Sunday Toughie 49 (Review) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Sunday Toughie 49 (Review)

Sunday Toughie No 49 by Robyn

Review by Sloop John Bee

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This puzzle was published on the 1st of January 2023

 


Across

1a Being airily cold, medic with pride ignoring hospital (12)
DRAUGHTINESS: A synonym of pride (H)AUGHTINESS, without its initial H for hospital follows one of our usual 2 letter medics DR.

9a Pope in religious headgear saving face (5)
URBAN: A Sikh’s religious headgear or TURBAN loses the face letter T to be URBAN the name of several popes of the Catholic Church. The first Pope Urban served from c222 to 230, and the last Pope Urban VIII from 1623 to 1644.

10a Words when flogging dog on short, damaged leash (5,4)
SALES TALK: To dog, track or STALK goes on an anagram (damaged) of LEAS(H) after it has been shortened by its last letter.

11a Work hard — live off investing say (6,4)
BEAVER AWAY: A two-word phrase for to live off one’s usual patch (2,4) BE AWAY surrounds (investing) a word for say AVER, that crops up in crosswords more often than in everyday conversation.
To beaver away | Confessions of the Linguistic Spy

12a Attend thrash (4)
BEAT: A double definition when split (2,2) it means to attend, and when (4) to thrash

13a Recall European president making a comeback (7)
RETRACE: Not a European President but an American one who served from 1977 to 1981 CARTER, he is reversed (making a comeback) and followed by E for European.

15a Speaker no longer in seaside town (7)
EXMOUTH: The thing you speak with MOUTH, follows a prefix for no longer EX.
Promenade the longest seafront in Devon - Visit Exmouth
17a Residence bordering uncovered land, maybe plain (7)
VANILLA: A particular Roman residence or VILLA surrounds what is left of L(AN)D when it has been uncovered gives us a plain VANILLA ice cream for one.

19a Bob respectfully agreed to return after lacking politeness (7)
CURTSEY: To lack politeness or be CURT, followed by a reversal (to return) of agreed or YES

21a Out-of-work cleric’s error (4)
BISH: A Bishop or cleric loses the two-letter abbreviation Op for work, what remains is an error popular in the Jennings books by Anthony Buckeridge. “You’ve made a frightful bish and you’re about as much use as a radio-active suet pudding.”

Stella & Rose's Books : Jennings By Anthony Buckeridge | Articles

22a Formerly tender poet attacked from behind (5,5)
POUND NOTES: This no longer legal tender is a synonym of attacked  SET ON, reversed(from behind) that follows a poet whose name was Ezra POUND.

25a One with craft refined his ability around November (9)
SHIPOWNER: An anagram of HIS and the special ability or POWER of a superhero around N for November.
Aristotle Onassis: Greece's Larger Than Life Tycoon
26a Colour video frames for all to see (5)
TAUPE: To record a video on TAPE frames the film classification U for universal or suitable for all to see.

Pantone 16-1105 Tpx Plaza Taupe Color | #a79e8b - Hex Color Conversion - Color Schemes - Color Shades - Pantone color | Hexcolorpedia
27a Many a report of spirits finally soaring entertains people in party (5,7)
GHOST STORIES: The final letter of soaring G, those who hold and entertain guests HOSTS, and a common name for a political party TORIES. split according to the enumeration we have a tale or report of spirits in the night.
A Ghost Story - Rotten Tomatoes

Down

1d Bush always has new flower coming up (5)
DUBYA: A synonym of always AY, and the early stage of a new flower BUD, are reversed to be the folksy Texan pronunciation of the middle initial of a US President George W Bush.

2d Funny picture of queen touring one vast room (5,4)
ANNIE HALL: A Queen who reigned England, Scotland and Ireland at the time of the union ANNE, around the letter that looks like 1, and a large room or HALL.
Annie Hall Movie Review | Common Sense Media
3d Conceive and develop grand car (7)
GESTATE: G for grand and a large ESTATE car to conceive and develop slowly in the womb or mind.

4d Hat-wearing convict shows cultivation (7)
TILLAGE: A hat or TILE around a convict or LAG. TILLAGE land prepared for cultivation.

5d & 24d Reporter’s experiences with tech titan’s features upgrades (4,4)
NOSE JOBS: A homophone (reporter’s) of experiences or understand, Knows becomes NOSE, and the surname of the co-founder and driving force behind the tech titan Apple, Steve JOBS. an upgrade to one’s facial features.

6d Police ops in Escort stuck between Sierras (5-4)
STAKE OUTS: To escort or TAKE OUT goes between a pair of letters that Sierras represents in the phonetic code.

7d Feeling less sun, ultimately, by dark shade (6)
NUMBER: The last letter of suN, and the dark shade UMBER becomes the comparative for feeling less NUMBER.

8d Skeleton crew abandoning steam ship (6)
SKETCH: Take the crew or group of colleagues from Steam and add a small two-masted sailing vessel KETCH, for a rough outline or skeleton towards a more finished work SKETCH.

14d Revolving fan hits me, possibly one supplying air (9)
TUNESMITH: I initially took revolving as an anagrind. and created a mineshaft that supplies air to miners, checkers sorted me out. We need a synonym of a fanatic NUT, and revolve it TUN, then an anagram (possibly) of HITS ME for someone who creates a fine musical air or TUNESMITH.

https://youtu.be/PyMz0w2UC9s


16d Poet concerned with the main races on island (9)
MARINETTI: Take an adjective concerning the sea or main MARINE, add the Tourist Trophy races associated with the Isle of Man TT, and I for island itself, then go and google this Italian poet and founder of the Futurist movement.

17d Musician in classical sextet having time after encore (6)
VIBIST: How a classical Roman would define a group of six VI, a musical notation for play again or encore BIS and T for time. According to the Bonzo dog doo dah band, Adolf Hitler was the 17d on this piece.

https://youtu.be/cMqdwtd8TrQ


18d Nation somehow succeeded, or chooses to succeed (7)
ANOINTS: An anagram of NATION and the genealogical abbreviation for succeeded S. To mark as an intended successor.

19d Spirited criminal getting life? That’s about right (3,4)
CON BRIO: An abbreviated criminal CON,and a prefix meaning life BIO, around R for right give us a spirited or vivacious musical instruction CON BRIO.

20d Southern Arab state imprisons spineless supporters (3-3)
YES-MEN:  The southern Arabian state YEMEN around the supporting S of both imprisonS and spinelesS

23d Briefly, leader is confident but not tense (5)
TRUSS: To have confidence or TRUSTS loses the T for tense, leaving TRUSS a (very) brief leader for a few weeks this year.

24d See 5d