Sunday Toughie No 56 by proXimal
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 19th of February 2023
Across
6a Arranged job putting diagram in reference work (13)
CHOREOGRAPHED: Take a job you may impose on someone in return for pocket money CHORE, a reference work similar to Chambers O.E.D. around a symbolic diagram GRAPH, and you arrange those components into the composition of a dance
8a Picture officer, one bound to retreat (6)
FRESCO: An abbreviated officer CO, and someone who is bound to a master SERF is reversed (to retreat) and becomes a painting or FRESCO
9a Chocolate bar wrapper that’s seen on flyer (8)
AEROFOIL: A particular chocolate bar introduced by Rowntrees in York in 1935, known for its fine bubbles AERO, and the shiny wrapper that protects it FOIL, is also the shape seen on a flying machine that provides lift
10a Pen leak (3)
RUN: A double definition, the pen that allows an animal to run about and a liquid leak that the pen in your pocket may cause
11a Consequence of unrestricted time with alcohol (6)
IMPORT: The outer letters of tIMe are removed and are followed by a fortified wine PORT. the consequence of something important
12a Kitchen gadget from Scottish town brother picked up (3,5)
AIR FRYER: Two homophones here (picked up), one of a Scottish town AYR, the other a brother of a religious order FRIAR
14a Incident of displaced codpieces, getting caught out twice (7)
EPISODE: Remove the cricketty abbreviation for caught C from CodpieCes both times it occurs (twice) and displace the remains cODPIEcES to give us an EPISODE or incident
16a Excellent hosts are vocally moralising (7)
PREACHY: An informal synonym of excellent PEACHY, hosts the letter you “hear” when vocalising are R
20a Very, very much — I’m hesitant traveller (8)
WAYFARER: A synonym of very as in WAY too much, and a synonym of very much FAR and a hesitant ER
23a Disease from wide river caught by person in boat (6)
COWPOX: The cricketty letter that a scorer uses to indicate a wide W, and an Italian river often seen in crosswords PO, are caught inside the helmsman of a boat COX(swain). COWPOX, A disease of milkmaids that helped Edward Jenner develop a vaccine for a more serious disease
24a One’s afraid to say it (3)
EEK: a mouse!
25a Invertebrates after scuttling out of ground enter jars (8)
VIBRATES: An anagram (scuttling) of InVerteBRATES after an anagram (ground) of enter has been removed
26a Old naval officer contracted by English force (6)
OBLIGE: O for old and most of a Naval officer (contracted) who presided over a famous mutiny Captain BLIG(h) and E for English
27a Pleased with weight amount airliner gives on vacation luggage (9,4)
GLADSTONE BAGS: A synonym of pleased GLAD, an old imperial weight STONE, A national airliner BA, and the outer letters (on vacation)of G(ive)S
Down
1d Dish consumed by raucous cousins (8)
COUS COUS: A lurker (consumed by) the last two words
2d Returned cake containing beetroot? On the contrary (8)
RETORTED: To return upon an assailant is a type of cake TORTE, in the colour of beetroot RED
3d Ten such scaly beasts decomposing could be nauseating (7)
IGUANAS: These scaly beasts are found in anagram form when the letters of ten are removed from the last word in the clue NAUSeAtInG
4d Article stopping one igniting lighter (6)
FAIRER: one who ignites things a FIRER around (stopping) an article A
5d Cause irritation by rubbing head of riled six-footer (6)
CHAFER: To irritate by rubbing CHAFE, and the head of Riled combine to be any of several kinds of beetle (which have six feet)
6d Browser with soft tongue, goat stripping grass — it gives shiny coat (6,7)
CHROME PLATING: A web browser associated with Google devices CHROME, the musical notation for soft P, a tongue or language LATIN,and what is left of Goat after the grass OAT, has been removed, Samuel Johnson in his dictionary said of this grass ” A grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people” CHROME PLATING – A shiny coating for metallic parts
7d Enterprise partnering hotel filling food containers as KFC often has (13)
DRIVETHROUGHS: Enterprise or initiative and daring DRIVE, partnering H for hotel, in the food containers that horses may eat their oats from TROUGHS. A feature of many fast food establishments such as KFC
13d Heard scoff of Asian opponent (3)
FOE: An Asian soup PHO, is a homophone (heard) of opponent. Not how an Asian pronounces the tasty noodle soup but common enough in the west
15d Such cells getting rented outside to be modernised (3)
OVA: The egg cells we seek would become a synonym of modernised if they had rented outside, renOVAted
17d Judged working parts disabled with top part missing (8)
RECKONED: Disabled or WRECKED around working or ON (minus the top letter W)
18d In addition to sea wall getting fixed, welcoming second (2,4,2)
AS WELL AS: An anagram of SEA WALL and S for second
19d City player’s quick with first in net (7)
PRESTON: An instruction to a musician or player to play quickly PRESTO,and the first letter of net N, combine to be a city in the North West known for the bypass that was Britain’s first motorway
21d Layout beneficial to where judo takes place? (6)
FORMAT: Beneficial or FOR and the carpet or MAT where judo takes place, the layout of a document or spreadsheet perhaps
22d Be still being pierced by alien probe again (6)
RETEST: Our usual crossword alien E.T. the extra terrestrial goes in an instruction to be still or REST