Toughie No 3568 by Elgar
Hints and Tips by crypticsue
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Toughie Difficulty ***** – Enjoyment ****
The usual extreme brain-mangling exercise that we have come to expect on alternate Fridays.
Please let us know what you thought
Across
1a/28a It’s important you make this call (8,8)
LANDMARK DECISION A call of outstanding significance
9a Visiting W3, one’s taken rest (8)
INACTION If you were visiting London W3 you would be xx xxxxx; the Roman numeral for one should be inserted (taken)
10a Unframed announcement put on display about the Listener (4)
OTIC Remove the outside letters (unframed) of an announcement that is put on display
11a Adjusted policy taking my age into consideration: hospital added US-style condition (12)
HYPOGLYCEMIA An anagram (adjusted) of POLICY MY AGE and H (hospital)
13a Voice link cut by writer during Wembley-based fracas? (8)
FALSETTO Remove the substance used in writing from Link and insert the remaining letter into a description of a Football Association fracas
15a Mischievous beggar needs to give over (6)
IMPISH A word meaning make poor (beggar) without (needs to give) OVER
16a/17a/18a Do what’s necessary to solve 24 Down? Carry on speaking (4,2,3,4)
TAKE UP THE WORD This expression meaning to carry on speaking tells you what to do to get the solution to 24d
17a See 16 Across
18a See 16 Across
20a Is it omitted from tequilas in cocktail? (6)
EQUALS An anagram (cocktail) of tEQUiLAS once you have omitted the IT
21a Who’s dying from declamatory sermon? (8)
EXPIRANT A preposition meaning from and an obtrusively religious sermon or tirade
23a Bears the finale of the poet (6,6)
RUPERT BROOKE An English comic strip bear and a verb meaning to bear or endure followed by the last letter (finale) of thE
26a Christmas story, long drawn-out? Not very (4)
NOEL A long story without the abbreviation for Very
27a Curse America after it cuts national song (8)
ANATHEMA One abbreviation for America ‘cuts’ a national song, another being placed after the result
28a See 1 Across
Down
2d Robots start to assist university doing a test on car wheels (8)
AUTOMATA The ‘starts’ to Assist and University and a reversal (wheels) of a proposition meaning doing and an annual test on a car
3d Dictator, staying in the region of bar, sorry for picking up material (8,4)
DUCHESSE LACE The title of the Italian dictator Mussolini into which is inserted reversed (for picking up) of an abbreviated way of saying about, in the region of, an interjection expressing failure to hear (sorry), and a synonym for bar or minus I stared at this clue and solution for a very long time and it was only when I emailed Gazza for help that Gnome’s Law came into play, and I finally saw how to parse the clue
4d Recommend Mr B’s predecessor for lifting depression (6)
ARMPIT Indicate or recommend and the person who would go before Mr B
5d/14d/25d Eurovision winning song’s sound reworked in style of Spooner number (4,2,3,4)
KING OF THE ROAD A 1964 song by Roger Miller (number). The dreaded Reverend would probably call it the sound of the 2024 Eurovision winning song
6d Refined, first impression of Kate, ideally? (8)
LADYLIKE An anagram (impression) of the first letter of Kate and IDEALLY
7d `Strong partnership engaged in business (4)
FIRM An adjective meaning strong or a partnership or business
8d See 16 Down
12d Delegations sent abroad to apprehend politician who needs to pay the writer (12)
EMPOWERMENTS An anagram (abroad) of SENT ‘apprehends’ a politician, someone who needs to pay and Elgar referring to himself as the writer
14d See 5 Down
16d/8d People at large are what thug needs for excitement (3,5,8)
THE GREAT UNWASHED An anagram (for excitement) of ARE WHAT THUG NEEDS
17d Source of spillage after the Rising Sun? (8)
UPSETTER A synonym for rising and a description of the sun
19d Stock farmer went smartly around lion (8)
RANCHERO Went fast, the Latin abbreviation for around and a person of unusual courage (lion)
22d Prescribed drug for Caroline, needing a boost (6)
PROZAC A preposition meaning for and a reversed (needing a boost) diminutive form of Caroline
24d Pull waterproof over buttocks (4)
PRAT A slang name for the buttocks. Reverse (pull over) an abbreviated waterproof
25d See 5 Down
I thought I would see how I got on with an Elgar toughie and to my surprise, I managed to finish it! It was a bit of a brain mangler, as Sue says, and I was unsure on the parsing of a few, so thanks for the explanations. My last one in was 4d and it made me smile when I worked out why.
It was an enjoyable way to spend far too much time on another grey day!
Thanks to Elgar for the puzzle.
Elgar’s pretty tricky today (nothing new there) and pretty enjoyable – thanks to him and CS.
I’m probably missing something but I can’t see much that’s cryptic about 1/28a.
Top clues for me were 23a and 4d.
All done except the buttocks, which was a definition I didn’t know. A bit easier than usual for me overall. Acton being W3 is a pretty obscure bit of GK though, and I certainly needed the hint to parse 3d, the answer to which which had come inspirationally.
Thanks
Cracking puzzle, a real brain teaser, completed in three sessions. Having happily avoided London for 25+ years now, I had to check which parts comprised W3. The word for buttocks was new to me, and I could not parse 5d nor my LOI, 3d. But a brilliant puzzle from Mr H, as usual.
Many thanks to Elgar and especially to Sue
Picked up this morning and completed this afternoon. Another highly entertaining challenge. Thanks to Elgar & CS.
One of my plane-travel reserve that I completely failed on when in the air. And I can see why. Even with a full set of cheating and checking tools, I’ve never had a full grid with so many “why is that the answer?” queries. Thanks to CS for the enlightenment, and to Elgar for taking the trouble to completely mangle my brain!