Toughie No 3326 by Dada
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
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BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
Had I not known before I started that Dada set this Wednesday Toughie , I would have been surprised to learn that he was the setter. Trickier than I’d have expected from Dada and requiring a number of visits to the BRB to check or help try to explain a number of synonyms from what Senf would call Dada’s Personal Thesaurus
Please leave a comment telling us what you thought
Across
1a A bird zonked, cuckoo falls over massive embankment (5,4,3)
ASWAN HIGH DAM A (from the clue), a [large and graceful aquatic) bird, under the influence of drugs (zonked) and a reversal (falls over) of a more formal synonym of cuckoo
9a Short feather, purple (4)
PLUM Truncate (short) a large showy feather
10a Colour driving people? (9)
CARNATION Split this colour 3,6 and the driving people will be revealed
12a Take as a joke by the sound of it (6)
INGEST A homophone (by the sound of it) of something said ‘as a joke’
13a Throw savage into drink (8)
BEWILDER A synonym for savage inserted into an alcoholic drink
15a Giant of American literature? (10)
LONGFELLOW The surname of this giant of American literature implies that he was a tall (giant) person
16a Deep hole, better (4)
WELL A deep hole or better or restored to health
18a Settlement secured in joint ownership (4)
TOWN Hidden (secured) in the last two words of the clue
20a Film while in vehicle by foreign canal (10)
CASABLANCA A conjunction meaning while inserted into a vehicle and followed by an anagram (foreign) of CANAL
23a Tax banks or free the place of demons (8)
EXORCISE A tax or duty ‘banks’ OR (from the clue)
24a Light, soldier returning before dark (6)
IGNITE A reversal (returning) of an American soldier goes before an informal term for dark
26a Short-sighted forward tackling referee to begin with (9)
IMPRUDENT Presumptuous or forward ‘tackling’ the letter that begins Referee
27a Spot marker on simian head (4)
APEX The letter that marks the spot (on a treasure map perhaps) goes on or after a simian
28a A shade repeated in chocolate-box? (6-6)
PRETTY-PRETTY Repeat a synonym for somewhat (a shade)
Down
2d Partially melted soup ingredient fine in gel (4-4)
SEMI-SOFT A soya bean paste used as a soup ingredient and the abbreviation for Fine inserted into a verb meaning to gel
3d Using a bow, one shooting arrows misses her ring (4)
ARCO One of those follow the wordplay, is there such a word? clues. A person shooting arrows without (misses) the HER which is replaced by the ring-shaped letter. This ‘use of the bow’ is a musical term
4d Perhaps one controlling Arab state seeing rare shower further north (5-5)
HORSE-WOMAN A state on the Arabian Peninsula follows an anagram (rare) of shower ‘further north’
5d Jar that’s not closed is free (6)
GRATIS A verb meaning to jar without its final letter (not closed) and IS (from the clue)
6d Turn left into empty drive, and slowly drop (7)
DWINDLE A verb meaning to turn and the abbreviation for Left inserted into the outside (empty) letters of DrivE
7d Something perhaps still raw, Neil trembles in embrace of mother (7,5)
MINERAL WATER An anagram (trembles) of RAW NEIL inserted into the ‘embrace’ of a slang term for mother
8d Hit hard, an advertiser? (6)
SLOGAN Hit hard, followed by AN (from the clue)
11d Elusive person is bound to work around this, we suspect (4-1-3-4)
WILL-O-THE-WISP Part of a verb meaning is bound to and an abbreviated work, the latter going around an anagram (suspect) of THIS WE. A chance to remember fondly a cartoon series the ‘boys’ and I enjoyed when they were young
14d Worker with soot scrubbed off? Whitewash! (5,5)
CLEAN SWEEP This synonym for a whitewash or total defeat does sound like a particular worker had scrubbed the soot off!
17d Draw attention to philippic, obviously bad (8)
FLAGRANT Draw attention to an angry tirade (philippic)
19d Croquet target found in little hurrah! (7)
WHOOPEE A croquet target found in a synonym for little or tiny
21d Arrested? I was the president of North America! (6)
NAILED The abbreviation for North America and how a former President might say he ran the country
22d Secret sect under rock, uncovered (6)
OCCULT A sect goes under the inside (uncovered) letters of rOCk
25d Sore troubling your eye, primarily? (4)
STYE The primary letters of the first four words of the clue
Great crossword, perfect Wednesday Toughie fare, good balance of clue types. Biffing 11d early helped, but doing the same at 4d and writing-in power instead of woman certainly didn’t, meaning the classic film was one of my last to complete. Dada’s precise clueing meant I was confident my answer to 3d was correct and fortunately Chambers confirmed it! 28a new to me, I think, but “had to be”. So many great clues, so I’ll go for 1a, 21d & 17d on the podium.
Many thanks indeed Dada, and also to CS (yes, 11d was a wonderful cartoon!)
Getting 1a quickly always helps but I found this much easier than normal for Dada and easier than CS did for a change. The parsing of 28a took a while to come through and I initially queried “rare” as an anagram indicator in 4d but on reflection I guess it can mean “cooked a bit”. Favourite clues were 23a [tax banks or] and 21d [clever].
Thanks to Dada and CS.
I think pretty much anything goes as an anagram indicator these days! And Chambers does have “rare” as extraordinary. I was trying manfully to persuade someone t’other day that “thin” could be used, as Chambers defines it as “freely mobile”. He wasn’t having it! But it doesn’t any more outré than “rare” to me!
Given it also means extraordinary [thanks for that] I guess it’s bog-standard stuff – but “thin”, meaning “freely mobile [yes, I checked] is new to me. Makes it kosher nonetheless. Thanks for the warning! My favourite is still “Ravel” tho “perm” is good too if you can create the right sort of Barnet context.
Ravel is a definite fave, yes. Ooh, perm’s a winner too. Like that. Fans and supply are pretty nifty and all. I’m delighted you to seem to think “thin” is acceptable. I may even risk it one day, but I’m pretty sure Prolixic will absolutely hate it!
I thought this was lovely, and surprisingly friendly. 15a is just so Dada! 28a’s definition’s fun, 1a is bonkers but very pleasing to piece together, and 2d’s “soup ingredient” is brilliant. 13a reads beautifully and 21d’s on the nose. Buckets of fun today. Many thanks to Dada and CS.
Great fun – thanks to Dada and CS.
1a leapt off the page which gave me a good start.
I liked 13a, 28a and 14d with my favourite being 15a.
So near and yet so far – the soya paste ruined my chances. Doubly annoying given that I’m quite familiar with the stuff!
Thought our setter was in quite a jovial mood today and gave us plenty of smiles along with the odd curved ball.
Cream of the crop for me was 14d with the place of demons and the short-sighted forward close in on the rails.
Thanks to Dada and to CS for the review.
A very enjoyable puzzle with not too much difficulty and plenty of smiles. 3D was a word I had to check as I hadn’t come across it before, but the wordplay was very clear.
I gave so many ticks, but I have to mention 10,23 and 26A with podium going to 14D….loved it.
Many thanks to CS and Dada.
I well remember the time Dada took over the Sunday Prize Puzzle slot, and the problems many of us had in solving the first few. This also took me a while to get on wavelength, but once I did the solving process went very smoothly. 1a took me longer than it should have, especially as we had a memorable trip to walk across the top many years ago, but my favourite was 15a. Great fun.
Most enjoyable. I needed the hints for a couple but, on the whole, I managed about 90% of it solo. There was so much to like that I find it hard to choose a favourite but the literary giant at 15a might just pip the rest.
Thank you, Dada for providing a Toughie that solvers such as I can have a bash at. Thank you, CS for the hints.
Just my cup of tea. Pretty much perfect in ever way testing without being tortuous.funny and rewarding allowing the solver to feel pleased with himself if not self congratulatory I loved this. More in the same vein, pretty please!
Not finished yet, just popped in to add acclaim to 1a
About the only thing I have from my long gone dad is a Theodolite once owned by the Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Company It was last used in a professional capacity during the construction of 1a
A beautiful thing in brass and mahogany with a weathered leather and felt case. It was made by the York company of Cooke Troughton and Simms and IMO mine is better than the one they have in York Museum I will try and take some pics for a future blog
I had to check the soup ingredient and the musical term but both fairly clued. Difficult but doable and very satisfying to complete. Favourite, by a country mile was 1a. Thanks to Dada and Senf.
Great fun as always from the master of devious definitions. 4d our favourite but many others were close behind it.
Thanks Dada and CS.
Hugely enjoyable, thanks to Dada and CS.
Not an entirely completion as I had to look up the meaning of philippic (lovely word) to solve the clue & 3d required post entry confirmation but otherwise found it far easier than yesterday & very enjoyable too. Plenty of ticks – 1,13&15a plus 2,11&14d the picks for me with Lester Piggott’s nickname being my favourite.
Thanks to Dada & to Sue