Sunday Toughie No 232
by proXimal
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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Many thanks to Mr-K for getting us up and running again. When I finally got to see the puzzle, I was pleasantly surprised but mentally challenged by proXimal.
I see from Phibs’ post that the other SJB (proXimal) has passed over editorship of the EV to Elgar. I hope that will give him plenty of opportunities to post more back-pagers like 31252 or Sunday Toughies like this.
All the trademarks are present – start with a Spoonerism and a couple of compound anagrams, but only one X today.
We have 14a and 14d clues today and I have hinted half. I hope you find the checkers to reach the end, but I will try to give a nudge if asked.
Here we go, Folks…
As it is a Prize puzzle I can only hint at a few and hope that will give you the checkers and inspiration to go further. I’ll return with the full review blog just after the closing date. Don’t forget to follow BD’s instructions in RED at the bottom of the hints!
I hope I don’t have to redact any comments, but you have all been so well-behaved that the red pencil is likely to remain in retirement.
Most of the terms used in these hints are explained in the Glossary and examples are available by clicking on the entry under “See also” Where the hint describes a construct as “usual” this means that more help can be found in The Usual Suspects, which gives a number of the elements commonly used in the wordplay. Another useful page is Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, which features words with meanings that are not always immediately obvious. Don’t forget the Mine of Useful information that Big Dave and his son Richard so meticulously prepared for us.
A full review of this puzzle will be published after the closing date for submissions. Some hints follow: Remember the site rules and play nicely.
Across
1a One gives credit for shopping centre rated like hotel, as per Spooner (5,4)
The centre of an apple, perhaps, and how hotels are rated, given the Spooner treatment
10a When playing sound effect releases funny tune, you’ll have laughed (7)
A proXimal™ compound anagram, two anagram indicators (playing) and (funny), as releasing tune from sound effect requires that both parts are anagrams
12a Not being rude is something quite acceptable (2,7)
Not being rude is also quite acceptable, as the law hasn’t been broken
13a Leave pieces: article and advert for senior boss (10,4)
Piece together the following Lego®. To leave, the pieces on a chess board, a definite article and an abbreviated commercial break
16a Certain mate capturing India in camera (14)
Synonyms of certain and mate capture the letter that India suggests, in camera is a legal definition of action that takes place behind closed doors
20a Again look around front of lobby for additional coat (9)
Synonyms of again and look around the front letter of lobby, an additional coat on pottery
26a Cross with ruler’s heavy losses (9)
To cross like a bridge and male rulers, here’s hoping that England avoids such a heavy loss against Mexico tonight
Down
1d Increase of bunce oddly given out by corrupt Republicans (6)
Another proXimal™ compound anagram, bunce is removed in anagram form (oddly) from Republicans for another anagram (corrupt) of what remains
3d Adding detail about pub with no ale, resolved to keep sermonising (11,4)
An anagram (resolved) of pub with no ale that contains (to keep) some sermonising. Topically apt, as this article is adding detail to a story local to me. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c1kyrv87k4eo
6d Begin unprepared and blunder with money, seeing a large football club in debt? (2,3,2,4,4)
A blunder, an informal term for the money of a corpulent cat, and to pawn an item to pay a debt, which contains a from the clue and abbreviations of large and football club
7d One young European nobleman abroad (7)
One who is young and a European abbreviation, for a title given to sons of the kings of Spain and Portugal, except the heir apparent
14d Sign outside of that man’s reference book (9)
A sign of the zodiac around a contraction of that man’s
18d Fifty in company vacated Latvian city (7)
A Roman fifty, in from the clue, an abbreviated company and what remains of Latvian when vacated
21d Additional texts are bad, when fully exposed (5)
Expose the contents of three words in the clue
Compiler
ProXimal
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Quite difficult I thought… perhaps just me sweltering in the Spanish heat.
Many thanks to proXimal and to SJB.
26a made me smile, and 9a for some peculiar reason made me think of comfortably numb and get out one of my Pink Floyd albums…
I am not sure how you get from 9a to Comfortably Numb, I was going from Björk to Sigur Rós
A puzzle of 3 thirds for me. First 3rd went in on first pass; second third fell into place after some head scratching and the last with the assistance of the BRB and reverse parsing. Last in was 1d as I spent seemingly ages trying to remove just the odd letters of ‘bunce’ and not seeing the wood for the trees. Plenty of top notch clues, but 8d was my favourite.
My thanks to proXimal and SJB.
Me too! with 1d, it wasnt my last in, but it was only when parsing this morning that I realised what I had to do to the Republicans
Quite tough I thought but very enjoyable – thanks to proXimal and SJB.
I liked 6a, 26a, 2d and 8d.
8d reminded me of Michael Elphick as Boon, and 4d reminded me of this;
Tricky, with those pesky compound anagrams. Didn’t really get the second word of 3d, despite the intensive clueing. The first is clear enough. Condolences to the man’s family and his town.
I thought it might become a pangram, but no Q or J….
Great work, the real SJB, and setter, and the tech team!
The second word is in the anagram fodder, and with checkers, it should become clear. I did check for a pangram too
I used to frequent Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese in Fleet Street, which was a Sam Smith’s pub. What boozer that was and probably still is. Used to be a haunt of hacks back in the days when all the newspapers were based nearby. Proper old-fashioned London hostelry dating back to the 1600s, full of serious drinkers.
The crossword…
I thought this was set at about the right level for a prize toughie, and particularly liked the compound / extraction anagrams this setter comes up with.
I had to revisit 2d and 8d before I could parse them properly, so I’ll nominate those as my top two.
My thanks to proXimal and SJB.
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese was just the same last time I visited. The London outposts of the Sam Smiths’ empire have been under the control of Humphrey’s heir apparent (also called Sam Smith), and it is hoped he will bring a slightly looser regime to the rest of their pubs soon.
I hope proXimal relinquishing the editorship of the EV will allow him more time to set such fine puzzles here and elsewhere. This is his 68th Sunday Toughie, he is on 86 other toughies and an unknown (to me) number of back-page puzzles
I got there in the end but I needed far too many hints so I won’t be sending this in for The Mythical. Not that I’m bothered because I tackle the Toughies to see how they work and I am beginning to solve more of them so it’s paying off. In fact, I occasionally finish unaided. What I did manage (about 60%) was enjoyable and, strange for me, the good reverend at 1a went straight in. My COTT is 2d with its old English dons.
Thank you, proXimal for another lesson on how to work out clues. The latter, of course, was helped by SJB to whom grateful thanks.
I didn’t see the Spooner straight away (I was convinced it had an aitch in there somewhere) I commend your honesty about submitting, but you will never get a Mythical that way 😉
Sloops! I couldn’t possibly! There are rules, sirrah! 😊