Toughie No 1497 by Excalibur
Hints and tips by Toro
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment *****
Excalibur at her shimmering best today! I solved the four interlocking clues in the middle then did the four resulting mini-puzzles in order, anticlockwise from the SE, enjoying it all the way.
Across
1a Ammunition and money, when in US, stolen (8)
BUCKSHOT US slang for dollars + stolen.
5a Ask for call back within days (6)
DEMAND To call or dub, reversed inside two instances of D(ay).
9a It puts paid to the rest of the men (8)
REVEILLE Cryptic definition of a wake-up call for soldiers.
10a Appears clumsily to have dropped a batch of documents (6)
PAPERS Anagram of APPE(a)Rs.
12a Goes for what most herbivores go for (6)
LEAVES Double definition – goes or departs, and what herbivores typically eat.
13a What shot played — is he out? (4,4)
HOWS THAT Anagram of WHAT SHOT to give the question the fielding side asks of an umpire when appealing for a batsman’s wicket.
15a Slit ends, darns roughly, thread required (7)
STRANDS Anagram of S(li)T DARNS.
16a As a whole, East contrarily is cutting aces (4)
ASIA IS reversed inside two instances of A(ce).
20a Secured — the equaliser? (4)
TIED Secured or fastened, or levelled the score in sport.
21a Chap to criticise about most missorting? (7)
POSTMAN To criticise or slat around an anagram of MOST.
25a Return for one ten, free to take break (8)
INTEREST Roman numeral one + anagram of TEN + a break or respite.
26a Something easy for a meteorologist’s forecast? (6)
BREEZE A weather term that can mean a cinch or piece of cake.
28a Delights coming directly from unbridled lust (6)
EXULTS A Latin prefix meaning coming directly from (e.g. a farm, factory or warehouse) + anagram of LUST.
29a That’s sweet, little creatures captivating idiot (8)
MOLASSES Small mammals around idiot or fool.
30a Opinion right-wing male’s held (6)
THEORY Right-wing or Conservative in a UK context, around a male.
31a Did show in retrospect always lead astray? (8)
REVEALED Synonym of always, reversed + anagram of LEAD.
Down
1d Break in needing food to lift, given life if found out (6)
BURGLE Colloquial word for food, reversed + LIFE minus the IF.
2d Warning mounted soldiers seen south of hiding place (6)
CAVEAT A typical place of concealment + the letters of the British reservist force, reversed.
3d Taking back ‘It’s permitted to put together weapon‘ (8)
STILETTO IT’S, reversed + permitted or allowed + TO, all put together.
4d Just working to get tips: lazy (4)
ONLY Working (as of an electrical appliance) + L(az)Y.
6d Note mistake — or go by (6)
ELAPSE A musical note + a mistake or slip.
7d Your parts engineering team’s in purple (8)
AMETHYST Shakespearean your (singular) inside an anagram of TEAMS.
8d Dashing stud role arising for collector of dirty films (4,4)
DUST TRAP Anagram of STUD + a role in a film or play, reversed.
11d Explosive stuff company tried to amend (7)
CORDITE CO(mpany) + anagram of TRIED.
14d Worry about nothing, ourselves. Just have a good time (7)
CAROUSE Worry or concern about O + ourselves (together).
17d Ear-piercing as dentist drilled right through! (8)
STRIDENT Anagram of DENTIST around R(ight), where the anagram indicator ‘drilled’ means disciplined or trained.
18d Not doing as the doctor ordered (4,4)
REST CURE Convalescence that involves inactivity.
19d Bearing in mind there’s a rig working (8)
CARRIAGE Anagram of A RIG inside to mind or have a preference.
22d Journalist summons meeting on the subject of climbing (6)
WRITER Legal summons + a word meaning on the subject of, reversed.
23d Beast makes stand, undermining wife (6)
WEASEL An artist’s stand underneath W(ife).
24d Concluded: ‘Reconnoitred. Entrance must be effected by key’ (6)
CEASED Reconnoitred or staked out, around a musical key or note.
27d A few therefore to be supported by myself (4)
SOME Therefore or thus + 1st person singular pronoun.
I thought 17d and 8d were outstanding, with 28a and 13a not far behind. But I also liked many of the rank-and-file clues like 5a and 12a.
Over to you – please rate and comment on this puzzle below.
My main problem with solving this puzzle was the fact that the Telegraph printing presses must have been having a funny five minutes as the clues were so blurry that I had to go on line and print off a copy of the puzzle from the website.
It’s always a challenge to cross swords with Excalibur .. .today I failed badly.
***/****
Lovely and not that easy. I needed to double check 11d and 9a was dragged from somewhere. But so many clever clues that made me smile. I have lots of 3d in the form of shoes. Agree about 8 and 17d but 28a was delicious. Brilliant clue. So good I emailed it to a friend who’s just learning about cryptic crosswords.
Many thanks to Excalibur and to Toro for blogging.
I liked this a lot. It was not a walk in the park, but all good clues and no obscure words. I particularly liked 1A, 9A, 13A (pleased that this one gave me no trouble!) and 8D. 24D was the last one to parse. Many thanks to Excalibur and Toro.
I thought of you at 13a, which is why I gave the extra explanation! But it sounds like you didn’t need it.
Why, thank you! That was very thoughtful.
Full of humour, as always Every clue a gem. My very favourite Toughie setter, Wonderful start to the Toughie week. Think I’ll delete and solve all over again
I enjoyed this too. In fact I’ve enjoyed recent Excalibur puzzles much more than I used to do. Perhaps its the need to put the “slightly odd hat” on – a variant of the slightly mad hat used for Petitjean puzzles. Favourites were 21a [nice semi all in one] 30a, 22d and [now I see how “drilled” works as an anagram indicator] 17d. Awful grid though!
Thanks to Excalibur and to Toro for enlightenment.
Excellent puzzle. The top half went in quite quickly for me but I struggled with quite a lot of the bottom half. Definitely needed some of your hints to help me finish it. 9a was my favourite.
Haven’t yet had a chance to have a go at today’s toughie and it will probably be later on before I do. But judging by Toro’s comment and rating, it is something that I will enjoy doing later.
Plenty to like – some tricky parsing – just as you think you understand the clue, you need to take a closer look – e.g. 4d, 7d, 3d, etc. etc.
Pity “care” was used twice in the grid, 14d & 19d, but that’s a small worry in a brilliant puzzle.
Thanks toro, great pics!
thanks Excalibur
It all came together very smoothly for us and we enjoyed every minute of it. All clever clues, skillfully put together.
Thanks Excalibur and Toro.
As usual on a Tuesday, I only know who the setter is once I come online.
And what a pleasure to find out it was Excalibur.
The elegance of the clues should have been a give away.
Love the way she can describe a simple word such as “re” in 22d or the “ex” in 28a or “Asia” 16a.
The all in one in 9a was great also. And many more.
Favourite is 1d.
Thanks to Excalibur for a fabulous start of the toughie week and to Toro for the review and for reminding me that I had that book.
That certainly took some time but well worth the effort. 4*/4* for me.
24a was the last one in – so many potential ‘notes’ in the answer and I kept trying to isolate the wrong ones.
Think I’ll put 13a & 17d on the podium, with almost every other one not far behind. Special mention for 21a which rather put me in mind of a certain Mr. Brown on the back-page blog a couple of days ago!
Thanks to Excalibur for the enjoyment and to Toro – particularly for the 17d cartoon.
Loved it
, apart from 5a. I can’t quite reconcile ‘demand’ as a synonym for ‘ask’. But that’s just me I suppose.
Anyway, thanks to Excalibur for the puzzle and Toro for his blog.
Thanks for coming back to share how you got on.
I read the definition in 5a as being ‘ask for’, which seems okay as a synonym of ‘demand’.
Having re-read the clue and your parsing of it I’m inclined to agree with you. My mistake and apologies to Excalibur and, of course, your good self Toro
I had to use a half dozen hints, but I really enjoyed the clues I got.Stand outs for me included 1a, 9a 12a and 25a and 8d.
Thanks Toro and Excalibur.
Excalibur crosswords make me laugh!
I did get completely stuck with three in the top left corner – couldn’t get 1a and, having ruled out ‘idle’ for 4d couldn’t get that one either and as for 1d was thinking of break in horses – dim – should have managed all of them, but I didn’t.
The pics for 29a and 17d made me go a bit funny – we have more than our fair share of 29’s and don’t like dentists much.
I liked loads of these – 9 and 10a and 14 and 17d. My joint favourites were 28a and 8d – both smutty on the surface but then not!
With thanks to Excalibur and to Toro.
PS – Quite pleased, not to mention surprised, that I got 13a even though I think I’ve only ever seen it as one word and spelt with a ‘Z’. Smug!
Got a message from A G Brown which said:
What’s wrong with this site i e who’s tomorrow’s toughie setter.
Please?
How come you’re the ‘Special One’ JL? He never speaks to me.
French diplomacy mate. And all that Entente Cordiale.
Curiouser and curiouser…
al dente! As Del Boy Trotter would say
http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/onlyfools/lingo/euro.shtml
Fantastica I want to say Ajax to someone from the Netherlands.
Try Dutch
Oh I’m going to!
There is no reply to that other than – opassen (I think)
Tel aviv SL tel aviv.
I must admit to one thing – I have no idea what you are on about
It’s something Del says. I got it from your link.
D’oh! – menage a trots as Del said
I’m distracted by watching the Crying Game after all these years.
Mais oui! Blimey. Not seen that film for about 20 years!
I think it’s (nearly) stood the test of time – apart from Forest Whitaker trying to be an ‘overweight’ British squaddie with a dodgy eye and an even more dodgy accent.
The soundtrack is still quite haunting – lovely. I wonder if the Birthday Bash venue has a jukebox
Going to have to watch it again. Stephen Rea is fantastic.
Just checked on Google – he’s 69. Doesn’t time pass so quickly! I’m now off to clean my ‘wound’ and chill. NN
Goodness. That brings back a lot of memories. Hope you’re recovering. I’m currently trying to work out what to do with a lot of flowers.
Wow!
Memories for me too. He played in “Miss Julie” at the Duke Of York’s when I was there.
How long ago is it since you worked there? The one thing I miss about London is the theatre.
Micawber tomorrow
Hurrah
Thanks CS.
Will need my full tool box to dismantle that one.
I. w than we, finished this in less than record time betwixt shopping, cooking, eating and working.
Another tough day tomorrow where the 9a will have to be set for an ungodly hour.
13a was lovely!
Terrific! I’m very pleased to say that l completed this only just into 3* time (although l must admit that both 7d and 24d were inspired “bung-ins” rather than arrived at through rational consideration of the clues) but l’m with you on the 5* enjoyment rating. So many excellent clues – l loved 1a, 21a, 9a and 19d – and l really couldn’t choose a favourite. My thanks to Excalibur (l think that’s the first time l’ve finished one of your puzzles without resorting to the hints), and to Toro for the review.