Sunday Toughie 24

Sunday Toughie No 24 by Robyn

Review by Sloop John Bee

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

This puzzle was published on the 10th of July 2022

 

Across

1a Appealing about e.g. gun running in conflict (10)
DISHARMONY: This synonym of conflict is derived from someone who is appealing or DISH – Y around (about) a gun or ARM and something that is running or ON.

6a Northerner caught drunk outside (4)
SCOT: This Northerner is C for caught with a drunken SOT outside the C.

9a Lacking will to cross river the American way? (10)
INTERSTATE: If you lack a last will or testament you are INTESTATE that crosses an R for River to become the American equivalent of our Motorway.

10a Hum Callas, say, minus the intro (4)
REEK: This hum or bad smell is derived from the nationality of Maria Callas, who although born in Manhattan retained her Greek parents’ nationality, minus the intro-ductory letter.

13a Fruit grew with it (7)
ROSEHIP: Grew is synonymous with ROSE and if you are with it you are HIP. ROSEHIP is the fruit of various Rose plants.

15a Feature absorbing work for keyboard whizz (6)
CHOPIN: This facial feature or CHIN absorbs a synonym of work OP, CHOPIN a very talented keyboard player.

16a Secret affiliate’s exclamation — keep reading! (6)
CRYPTO: Only arrived at the correct parsing as I write the review. An affiliate of secret as in encoded, is derived from an exclamation or CRY, and an encouragement to Please Turn Over to carry on reading CRYPTO a combining form of something concealed or secret.

17a Protest number arrive unannounced at home and end with partying (6,2,3,4)
BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND: I got this principally from the enumeration, it could only have been more obvious if the apostrophe was in there. To arrive unannounced is BLOW IN, at home is IN, and an anagram (partying) of END WITH.

18a Guarantee result, bagging runs before the end (6)
ENSURE: To guarantee or ENSURE is a synonym of result or ENSUE that bags an R for runs.

20a Wave from queen by posh car (not Sierra) (6)
ROLLER: A posh car or ROLLs (royce) loses its terminal S and adds the Queens regnal cypher ER to be a large WAVE.

21a Make invalid appetiser with no filling like a bagel? (7)
ANNULAR: To make invalid or ANNUL, adds the outer letters (with no filling) of A-ppetise-R, ANNULAR the ring shape of a bagel or doughnut.

22a Posh person picked up some butter (4)
KNOB: I underlined the wrong definition at first. NOB is an informal British noun for a posh person of wealth or high social position. A homonym (picked up) of which adds a silent K to become a small bit of butter.

25a Bad luck overwhelming Republican radicals (10)
HARDLINERS: You may say to someone who has suffered some bad luck “HARD LINES” if that overwhelms an R for Republican, you get some radicals or HARDLINERS.

26a Biblical figure in gospel saving face (4)
RUTH: Another lose the initial letter clue here,  The gospel TRUTH loses its initial to give us the Biblical Ruth. Ruth is the person after whom the Book of Ruth is named. She was a Moabite woman who married an Israelite.

27a Went out across what dry ground that’s arid? (10)
DEHYDRATED:A synonym of went out on a romantic liaison perhaps D-ATED, contains a two-letter interjection for what EH! and an anagram of DRY.

 

Down

1d Wear out racket receiving ball (2,2)
DO IN: A racket or DIN contains the letter that looks like a ball to wear out or DO IN.

2d Child number three in group number eight (4)
SETH:  If named alphabetically the eighth group or SET would be SET H. The third child born was SETH  the third son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel.

3d Shock for Cockney crook in cooler? (6)
AIRCON: How a cockney who drops his aitches would say a shock of HAIR and a crook or CON becomes a cooler of air, air-conditioning (devices for)the bringing of air to the desired state of purity, temperature and humidity (often shortened to aircon)

4d Many duos arranged entertaining operas in Lenten time (9,6)
MOTHERING SUNDAY: An anagram of MANY DUOS goes around a series of operas THE RING cycle by Wagner. MO-THE RING-SUNDAY is the fourth Sunday in Lent when Christians have historically visited the Mother church where they were baptised.

5d Fool with cash has hour dropping kind of acid (6)
NITRIC: This acid is A fool or NIT and someone with cash or RICh without the H for hour.

7d Energy-guzzling vehicle by softly undulating Welsh town (10)
CAERPHILLY: A vehicle or CAR guzzles an E for energy, adds a musical annotation P for softly and some undulating or HILLY scenery for a Welsh town CAERPHILLY (and a rather nice crumbly cheese)

8d What waiters do to become priests (4,6)
TAKE ORDERS: A nice little all-in-one or double definition. The orders that a waiter takes down when you tell him your requirements and what Priests do, The orders that priests take are Holy Orders but still a requirement to be fulfilled.

11d I emptied champagne cup, without right means to overcome shyness (10)
ICEBREAKER: I from the clue, the outer letters of ChampagnE and a cup or BEAKER surround (without) R for right.

12d Make fast touring time, with seconds left racing (10)
MOTORSPORT: To make fast a boat at a dock MOOR, around T for time, S for seconds and a nautical left PORT. MOTORSPORT A fast racing pastime involving a motor or similar mechanical assistance.

13d Travelling, I arrive in holiday destination (7)
RIVIERA: An anagram (travelling) of I ARRIVE, gives us a holiday destination in the south of France (or Torquay)

14d Expert eating meal up with Dover’s last magistrate (7)
PRAETOR: An expert or PRO, around the reversal (up in a down clue) of a meal or TEA and the last letter of DoveR. PRAETOR  a Roman magistrate who ranks below a consul.

19d Area covered by high green nettle (6)
ENRAGE: An anagram of GREEN around an A for area, NETTLE to Enrage, offend or irritate someone.

20d It’s used fencing edges of Ravenna dock (6)
RAPIER: More outer letters here, the edges of R avenn A and a dock or PIER, RAPIER one of the blades used in fencing.

23d Youth coming out by kind of junction is a liability (4)
DEBT:  this youthful woman making her first formal appearance as an adult in upper-class society, usually at a ball is a  DEB and a kind of road junction T is a DEBT or liability.

24d Second-hand thought to lose minutes (4)
USED: To have thought or MUSED loses the M for minutes to become USED or second hand.