Sunday Toughie 112 (Hints) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Sunday Toughie 112 (Hints)

by Sloop John Bee  

Sunday Toughie No 112


by proXimal

 

Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

I started to solve this on the “old puzzles site” and Telegraph Towers have yet to update the setters list for the Sunday Toughie or the regular Toughie. Still, I didn’t have to wait for the new site to tell me as there are a couple of trademark tells that this is a proXimal production. A couple of extraction anagrams and starting with a Spoonerism gave the game/name away

The Spoonerism and 28a can fight it out for the minor places on the podium but because of dear Robert C I will pick 20d as the pinnacle today

We have 14a and 16d clues today and I will hint half – as usual with the Sunday Toughie some quite tricky clues have hit the cutting room floor so I offer a bonus hint to the first to ask

It is nice to see the Paddy’s Day banner up there to commemorate the Irish Six Nations victory but no Irish references crept into this crossword (probably set ages ago) and despite watching a fine Van Morrison concert and a review of the life and music of Phil Lynott on the Beeb last night you didn’t expect me to ignore the brilliant new Mark Knopfler charity single did you? –

Whilst out visiting National Trust properties with Mama Bee yesterday I found this in a second-hand book room
I didn’t need it last night but I imagine it will come in useful next time Robyn brings us a theme – Thanks Beningborough Hall

Here we go, Folks…

As it is a Prize puzzle I can only hint at a few and hope that will give you the checkers and inspiration to go further. I’ll return with the full review blog just after the closing date. Don’t forget to follow BD’s instructions in RED at the bottom of the hints!

I hope I don’t have to redact any comments but I am new at this and don’t want to rock the boat. If in doubt, I’ll rub it out! I think that sentence is a bit redundant. You have all been so helpful in sorting out prior parsing failures, and I am sure I will need similar help again.

Most of the terms used in these hints are explained in the Glossary and examples are available by clicking on the entry under “See also” Where the hint describes a construct as “usual” this means that more help can be found in The Usual Suspects, which gives a number of the elements commonly used in the wordplay. Another useful page is Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, which features words with meanings that are not always immediately obvious. Don’t forget the Mine of Useful information that Big Dave and his son Richard so meticulously prepared for us.

A full review of this puzzle will be published after the closing date for submissions. Some hints follow: Remember the site rules and play nicely.

       

Across

1a           Major defeat embarrassed winger, according to Spooner (8,4)
A red-faced corvid, according to Spooner suffers a major defeat
b3ta.com challenge: spoonerisms

10a        Cycling photograph showing hilarious people (5)
To take a photograph in a repetitive gun-like manner cycles one letter to be hilarious people

14a        Maybe Poirot’s man set tasks (8)
The Belgian detectives’ forename and the plural ess give us a man set several tasks as the Roman name of a Greek divine hero
Hercules Cleaned the Augean Stables « israel play heritage

17a        Game beginning in meadow or in the ballpark by college (8)
An initial letter, and abbreviations for a price requested “in the ballpark” and a shortened former name of the type of  college that taught up to degree level before they were upgraded to university status
Monopoly dropping one of game's original tokens

22a        Poem’s protracted and bad on reflection; see no good (8)
A poetic synonym of protracted from a reversal (on reflection) of a synonym of bad, an archaic word for see and an abbreviation of no good

27a        Mad Hatter this writer might give cigarette holder (9)
Even though the old puzzles site hadn’t updated the toughie setters last night this signature extraction anagram gave proXimal away. We are looking for a writer, but not the one who wrote about the Mad Hatter, rather we should take the hatter from cigarette holder and seek a romantic poet who gave his name to a tight spot on the ascent of Scafell Pike where his corpulence caused him to become stuck
Coleridge and the first sport climb in history by Marina Morpurgo – Grivel

28a        Waver when ridiculous excursion involves two hours separated (6-6)
Synonyms of ridiculous and a (military?) excursion both separately contain an H for hour

                Down

1d          Bit hot in erected shelter (7)
Having erected a temporary shelter contains H for hot

3d          Rider uses one husky, picked up wife with it (9)
A homophone (picked up) of a voice that is husky, followed by the abbreviation for Wife and a cool with it
Horsewhip, 79cm Handmade Cowhide Horse Harness Horsewhip Outdoor Sports Horse Racing Equipment Equestrian Bull Belt (Color : Red-Brown) : Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors

5d          On vehicle, lout heading north is speedy type (3,5)
One of our usual on’s, a vehicle and a lout head north in a down clue

7d          Romeo’s written in orange-pink pen (6)
An orange-pink colour and R for Romeo provide a pen for livestock
Pink Coral #h2oplus - Coral Reef Photography

15d        Summon everyone and keep inside church (4,5)
A synonym of everyone and a keep or castle are contained in a church

16d        Simple enough to withdraw from hallucinogenic after being wasted (8)
Another proXimalTm extraction anagram (after being wasted) remove enough from hallucinogenic for a surgically simple anagram

20d        Short pair that Georgia separates causing outrage (7)
A conjunction goes between abbreviations of the two States that Georgia separates. As a resident of one of the states in question, the much-missed Robert C would have loved this
Illustrated Pictorial Map Of Southern United Includes, 48% OFF

25d        Fold covering over device (4)
A fold of multi-layered paper and a crickety over manoeuvre this device

         


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I recognise some of the more obvious contributions to this but I would be impressed if you could get them all, even with a list of contributors and Peter Blake’s Sgt Pepper-style montage I am struggling to put names to them all. I could have done without one of the Starkey’s showing off at the end but this worthwhile cause deserves a good coat of listening too and I believe a video identifying all the contributions is coming soon
That’s All Folks!

28 comments on “Sunday Toughie 112 (Hints)”

  1. 20d, 27a & 28a (a lovely expression!) were the last ones in for me and, once the pennies dropped, became my favourites. A cracking puzzle all round with a great variety of excellent clues.

    Thanks proXimal and SJB.

  2. Quite tricky I thought but very entertaining – many thanks to Mr X and SJB.
    Ticks from me for 1a, 17a, 5d and 17d but I have to join our reviewer in awarding the Palme d’Or to 20d.

  3. Well, that was a proper Toughie: pretty tricky in places but typically clever. I do admire the trademark compound anagrams but what does 27a actually mean? And the definitions in 22a and 24a seemed unnecessarily painful. I have grudging respect for the Spoonerism though, 17a was smart and 16d is just brilliant. 20d’s a scorcher, too. Thanks to proXimal and Sloop. Loved the pic at 1a!

    1. I did find it hard to find a definition, I tried to double underline this writer but I am not a whizz at WordPress like Mr K, but I think mad is the anagram indicator and cigarette holder is the fodder so HATTER and the solution could make CIGARETTE HOLDER but the surface doesn’t read well

  4. And there it was – back again! Sadly, there was no hint given for 11a and I’m really struggling to parse it.
    Winners list comprises 1,12&28a plus 17&20d – top step being reserved for our greatly mourned Robert.

    Thanks to proXimal for the challenge and to SJB for the hints.

    1. You were so helpful in pointing out the Leprechaun that got into the works that you can have the bonus hint I offered in the preamble
      Real is the definition and to move under power changes the “side” of its last letter from left to right

  5. Was it just me, or did everyone have a 404 on this part of the site?

    it opened just now.

    1. We did have a problem earlier but to the best of my knowledge it has been ok since about 15:30

      1. Ta. Works now.I have been busy on another matter since 15.30. MUFC v Scousers. 😃👍

  8. Had a very busy and enjoyable weekend so only printed this off at bedtime, but happily managed to complete it without losing too much greatly-needed beauty sleep… LOI after lots of drowsy brain rummaging was 11a, but shouldn’t that have “one side”, rather than “sides”? Or am I being pernickety?! I couldn’t decide on a podium 3 from each direction, so have opted for 4. Across: 1 (best Spooner seen for a while), 12, 13 & 28; Down: 1, 15, 21 & 25.
    My thanks to proXimal for a fun challenge and to SJB for the hints.

    1. I suppose that you are changing one side for the other, so the plural is involved. More acceptable in cryptic crosswords than a grammar lesson perhaps

  9. Couldn’t access the old puzzles site late last night so completed & submitted via the new one. Found the solve very challenging – not my best effort either as now realise it was no wonder I couldn’t parse last in 11a having bunged in the wrong synonym for real. Wasn’t a fan of the bizarre surface at 27a but that aside thought it a super puzzle. 20d (also unparsed despite Atlanta being being the city I’ve visited the most in the US) my pick of a great selection – 1,17&28a along with 3,15&16d other particular likes.
    Thanks to proXimal & to John.
    Ps I also re-watched Van’s 70th birthday gig. It’s a great pity that there’s no film of the 2 concerts in their entirety – he played a 2hr set in the afternoon & then a different 90mins setlist in the evening. I remember desperately trying to get tickets.

    1. I bet someone has a bootleg of the whole thing but the celebs at the front (who didn’t pay a penny) couldn’t be bothered to hang around
      Same thing happened at Runrig’s Last Concert
      They did two nights at Stirling Castle but the version they released was less than half of what they did. I know Bha Mise An (I was there)

  10. Thanks for explaining 20d. A bung in from the definition and checkers.
    What a great clue. Sorry it passed me by.
    Thanks to the setter and to the Sloop for the hints.

  11. Nothing to do with the puzzle, which I haven’t attempted, but I just wanted to say what a splendid compilation the incomparable Mark Knopfler has orchestrated with the help of a plethora of guitar heroes. I have managed to identify a large number of them but interestingly the picture shows Hank Marvin holding his guitar as if he played left-handed, which he didn’t (even though he is actually a southpaw).

    Quite a number of lefties play/played the guitar right-handed, notably including Mark Knopfler himself as well as Eric Clapton, Gary Moore, Duane Allman, Robert Fripp and Paul Simon.

    1. Thank you for posting that message, RD – without it I should not have seen (heard!) that wonderful compilation.

      Mark Knopfler is, for me, one of the great guitarists and I can (and do) listen to his music endlessly. And I’d have to add Joe Bonnamassa to any list!

      1. Not only is Mark Knopfler a sensational guitarist, he is also a brilliant song-writer/composer. Until Mrs RD’s knees gave out on her, we used to enjoy ballroom dancing and our favourite waltz was a Knopfler composition:

        1. Thanks for that RD – I have added it to the rotation
          I am really enjoying the Going Home compilation every time I listen to it I think I can identify another guitarist, but the rumoured explanatory video will probably prove I have tin ears
          Credit is also due to Guy Fletcher who managed to put together all those remote contributions so seamlessly

  12. It’s Tuesday, so it means I have completed the Sunday Toughie! Two weeks in a row!

    Took several sessions and a bit of brain power, but got there in the end.

    Thanks to proXimal for the cerebral workout.

    1. Well done! – Keep going and before long you will be solving them before me

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