Sunday Toughie No 95 by
Robyn
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 19th of November 2023
Across
1a American state? I’m not sure it’s the solution (6)
ANSWER; Start with one of the usual American abbreviations A, then an abbreviation of a state in Australia New South Wales becomes NSW and finish with a hesitant interjection ER, and you have the ANSWER
5a Drink cold wine, but not the last part in bad spirits (8)
DOWNCAST; To drink in one DOWN, an abbreviation of cold C, and most of ASTI a wine that appears in this crossword shortened without the last part I to be a synonym of bad spirits or DOWNCAST
9a People like Diana having husband with a Parisian hairdo (10)
HUNTRESSES; H for husband, how a Parisian says a UN, and a hairdo or TRESSES, HUNTRESSES, People like Diana the Goddess rather than Diana the Princess
10a Youthful setter maybe eating starter of mixed grill (4)
PUMP; Not a youthful setter of crosswords, but the young of a gundog PUP, around the starting letter of Mixed M, PUMP To subject to, or elicit by, persistent questioning
11a Topping party during junket (8)
OUTDOING; Junket as a spree taken by officials on public funds OUTING, around a party or DO
12a Improve in French and in German I must be about right (6)
ENRICH; A French in EN, and a German I ICH, about R for right
13a Scottish girl‘s faith rules out Mass (4)
ISLA; A faith without a measure of weight ISLAM without M for mass gives us a Scottish girl’s name ISLA
15a Sinner has new lapse? It’s what’s expected, at the end of the day (8)
EVENFALL; The original sinner EVE and a new abbreviation N, go before a lapse or FALL, when the serpent tempted her into eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil
18a Maybe he and I whizz round, hosted by sisters (8)
PRONOUNS; A definition by example – A whizz, so good at something he could earn a living PRO, and the sisters in a religious order NUNS, around the round letter O
19a Star back from detoxing confessed (4)
SUNG; Our local star SUN, and the back of detoxing G, confessed or SUNG like a canary
21a Teller of tales is trouble for the head in school (6)
SNITCH; An abbreviation for school SCH,around the follicular trouble NIT that a nurse (usually called Nitty Nora in my day) sought SNITCH a teller of tales
23a Spoilt fruit? I ate sandwiches (8)
UGLIFIED; A fruit that tastes better than it looks UGLI, and I sandwiched in a synonym of ate FED
25a Reportedly fix frame used in building (4)
JAMB; A homophone (reportedly) of the fix that you are in when in a traffic JAM moving, JAMB the frame that surrounds a door or similar opening
26a Lead university starts calling for all-round education (10)
UPBRINGING; Start with an abbreviation U for University, then a chemical symbol for Lead PB, then the noise that signifies you are calling someone RINGING
27a Charming individual from Soho with time off (8)
SMOOTHIE; An anagram (off) of Soho and time to give us a charming SMOOTHIE like Nigel Havers
28a After polite refusal, Tranmere’s wingers write down the score (6)
NOTATE; An informal refusal NO TA, and the winging letters of the Tranmere TE, NOTATE write down a musical score perhaps
Down
2d Country bordered by Argentina/Uruguay (5)
NAURU; A slightly obscure country lurks within (bordered by) the remainder of the clue
3d Person making Sally hot, weary-looking and taciturn (9)
WITHDRAWN; Sally as a humourous remark or retort WIT, an abbreviation for hot H,and a synonym of weary-looking DRAWN, WITHDRAWN or taciturn
4d Grasping English, tried to translate Polish again (2-4)
RE-EDIT; An anagram (to translate) of TRIED and E for English, the kind of polish Chris Lancaster puts on our crosswords
5d Sideburns styled with gel? Bet this hair looks cool! (8,7)
DESIGNER STUBBLE; An anagram (styled with) of SIDEBURNS GEL and BET – Cool or scruffy is a matter of opinion
6d Did that man look embarrassed, kitted out with rings? (8)
WASHERED; Split (3,2,3) WAS HE RED? it could be the question posed in the first five words of the clue – (8) would be kitted out with rings that help secure fastenings WASHERED
7d Lark‘s head in front of rook (5)
CAPER; A geographical headland CAPE, and the front letter of rook R, give us a piece of mischief or CAPER
8d Addition to sentence of criminal SEMICOLON; bagging loot, oddly, behind house (9)
SEMICOLON; A house connected to one other SEMI, followed by one of our usual criminals CON, bags the odd letters of loot LO, A SEMICOLON; to indicate that the sentence continues
14d Violently force disgraced cyclist to cycle around (9)
STRONGARM; A disgraced cyclist LANCE ARMSTRONG, whose seven victories at the Tour de France have been struck from the records for doping “cycles” three letters of his surname to give us to violently force or STRONGARM
16d Dukes will be involved in this duel? (9)
FISTFIGHT; A nice All-in One for Put Your Dukes Up John! A slang term for the Fists DUKES are involved in this duel
17d Classified hotels accommodating American more than once (4-4)
HUSH-HUSH; Abbreviations of hotel H-H, accommodate one of our usual Americas US, to give us HUSH repeated more than once to give HUSH-HUSH or classified as secret
20d Criminal on bail in the country no longer (6)
ALBION; An ancient name for the island of Great Britain an anagram (criminal) of ON BAIL
22d Case of trauma with scary utterance? It shouldn’t be uttered (5)
TABOO; The utterance you may use to scare someone BOO! follows the case letters of trauma TA,
24d Hemingway perhaps ignoring European artist (5)
ERNST; ERNEST Hemingway ignores his second E for European to give us Max ERNST the European artist