Sunday Toughie 76 (Review)

Sunday Toughie No 76 by Robyn

Review by Sloop John Bee

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

This puzzle was published on the 9th of July 2023

Dog lovers need to check out this puzzle and review!

I scent a theme – as did Olive and Mabel

 

 

Across

8a Small vehicle, one not supposed to be working (4)
SCAB; One who continues to work after his union has called a strike, constructed from S for small and a Taxi-CAB

9a Bird food left on loose stones (7,3)
SCREECH OWL; An informal term for food CHOW, and L for left follow the loose stones SCREE, that cause some mountain descents to become quite exhilarating

A Chow Chow, usually shortened to Chow

 

10a Gold bar packaging to protect against loss (8)
AUTOSAVE; A chemical symbol for gold AU, and a synonym of bar SAVE, packages TO, This useful feature of computer programs was irritatingly absent from the old Telegraph Puzzles site and its presence now is one of the good things about the new one

The Japanese Tosa, a mastiff-type dog whose ownership is restricted under The Dangerous Dogs Act

11a Challenge representative after one shot gun (6)
IMPUGN; The letter that looks like 1 your representative in Parliament MP and an anagram (shot) of GUN, To challenge or IMPUGN

The Pug – only a mother (or owner perhaps) could love it

12a Go off in southern land — rider may bring this along (9)
SADDLEBAG; To “go off” of an egg perhaps ADDLE, follows S for southern and to land in the sense of to seize secure or steal BAG, Horse riders and cyclists may find them useful

13a Half hour absorbed by request to keep reading still (5)
PHOTO; The first half of HOur is absorbed by the abbreviated request to Please Turn Over the page, our photo is a STILL image

15a Theatre sign for bailiffs (7)
REPOMEN; An abbreviated REPertory Theatre and a sign or OMEN are the bailiffs who repossess unpaid for belongings

The Pomeranian (often known as a Pom) is a breed of dog of the Spitz type that is named for the Pomerania region in north-west Poland and north-east Germany in Central Europe.

17a Revolutionary caste’s middle class members making errors (4-3)
SLIP-UPS; The middle letter of caste S, and the class members you went to school with PUPILS, are reversed (revolutionary) to make SLIP-UPS or errors

Our first generic dog, everyone recognises the Andrex Puppy, Who wouldn’t want to wipe their backside on that nice soft fur

20a Blunt VIP meeting king (5)
STARK;  To be blunt a VIP or STAR meets K for king

22a What 9, 10, 11, 15, 17, 25, 26, 27 Across and 1, 3 Down do for means of defence (5,4)
GUARD DOGS; Robyn does it again Toughie 70 had “figure-hugging” numbers today we have dogs – Each of the solutions listed contain a linked theme, mostly breeds but a trio of generic terms too, only 10a was a bit obscure (to me) but Jane probably had several over the years Highlighted in RED

Now these are GUARD DOGS, not the fluffy cute pets that are most of the other dogs, I would probably need the services of the Andrex Puppy if I came across these things. Belgian Malinois I believe.

25a Black or blue seam unkempt, tatty at the edges (6)
SMUTTY; Black as the smuts from steam trains or blue as mildly obscene jokes may be, SMUTTY is found by taking the edge letters of SeaM UnkempT and TattY

A Heinz 57 variety of a mixed breed mutt, our second generic dog

26a Twice bail criminal making a sound when speaking (8)
BILABIAL; A sound made by contact or approximation of the lips from an anagram (criminal) of BAIL twice

The Labrador Retriever – Olive and Mabel were the stars of the lockdown  – watch them all for a laugh

27a Husband, getting on during illness, is resisting (7,3)
HOLDING OUT; H for Husband, getting on or OLD, during or IN and an illness GOUT, HOLDING OUT or resisting

The Australian Dingo

28a Scotswoman, half-cut one from Jura, perhaps (4)
ISLA; Find a female scot in half of the “off mainland” parts of Scotland of which Jura is an example. One from Jura would be an ISLAnder, cut the second half for ISLA

Down

1d Right scoundrel follows copper, arrested by one (8)
ACCURATE; A scoundrel or RAT follows the chemical symbol for copper CU, within a playing card with one “pip” ACE

I thought this was our last generic type of dog rather than a breed but it seems there are several breeds with CUR in their name, This is a Black Mouthed Cur

2d Travelling in America over less important route (6)
ABROAD; A for America and a less important B Road

3d Drug squad’s first head has major item for PC (6,3)
ESCAPE KEY; A drug known by its initial E, the first letter of squad S, a headland CAPE, and a synonym of major KEY. A much-used part of a Personal Computer rather than a police constable

Another dog that I fail to warm to is the Pekingese or PEKE, Not really a guard dog but in the context of the theme guard is a containment indicator to show that the solutions of the linked clues contain dogs

4d Footballers succeeded in stadium close to capital (7)
ARSENAL; A stadium or ARENA, with a genealogical S for succeeded, in and the closing letter of capitaL. The North London group of footballers ARSENAL

5d What runners do, going straight (5)
LEGIT; Split 3,2 an informal term for what runners do when they flee the scene of a crime, they wouldn’t have to do this if they were going straight or LEGIT(imate)

6d Quickly do some work with a meat cleaver? (4-4)
CHOP-CHOP; An informal term for to do something quickly, and what a meat cleaver is used for

7d Maybe Eisenhower‘s daughter dated human being (6)
DWIGHT; Time for the BRB, an archaic, dialect or ironic noun for a creature or a person WIGHT, follows D for daughter, being the first name of DWIGHT D. Eisenhower (actually Dwight was his middle name – His mother soon reversed his two forenames after his birth to avoid the confusion of having two Davids in the family)

14d Large group‘s sorrowful feeling crossing large river (9)
PLURALITY; L for large and the third largest river in Europe (and 18th in Asia) URAL, go in a sorrowful feeling PITY, for the numerousness of a large group

16d Units showing strength in field or desert so deployed (8)
OERSTEDS; The units of magnetic field strength are an anagram (deployed) of DESERT SO. Last seen in the singular in Robyn’s Toughie 43 but also in the mine of useful information

18d Plaits I twisted around girl’s head? (8)
PIGTAILS; An all-in-one anagram (twisted) of PLAITS I and the head of Girl G

19d Turning up as well, fool consumes starter of beef Wellington (7)
GUMBOOT; As well or TOO, the starting letter of Beef B, and a fool or MUG, are reversed (turning up)

21d Instrument in Cats (3-3)
TOM-TOM; Two male cats make a Drum

23d Rubbish couple of teachers from down under (6)
DEBRIS; How you should address a male teacher SIR, and the degree he should have studied B.Ed, are reversed (from down under) to be DEBRIS or rubbish

24d Not upright, one way or another? (5)
LYING; Prone or deceitful, a double meaning