Sunday Toughie No 243
by Beam
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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An almost floughie toughie from Beam, with all the trademarks: single-word answers, no anagrams, queens and sweethearts, and an initialism. Because of his no-anagrams rule, we have rather a lot of double and even a quadruple definition. I hope you find the checkers to finish and will try and give a nudge if needed
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. Someone else will 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!
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
7a Restrict and almost confuse cycling Latvian (8)
Almost all of a synonym of confused and how a native or inhabitant of Latvia is known, but “cycle” the Latvian twice so ABCD becomes CDAB
10a Do go on about Queen favourite (10)
Go on with idle or foolish talk, contains the Beam™ regnal cipher for our late Queen and a favourite
13a Follow behind following bird (7)
To be behind schedule follows a flightless bird
14a Sweetheart left almost finished in sack (7)
The “sack” in which you take your nightly rest contains a left abbreviation and almost all of a synonym of finished
19a One is he, she or they? (7)
Quadruple definitions by example of words that can be used instead of repeating a name or already known subject
22a Envelop with ribbons and paper, initially (4)
A Beam™ initialism clue 
23a Endure occasionally cruel sea (6)
Occasional letters of cruel and a noun for the high sea
24a 
Down
1d Cold rush accepting one’s discipline (8)
That which indicates a cold tap and a synonym of rush that contains a Roman one and its plural ess
3d Small audio apparatus with small bone (6)
Two small abbreviations around some audio apparatus lead to a very small bone in our personal audio apparatus, the ear
4d Close second slipped catching first person (7)
A second abbreviation and a synonym of slipped catches a first person 19a for close-set, packed or grouped together without gaps
5d Explore excavation obtaining a large gem (10)
To explore, an excavation for the extraction of gems perhaps that contains a large abbreviation
8d
12d Sparing sweetheart, funny about refusal (10)
Beam’s™ heart of sweet and something that is funny, that goes about a refusal
15d New excellent mark uplifted schoolboy (7)
N for new, an alphanumeric excellent and to mark or take a record of, are reversed (uplifted in a down clue)
18d Job removing top for ointment (7)
A job or duty without its topmost letter
22d River erosion (4)
Another double definition
Compiler
Beam
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Nice to see what a 3d looks like!
I keep forgetting to check who the setter is, which may have helped.
Relaxed solve watching the golf.
Great puzzle, thanks Beam and SJB
I hope the owner of 3d didn’t still need it, and I see why it has an alternate horsey name now
A light Beam, so to speak, which was highly enjoyable and still provided a challenge or two. 10a was my LOI and it took me a while to separate out what was definition and what was wordplay. It also took me a while to spot the well-hidden 21a device, as I initially assumed ‘terribly’ to be an anagrind before remembering Beam’s ‘no-anagrams rule’. Lots of lovely clues as is usual from Beam, but I have nevertheless awarded podium places to 4d, 5d & 20d.
In retrospect, that pesky LOI 10a should have been on my tick list too
Many thanks to Beam and to SJB.
The go on and on and on bit of 10a was slow to drop here too, closely followed by 4d which was a tad obscure to me
A very enjoyable Toughie from Beam, which took me a while but I eventually got over the line with a sense of satisfaction. I had no problem with the small bone but I did put the incorrect word in at 10a until 5d put me right. My COTT is the sweetheart in the sack at 14a.
Thank you, Beam for the fun. Thank you, Sloops for the hints.
The bird in 13a is alas no more, he is Irwin who escaped his compound in Wiltshire. He was found a week ****r drowned in the river
Just could not get into this and struggled to completion with hints and electronic assistance.
I found the grid unfriendly, could not get on wavelength and new words at 4d and 6d.
11a – I had an answer straight away but it just didn’t seem cryptic enough. So possibly I have the wrong answer.
Anyway, thanks to SJB for the hints and Beam for the mangling!
Your 11a is probably correct. The second definition is obvious, but the first is a bit archaic
Thanks SJB as always for the amusing and detailed hints – a picture is worth a thousand words, but we need the parsings….or do we? Yes, for 1a.
Helpful to be reminded of details of the Setter’s quirks/signatures. A bit heavy on the charades, but I loved the l****r. Would have helped to realise there were no anagrams.
I think the cycled ABCD in 1a is clever – needed your explanation
I’ve only used the word 4d in one context, while singing G&S. Now I actually know what it means, at last.
Thanks again, all.
For 1a read 7a