Toughie No 3692 by Luxor
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***
By Friday Toughie standards this is fairly straightforward. Thanks to Luxor for the enjoyable puzzle.
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
Across Clues
1a Lost bearings over idle talk exposed as military bluster (5-8)
SABRE-RATTLING: an anagram (lost) of BEARINGS containing a word for idle talk without its outer letters.
10a Valuable craft for Spooner in the very beginning (4,3)
YEAR DOT: the Rev. might turn this into an expensive vessel.
11a Pollock, for example, pulling line (7)
PAINTER: double definition, the first is not a fish but an American noted for splashing his material around.
12a Some joining ranks, say, having no time for Union (4)
AXIS: remove the abbreviation for time from what may join ranks (outside a railway station perhaps).
13a Walk in the park and drive home leaking last of petrol (5)
CINCH: a verb to drive home or settle (an argument, say) without the last letter of petrol.
14a Petty quarrel blows over (4)
SPAT: reverse light blows.
17a Gunner oddly engulfed by liabilities resulting from fire (7)
IGNEOUS: the odd letters of gunner are contained in financial liabilities.
18a Clean uniform grabbed by one touching down at Heathrow? (7)
LAUNDER: the Nato Phonetic Alphabet’s uniform is contained in something or someone touching down at an airport.
19a Polish ambassador blocking return of phones (7)
SHELLAC: the abbreviation title of an ambassador goes inside the reversal of a verb meaning phones.
22a Initially, meat and flour might make food for recent arrivals (7)
FORMULA: an anagram (might make) of M[eat] A[nd] FLOUR.
24a Very European welcome at first centre of industry (4)
HIVE: abbreviations for very and European preceded by a word of welcome.
25a Exam’s no big deal when avoiding numbers 4 or 6 (5)
TRIAL: start with an adjective meaning ‘no big deal’ and remove the Roman numeral for either four or six.
26a Raw material partly sourced from the East (4)
ECRU: hidden in reverse.
29a Contemplate independence subject to light support (7)
MULLION: assemble a verb to contemplate or ponder, the abbreviation for independence and a preposition meaning ‘subject to’. The answer (new to me) means a vertical support between panes of glass in a window.
30a Jazz fan engaging soldier with a vocal composition (7)
CANTATA: an informal jazz fan contains a soldier insect. Finish with A.
31a Tell runners, perhaps, pursuing lighter subject without me (5,3,5)
SPILL THE BEANS: what runners may be an example of in your vegetable garden follows a thin strip used for lighting a flame and a synonym of subject without ‘me’.
Down Clues
2d Great Britain now and then supporting American horse (7)
ARABIAN: regular letters from ‘Great Britain’ follow an abbreviation for American.
3d Dictator’s cross and aggressive (4)
RUDE: homophone of a cross or crucifix.
4d Sells particular attributes having run as new leader (7)
RETAILS: particular attributes or characteristics with the first letter changed to the abbreviation for a cricket run.
5d Characteristic advice broadcast specially for dieters? (7)
TYPICAL: what sounds like a bit of advice or a hint is followed by what resembles (1,3) a description meaning ‘aimed at dieters’.
6d Ordinary Californian city vice revealed (4)
LAIC: an abbreviated Californian city and the inner letters of vice.
7d Agree about thespian regularly getting writer’s block (7)
NOTEPAD: a verb to signify agreement contains regular letters from thespian.
8d Flaming pile this person pockets at the heart of school’s dodgy business (7,6)
PYRAMID SCHEME: a flaming funeral pile and a personal pronoun contain an adjective meaning ‘at the heart of’ and an abbreviation for school.
9d Rare, virtually pure talent for dancing is uncanny (13)
PRETERNATURAL: an anagram (for dancing) of RARE PUR[e] TALENT.
15d Tree-hugger climbing after agreement (5)
KOALA: stick together a preposition, from French, meaning after or ‘in the style of’ and an abbreviated informal agreement then reverse it all.
16d Conquer afresh after dropping vacant Clive for beefy substitute (5)
QUORN: an anagram (afresh) of CONQUER after dropping the outer letters of Clive.
20d Cover version of novel record’s captivating (7)
ENVELOP: one of our usual abbreviated records contains an anagram (version) of NOVEL.
21d Standard-bearer holding nothing for royal accessory (7)
CORONET: an old word for the lowest-ranked commissioned officer whose duties included carrying the colours contains the letter that resembles zero.
22d Intended fund to sack new head of economics (7)
FIANCÉE: a verb to fund without an abbreviation for new is followed by the first letter of economics.
23d Release from loveless marriage blocked by Earl Grey? (7)
UNCHAIN: remove the zero-resembling letter from a synonym of marriage and insert an informal word for what Earl Grey is an example of.
27d Watch part of local speeches (missing second half) (4)
DIAL: the first half only of a word meaning local or regional forms of speech.
28d Opener for pot of neat rum (4)
ANTE: an anagram (rum) of NEAT.
For my podium I’ve plumped for 11a, 12a and 15d. How does yours match up?
Unaccustomed as I am (‘ere we,go…) to this compiler’s style, I nevertheless soon hooked on to it.
A cracking puzzle, full of flowing surface readings and misleadingly amusing definitions.
Nice to have nothing obscure or contentious on a Friday.
My COTD is the Revd’s 10a, another amusing term often heard on my old manor.
The shortened mobile moneyboxes at 12a and the semi-homophonic, low-fat 5d were among many clues to raise a smile here in this scorchio Kentish garden.
A fine way to sign off the week, my thanks to Luxor and CS.
Whoops, Gazza I mean!
Gentle for a Friday,15d took me a while though. 25a and 31a were my favourites. Thanks to Gazza and Luxor.
More of a 2* Toughie than a Friday Toughie but an enjoyable crossword. My favourite clue was 25a
Quite a lot of wordy clues but fortunately the two that needed a separate page of their own were easy to solve so didn’t need writing on the first sheet of paper
Thanks to Luxor and Gazza