Toughie 3168 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Toughie 3168

by Dutch  

Toughie No 3168 by Elgar

Hints and tips by Dutch

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment *****

Some tricky stuff but very satisfying

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.

Across

1a    Finest in Guardian? Crossword answer is here … (7)
NESTING: Hidden. The answer doubles as the hidden indicator; it is doing what it says (crossword  answer is, here)

5a/14a … riddle to solve now: in order to do so … “Aha!” (4,2,1,4,3,1,4)
WHEN IS A DOOR NOT A DOOR: An anagram (to solve) of NOW IN ORDER TO DO SO AHA

9a    A hint of lemon in Asian (specifically Indian) meal (5)
THALI: The first letter (hint) of lemon goes inside an Asian national

10a    Blooming chamber politician means to focus on bill (6,3)
POLLEN SAC: An informal abbreviation for politician, a means to focus light, and an abbreviation for bill

11a    Using a minor route, Trump’s really enjoying a run in Manhattan (2,8)
ON BROADWAY: A preposition that can mean using (eg ** drugs), a minor route (1-4), then an Americanism for “really”

12a    Deep  sea resident (4)
BASS: Two meanings, the first a music term, the second a fish

18a/27a Gag? It’ll shock the audience (12,7)
CONVERSATION STOPPER: Two meanings, the first literal

21a   In Vegas tops diamonds with spades (4)
ICES: A 3-letter word for diamonds and the abbreviation for spades. The definition suggests an Americanism for tops or kills

22a   Tracker finally enclosed within half of nuts, causing some pain? (6,4)
FRENCH LOAF: The last letter (finally) of tracker and the 3-letter abbreviation for enclosed go inside (within) an anagram (nuts) of HALF OF

25a    Record kept by female with fine antique pen (9)
SHEEPFOLD: A vinyl record is included in (kept by) a female, the abbreviation for fine and a word for antique

26a    Anxious  time in English class? (5)
TENSE: Two meanings – the second a grammatical (in English class) time setting

28a    With new content on counter perhaps, does without zip (7)
RELINED: A reversal (on counter) of some animals that could be does (perhaps) around (without) a word meaning zip or nothing

Down

1d/2d Really rather good oil-steeped food, rating alongside (3,3,6)
NOT TOO SHABBY: An aromatic essential oil goes inside (steeped) another word for food, then a rating or sailor and a short word meaning alongside

3d    Architect is supporting currents run from the ground (5,5)
INIGO JONES: Is translates to the plural of 1 (4 letters) and goes underneath (supports) two currents (trendy and the physics constant) plus a reversal (from the ground) of a word meaning to run gently

4d    Was opening grand do on roof of Dorchester (5)
GAPED: The abbreviation for grand, a word meaning do or imitate, and the first letter (roof) of Dorchester

5d    Wandering pets? (9)
WALKABOUT: The answer could be a cryptic clue for PETS

6d    Go under the point of the blade (4)
EPEE: A 3-letter word meaning “to go” goes underneath the (compass) point in (th)E

7d    Ready party to set about hosts (2,6)
IN SEASON: A (2,2) phrase meaning ‘party to’ goes around (set about) another word for hosts or vast quantities

8d    Coat of arms device run down in one family (8)
ANCESTRY: A 5-letter coat of arms device from which the abbreviation for run is moved to the end (down), then inserted into a word that can mean an unspecified one, or some

13d    Getting sausage from the oven European student drops posh joint (5,5)
SAVOY HOTEL: A red 7-letter sausage that is usually boiled and what it will be when retrieved from the oven (3). Then drop the abbreviations for European and student to the bottom

15d    Engineer gets out of overhauling retrogressive store … (9)
RESERVOIR: Remove an anagram (engineer) of GETS from an anagram (overhauling) of RETROGRESSIVE

16d    … and again Number Two doubled power losses (8)
ECLIPSES: Take the plural word for the “…” in this clue and previous, and double the value of the second letter

17d    Upstanding individual, say, person finally settling in LA? (8)
ANGELENO: A reversal (upstanding) of a 3-letter individual then the abbreviation for say and the last letter (finally) of person inside LA

19d/20d “Fine, rain, unsettled?” Presumptuous framing this question providing a hint for 5a 14 (4,2,1,5)
BORN IN A FIELD: An anagram (unsettled) of FINE RAIN is framed by a 4-letter word meaning presumptuous. The answer is a phrase that is relevant to the answer to the riddle in 5a/14a

 

23d     Low playwright has cut the woman up (5)

NADIR: An 8-letter playwright has the woman at the start removed (cut), and is reversed (up)

24d    Each program’s dated cipher keyed in (1,3)
A POP: A 3-letter program contains (keyed in) the letter that looks like a cipher (old usage, hence dated)

My favourites today were the riddle and the associated hint. Which clues did you like?

20 comments on “Toughie 3168”

  1. Yes, Elgar’s not pulling any punches with this one, is he?

    I confess I still don’t quite see how 19/20d has anything to do with with 5/14a. I was not aware of the essential oil in 1/2d so I couldn’t parse that, even though it was actually my first one in. I also failed to recognise the synonym for ‘hosts’ in 7d. But the one that made me say ‘oh you b*****d!’ when I read Dutch’s explanation of it was 16d. Honestly, the man’s a fiend!

    Yet again, I prostrate myself in awe before him and Dutch for getting the blog out on time every other Friday. Apart from anything else, it means I can sleep tonight.

    1. When I was a kid and left the back door open, my Dad always said “Oy! Were you ….19/20d”

      Yep, very tough in places today, but worth the effort, eventually!

      Big Groan when I realised pain was eatable! And again for 1 x more than one.

      Thanks Elgar for the work-out and for Dutch for his usual brilliance

      1. I was told summat very similar as a lad, but it was a “barn” in my case. This version was new to me. I thought this was pretty tough in places but hugely enjoyable. Thanks to the as-ever dauntingly impressive Elgar, and Dutch, of course.

  2. This was a two sittings puzzle, with the bottom half completed before a longish walk. That seemed to clear the synapses and the top half went in thereafter. As ever, there were unparsed bung-ins, but that is par for this particular course. Difficult, mind-bending but ultimately rewarding and most entertaining. 22a my favourite plus the combos.

    My thanks to Elgar and Dutch.

  3. After an hour I had 4 answers, then took a punt on the anagram for the riddle, which helped a lot. Failed with 24d which, in retrospect, is on of the easier clues and failed to parse 28a and 3d [those sneaky little plurals]. It didn’t help having pencilled in “manor house” for 13d even tho it didn’t parse [of course, with Elgar they often don’t parse even when they’re correct].
    Elgar at his most cunning [e.g. 16d]. My other two top spots go to 15d [engineer gets] and 22a [some pain].
    Thanks to Elgar and to Dutch for the enlightenment.

  4. A few bung ins, that’s most of an afternoon I’ll never get back. 22a deserves a star for enjoyment and difficulty in its own right.

    Thanks to Elgar and Dutch.

  6. I rarely attempt Elgar’s piuzzles, because he’s far too clever for the likes of me. Having read Brian’s comment (number 31 on the other ‘channel’) I was goaded into giving it a try. Now, fair play to the bloke if he did solve it unaided, but I found it difficult to say the least and given the comments Brian often makes, my guess is that the blighter is pulling our legs. I solved at best about threequarters by myself, with hints and cheats required for the remainder ( Thanks Dutch :-) ) I really did like the 5/14a combo and the related 19/20d clue. Much of the rest has left my head reeling and eagerly seeking a large gin and tonic to recover with. Joking aside, thanks Elgar and Dutch, this was far more entertaining for an hour or two than most of tonight’s BBC Children in Need has been. ( Evenso, I’m still happy to make my donation.) :-)

    2. No way Brian completed this! If he did it was in the same way John Gielgud did the Times… as Zandio explained yesterday.

    1. An ellipse is a bit cut out or missing shown by the … which Elgar has put in both clues so we have two ellipses. Then double the second letter L (Roman numeral 50) to C (Roman numeral for 100) to make ECLIPSES which cause the loss of solar power. Sneaky, ain’t he?

  8. Agree this was more devious than some Elgars! I walked down a few wrong avenues but got there in the end. Even when I’d got the baguette filled in, it took me a while to get the joke! Imagined hitting people with it to cause pain! Also fooled by the does for a while. But it is late! On the plus side I have entered the Guardian Genius comp for the first time ever. Really enjoyed that one!

  9. Very glad I persisted with a return visit this morning which saw the last 8 or 9 clues completed. Some were brain-manglingly tough until the answers arrived, at which point one wondered why there had been such problems.

    Needed a couple of letter reveals to confirm suspicions / restart stalled progress. Felt unfamiliar with pol for politician; 5a had to be wandering, but still can’t see any connection with pets; never heard of the phrase in 19d – it’s always been a barn in my experience, never a field.

    Super puzzle, thank you Elgar, and thank you Dutch for this post hoc explanation of about a third of my answers!

    2. I thought wandering as noun is the definition of “walkabout” the traditional aboriginal wandering.
      WALK ABOUT could also be a cryptic instruction for a reversal of STEP giving PETS. It’s a reverse clue hence the question mark

  10. Hard ! Managed about 80% before reaching for Dutch’s hints, which is a bit less than I usually manage. 16D particularly devious I thought.

    Thanks.

  11. Elgar at his most devious! Managed most of it over 3 sittings but needed Dutch to step in to explain the rest.

    My Dad would use the field phrase rather than barn, maybe a Northern thing.

    I don’t think the drug bit is needed for 11a as if one is using a minor road one is ‘on a b road’ – minor point 😁

    Thanks Dutch and Elgar.

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