Toughie No 3074 by Robyn
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty * – Enjoyment ****
Another splendid and most enjoyable Toughie from Robyn – my favourite clue was 2d
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought
Across
7a Oasis, say, offered us this little drink around river (7)
BRITPOP Oasis were one of the groups that offered us this type of 1990s British music – a synonym for little and a fizzy drink go around the abbreviation for River
8a Defiant using pizzicato? (7)
UNBOWED This synonym for defiant can also describe the pizzicato playing of a stringed instrument
10a Showing self-control, wanting son educated differently (9)
RETRAINED Showing self-control without (wanting) the abbreviation for Son
11a Article on endless wild party in periodical? (5)
ORGAN An indefinite article goes on or after a wild party without its final letter (endless)
12a Counterparts in work needing time off job (5)
OPPOS The usual abbreviated work and a job without the T at the end (time off)
13a High fever trees, but not tons, in irregular lines (4,5)
FREE VERSE An anagram (high) of FEVER tREES without (but not) the abbreviation for Tons
15a Parisian in heels joins men in uniform (7)
ENLISTS The French (as used in Paris) word for in and part of a verb meaning leans over (heels)
17a Leading man very far to the left by car (7)
REDFORD A colour used to describe someone whose politics are very far to the left followed by a car marque
18a Could it be skinny male, prancing around with pride? (9)
EPIDERMAL An adjective meaning relating to the skin (could it be skinny) is obtained from an anagram (prancing around) of MALE with PRIDE
20a Part of a flight coming from Missouri, seriously? (5)
RISER Part of a flight of stairs is hidden in the final two words of the clue
21a Oscar given, at the end, to silent film (5)
DUMBO The letter represented by Oscar in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet goes after (at the end of) a synonym for silent
23a He did R Sunak’s job before penning English storybook (9)
DECAMERON Write the name of a previous Prime Minister in the same way as R Sunak and then insert (penning) the abbreviation for English to get a book by Boccaccio of a hundred tales to be told in ten days
24a Possible result of defective hearing? (7)
RETRIAL If a court case (hearing) was defective, then this might be the result
25a Knocked back stout with cheese — it’s silky stuff (7)
TAFFETA A reversal (knocked back) of a synonym for stout followed by a type of cheese
Down
1d Fast driver in suitable place for rubbish supermarket (10)
FITTIPALDI An adjective meaning suitable, a place for rubbish and a supermarket combine to give a Brazilian racing (fast) driver from the 1970s
2d Couple disagreeing on the consumption of meat or fish (6)
SPRATS The nursery rhyme couple who disagreed on which parts of meat should be consumed, or some fish
3d Special snooker shots — attempts to profit from big hits (4-4)
SPIN-OFFS The abbreviation for special and some snooker shots
4d Keep down fee needing to be paid (6)
SUBDUE An informal name for a fee and a simple way of saying ‘needing to be paid’
5d Cleared bad ground with crack in it (8)
ABSOLVED An anagram (ground) of BAD into which is inserted a synonym for crack (eg a crossword clue)
6d Wife tucked into dip that’s hot stuff (4)
SWAG The abbreviation for Wife ‘tucked into’ a verb meaning to dip
7d Item retailer uses, saving on fake Kindle, say (7,6)
BARCODE READER A preposition meaning except for (saving), an adjective meaning fake and a description of a Kindle
9d Novelist wanting foe and/or vagrant in novel (6,7)
DANIEL DERONDA The novelist who wrote Robinson Crusoe without (wanting) the FOE at the end of his surname followed by an anagram (vagrant) of AND OR produce the title of a novel by George Eliot
14d Heard obscene broadcast is a divisive feature in church (4,6)
ROOD SCREEN A homophone (heard) of a synonym for obscene followed by a verb meaning to broadcast
16d Show urgency, needing set point after getting broken (4,2,2)
STEP ON IT An anagram (after getting broken) of SET POINT
17d Judge keeps brassica plant climbing up sticks (8)
RELOCATE A verb meaning to judge into which is inserted (keeps) a reversal (climbing up) of a brassica plant
19d Cross about excessive consumption in part of course (6)
MODULE The offspring of a male donkey and a female horse (cross) goes about the abbreviation for the excessive consumption of drugs
20d Make branches of banks in Rwanda and Malawi flashy (6)
RAMIFY The ‘banks’ of RwandA MalawI and FlashY
22d Far from glossy magazine detailed racing event (4)
MATT An informal term for a magazine without its last letter (detailed) and a racing event usually known by these initials
I loved this, was on wavelength from the off and completed it in a similar time to the back-pager.
In a quality field top clues for me were 7&23a plus 1&19d with top spot going to the clever and funny 15a. Great stuff.
Many thanks indeed Robyn and to Cryptic Sue for the blog.
Robyn always supplies top-rate puzzles and this one is excellent – thanks to him and CS.
I have ticks for 8a, 15a, 17a, 2d, 7d and 17d but my favourite is 23a – surely the surface is not suggesting that our ex-PM’s political memoir is full of tall stories?
Robyn seems to be my nemesis setter and as usual I found this really hard to start. Once I gave up trying to make “plucky” have 7 letters for 8a I made progress in the NE and proceeded clockwise to finish in the NW, encountering some fine clues on the way. Last in was the excellent 1d and the clever 20d also deserves an hon mensh.
Thanks to Robyn for the fun and CS, especially for the enlightenment re 2d, – yes! of course!
A quite superb offering this afternoon that was full of guile and humour. This setter rarely disappoints, and this was a high class Toughie from the top drawer. With so many excellent clues it is hard to pick a winner, but I will go for 15a.
Thanks to Robyn for the challenge and to CS.
Found quite a lot to enjoy in this one and learned a couple of new things along the way in the shape of the storybook and the definition of 20d.
My top three came from the humorous collection of 15&21a plus 2d.
Thanks to Robyn and to CS for the review and the montage of the leading man who starred in some truly excellent films.
Maybe I’m just in a bit of a grump today and, cruciverbally at least, a little off-colour, because as with today’s backpager I didn’t really enjoy this puzzle either, and felt it one of Robin’s lesser efforts. Ah well, clearly me and I shall have to remember to get out of the right side of my bed tomorrow!
Thanks anyway Robin, and thank you too CS.
DNF, skewered by 9d. Thanks to Robin and CS.
Getting started was the hardest part of this puzzle but once I had a foothold I progressed at a pedestrian, even for me, pace. Got there in the end though. Needed the hint to parse 2d, my lack of French held me up with 15a and I’m not sure I understand the second synonym in 7d. A completed toughie makes me happy. Favourite was 8a. Thanks to the setter and CS.
**/*. Some lousy, staccato surfaces.
9d, amongst others, is ridiculous.
Good evening
I don’t often attempt the Toughie; it’s way out of my league! I can claim to have completed one, and I’m happy with that. Tonight I entered 19 correct solutions, 20 if you include 17d, which was one that I guessed but couldn’t parse (so I’ve not counted it). Thank you Robyn and CS
A day late to this & what a shame it received so few comments. Top notch & for me much easier than T’s back-pager (also done today). Like Gazza 23a my runaway fav but loads of ticks elsewhere.
Thanks to Robyn & Sue
Just read the review. The Redford film montage – are the bottom 2 films Three Days of The Condor & Jeremiah Johnson ?
You’ll have to ask Mr Google -I just found the picture when I asked Google Images for Robert Redford pictures