Toughie No 3582 by Light
Hints and tips by ALP
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Toughie difficulty */** – Enjoyment ****
Sue is still off games and we all wish her well, but don’t worry – she’ll be doing star jumps again before you know it. So, I’m afraid you’ve got me instead. You’ll just have to be terribly, terribly brave! Some vintage references from Light today – a 1966 footballer, a post-war singer and a grand old comic. Nostalgic fun. All yours.
Across
1a Soldier with brother, a comedian (5,6)
TOMMY COOPER: Soldier/private + brother/blimey + three-letter ‘A’.
7a Somewhat dulcet or mellifluous singer? (5)
TORMÉ: Lurker, hidden in the second, third and fourth words = (chestnut-roasting) singer, known for his dulcet voice.
8a Stagger and jump, hemmed in by cliffs (4-5)
ROCK-BOUND: Stagger/reel + jump/leap.
10a Banks perhaps getting tip from security guards (7)
KEEPERS: (Gordon) Banks + S[ecurity].
11a They may sack bishop protecting assistant close to satanists (7)
RAIDERS: Two-letter bishop protecting/containing assistant/helper, plus [satanist]S.
12a Many drinking loudly, being high (5)
ALOFT: Many/loads drinking/containing the usual “loudly”.
13a Food prepared it’s wiser to keep hot? (5,4)
IRISH STEW: ITSWISER, prepared, keeping/containing the usual “hot”.
16a Resist texts now and then, faced with froideur – this may come from waiter (3,6)
ICE BUCKET: Resist/oppose + [t]E[x]T[s], after (faced with) froideur/coolness.
18a Perhaps French and Saunders finally begins to appear (5)
DAWNS: Ms French + [Saunder]S.
19a Part of house where gong is sounded? (7)
KITCHEN: Double definition. I did consider the faint possibility of an extra layer of cryptic definition, but I imagine a (dinner) gong would rarely, if ever, be struck here.
22a Something Texan needs to crack when driving? (7)
RAWHIDE: What a Texan (cowboy, say) might crack/whip when driving/whipping stock, etc.
23a Understanding music genre receives approving remark (9)
TOLERANCE: Music genre (electro dance) receives/contains “approving remark”. In bullfighting, say.
24a Old people scratch in the ears (5)
GREYS: Homophone (in the ears) of “scratch”. Knees, etc.
25a An item has tweeters raging (11)
SWEETHEARTS: HASTWEETERS, raging.
Down
1d Article’s penned on what sounds like problem group (9)
THREESOME: Three-letter “article” has penned/contained on/concerning + a homophone of (maths) problem.
2d Support for fencing sheep that’s a life-saver (3,4)
MAE WEST: (Nautical) support fencing/containing (female) sheep.
3d Standard flying, introduction to Tricky Dicky’s enthralling a Republican (9)
YARDSTICK: T[ricky]+DICKYS, flying, enthralling/containing ‘A’ + ‘R’.
4d Papa’s next to this exceptionally large coach (5)
OSCAR: Exceptionally large/outsize + (railway) coach.
5d Student, seized by local roughly, is put out (7)
PUBLISH: The usual “student” seized by/inside local/inn and “roughly” suffix.
6d Programme is lacking in direction (5)
ROUTE: Programme/schedule, minus/lacking “in”.
7d Rouse a slip when openers swap? It’s what bowler should do (4,1,6)
TAKE A WICKET: A Spoonerism in disguise. Synonyms for “rouse” (from sleep) and “slip” (of paper, etc) have their initial letters/openers swapped. The ‘A’ stays unchanged between them, obviously.
9d Lovely rings for 19 staff (11)
DISHWASHERS: Lovely/stunner + (small, rubber) rings. The definition relates to 19a.
14d Cut in top leaves colourist with overlay half-finished (9)
INTERVENE: Colourist/dyer, minus its first/top letter + “with overlay”, minus the last four letters/half-finished.
15d Quality of port selection from delicatessen in Watford on the up (9)
TAWNINESS: Lurker, reversed (on the up) in the sixth, seventh and eighth words.
17d Put off hack? (7)
UNHORSE: Cryptic definition. “Put off” as throw, “hack” as horse/horse ride. This surface tickled me.
18d Imposing old lady starts to dust office with Pledge (7)
DOWAGER: D[ust] O[ffice] + pledge/promise (to pay). I didn’t even know Pledge spray still existed. It does!
20d Reports regularly neglected trawl-nets (5)
TALES: T[r]A[w]L[n]E[t]S.
21d New single, initially tuneful composition (5)
NONET: The usual “new” + single/1 + T[uneful].
We’ve got anagrams, lurkers and homophones – two apiece – plus cryptic definition, one double and a sort-of-Spoonerism. I especially enjoyed 10a’s “Banks”, 5d’s “roughly” and 17d’s surface, but 18d tickled me the most. How did you get on?
I found this very difficult but managed to finish it.
I couldn’t help but think of RayT at 25a, and i loved the surface of 18d.
Many thanks to Light and to ALP.
I hope CS is recovering from her knee op, and enjoying her birthday today.
Another very enjoyable Light puzzle. I was held up in the northeast by foolishly putting in omega next to papa, which, of course, it ain’t! Lots of good clues but I liked the quality of port in Watford.
It’s a strange thing but when Twmbarlwm started setting the back pagers, I just couldn’t get on with them but now I appreciate and enjoy both those and his toughies.
Thanks to Light for the puzzle and super sub ALP and hoping Sue is on the mend.
Slightly quirky from Light, with an unidentified Spoonerism and an anagram for his favourite term of endearment.
1a went in just like that and Rowdy Yates was fondly recalled in 22a.
I also liked the understanding music genre in 23a.
Nothing too tricky for a midweek toughie, my thanks to Ray and ALP.
Not a Beamer Frankie – T is Light.
Blinded by the Light.
A cracking puzzle – thanks to Light and ALP.
Needless to say I didn’t knpw the 23a music genre but it couldn’t be anything else.
Ticks from me for 1a, 1d, 4d, 18d and (my favourite) 17d.
Great puzzle. Found it less tricky than yesterday other than an almighty head scratch with the last in homophone at 24a – should have looked in the mirror. No real favourite clue – liked ‘em all really but maybe the downs had the edge over the across clues.
Thanks to Light & to ALP – am a huge Coen brothers fan & reckon ILD seriously underrated when I see lists of their best films. Great to hear Frankie but I’d have gone all in you’d have picked Dan & John
Haha, I fear I bottled it due to the (very mild) swearing. Thank you for rectifying my shameful lapse!
Slow start but picked up pace once a few checkers were in. The parsing of the second half of 1a went over my head. All in all a most enjoyable puzzle. Thanks to Light & ALP.
If i remember rightly I struggled with the last Light not so today although some in the NE took some working out. Old enough to remember Gordon but had to check froideur, duly noted. Favourite was 18a as it took a while for the penny to drop. Thanks to Light and ALP. No time to do crosswords yesterday.
Wonderful puzzle, a delight from first to last. The singer in 7a was unknown to me but very fairly clued; spent embarrassingly long wondering why the Greys were so special in antiquity… The music genre in 23a is one of my favourites, fortunately.
Many thanks indeed to Light and ALP