Sunday Toughie No 71 by Zandio
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 4th of June 2023
Across
1a What makes one upset, and jolly ready for a fight? (7-5)
TRIGGER HAPPY: The input that causes one to be upset TRIGGER: and a synonym of jolly HAPPY
9a Doo-wop era teenagers securing work in theatre (7)
OPERATE: A lurker hidden in the first three words of the clue
10a Swimmers in unusual number competed, having bit of a laugh (7)
PIRANHA: the irration or unusual number PI, competed an athletic event RAN. and a small laugh HA
11a Golf less energetic for one doing light work? (7)
GLAZIER: A NATO phonetic code letter G, and a comparative for less energetic LAZIER. Light here being a pane of glass
12a Odds on king maybe backing hanger-on (7)
SPONGER: Horse racing odds Starting Price abbreviated to SP, ON from the clue, maybe or EG reversed (backing)
gives us GE and R for Rex for King
13a Passage this writer will broadcast (5)
AISLE: How this writer refers to himself in the first person I, and WILL from the clue, when elided together as I’ll are pronounced, the homophone indicator being (broadcast)
14a Relax, go blonde! (7,2)
LIGHTEN UP: A double definition
16a Home where grass addicts are looked after (5,4)
DAIRY FARM: A place where animals are intensively bred to eat grass to produce our daily pinta
19a Place offering better religious instruction (5)
CAPRI: A synonym of to better or outdo or surpass CAP, and the abbreviation for Religious Instruction RI, CAPRI being a place off the coast of Italy
21a Maybe lead group (7)
ELEMENT: Another double definition, Lead is a definition by example as being on the Periodic Table of Elements and part of a group
23a 19 cycling back to snack? (7)
APRICOT: When you have found the place in 19a CAPRI, cycle the first letter APRIC, and append it to a reversal (back) of to OT, when dried APRICOT is an ingredient of many snack foods
24a Wimp with boring kind of shirt? (4-3)
DRIP DRY: A kind of shirt that was made of a fabric that allowed it to dry rapidly, from synonyms of wimp DRIP, and boring DRY, They needed to dry rapidly as they also caused much more sweating especially in double maths lessons
25a Off its lead, giant gobbling boxer from 19a? (7)
ITALIAN: Crosswordlands ubiquitous but long gone boxer Muhammed ALI, goes in an anagram (off) of a giant or TITAN when the leading letter has been removed, 19a CAPRI being an ITALIAN island
26a Excited wench with grim dad’s accompaniment? (7,5)
WEDDING MARCH: The music that accompanies a Father as he takes his daughter down the aisle – an anagram (excited) of three words in the clue WENCH, GRIM and DAD)
Down
1d They come in pairs to break up (7)
TOECAPS: A printers break or SPACE is reversed (up) ECAPS, and follows TO from the clue
2d Criminal aiming to upstage European judge (7)
IMAGINE: An anagram of AIMING and E for European
3d Fighter disguised as real girl in uniform? On the contrary (9)
GUERRILLA: The wordplay suggests that real girl goes in uniform, on the contrary means that actually the NATO radio code letter for uniform U, goes in an anagram (disguised) of REAL GIRL
4d Guys maybe having topless fumbles (5)
ROPES: Fumbles or GROPES loses the topmost letter to be the guys that hold up a tent maybe
5d Left after impression given by John Lennon? (7)
AIRPORT: John Lennon is a definition by example, a nautical left PORT, follows a synonym of impression or AIR. formerly known as Speke
6d Lay 1,000 gallons in — that’ll make you tiddly (4,3)
PINK GIN: To lay or PIN, K being an abbreviation for Kilo or 1,000, G for gallons followed by IN from the clue give us PINK GIN a drink that will make you tiddly
7d Basic mat protects old study with useful covering (5-3-5)
ROUGH AND READY: A small carpet RUG, around O for old, and something useful HANDY, covering to study or READ books gives us a basic ROUGH AND READY
8d Bar with net getting disconnected? That’s petty (4-9)
HAIR-SPLITTING: It took a while for the penny to drop on the Cockney rhyming slang BARNET, maybe because the two syllables of BARNET were split or disconnected
15d Idiot boxing is a new boy around here? (9)
GYMNASIUM: An idiot or MUG “boxes” IS and A from the clue, an abbreviation for new N, and an exclamation like boy! MY, are all reversed (around) Here? tells us we are looking for where this boxer may practice his pugilism
17d Team’s gripping climbing equalled English record (7)
ITEMISE: The letters that look like the Arabic number of players in a football team I I and include the ‘S (not the usual Roman numerals) contain (gripping) a reversal (climbing) of a synonym of equalled MET, followed by E for English. ITEMISE to record a list
18d Bore gave way (7)
YIELDED: Another double definition To YIELD to traffic at a junction or the YIELD of a fruit tree
19d Brought over to Enter Shikari, as rockers’ crew member (7)
CORSAIR: A somewhat piratical crew member is a reverse (brought over) lurker (to enter)
20d Apres Coke, it’s the off-and-on feeling that one should tuck in (7)
PECKISH: Alternate letters (off-and-on) of the first four letters of the clue. PECKISH being the feeling that one should tuck into something to eat
22d Check shirt, say, with no flipping tax on top (3,2)
TRY ON: No is flipped ON, and follows a synonym of tax or vex TRY. To TRY ON a shirt say to check if it fits or suits one’s style