Toughie No 3792 by Elgar
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty ****** – Enjoyment *****
If only solving the clues had been as easy as spotting the theme which had obviously been chosen specially for today!
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought
Across
8a Survive burning (4)
LIVE A double definition where each requires a different pronunciation of the solution
9a There it is dancing in the nude, like the king in a suit? (10)
THIRTEENTH The position of a king in a suit of cards – An anagram (dancing) of THERE IT and the inside letters (nude) of iN THe
10a Loop work is new inlay for tabard, I’m relieved to say (5,3)
THANK GOD A loop (of yarn perhaps) and a verb meaning to work replace the inside letters of (is new inlay for) TabarD
11a Liberal government’s initial subsistence is pounds short (6)
GIVING The initial letter of Government and a synonym for subsistence without (short) the abbreviation for Pounds Sterling
12a Carpet order after discount (5,4)
DRESS DOWN Order or straighten and after discount
13a Outside of school, finally rebuked kid (5)
CHILD An archaic word meaning rebuked goes outside the final letter of schooL
15a Sense growth in Spooner’s gardening business? (7)
FEELING Find the sense and then guess at the Spoonerism – well that’s what I did
17a Extremely thorough KC loses two cases (7)
CLOSEST Well hidden inside kC LOSES Two
20a Angry driver, yet to pass test, again bottles it (5)
BLACK An abbreviation for a driver yet to pass their test inserted into (bottles it) a synonym for again
22a Future domestics? After another couple, we separately will depart (9)
TOMORROWS Squabbles (domestics) go after a phrase meaning another couple without (will depart) the W and E which appear separately in the phrase
25a Back Parisian goes, opposing forward at the San Siro? (6)
AVANTI The French word for back or the Italian (as used at the San Siro) word for forward
26a Black gram integral to one Asian meal time(8)
SATURDAY A split black lentil inserted into part of an Asian meal
27a A New College do, lecturer’s first, outside part of college building (10)
ANTECHAPEL A (from the clue) the abbreviation for New, an informal name for a type of college, a synonym for do in the sense of copy or take off, and the first letter of Lecturer
28a Which Astaire musical omits something performed in theatre? (4)
THAT A Fred Astaire musical without (omits) an informal way of referring to something performed in a theatre
Down
1d The girl Eliza at last, fancy product of refinement (8)
LITHARGE An anagram (fancy) of THE GIRL A (the last letter of Eliza) – something obtained in the process of refining silver
2d Prepared to engage e.g. Middle Temple for reviewing court action (6)
TENNIS A reversal (for reviewing) of prepared into which is inserted a particular court (eg Middle Temple)
3d The Almighty against mediating command to restore extinct beast (9)
STEGODONT The Almighty and a preposition meaning against inserted into (mediating) a proof reading or printing command to restore the previous version of something
4d Spouses left transfixed by Northern Lights (7)
WINDOWS Female spouses left into which is inserted (transfixed by) the abbreviation for Northern
5d Man at party given by English Theatre (5)
STAGE A man at a party (for a groom to be perhaps) and the abbreviation for English
6d Bear gardens when relocating lead to early dismissals (5-3)
HEAVE-HOS Bear or carry and does a type of gardening without (relocating) the ‘lead’ of Early
7d Obsessive until getting in without a key (6)
ATONAL A state of being overfocussed or musically without a key
14d Most charity boxes nothing of great consequence (6,3)
ALMOST ALL Charity ‘boxes’ the letter representing nothing followed by comprising everything (of great consequence)
16d Look after client, badly wanting a drop of Taylor’s Landlord (8)
LICENSEE A verb meaning to look goes after an anagram (badly) of CLIENt (wanting a drop of Taylor’s indicating the need to omit the T)
18d Perhaps accepting beard that’s so lovely cut off by surgeon? (4,4)
SAWN AWAY Perhaps or for example, ‘accepting’ a beard of barley and an informal interjection meaning that’s so lovely
19d In lift when accosted by drunk, Tom flips (4-3)
TOSS-UPS A reversal (in lift) of an informal name for an animal, the male of which is known as a tom, inserted into a drunk
21d Being plied with champagne maybe makes insensitive type amorous (6)
LOVING The French word for wine (champagne maybe) inserted into (being plied with) an insensitive person
23d Even this one-off would fluster veterinary (6)
RARITY An anagram (off) of veterinary once you have removed EVEN and I (one)
24d The dark horse on board, it’s said (5)
NIGHT A homophone (it’s said) of a horse-shaped piece on a chess board
Did you spot all the Fridays? – these were the ones I found
Friday Night Live
Friday the Thirteenth
Thank God it’s Friday
Dress Down Friday
Friday’s child is loving and giving
That Friday Feeling
Black Friday
Tomorrow’s Saturday
The day helped with the king in the suit, although in most card games I know, the king is either the 2nd or 12th according to which way you look at it. However, I missed the rest of the clever theme. Although the top half didn’t take too long, this was the toughest I’ve tackled for a long time and therefore very satisfying to solve.The SE corner was particularly tricky; because I did not know or could not recall a lot of of the vocabulary used in the wordplay of which the beard of barley is just one example. But I saw enough of the Wordplay to complete with definitions, crossers and revealing two letters. Favourite was the dark homophone. Many thanks to Elgar and Sue.
FWIW, As listed above,
Friday Night
Live
Friday the Thirteenth
Thank God it’s Friday
Dress Down Friday
Friday’s child is
loving and
giving
That Friday
Feeling
Black Friday
Tomorrow’s
Saturday
Makes 13 answers
Pretty stiff challenge – I solved it one quarter at a time starting in the SW and proceeding anticlockwise. Thanks to Elgar and CS.
A very pleasant theme – I wondered if we were allowed to use words in the clues as well as the grid to get Man Friday (5d).
I liked 12a, 22a, 25a, 28a, 4d and 14d.
Well that was hard enough and then some.
I was expecting a few unknowns and sure enough the part of college building at 27a, the product of refinement at 1d and the dead elephant at 3d turned up. I’m still confused by the split black lentil and the Asian term for one in 26a, although the answer was obvious when the checkers appeared.
Not having the first letter of most clues as an intersection didn’t help either.
On a more upbeat note, I was aware of today’s significance and thought there was more afoot when 9a went in.
I liked carpet in 12a, the San Siro forward at 25a and Fred’s musical at 28a, all of which I see are also highlighted by Gazza.
My thanks to Elgar and CS.
I took 26a to be SATAY (one example of an Asian meal) containing URD (a black seed or gram).
Ah, thanks Gaz, that makes sense.
Tough going, but very enjoyable. The theme of course passed me by, 20a seems a bit odd. 6d was my favourite.
Thanks to Elgar and CS.
A stinker, made even worse by the grid – several clues only 40% checked.
Favourites were the King in a suit [9a] and Spouses left [4d]. Failed to parse 19d, perhaps because I’d bunged in “goes ape”.
Spotted the theme but it didn’t help much. Whilst the wordplay of 18d is great the definition is awful, akin to a “purple socks” clue. I doubt anyone but Elgar would get away with it.
Thanks to him and commiserations to CSue.
Me too with goes ape for 19d, h.
I spent an age trying to parse it, it fits the definition so well.
Sadly as usual Elgar defeated me, I managed about six answers and was then just staring at blank squares.
Completed with the help of the hints, however even as I improve I think I stand no chance of getting some of the more obscure answers. 3d, 27a, 1d and 25a
Anyway thanks to Elgar for the challenge I may still get there and to CS for the very helpful hints
I give it 10 stars for difficulty and 1 for enjoyment
I’m in the Spangledcat camp with this one. Managed the SW starting with 16d, but nothing further. I sometimes think that I am not only not on Elgar’s wavelength, I am not even on his planet. I certainly didn’t pick up the theme, but doubt if that would have made any difference. Oh well there’s always next week.
My thanks to crypticsue for unraveling the impossible and to Elgar for compiling the near impossible. I stand in awe of those who did make sense of it.