Sunday Toughie No 47 by proXimal
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 18th November 2022
Across
1a Twisting arm, student changed to another form (10)
TRANSMUTED: Nice easy anagram (twisting) of ARM STUDENT to start, the answer is also an anagram indicator.
6a Resent crossing this body of water and we find someone to give answers (4)
POND: Find a word that means someone to give answers. When you have the correct word you should be able to see that resent crosses the body of water we seek.
Big Dave’s local and Big Dave’s local body of water Merry Christmas Dave!
10a Stripping job, nothing excluded (3,2)
ALL IN: Ones job or CALLING strips the outer letters off leaving ALL IN.
11a Hazards close by French city (9)
ENDANGERS: To close or finish END, goes by the French city that was the cradle of the Plantagenet dynasty ANGERS.
12a Root around area in wood, part of London (7)
MAYFAIR: A reversal of a root vegetable YAM becomes MAY and a species of evergreen coniferous tree (probably decorated at this time of year) FIR around A for area.
13a Public show using most of land on playing field (7)
RECITAL: Most of Italy ITAL goes after (on) a playing field or REC (short for recreation ground) A recital or public show.
14a Male enters carrying spare IT equipment (12)
MOTHERBOARDS: M for male and a synonym of enters BOARDS (a ship perhaps) goes around a synonym of spare OTHER.
18a Where to see people training with runners? (7,5)
NURSERY SLOPE: Where people who slide down snowy hills with runners (SKIS) on their feet go training.
21a Names bore penning new article for Marie Claire (7)
HANDLES: He bore or HAD a load to carry pens N for new followed by how a French person such as Marie Claire may say the indefinite article LES
23a Stupid kids hid notice: Avoid all edges (7)
IDIOTIC: Avoid all the edge letters of kIDs hId nOTICe leaving IDIOTIC or stupid.
24a This writer if poorly might get sick benefit (9)
STEINBECK: Remove IF from sick benefit and you should get the fodder for an anagram (poorly) one of the great American writers and an ideal opportunity for me to play this…
25a Strained fling‘s great pleasure cut short (5)
HEAVE:A strenuous fling is something that is pleasurable or HEAVEn cut short.
26a Fish out of water gains nothing (4)
DORY: If you are out of water you will be DRY gain a letter that looks like nothing O and you have a DORY.
27a Preserve with fruit covering papers for applicants (10)
CANDIDATES: Applicants for a job. A means of preservation by sealing in a tin CAN, the Christmas fruit that I don’t like DATES around one’s identification papers ID.
Down
1d Anguish when ex-President shortly gains lead in America (6)
TRAUMA: Not the most recent ex-president, but the first five letters of the president that served between 1945 and 1953 Harry S TRUMAn gains the lead letter of America. to be an anguish or TRAUMA.
2d Compounds using English to replace old passages (6)
ALLEYS: Metallic compounds or ALLOYS replace O for old with E for English to be ALLEYS or passages.
3d In auditorium, performer serves Heather cocktail (9,5)
SINGAPORE SLING: A couple of homophones (in auditorium) of a vocal performer SINGER, and serves a drink POURS, and another word for Heather LING that crops up a lot in crosswords. The cocktail SINGAPORE SLING
4d Find empty library weird (9)
UNEARTHLY: To find or UNEARTH and what is left of LibrarY when it is emptied is weird or UNEARTHLY.
5d Not wholly adored, leafy climbing plant (5)
ELDER: A plant that is a lurker (Not wholly) hidden in adored, leafy and it is reversed (climbing)
7d Upset about revolution (8)
OVERTURN: About or OVER, a revolution or TURN, and to upset or OVERTURN
8d Publish record on waste (8)
DISCLOSE: A record or DISC, and waste or LOSE, to publish or DISCLOSE
9d A menu: chips with cold processed ham (14)
UNACCOMPLISHED: An anagram (processed) of A MENU CHIPS and COLD. Ham in this sense is being used as amateur or unskilled.
15d Startled about reversal of evil being reprimanded (9)
ROLLICKED: A synonym of startled ROCKED, and a reversal of evil or ILL feeling.
16d Was keen eccentric then exploited? (8)
ENTHUSED: A synonym of was THEN is anagrammed (eccentric) followed by another word for exploited USED.
17d Renown of good bread from two foreign areas (8)
GRANDEUR:G for good and the “bread” of two foreign countries. The RAND of South Africa and the EURO of most of Europe, I think we can lose the O of euro as EUR is the currency exchange code for the Euro
19d Finally time to support burdened fellow (2,4)
AT LAST: The mythological being burdened to carry the world ATLAS adds T for time
20d Retrieve mug hiding cache regularly (6)
ACCESS: A mug ar ASS hide the odd letters of CaChE. to access or retrieve
22d Kingdom investing billion in source of oil (5)
SHEBA: A biblical Hebrew Kingdom comprises a source of cosmetic oil or fat SHEA around B for billion.