Toughie 3453 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
View closed comments 

Toughie 3453

by ALP  

Toughie No 3453 by Dharma
Hints and tips by ALP

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

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

Very Dharma today: generous definitions spiced with fizzy wordplay and some big swings. He’s certainly not afraid of giving us a choice of two options for the same result (1a, 26a, 6d) if it suits his surface and I, for one, am down for it! Nowt scary here – if you’re on his wavelength. All yours.

Across

1a Is plain soft fruit displayed by Asda at the front or back? (7)
APPEARS: The musical “soft” + fruit by/after the first or last letter of AsdA.

5a Fixed position that is inhibiting representative and fool (7)
IMPASSE: The usual “that is” inhibits/contains (political) representative and fool/idiot.

9a I’m irked with ECHR’s left wing interrupting judges (5)
RATES: An expression synonymous with “I’m irked” is interrupted by/contains E[CHR].

10a Conductor‘s preferred route announced (9)
ELECTRODE: Preferred/chosen + a homophone (announced) of route/way.

11a Chill with international tennis star not admitting I’m grateful when relaxing (10)
WINTRINESS: The abbreviations for “with” and “international” and then TENNISS[TA]R (not admitting I’m grateful) relaxing.

12a Hypocrisy‘s negligible if introduction from Starmer’s ignored (4)
CANT: Negligible/minimal, minus S[tarmer].

14a Dharma’s estate in early stage of development (12)
IMPLANTATION: How Dharma might write “Dharma’s” + (Southern US) state.

18a Sophisticated European leaving we learn, somehow making town better (5,7)
URBAN RENEWAL: Sophisticated/civilised, minus the usual “European”, plus WELEARN, somehow, = town better/improvement/amelioration. Allegedly.

21a Working to oust Republican in attempt to get luvvies’ accolade (4)
TONY: The usual “working” replaces/ousts the usual “Republican” in the usual “attempt”.

22a Small transaction pulling in 100 notes (5,5)
MINOR SCALE: Small/inconsiderable + (business) transaction, containing/pulling in the usual ‘100’.

25a Extended, like a fork? Look into that (9)
PROLONGED: An adjective that might describe a fork contains the usual two-letter “look”.

26a Make sense of Raving or Loony (but not Monster to begin with) Party (3,2)
ADD UP: A synonym of raving or loony without the M[onster] + a political (NI) party, .

27a Joy and Charlie stumped dividing a piece of cake (7)
ECSTASY: NATO’s Charlie and the abbreviation for “stumped” divide/go inside the adjectival “a piece of cake”.

28a Way to display muscle in Take a Break (7)
RESPECT: A (chest) muscle displayed in (to) take a break. “Way” as in a particular or regard.

Down

1d Are endless tiffs quarrels? (6)
ARROWS: AR[E] + tiffs/arguments.

2d Invalid after losing one’s licence (6)
PATENT: An invalid/sickly individual, minus the usual “one”.

3d Sanction smuggling gold items, occasionally, for collection (10)
ASSORTMENT: Sanction/approval contains/smuggles one of the usual “gold”s and [i]T[e]M[s].

4d Polish of Connery’s noticed? (5)
SHEEN: How (Sean) Connery might have said noticed/spotted.

5d Fundamentally at home with nature (2,7)
IN ESSENCE: The usual “at home” + nature/being.

6d Bean or nut makes this spread? (4)
PATE: Another word for “bean” and “nut” can refer to = a spread that can, indeed, be made of beans or nuts, etc.

7d Random grasp or a dictionary-like comprehending? (8)
SPORADIC: Lurker, hidden in the second, third, fourth and fifth words. Fun.

8d Late in the day, taking time for sport (8)
EVENTING: “Late in the day” contains the usual “time”.

13d Abuse animals, say, and people from another country (10)
MALAYSIANS: ANIMALSSAY, abused.

15d Shelter lady on vacation checking evidence of relationship with suggestive look (9)
LEERINGLY: Shelter or sheltered side + L[ad]Y contains/check what might suggest you’re in a relationship, ie married.

16d Drug courier, bagging bonus, left product (8)
MULTIPLE: A drug courier (I can only think of one word for such – this!) contains/bags bonus/gratuity and the usual “left”.

17d What gets surgeon going under maroon scrubs (8)
ABANDONS: The letter that gets S[urgeon] going after/under (to) maroon. Lovely surface.

19d Wicked thing, Democrat lies regularly to support Trump’s jail (6)
CANDLE: The usual Democrat + L[i]E[s] after/supporting an American (Trump’s) word for “jail”. Used here too, but US in origin.

20d Dictator from abroad best overthrown (6)
DESPOT: The French (abroad) for “from” + (to) best, reversed/overthrown.

23d Request men with early signs of dandruff explore remedies (5)
ORDER: Men/soldiers (other ranks) + the first letters (early signs) of the last three words.

24d Note plug over Miley Cyrus’s pop? (4)
SODA: (Musical) note + the usual (commercial) plug, reversed/over.

Just the three anagrams, a single lurker and an all-in-one made for a brisk and fun solve. Particular favourites included 22a, 1d and 6d but 4d (this old gag still always makes me smile) takes it for me. How did you get on?

21 comments on “Toughie 3453”

  1. It took me a while to get onto the right wavelength but, when I did, it all came together slowly and steadily. I found it quite tough for a Tuesday and failed to parse 11a, although I did enjoy the solve.

    My podium comprises 22a, 1d & 2d.

    Many thanks to Dharma and to ALP.

  2. Approachable, pretty gentle, some good surfaces, all/any GK v basic – relieved I didn’t need to know anything about tennis or Miley Cyrus. COTD 22a, runner-up 17d.

    Thank you to Dharma & ALP

  3. I found this considerably gentler than the previous Dharma puzzle I tackled.
    I kept coming back to look at 11a, because I had written down on a piece of paper my version of the answer with a Y in the middle, and then (not surprisingly) could not explain my answer.
    I thought 22a was pretty neat.

    Many thanks to Dharma and to ALP.

  4. Spent far too long trying to fit Billy Ray into 4 squares at 24d; could not fathom 19d to begin with but it’s brilliant. I also really liked 17d. Fab puzzle Stephen and not at all gentle for me. Thanks to Alp too for parsings.

  5. Very entertaining as usual from this setter – thanks to Dharma and ALP.
    There are some great phrases in the clues (luvvies’ accolade, evidence of relationship and what gets surgeon going, for example).
    Top clues for me were 2d, 6d and 16d.

  6. Really enjoyed this one & probably because it was a good bit gentler than Dharma’s last couple of puzzles where I thought he’d upped the level of difficulty. Only a failure to peg the first bit of the 20d wordplay (d’oh) took a wee bit of the satisfaction away from a swift (for me anyway) completion. 26a my fav.
    Thanks to Dharma & to ALP – great tunes; am playing that Terry Allen album now.

  7. A slow start until I tuned into the right wavelength then a good, steady solve through to the end. I liked many of the interesting and innovative surfaces, but my favourite was 17d. Great entertainment.

    My thanks to SL and ALP.

  8. Started fairly slowly but my persistence was rewarded as the pennies started to drop.
    Never heard of the music genre.
    I hope Mr Connery is OK with the gentle fun in 4d.
    Top two for me are 18a and 27a.
    Thanks to Dharma and ALP.

  9. It took me quite a while to get onto the setter’s wavelength before pennies started to drop. Lots of clever surfaces and I loved what gets a surgeon going. Needed ALP’s parsing to confirm a couple of answers.
    19D took the honours for me.
    Many thanks to ALP and Dharma.

  10. I started slowly and continued like that. 19d and 24d both bung ins, I’m still not sure I understand them now. I didn’t find this straightforward at all but persevered and got there in the end. I enjoyed the challenge. Favourite was 25a. Thanks to Dharma and ALP.

    1. Hi Taylor, hope this helps.
      19d. D[emocrat] + LiEs after (to support in a down) CAN (jail, US origin) = summat that’s got a wick.
      24d. SO (do re mi, etc) + AD(vert) > DA (reversed/over) = US (Miley’s, etc) word for (fizzy) pop.

  11. Another slow starter here; I thought Dharma was being very devious in the top half. Favourites were 21a [a lovely surface exactly mirroring the wordplay] 17d [just brilliant] and 20d [dictator from abroad!]
    Thanks to Dharma and ALP – good to hear Fingers, and Terry Allen channelling Lowell George.

  12. Many thanks to everyone who has left feedback, much appreciated, and especially to ALP for his usual spot-on review. Nice to see a wide variety of clues “mentioned in dispatches”
    Frankie @ 8. No music genre in there, the solution to 24d is an American term for pop as in drink 😊.

    2. Thanks for the feedback Dharma.
      I am familiar with the term for the drink over the pond so from what you say, you used the singer as an example of an American.
      Strangely enough, the internet does identify Soda Pop music as a genre and Miley Cyrus’ music as an example of it!

  14. 2*/4* ….
    liked 19D “Wicked thing, Democrat lies regularly to support Trump’s jail (6)”

Comments are closed.