Toughie 3328

Toughie  No 3328 by Elgar

Hints and Tips by crypticsue

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

Elgar in fine Friday Toughie form – lots of things to make the solver smile and a few clues which gave your blogger a furrowed brow when trying to explain them.  I saw 26a straight away when arranging the piece of paper on the kitchen table so that I could eat my breakfast and solve at the same time; it made me smile because it reminded me of my Dad who did like a Bertie Bassett, and so that clue has to be my favourite.

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Across

1a           Possibly con artist’s relocated in setting of Alcatraz (3,9,3)
SAN FRANCISCO BAY Insert into a synonym for possibly, for example, the name of an artist with the CON part of his surname ‘relocated’ into two different places in the solution

9a           For a very long time this will punish mother country (9)
DAMNATION Eternal punishment – a mother and another word for a country

10a         Turn up carrying The Greatest Indian Food (5)
PILAU UP (from the clue) ‘carrying’ the surname of the boxer known as The Greatest, all reversed (turn)

11a         Exchange elements that will get you by (5)
BANDY Exchange words with someone. A way of writing the two elements of B xxx Y

12a         Converted Italian both subject and object of writer’s drawn-out period (5,4)
EXTRA TIME A former (converted) informal Italian restaurant xx-xxxx and the words used as the subject and object when the writer was writing about themselves (writer’s)

13a         Players in football match bouncing with a score before the hour mark (6,2)
TWENTY TO The number of players in a football match ‘bouncing’ or removing the abbreviation for With

14a         Not quite saying in advance one will give you the time of day? (6)
GNOMON Almost all of a pithy saying and an adverb meaning in advance

16a         Caught Mike’s predecessor by the end (6)
CLIMAX The cricket abbreviation for Caught, the NATO Phonetic Code word that comes before Mike and the letter used in measurements and multiplication sums to mean by

18a         On retirement day at university opening notes impress (3,1,4)
CUT A DASH Some money (notes) into which is inserted a reversal (on retirement) of the abbreviation for Day, AT (from the clue) and the ‘opening’ of University

22a         Withdrawing gross deception, seeing chippy’s softer side? (5,4)
MUSHY PEAS A reversal (withdrawing) of a total (gross), followed by a deception and a conjunction meaning seeing

23a         In service of which one’s a jolly hot bath! (5)
THERM Split 3,2, this hot bath could be a way of writing the name of the part of the Armed Forces where a jolly serves

24a         Group’s leader runs through past problems (5)
AGGRO The ‘leader’ of Group and the cricket abbreviation for Runs inserted into an adjective meaning gone or past

25a         Brief word about foal, precocious youngster? (9)
TWEENAGER A truncated word goes ‘about’ a way of referring (especially if you were in Scotland or Northern Ireland) to a small horse (foal)

26a         “To each his own” – slogan for Bassett’s lorry? (2,5,3,5)
IT TAKES ALL SORTS A description of a slogan that could be applied to a Bassett’s lorry

Down

1d           I would be separately involved in stake (4,3)
SIDE BET An informal way of saying I would and BE (from the clue) put separately into a synonym for stake to give another sort of wager

2d           Putative Oscar winner? No egg on Emma’s face (7)
NOMINEE NO (from the clue), an explosive device (egg) and the ‘face’ of Emma

3d           Show on radio means to pay toy company fine (5,6,4)
READY STEADY COOK Homophones of money at hand (means to pay) and a toy, followed by an abbreviated company and an informal way of saying fine

4d           Your favourite compiler, short and sweet (8)
NOISETTE You might refer to your favourite compiler as your XX X  compiler, the latter synonym being truncated (short)

5d           Light on board meeting items to be raised (6)
IGNITE Hidden (on board) in reverse (to be raised) in meETING Items

6d           Detective’s associate on the spot puts “Sn” in upper-case symbols (7,8)
 CAPTAIN HASTINGS An abbreviated way of writing upper-case symbols (perhaps those used by graffiti artists) into which is inserted an adverb meaning on the spot, a synonym for puts and the element represented by Sn in the Period Table

7d           Unnamed abductor of treasures smuggled into poor country (7)
BELGIUM The surname of the abductor of some famous Greek treasures without the N (un named) ‘smuggled’ into a synonym for poor or worthless

8d           My solver’s time done! (5,2)
YOURE ON How Elgar might refer to one of us (my solver) and a long period of time

15d         A nightmare having to carry unhinged brief case? (8)
NUTSHELL A place of nightmares goes after (having to carry) a synonym for crazy (unhinged), the case being used in an expression meaning briefly or concisely

16d         Not completely parched after putting down party aperitif (7)
CAMPARI Almost all of a synonym for parched goes after a party with a certain set of beliefs

17d         Sort of stand nailing the onset of sexual knowledge (7)
INSIGHT A way of writing about a performance or a relationship that didn’t last long, into which is inserted (nailed) the ‘onset’ of Sexual

19d         A very successful manager heading off rival after defeat? (7)
AVENGER A (from the clue) and the abbreviation for Very, followed by the successful manager of Arsenal Football Club without the first letter of his surname (heading off)

20d         Hospital let me think it’s OK to elevate bone (7)
HUMERUS The abbreviation for Hospital, an interjection expressing hesitation, and a reversal (to elevate) of an informal way of saying yes or certainly (it’s OK)

21d         Accommodation for sleeping bears you’ve picked up? (6)
BERTHS A homophone (you’ve picked up) of bears in the sense of brings forth young