Toughie 3482 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Toughie 3482

by crypticsue  

Toughie  No 3482 by Gila

Hints and Tips by crypticsue

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

Gila’s Toughies usually appear on a quarterly basis but it has been five months since his last one in December 2024.

It seemed when solving that there were quite few anagrams, but there were only five.  However, the clues requiring something to be inserted into something else were almost too many to count, especially in the Across clues

Please let us know what you thought

Across

1a           Point of carbon copy (4)
CAPE The chemical symbol for Carbon and a verb meaning to copy

3a           Plot involving criminals downloading content illegally? (10)
CONSPIRACY Some abbreviated informal criminals and the crime of downloading content illegally

9a           Last piece of tofu put on noodles (4)
UDON The last piece of tofU and put on (cloths perhaps)

10a         Carefully considered but unscrupulous thing ticket vendors may do? (7-3)
THOUGHT OUT A synonym for but and what unscrupulous ticket vendors may do

11a         Story featuring old, revolutionary US police officer (7)
TROOPER A reversal (revolutionary) of an account or story ‘featuring’ the abbreviation for Old

13a         Porter possibly embracing support for school (7)
COLLEGE The forename of an American composer and songwriter (Porter possibly) ‘embracing’ a support (for a body or a table perhaps)

14a         Cook sautés game stuffed with a pork mince (7,4)
SAUSAGE MEAT An anagram (cook) of SAUTES GAME ‘stuffed’ with A (from the clue)

18a         To ad-lib requires energy and variable uptick in rhythm? (11)
EXTEMPORISE The symbol for Energy, a mathematical variable and a two-word phrase for an uptick in rhythm

21a         Loud, dirty entertainment spot (7)
FUNFAIR The musical abbreviation for loud and dirty or dishonest

22a         Emollient initially absorbed by cuts on the back as well (7)
BESIDES The initial letter of Emollient ‘absorbed’ by sound recordings (cuts) found on the back of 45 rpm records

23a         Happy to admit you can count on me getting knocked out (10)
ELIMINATED Very happy to ‘admit’ a two-word phrase meaning you can count on me

24a         Fastening securing a stitch? (4)
PAIN A small fastening ‘securing’ A (from the clue)

25a         Name of nurse in control (10)
DENOMINATE An abbreviated Enrolled Nurse inserted in control or have power over

26a         Small kind of light conveyance (4)
SLED The abbreviation for Small and a kind of light

Down

1d           Ranked individual left out of legion (8)
COUNTESS Take out the abbreviation for Left from innumerable (legion)

2d           Temporarily stop supporting somebody who’s dishonest (8)
PROROGUE Supporting or in favour of and a dishonest person

4d           Additional, limitless troubles (5)
OTHER The inside (limitless) letters of a synonym for troubles

5d           Dip about to be covered in nuts or sumac (4,5)
SOUR CREAM About or on the subject of ‘covered’ in an anagram (nuts) of OR SUMAC

6d           Many a drawing in salon in Haiti almost completely ruined (11)
INHALATIONS An anagram (ruined) of almost all of SALON IN HAITi

7d           Stirred a pan with thyme and cumin at the bottom (6)
AWOKEN A (from the clue) a Chinese pan and the ‘bottoms’ of thymE and cumiN

8d           Some dismay at terrible, tiresome chat (6)
YATTER Hidden in dismaY AT TERrible

12d         Mural painted mostly around domed building (11)
PLANETARIUM An anagram (around) of most of MURAL PAINTEd

15d         Harbour area beset by unstable internet (9)
ENTERTAIN The abbreviation for Area inserted into (beset by) an anagram (unstable) of INTERNET

16d         Turn and drop fruit on the ground? (8)
WINDFALL Turn or twist and a verb meaning to drop

17d         Experienced steeds regularly binding together (8)
SEASONED The regular letters of StEeDs ‘binding’ a phrase meaning together

19d         Bad intention to cause hurt (6)
OFFEND Bad or rotten and an intention

20d         Nearly all non-mainstream art’s not principally South Asian (6)
INDIAN Almost all of a type of music outside the mainstream of popular music and the principal letters of Art and Not

22d         Goose not going in a straight line across river (5)
BRENT Not going in a straight line goes ‘across’ the abbreviation for River

 

 

18 comments on “Toughie 3482”

  1. Apart from being utterly unable to parse my correct answer to 20d, this was a very enjoyable not-too-tough Toughie with 10a, 23a & 1d making it onto my podium.

    But why use an unnecessary American word in 18a, which creates a jarring surface when a perfect British word (“increase”) would meet the needs of both wordplay and surface?

    Many thanks to Gila and to CS.

  2. I thought this was very good, and not too tricky.
    I ticked 9a 18a 22a 25a 6d and 22d.
    My last to parse, which was 22a, gets my vote.

    Many thanks to Gila and to CS

  3. Classy. Not too taxing, but elegant and crafted with fizzy word choices. 21a’s “dirty”, 22a’s “cuts on the back”, 24a’s “stitch”, etc. I, for one, thought “uptick” worked rather well in 18a’s surface. It’s only “chiefly” American. Loved this. Best thanks to Gila and CS.

    1. not only is uptick chiefly American but they use it a lot on the BBC News!

    2. Belated congrats, ALP, on your Indy debut yesterday – I have not had a chance to look at it, but shall certainly try to find a spare hour or three….!

        1. I really enjoyed your Indy puzzle, ALP, and was helped no end in recalling your fondness for the works of Mr Fowles, assisted of course by the nom de plume. It felt tougher than I think it was, though 1d eluded me. Lots of very clever clueing, and very humorous. Thank you.

  4. Really enjoyed this. Yes, there were a lot of “insert something” clues, and I too thought there were more anagrams than turned out to be the case, but it was just the right level of Toughie challenge for a Wednesday and satisfying to complete. Like RD I could not parse 20d for toffee, nor the “imin” of 23a (doh!), so thank you CS.

    Honours to 9a, 22a, & 6d for the red herring of a definition.

    Many thanks to Gila and CS

  5. Perfectly pitched as a midweek Toughie – thanks to Gila for the entertainment and to CS for the review.
    Top of the leaderboard for me were 22a, 23a and 1d.

  6. Very enjoyable indeed. Like Jezza 22a was my last to parse but unlike him I was nowhere near to pegging the cuts on the back – very clever so guess it’ll get my vote too. Ticks also at 3,10,18&23a plus 1,7,16&17d.
    Thanks to Gila & to CS.

  7. Just right for a Wednesday, good cluing and very enjoyable. I liked 18, 22,23A and 17D with the standout favourite 6D.
    Thanks to CS and Gila.

  8. Glad to see I’m not alone in struggling to parse 22a and 20d, both top clues. I also liked 2a [super surface] and 17d.
    Thanks to Gila and CS.

  9. The 9a answer is a new one to me, as is 8d, though it sounds more humorous than natter or chatter.
    I also had trouble seeing the light in 22a and 20d.
    Some super surface reads, with 22a, 23a and 7d my top three.
    Thanks to CS for clearing up my two question marks and to Gila for a very decent mental workout.

  10. 20d was also my only real hiccup, although on reflection it should not have been. I had plenty of options for a favourite, but that honour goes to 2d.

    Many thanks to both Gila and Sue.

  11. Plain sailing except 7d which took me an age to get despite all the checkers and straightforward clue. 22a gets my vote.

    Thanks to Gila and Sue.

  12. I found this much more straightforward than yesterday’s. I mis-parsed 11a with Trope and R, but it was close enough! No issues with “uptick” in 18a – it feels nicely musical. My favourite is 22d, purely because it’s a goose that doesn’t get a lot of “publicity”. But at the risk of getting the “annoying birder” prize, the geese in the picture CS has used are Barnacles.

    Thanks to Gila for the fun, and CS for the enlightenment, again.

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