Sunday Toughie No 30 by proXimal
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 21st of August 2022
Across
9a Inflexible person‘s bad luck endlessly meeting resistance (9)
HARDLINER: Bad luck or HARD LINES loses the S at the end and meets an R for resistance.
10a Picked up component for still (5)
PEACE: A homophone of a component or piece becomes PEACE a synonym of still.
11a Anchor kept half-hidden in ship (7)
LINEKER: A ship or LINER has the first half of KEpt hidden, to become LINEKER the surname of Gary Lineker the BBC sports anchor who may have challenged some of our overseas solvers.
12a Woman’s name in crumpled vest busy maidservant scrubs (7)
MIRANDA: Scrub or remove a (crumpled) VEST from a (busy) MAIDseRvANt. we have two anagram indicators as vest is not scrubbed whole but in bits and the bits that are left then have to be anagrammed again to make the woman’s name.
13a Hesitancy from wild one regularly feeding by sierra (9)
TIMIDNESS: Alternate (even) letters of wild one give us IDN. That is fed into the mathematical function that by suggests TIMES and finishes with an S for sierra.
15a Reversing vehicles guided by computer (5)
SMART: The vehicles we require are TRAMS they are reversed to be SMART a prefix for a device that is guided by a computer.
17a Greeting a lord shortly after knight (7)
NAMASTE: A from the clue and a lord or MASTEr is shortened by one letter and follows the chess notation N for Knight. NAMASTE a traditional Indian greeting, a slight bow with the palms pressed together before the chest or face.
19a That lady in Cannes plugging flop fought rival (7)
DUELLED: A flop or DUD contains a French lady’s name ELLE.
20a Dog behind fences runs (5)
TRAIL: To be behind or TAIL contains R for runs to trail, track or dog a quarry.
21a Takes away one’s work done by others, after overlooking con (9)
SUBTRACTS: To get one’s work done by others would be SUBconTRACTS, overlook the con to get the mathematical function that Takes away.
24a Sharp dish — use pan, leaving all wings in hot sauce (7)
HARISSA: The wings or external letters of the first four words are left leaving HAR IS S A, a hot sauce from N African cuisine.
26a Retired father, one with bug (7)
WIRETAP: A latin father PATER the letter that looks like one I and W for with are all reversed (retired) for listening bug or WIRETAP.
28a Partner beginning to lie too much (5)
LOVER: A sexual partner is found when the beginning of Lie L and too much or OVER are partnered.
29a Bird‘s cry welcoming soldiers returning home (6,3)
HORNED OWL: A cry or HOWL contains some soldiers of other ranks OR and the reversal (returning) of an animals home or DEN
Down
1d Gas traps both sides of large wooden villa (6)
CHALET: To gas or CHAT contains the side letters of LargE.
2d Relative with minute piercing cut structure of tongue (10)
GRANDMAMMA: With or AND and M for minute go in to the rules or structure of a language GRAMMAr but cut the last letter to make an older female relative GRANDMAMMA.
3d Bad press when chocolate bar’s made smaller (4)
FLAK: A British brand of chocolate bar FLAKE is made smaller by removing the E to be some bad press or FLAK.
4d Some food fancy Tenerife bar provided (6)
ENTREE: An anagram (fancy) of Tenerife after the conditional provided or IF is removed.
5d Assured expert is parting sea (8)
PROMISED: a synonym of assured is an expert or PRO and IS from the clue inserted into MED being an abbreviation of the Mediterranean Sea.
6d Maybe trainers are foul-mouthed keeping tantrum up (10)
SPORTSWEAR: A tantrum or STROP is reversed (up in a down clue) and inserted into a foul-mouthed SWEAR word.
7d Hoofed creature advanced diverting bears (4)
FAUN: A for advanced goes into something diverting or FUN gives us FAUN The protector of shepherds, a rural deity similar to a satyr, having a mans body, with a goats horns, ears, tail and hoofed feet.
8d Set off late (8)
DEPARTED: A double definition. To have set off or departed or a euphemism for the late, passed, dead or departed.
14d Admission of fifty in party OK (10)
DISCLOSURE: A party or DISCO contains the Roman numeral L for fifty and a synonym of OK or SURE. DISCLOSURE an admission of that which is disclosed or revealed.
16d Whack point below middle of ball (10)
ALLOCATION: The middle letters of ball AL and a point or LOCATION give us an ALLOCATION a somewhat tricky definition of the full Whack! but it is in the BRB as meaning to parcel out, share.
17d Hard covering shock up? Nightmare (8)
NUTSHELL: to shock or STUN is reversed ( up in a down clue) followed by a nightmare or HELL. NUTSHELL the hard covering of a NUT.
18d Criminal hates new cloak (8)
ENSWATHE: AN anagram (criminal) of HATES NEW, to cloak or enswathe.
22d Fighting inside winged creature’s cave (6)
BEWARE: A winged creature or BEE has some serious fighting or WAR inside to give us BEWARE. CAVE being the Latin interjection to BEWARE. Cave Canem translates as Beware of the Dog!
23d Provide sheet to go under drink (6)
SUPPLY: To drink or SUP and the layers that make up some sheet materials or PLY make SUPPLY or provide>
25d Really enthusiastic state when Romeo comes up (4)
RAVE: To affirm or state AVER has the letter that Romeo represents moved up the order ( in a down clue) to be really enthusiastic or RAVE about a subject.
27d Feels sorry for trick, we heard (4)
RUES: A homophone (we heard) of a trick or RUSE becomes a regretful RUES.