Sunday Toughie No 249
by Zandio
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
As usual with Telegraph Towers, the first puzzle of the month is very slow to appear. I got this at about half past midnight, but sped through this fairly quickly for a Zandio. I can guarantee the Mythical won’t be coming my way, as when I clip the grid for my notes it sometimes leaves a rogue C where the cursor was. I must remember to submit the crossword before clipping the grid.
Lots of brilliant surfaces here. I am obliged to like 8d but COTT goes to 3d for a brilliant oddity
I will try and give a nudge if you are struggling; just ask.
Here We Go…
As it is a Prize puzzle, I can only hint at a few and hope that will give you the checkers and inspiration to go further. I’ll be back just after the closing date with the full blog. Don’t forget to follow BD’s instructions in RED at the bottom of the hints!
I hope I don’t have to redact any comments, but I am not so new at this and don’t want to rock the boat. If in doubt, I’ll rub it out! I think that sentence is a bit redundant. You have all been so helpful in sorting out prior parsing failures, and I am sure I will need similar help again.
Most of the terms used in these hints are explained in the Glossary and examples are available by clicking on the entry under “See also” Where the hint describes a construct as “usual” this means that more help can be found in The Usual Suspects, which gives a number of the elements commonly used in the wordplay. Another useful page is Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, which features words with meanings that are not always immediately obvious. Don’t forget the Mine of useful information that Big Dave and his son Richard so meticulously prepared for us.
A full review of this puzzle will be published after the closing date for submissions. Some hints follow: Remember the site rules and play nicely
Across
1a Hollywood icon Bogart rages, endlessly agitated (5,5)
Just an anagram without the end ess (endlessly), so a pic will suffice
9a Separate pop style northern clubs brought in overall (10)
A pop style, N for northern and an overall profit, but bring in C for clubs
12a One has struggle to eat chicken product? (6)
A product of chickens inserted into struggle or contend in rivalry. The “Desperate” fellow in 13a was no 12a as he ate…
15a Record of you once wearing small uniform, close-fitting (7-5)
An archaic form of you wearing S for small, uniform or regular and close-fitting
18a Two women joined by a family man? (7-2-3)
The relationship between a married man’s female sibling and his spouse
25a Bend over hammer, we must crush some glass (10)
To bend, a crickety over, and we, containing to hammer or criticise
27a Indelicate of Germany, muscling in on France’s one amateur prize (10)
A German IVR code muscles in on, a French one, an adjective for amateur (particularly of the clergy) and to prize or admire
Down
1d Famous rider wanting coverage, 27 Across ironically? (6)
This Coventry lass was said to be 27a because she rode her horse without any covering clothes
3d Art poems? I screen weird guy’s oddities, product of a generation (6,6)
A in the definition is an abbreviation (usually capitalised). The answer is found in odd letters of the first six words of the clue. Impressive!
Just a guy reading poems, he was certainly the finest product of a generation. Listen to them all. R.I.P. Sir Patrick
7d Cold in the morning, hurt hooking golf drive (8)
Letters suggested by cold, in the morning and a synonym of hurt, the last of which is “hooking” the letter that golf suggests
8d Muse named it “a Teignmouth gathering” (8)
When in doubt… (gathering)
A brilliant surface that can have only one YouTube link
11d Writer’s wife, banned when nude in the past, has a plan (4,8)
Make a word nude (by removing its clothes) an archaic (in the past) term for has, and a plan, lead to the wife who inherited the writer’s second-best bed
16d Uncanny burst of civic ire to senators getting a raise (8)
A lurker (burst of) that is reversed (getting a raise in a down clue)
19d Bit of a laugh, artificial intelligence being located in Soho or tropical archipelago (6)
An adjective which when repeated, means laugh, and the postcode in which Soho is located, with an abbreviation for anagram indicator (No! Tom)
Artificial Intelligence within
23d I haven’t a clue how to hint this, and I have run out anyway
Compiler
Zandio
Could new readers please read the Welcome Post and the FAQ before posting comments or asking questions about the site.
As this is a Prize crossword, please don’t put any ANSWERS, whether WHOLE, PARTIAL or INCORRECT or any ALTERNATIVE CLUES in your comment.
Please read these instructions carefully – they are not subject to debate or discussion. Offending comments may be redacted or, in extreme cases, deleted. In all cases the administrator’s decision is final.
If you don’t understand, or don’t wish to comply with, the conventions for commenting on weekend prize puzzles then save yourself a lot of trouble and don’t leave a comment
You’re Driving me Crazy on All Saints Day…
That’s All Folks…
It took a while to get into this, especially after spending seemingly ages trying to fit Mr Bogart’s nicknames into 1a, so moved on. The two women at 18a became the first in, but then working around the grid I revisited 1a when in a new light I saw the anagram and the rest slowly fell, although I needed to check MrG for Mrs Simpson. Last in was the 15a record after using the checkers to get 5d and 7d. Favourites were the songwriter at 17d and the generational oddities at 3d which is very clever.
Many thanks to Zandio and SJB.
I couldn’t find this last night or this morning, but it is apt for 17d
Loved this crossword – took me an age to complete it fully and don’t know where to start with the favourites as there are so many.
It might be 9d as I was totally flummoxed by this and led off in so many wrong directions. Finally the penny dropped, however even then I didn’t see the “gathering” element until I came to the blog. Also loved 11d the writers wife, the 15a record which was LOI as I was looking for tight- fitting, and 3d was awesome I agree.
Thanks to Zandio and SJB
8d was my FOI, as Zandio is a known fan. Like an old you I was tight-fitting once but now a bit saggier
A cleverly constructed Sunday Toughie, nothing obscure, just cleverly constructed clues and mostly flowing surfaces.
Hard for me to pick out a winner among the many ticks on my page but at a push I’ll go for the old record at 15a. An honourable mention to the 3d product: it must have taken an age to compile that one. The least flowing surface of the lot, but once parsed, I understood why.
My thanks to Zandio and SJB.
I’ll award myself a black mark for repetition in the first sentence. Must remember to read the whole thing back after I’ve made an amendment and before pressing the post comment button.
I have to remember not to scatter c’s all over my grid by cutting and pasting clues into my blog notes, as I have now submitted an incorrect grid
I agree with SJB and others that 3d is very clever and it duly sits on one of my four down podium steps (sometimes you just need more than three
), the others being 1, 17 & 20. The four across podium steps accommodate 12, 15, 21 & 27.
Some thought was required during solving, but with no oddities (apart from in 3d), obscurities or requirements for dictionaries or any other references this was all-in-all a very enjoyable and satisfying crossword puzzle
Many thanks to Zandio and to SJB.
Zandio is very enjoyable as always – thanks to him and SJB.
I presume the ‘ironically’ in 1d is because the rider appears here without her usual title.
My ticks went to 12a, 15a, 27a, 11d and 17d.
There were plenty of less delicate images of her to choose from. Maureen O’Hara being about the most discreet I could find
Reminds me of the old joke
“I don’t know what she is wearing, but it looks like it needs a good ironing”
A very entertaining and enjoyable puzzle.
Whilst 1d was written in straight away, funnily enough 27a was my last in.
Top three for me were 12a, 15a and 11d..17d was pretty neat as well.
Many thanks to Zandio and to SJB.
I got the artificial intelligence bit early doors, but the Soho postcode was a bit more elusive
I knew the Soho postcode, even though I’ve never been there (honestly Officer..!)
Tricky, but worth it in the end.
27a has so much LEGO™ that surely deconstruction is the only way to make sense. Thanks for the parsing SJB, Phew.
Expertly concealed lurkers
I am not sure if this is the same lady in 1d; there are bells on her toes and rings on her fingers. Maybe she shed the cloak further on the way to become 27a.
Thanks all
Wikipedia has a few theories on who rode what where, but 1d is one of the good ladies considered
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ride_a_cock_horse_to_Banbury_Cross