Toughie No 3271 by Silvanus
Hints and tips by Gazza
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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ****
Silvanus has given us a very entertaining pangram. Thanks to him.
Please leave a comment telling us how you fared and what you liked about the puzzle.
Across Clues
1a Glaswegian’s debut aside, gradually heard funny, entertaining new comedians (6,3,5)
LAUREL AND HARDY: an anagram (funny) of [g]RADUALLY HEARD (without the first letter of Glaswegian) containing the abbreviation for new.
8a Dull sound’s quiet for large part (5)
VAPID: start with an adjective meaning sound or credible and replace the part of the word which is the abbreviation for large with the musical abbreviation for quiet.
9a Maybe diamond made from paste’s a plant? (8)
SHAMROCK: split your answer 4,4 to get the imitation diamond.
11a Patch up relic, no certainty to secure backing (9)
RECONCILE: hidden in reverse.
12a Snatch watches being delivered (5)
SEIZE: ‘being delivered’ is the indication of a hom*ophone.
13a Further adult with case of laryngitis the focus of reports (4)
ALSO: string together the abbreviation for adult (the former film classification), the outer letters of laryngitis and the central letter of reports.
14a Frenchman’s refusal to embrace a European card game (8)
NAPOLEON: the French word for no contains A and a European citizen.
17a PM mostly defends British literary figure getting writ (8)
SUBPOENA: the surname of our current PM without his last letter contains the abbreviation for British and an American literary figure mainly noted for his macabre writing.
19a Luxurious hotel not seen as something advantageous (4)
PLUS: remove the letter that hotel represents in the Nato Phonetic Alphabet from an adjective meaning luxurious or lavishly appointed.
23a Ditches members of film crew (5)
GRIPS: double definition, the first (new to me) being a word for small ditches or drains.
24a Prepare to get undressed in alcove, awfully suspicious? (9)
EQUIVOCAL: insert the central three letters of a verb to prepare or supply with what’s needed into an anagram (awfully) of ALCOVE.
25a Gathering food in spite of advancing years (8)
FORAGING: a preposition meaning ‘in spite of’ (as in ‘*** all his bluster he was a coward’) and a present participle meaning advancing years or making old.
26a People from Italy dancing (5)
LAITY: an anagram (dancing) of ITALY produces a word for people who are not clergy.
27a Outstanding leader is normal and more open reportedly (8-6)
STANDARD-BEARER: a synonym of normal and what sounds like a comparative meaning more open or more exposed.
Down Clues
1d Scoff when skirting around South Africa’s current treatment (5,7)
LIVER SAUSAGE: scoff here is a noun. A 3-letter abbreviation for South Africa is bracketed by synonyms for current and treatment.
2d Opens negotiations originally after universal rumour of peace (7)
UNPACKS: the original letter of negotiations follows the abbreviation for universal. Append what sounds like the Latin word for peace.
3d What sibling and offspring do to become close (6)
ENDING: split the answer 3,3 to see what the words sibling and offspring do.
4d Powers possibly banks removed from producer over money (6)
AUSTIN: remove the outer letters from a word meaning producer or originator and add a dated informal word for money.
5d Amazed I worried collecting prescription initially for drug (8)
DIAZEPAM: an anagram (worried) of AMAZED I containing the initial letter of prescription.
6d Ultimately Chelsea supporter is upset about minor scrape (8)
ABRASION: assemble the ultimate letter of Chelsea, our usual supporting garment, the reversal of IS and a preposition meaning about.
7d Drop product shop promotes for Christmas? (7)
DECLINE: split 3,4 this could be a product a shop might be selling at Christmastime (although that could in practice be any time of the year from August onwards).
10d Cash perhaps generated by shifting ninety pearls (6,6)
TENNIS PLAYER: an anagram (shifting) of NINETY PEARLS.
15d Jack who steers small apple cart around (8)
COXSWAIN: the clothing abbreviation for small is enclosed in a type of apple and a cart of the type that Constable famously painted.
16d Roughly south of Islington area one finds cake decoration (8)
ANGELICA: the 2-letter abbreviation for roughly follows an area of Islington in North London and the Roman numeral for one. One of the light-blue properties on the classic Monopoly board might provide a hint for the area of Islington.
18d Escape trouble during match (4,3)
BAIL OUT: a verb to trouble is inside a (boxing?) match.
20d Breaking silly rule, rising island barrister’s comparatively fortunate (7)
LUCKIER: an anagram (silly) of RULE contains the reversal of an abbreviation for island and the title awarded to a senior barrister.
21d Wasting day taking up golf, reckon daughter stewed! (6)
JUGGED: start with a verb to reckon or estimate and the genealogical abbreviation for daughter. Now delete the abbreviation for day from the verb, replacing it with the letter that golf represents in the Nato Phonetic Alphabet.
22d Graceful tango wearing revolting eastern jeans Oti finally ignored (6)
SVELTE: the letter that tango represents in the Nato Phonetic Alphabet is contained in the reversal of the abbreviation for eastern and a brand of jeans stripped of the final letter of Oti. Oti is apparently a professional dancer – I didn’t know that.
The clues I liked best were 3d, 4d, 7d and 16d. Which ones made the cut for you?
