazza
I didn’t know 9a meant literal and I originally had Looe in for 1d but it made 9a impossible so I had to have a rethink. Apart from those I struggled with a lot of the other clues. Favourite was 27a. Thanks to Beam for the mental beating and Gazza.