Toughie 3518 – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Toughie 3518

by crypticsue  

Toughie  No 3518 by Hudson

Hints and Tips by crypticsue

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

Always a treat to get a crossword from Hudson and I really enjoyed solving and blogging this one, especially as I knew the all the  ‘stuff’ he had included in the mix.  Some lovely surface readings – I’m still smiling at the idea of the three characters in 12d (with their translators) getting together to make 12a music!

Please let us know what you thought

Across

1a           Her BBC cameo involved a white Roller (11)
BEACHCOMBER An anagram (involved) of HER BBC CAMEO makes a long rolling wave

9a           Posh limos regularly scratched here in the US (4)
OHIO The even (regularly scratched) letters of pOsH lImOs

10a         Fierce fighting to fluster gasman, according to Spooner (6,5)
BATTLE ROYAL The Reverend Spooner would have said that this fierce fighting would disconcert or fluster the scientist who in 1662 announced the law that, for a gas at a given temperature, pressure varies inversely to volume

11a         Lady lodged in pad in Eastbourne after retiring (4)
ENID Hidden in reverse (after retiring) in paD IN Eastbourne

14a         Star Joey (first seen in Friends) gets opening part in Top Gear (7)
SUNROOF A very big star, a baby kangaroo (joey) and the first letter of Friends

16a         Writer Peters appears in court, one associated with Bow (7)
CELLIST Fortunately I was a fan of this writer’s Brother Cadfael books so the writer’s pen name was the first thing that came to mind when I read the first two words of the clue.  Her forename should be inserted into (appears) in the abbreviation for court

17a         Essential to maintain temperature in bottle (5)
VITAL The abbreviation for Temperature ‘maintained’ in a small bottle

18a         Cold bird of prey that sits on top of chimney (4)
COWL The abbreviation for Cold and a bird of prey

19a         Carry goods dropped by mendicant (4)
BEAR Two lots of the abbreviation for Good ‘dropped’ by a mendicant

20a         Smile dutifully when beginning dreary work (5)
GRIND A broad smile and the ‘beginning’ of Dutifully

22a         Vile muck lorry emptied out (7)
EARTHLY Organic material for planting (muck) and the outside (emptied out) letters of LorrY

23a         Deviating from course around noon, clearly tired (7)
YAWNING Of a ship or plane deviating from course goes ‘around’ the abbreviation for Noon

24a         Genuine theatrical giant (not British) (4)
ECHT   An adjective meaning genuine, borrowed from German or Yiddish, is obtained by removing the abbreviation for British from the surname of a German playwright, poet, and theatrical reformer known for his influential works and the development of epic theatre

28a         Fury maybe raging why I hate veg? (11)
HEAVYWEIGHT A reference to Tyson the boxer – an anagram (raging) of WHY I HATE VEG

29a         Northern Europeans eschewing loud pubs (4)
INNS Some Northern Europeans without (eschewing) the musical abbreviation for loud

30a         When drunk, eats kebab, with case of disorder in tummy (11)
BREADBASKET A slang name for the stomach is an anagram (when drunk) of EATS KEBAB and the ‘case’ of DisordeR

Down

2d           Cheese produced that’s revolting (4)
EDAM A reversal (that’s revolting) of a synonym for produced

3d           Astute chap who tried to stop 1s has article spiked (4)
CUTE The King who tried to stop the waves without (spiked in the sense of rejected) an indefinite article

4d           Dramatist to get on with to-do list, we’re told? (7)
CHEKHOV This Russian dramatist sound like (we’re told) an instruction to get on with a to-do list

5d           Low resistance fell (4)
MOOR A noise made by cattle (low) and the symbol for Resistance

6d           Welshman starts to gild English language gospel (7)
EVANGEL Instruct in the gospel – a Welshman’s name and the ‘starts’ to Gild English Language

7d           Fine art style feature over island lake (11)
CHINOISERIE A facial feature, the cricket abbreviation for Over, an abbreviated island and one of the Great Lakes

8d           Clarets do go off, even if they’re kept here (4,7)
COLD STORAGE An anagram (off) of CLARETS DO GO

12d         Korean rapper, Argentine Marxist and English cook making druggy music? (11)
PSYCHEDELIA  A wonderfully bizarre combination of the Korean rapper responsible for Gangnam Style, crosswordland’s most useful Argentinian Marxist and the forename of an English cook

13d         Poor wee orphans receiving new messages here (11)
ANSWERPHONE An anagram (poor) of WEE ORPHANS into which is inserted (receiving) the abbreviation for New

15d         Fish dressing that is spicy (5)
FIERY Young fish ‘dressing’ the abbreviation meaning that is

16d         Shrewd Conservative always carrying notes (5)
CANNY The abbreviation for Conservative and an archaic or poetic word meaning always ‘carrying’ two abbreviations for Note

20d         Family leaves King Lear to grapple with upper-class English complaint (4,3)
GLUE EAR Remove the family from kinG LEAR and put the remaining letters round (grapple with) the letter representing upper-class and the abbreviation for English

21d         Net part integral to wood ark we built (4,3)
DARK WEB Hidden in (integral to) the last four words of the clue

25d         Ultraviolet beam exposed section of the eye (4)
UVEA The abbreviation for Ultraviolet and the inside (exposed) letters of bEAm

26d         Areas in theatres where one might see Hamilton? (4)
PITS Areas in theatres or somewhere one might see Lewis Hamilton

27d         Small tool that extends over a foot (4)
SHOE The abbreviation for Small and a long-handled tool

 

 

15 comments on “Toughie 3518”

  1. 14a and 12d are at the top of my podium this afternoon from this friendly but very original puzzle from one of my personal favourite compilers. The whole grid felt very fresh and was full of great surfaces.

    My thanks to Hudson and Sue.

  2. Excellent! I really enjoyed the challenge with 14a, 12d & 26d making it onto my podium.

    I’ve never heard of 7d but the answer appeared simply by following the instructions in the wordplay.

    Surely 24a is a German word. Would anyone British actually use it?

    Many thanks to Hudson and to CS.

  3. Great fun. 10a’s “gasman” and 26d’s “Hamilton” are superb, and 12d made me chuckle. What an image! Best thanks to Hudson and Sue.

  4. Apart from two solutions which are not English based words, (24a and 7d), this was as straightforward a toughie as we’ve had in quite some time and wouldn’t have been out of place as a backpager. Perhaps the crossword editor felt the need to show mercy after yesterday’s much more intense mental workout.
    Fun though and I liked the misdirections of the gasman in 10a, Joey first seen in Friends at 14a and the theatre areas where Hamilton is seen in 26d.
    My old man used to refer to the stuff I listened to as a late teenager as druggy music, so the humorously constructed 12d also gets a thumbs up from me.
    Many thanks to Hudson and CS.

  5. Plain sailing except 24a which had me stumped although I do recall seeing this answer in crossword land before. 14a was my favourite. Thanks to Hudson & CS.

    1. I’ve rescued you from moderation after you got a bit carried away with the number of Ns in Jonners!

  6. As Frankiemillwall above says, apart from 24a and 7d, all very straightforward.
    Favourite clue 14a, followed by 18a.

    Many thanks to Hudson and to CS.

  7. Very enjoyable as always from Hudson – thanks to him and CS.
    I have loads of ticks on my printout including 10a (gasman – brilliant!), 14a, 28a, 12d and 26d.

    1. I totally disagree about 10a. The name Boyle is not a diphthong, and yes I am very familiar with his gas laws.

  8. I didn’t know 1a, 24a, 6d, 7d or 25d all of which added to the difficulty for me. I had to check the writer but on the plus side I did know the gasman. I stuck at it and got there in the end. Favourite was 28a. Thanks to Hudson and CS.

  9. Tremendous puzzle, as one has come to hope on seeing the name Hudson in the credits. Great surfaces, very generous dollop of straightforward and useful anagrams, much wit from first to last. Would have been a swifter solve had I not on seeing the Korean rapper and druggy music, misspelt the middle of my biffed answer. So much to enjoy but honours go to the Spoonerism, dreary work, druggy music and theatrical F1 driver.

    Many thanks to Hudson and CS

  11. Sorry, but I thought this was a bit mundane for Hudson and rather anagram-heavy. Some good clues in there though – 10a [gasman indeed] 14a [ace definition] and the Hamiltons at 26d.
    Thanks to Hudson and CS.

  13. 7d&24a my last 2 in too. They were the only real head scratches though a bit slow to twig the gasman & Lewis & like MG I wouldn’t have bet my house on the middle vowel in 12d. Perhaps a tad anagram heavy for a Toughie but who cares if like 28a the surface conjures an image of Tyson having a hissy fit over a plateful of peas.
    Great fun & fully agree with the ***** enjoyment rating. Thanks to Hudson & Sue.

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