Sunday Toughie 51 (Review)

Sunday Toughie No 51 by Zandio

Review by Sloop John Bee

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This puzzle was published on the 15th of January 2023

 

 

Across

1a Lake with no water up in the sky, you’d say it’s nonsense (6)
LUNACY: A homophone (you’d say) of a smooth part of our satellite LUNAR SEA, which although bone dry, were named as bodies of water

4a Continental system that’s taken English over, overnight (8)
METEORIC: The continental measurement system METRIC, takes E for English and O for an over in cricket for an overnight or METEORIC change

9a Jump in punt, on the phone (6)
GAMBOL: A homophone (on the phone) of a punt or gamble, becomes to jump, frolic or GAMBOL about like a lamb

10a Half-heartedly clasp northern waterway travel planner? (8)
BROCHURE: A clasp that is a piece of jewellery loses one of its two central letters and adds a northern waterway that doesn’t give its name to the dale that it runs through. The sort of travel planner you may consult before booking a holiday.

12a Part of ship made of wood, trimmed with trouble (8)
FORESAIL: most of a wood or FORESt, followed by (trimmed with) to trouble or AIL

13a Work in the kitchen and hit the beach (4,2)
WASH UP: A double definition of work in the kitchen or where flotsam makes landfall

15a Winger and small left back getting round defence’s stars (5-8)
CROWD PLEASERS: Start with a winger in the Corvidae family CROW, and end with S for small. In between, we have a defendant’s answer to a charge PLEA in a reversal (back) of the colour that defines those on the left politically RED. Those stars that most delight those watching them.
CROW D(PLEAS)ER S Thanks to Wahoo for pointing out the leftie

18a Relish playing part in rehearsal address in Greenwich (5,8)
SALAD DRESSING: A lurker (playing part in) the rest of the clue

20a Shady area in London Docks? (6)
ARBOUR: An area shaded by trees is how someone from the East End of London (who drops his aitches) may say dock or wharf (H)ARBOUR

22a News following contest — see cycles heading west from a city (8)
VIENNESE: A three-lettered synonym of contest VIE, and two N’s for news followed by the “cycling” of SEE when reversed (heading west). Cycling in crosswords usually involves moving the first letter to the last, but with SEE that would give us EES but we need to cycle the reversal of SEE to get the three letters we need ESE

24a Population study is divided about Buddhism (8)
DENIZENS: This member of the population or inhabitant is a synonym of a room for study DEN , IS from the clue around a Buddhist doctrine ZEN

25a Brief film about outbreak of war (6)
LAWYER:

26a Deliver mislaid cases Spain delivered (8)
RELIEVED: An anagram (mislaid) of DELIVER with an E for Espana

27a Initially select tot as glass? (6)
SKIDDY: The initial letter of select S, and an informal small child or tot KIDDY. A slippery surface as smooth as glass.

Down

1d Idiot upset about golf will get fine or quit (3,3)
LOG OFF: An idiot or FOOL, is reversed (upset) LOOF around the letter that golf suggests G and finishes with F for fine.

2d Like 600 in uniform breaching shatter’d Crimean line (9)
NUMERICAL: U for uniform, L for line and CRIMEAN are anagrammed (shatter’d) to satisfy the example we are given by like 600.

3d You might attack this grumpy low-down poser (9,6)
CROSSWORD PUZZLE: Very nice &lit. The answer is staring you in the face, something you may say when grumpy or CROSS and a poser or PUZZLE, are what we are all doing at this moment. The low-down is the WORD you may receive when kept informed

5d Change of place, wanting exercise (4)
EURO: I initially thought that if you take physical exercise from place you are left with lac, Francophone countries that call their bodies of water lac would have coins of this currency in their change. Switzerland’s Lac Leman came to mind and scotched that theory, but Spartacus came to the rescue when he pointed out that the “place” where this currency would be in your change is EURO(PE), remove the P.E. from that and the answer remains. Thanks Spartacus.

6d A character in ‘Morse‘ heads north — shock ending! (11,4)
EXCLAMATION MARK: One of the characters that has a morse code, that are not letters or numbers !
A in morse is dot dash when these characters head north they look like the exclamation mark at the end of the clue. Thanks Stephen L

7d Violent model(5)
ROUGH: A double definition, model here is a rough sketch or outline

8d Most vulgar pastiche apes toffee-nosed hosts (8)
CHEAPEST:

11d Lead in a panto? They’re usually burnt out (7)
CINDERS: Another double definition, The lead in Cinderella or the remains of a fire

14d Copper rings keep one supple (7)
PLASTIC: A Copper or Police Constable PC, around a synonym of keep or preserve LAST and the letter that looks like 1.

16d Couple below par I had heard to be looking well (5-4)
EAGLE EYED: Vision as good as a bird of prey is a golf score a couple below par EAGLE, and a homophone (heard) of a contraction of I had, I’d becomes EYED

17d Maybe someone from Sicily, Italy will encounter misrepresentation (8)
ISLANDER: I being the IVR code for Italy and to misrepresent by a false or malicious by spoken words SLANDER. Sicily being an island off Italy

19d Annual Fourth of July opening (6)
YEARLY: The fourth letter of July and the opening that may occur Early doors

21d Learn maybe to turn over regularly used stock (5)
BANAL: Alternate letters of the first two words (regularly used) are reversed (to turn over)

23d After church, cricket side comes over (4)
ONCE: An abbreviation for the Anglican church CE, follows a side at cricket ON, later in time or after.