Toughie No 3524 by Osmosis
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment ****
Osmosis is at his most devious today. This took me some time but getting the spine of the grid (5d) early was a big help. I did enjoy the struggle – many thanks to our setter.
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
Across Clues
1a Does this decrease annoyance with husband? (6)
HANGER: something that may help to remove creases comes from a synonym of annoyance preceded by the genealogical abbreviation for husband.
5a Runner, cold on track, training high-flyers (8)
FALCONRY: assemble a river in Cornwall, the tap abbreviation for cold, ON and the abbreviation for track.
9a Bohemian afraid to cross Welshman with extremists in Pwllheli (4,6)
FREE SPIRIT: a dialect word meaning afraid (once famously used by Mrs Thatcher in the Commons) contains a Welsh male name and the outer letters of Pwllheli.
10a Approaching doctors or nurses (2,2)
OR SO: hidden.
11a Heart-throb circling a bar is hot stuff (8)
HABANERO: a heart-throb or admired man contains A and a verb to bar.
12a Peddler regularly smuggled in whisky, an inferior version (3-3)
RED-EYE: regular letters from peddler go inside a type of whisky to make a US term for poor-quality whisky.
13a Bill smashing fruit (4)
ACAI: the abbreviation for a bill or invoice and an abbreviation meaning smashing or excellent.
15a Wrench fixed delivered vehicle (8)
RICKSHAW: a verb meaning to wrench (one’s neck perhaps) and a homophone (to some, not to me) of an adjective meaning fixed or secure.
18a Bowler here nursing new knee dismissing core tool (5,3)
ALLEN KEY: where a bowler might seek a spare contains the abbreviation for new and the outer letters of knee.
19a Scotsman article? Savage perhaps renouncing another newspaper (4)
ALLY: a nickname or diminutive forename (especially in Scotland) comes from one of our indefinite articles followed by the forename of Ms. Savage (the drag persona of Paul O’Grady) without the title of a daily newspaper.
21a Common pigeon at back fence might observe this? (6)
OMERTÀ: how a type of pigeon might be commonly pronounced (especially by a Cockney) followed by the reversal of AT. The answer is a vow of silence which a fence (or other criminal) might observe.
23a Plonk second truck in RSPB reserve (8)
SAUTERNE: start with the abbreviation for second then insert an Australian truck into an RSPB reserve in Dorset.
25a Noted sibling initially brawled, thumping when upset (4)
GIBB: the surname of a sibling who produced musical notes as part of a group comes from joining the initial letter of brawled and an adjective meaning thumping or immense then reversing it all.
26a Playing cards well in vault (10)
HANDSPRING: a collection of playing cards and a synonym of well or spa.
27a City’s fine castle (8)
STOKESAY: a city in Staffordshire with its ‘S and a Scot’s word of assent or approval.
28a Crop circle, with knot, in closed environment? (6)
TOMATO: the circular letter and a knot or tangled mass go inside an adverb meaning closed (usually used of a door).
Down Clues
2d Time to stop strain in cavities (5)
ATRIA: the abbreviation for time interrupts a strain or song.
3d Islander boosted a work unit lunch? (9)
GRENADINE: reverse a work unit (2,3) and add a verb to lunch.
4d Jimmy consumed by game’s ready for an Indian (6)
RUPEES: what Jimmy (Mr Riddle) means as a slang term is contained in our usual abbreviated sport with its ‘S.
5d Film pro broadcast English river surveys alone (3,4,4,4)
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY: deduce in turn a preposition meaning pro, a homophone of a Yorkshire river, a verb meaning surveys and a synonym of alone.
6d Erudite character having fewer calories (spicy) (8)
LITERACY: an adjective meaning lower in calories and an adjective meaning spicy or bawdy.
7d Assembly led by school’s fourth or fifth former (2,3)
OF OLD: an assembly or congregation preceded by the fourth or fifth letter of school.
8d Drink with copper overseeing arrest (5,4)
RUSTY NAIL: copper (as an adjective) and an informal verb meaning arrest.
14d Gill, maybe, Irishman served originally in mug (9)
COLUMNIST: Gill is the surname of an old regular food and travel writer on the Sunday Times. Start with an Irish forename then insert the first letter of served into a synonym of mug or fool.
16d One’s beaten teammates meeting a Grand National winner (5,4)
SNARE DRUM: teammates at bridge followed by A and the most famous Grand National winner.
17d Car still occupying periphery of spacious island (8)
SKIATHOS: a South Korean car and a short conjunction meaning still or yet occupy the outer letters of spacious.
20d Secure covering foremost to underpin smalls? (6)
GUSSET: an all-in-one clue. A verb to secure or obtain contains the foremost letter of underpin and two occurrences of the clothing abbreviation for small.
22d Current king overwhelmed by Polish inventor (5)
RUBIK: the symbol for electric current and the chess abbreviation for king are preceded by a verb to polish.
24d Musical piece that skilled aerialist stipulates? (5)
NONET: a skilled (or foolhardy?) aerialist might stipulate this (2,3).
I enjoyed lots of clues here including 1a, 21a, 25a and 20d. Which one(s) did the business for you?
Now that’s a toughie! I had both 23 and 25 across but couldn’t think of the sibling or the reserve. Gill in 14d rang a vague bell but is pretty obscure. I liked 1a [once the penny dropped] 12a, 6d and 7d but 15a and 5d contain 2 of the lousiest homophones for years.
Thanks to Osmosis and Gazza..
I found three-quarters of this surprisingly straightforward for an Osmosis puzzle, but some of the rest was like root canal work without an anaesthetic, with some ‘interesting’ definitions (eg I find that a 1a might prevent creases but it tends not to remove them) and two bits of GK which for me were to say the least esoteric – the RSPB reserve and Irish name.
But plenty of smiles and a laugh out loud moment when 21a dawned. Honours to the latter, along with 9a, 27a, 16d & 17d.
Many thanks to Osmosis and to Gazza
I found this very difficult and failed on quite a few.
I wasn’t going to comment because of my incompetence today, but think that respect needs to be shown to setter and blogger.
Many thanks to Osmosis for an enjoyable, ferocious challenge, and to Gazza for the explanations of a puzzle that was today, out of my league.
Thanks Jezza.
It is disappointing to find only three comments on the blog at 9 pm.
Then I will add a fourth regarding 3d. Lunch and Dine are not the same thing; the former happens in the middle of the day and the latter in the evening.
Sadly, Gazza, I think the notoriety of the Friday Toughie drives people away. Can’t understand that myself – I think the self-flagellation of tackling these particular puzzles over the past several years has greatly improved my general solving ability. That and reading the bloggers’ explanations afterwards of course!
Thank you so much for doing what you do here – I imagine it must occasionally be dispiriting to receive so few comments, but I for one would have been quite lost over the years without you, Dutch and Sue on Friday Toughie Duty.
It may also be that some of us found the puzzle not to our liking and refused to waste any time on it.
That’s certainly a very strong likelihood too!
An early start on Fridays and duties to Mama Bee always curtail my Friday solves, together with the distraction of the centenary and vintage puzzles, means I got here late. I really appreciate all the Friday setters and bloggers and hope that more people try these peaks of the art of setting (and blogging)
Just manage to polish this off, with just a little bit of mild “cheating” to wrap up 25a. Very enjoyable but full value for the Friday Toughie slot.
I didn’t know the fruit, and I think dismissing Sauternes as plonk is a bit harsh! I’m also not sure about equating copper and rusty; it goes against my chemistry background.
A lot of great clues, but 1a takes it for me. Thanks to Osmosis first he brain scramble and Gazza for the Blog.
“Her hair was a copper/rusty colour” – doesn’t that work?