Toughie No 3184 by Elgar
Hints and tips by Dutch
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment *****
Tricky, I needed some help from google. A satisfying solve.
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought.
Across
8a/9a Debunked sham rectified, but I don’t go along with it (8,6)
DOUBTING THOMAS: An anagram (debunked) of SHAM along with an anagram (rectified) of BUT I DON’T GO
10a A person using tabs? … (3)
ONE: Split (2,1), the answer means ‘using tabs’
11a … visiting capital doing tours he’s buzzing about! (8)
APIARIST: Noting the ellipsis, the letter that looks like the answer for the previous clue goes inside a 5-letter European capital, and which a preposition that can mean ‘doing’ surrounds (tours)
12a Playing clairvoyant, actor’s wanting for nothing (6)
VAINLY: An anagram (playing) of CLAIRVOYANT without (wanting) the letters in ACTOR
13a Some from the East articulate “M”? No, it is “N”, articulated as “Mn” (10,5)
TRANSITION METAL: Reverse hidden (Some from the East …)
15a Crowd close in on miss at Muirfield set to eliminate Els (7)
ASSIEGE: A 6-letter word for a Scottish miss (at Muirfield) plus a 3-letter word that means set or solidify, then eliminate the L’s
18a Boris, great mover of men, is not half foiled by spring climate (7)
SPASSKY: The second half of IS is contained (foiled) in a 3-letter spring and a word that could mean climate
21a A local injected here, get kind of woozy; and ________ (2,5,3,5)
GO UNDER THE KNIFE: A dialect (local) word for ‘A’ is inserted (injected) into an anagram (woozy) of HERE GET KIND OF. ( I didn’t underline the definition because that would interfere with the underscore – but the answer completes the sentence, so the whole clue could be taken as definition since it describes the situation)
24a Missing Lake, pelican’s out of condition in Michigan (6)
APNEIC: The American spelling (in Michigan) of ‘of a state of breathlessness’ is an anagram (out) of PE(l)ICAN without the abbreviation for lake
25a Good old smacker newly-wed receives from Jesus? (8)
OXBRIDGE: The abbreviation for good is entered into (receives) the abbreviation for old, the letter for a kiss and a newly-wed woman (Jesus being a college at two Universities)
26a Welcome introduction of Pont-l’Évêque – and fruit with it! (3)
HIP: A 2-letter greeting plus the first letter (introduction) of Pont-l’Évêque. Two definitions.
27a/28a Telford and Brunel in combined project to link North and South? (6,8)
BRIDGE PARTNERS: These were two famous engineers, so in a combined project to ‘link’ they would be …
Down
1d/16d They carry motions MPs Daisy and Yvette at first misguidedly propose (6,8)
POOPER SCOOPERS: The surname of MPs Daisy & Yvette (plural, two of them) is preceded by an anagram (misguidedly) of PROPOSE
2d Get a bit unruly towards nurses (6)
OBTAIN: An anagram (unruly) of A BIT that a preposition meaning towards contains (nurses)
3d In vacs, hire supply one can get for revision – me? (8,7)
VISITING TEACHER: Inserted into an anagram (supply) of VACS HIRE, we have the roman numeral for one, another word for a can, and an anagram (for revision) of GET
4d Monumental dedication attached to US Grand Slam: I’ll be bigger for it (3,4)
EGO TRIP: The inscription on a tombstone follows the acronym for a US awards grand slam (Emmy Grammy Oscar Tony)
5d Extra-terrestrial bleeps serving to broadcast his identity? (6,9)
STEVEN SPIELBERG: An anagram (to broadcast) of ET BLEEPS SERVING
6d Divinity who lines sanctimonious pockets (8)
HOLINESS: Hidden (… pockets)
7d/23d Diamond? It’s rough (8,6)
BALLPARK FIGURE: Two meanings, the first referring to baseball
14d Plugs bad sink plugs (3)
ADS: Hidden (… plugs)
17d Intimate act lit Hanover Square up above (8)
INNUENDO: A 2-letter verb meaning act is preceded (above) by a 2-letter that can mean mean lit or alight (the fire is **) and a reversal (up) of the German word (Hanover) for a single digit square number
19d Runner was kind at heart (3)
SKI: The middle letters (at heart) of ‘was kind’ – and a crossword picture for you!
20d Mole has top housing tip for Badger and Ratty (7)
STROPPY: A mole or secret agent contains (has) TOP which in turn contains (housing) the last letter (tip) of Badger
22d An ascendant averse to cycling, herald’s swimming across(6)
NAIANT: A reversal (ascendant) of AN, then a 4-letter word meaning ‘averse to’ with the last letter cycled to the front. A word used in heraldry.
1d made me laugh when the penny dropped, I’m impressed with the 15-letter hidden, and I thought 5d and especially 21a were clever. The latter would be my favourite today. Which clues did you like?
I thought this was a lot friendlier than the usual Elgar until I reached the south west corner. Then some head scratching came into it. But overall I enjoyed it. If I hadn’t started it online I probably wouldn’t have started it at all. Elgar? No thanks. Got a quarter of it done before the paper edition arrived and was pleasantly surprised at my progress. My fav was 1d and 26d.
Many thanks to Dutch and Elgar who for once gave us an introductory teaser
Many thanks to
With permission from Dutch, I’m just hijacking this to post a link to my Christmas treasure hunt at pablosath.com. The main hunt is coming very shortly, in the mean time there is a trailer poster with some little puzzles if you are keen. In the main puzzle there will be a crossword, which can stand alone or it might whet your appetite and you could start solving the rest of the it…. People usually tackle it as a team and it will run for a few weeks so something to keep you busy over Christmas. Please no spoilers until the hunt is finished.
I am afraid I have never heard of this hunt. Looking at your website it looks both amazing and, no doubt, daunting. I am going to see if I can create a team to participate. Thanks.
Re Elgar today – close but a DNF in three places, before a long lazy lunch.
I tend to agree that this was not Elgar at his most fiendish, merely difficult yet fairly clued. I thought the reverse lurker at 13a was quite magnificent and that became my favourite this afternoon. The 1d/16d combo got the biggest smile and was about as naughty as the setter could get away with I reckon.
Thanks Elgar for the challenge, and to Dutch for a couple of explanations.
A very slow start but getting a couple of the biggies got things going. Great fun but I failed to parse 4d [the US grand slam] and 17d [failed to spot the “Hanover” square]. Favourites were 10/11a [clever use of ellipsis] 13a [a tour de force] 15a and my last one in 21a.
Thanks to Elgar and Dutch.
Rough. Very challenging. 1d and 27a my cotd.
Nearly a total fail for me. I got a few, and then no more after spending a long time, so thanks for the much needed explanations. Did get 1d at least for a laugh.
I had AIN for 19d, (wAs kINd at heart), so didn’t get Boris, even though I thought he might have been the answer.
Here we are, Sunday morning and I finally have a full grid, although a couple remained unparsed.
Hats off for 1d and 13a.
Thanks to Elgar and Dutch.