Sunday Toughie 82 (Review)

Sunday Toughie No 82 by

Robyn

Review by Sloop John Bee

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This puzzle was published on the 20th of August 2023

 

 

Across

1a Sombre colour on covers of manifesto (6)
MOROSE; The covering letters of manifesto M-O, and a pale red colour ROSE, MOROSE or sombre

4a It may help after getting baked pudding, one from France (8)
AFTERSUN; One of the ways that a Francophone may say one UN, follows an informal term for pudding so named as it follows the main course AFTERS. This soothing lotion or AFTERSUN eases the pain of getting baked in the sun, it was of little use in July but here’s hoping the weather bucks up a bit for the rest of the summer

9a French, English and German articles or article (6)
LEADER; A French definite article LE, an English indefinite article A, and a German definite article DER, come together to be the main editorial article of a newspaper, the LEADER

10a It might slow down traveller in reporter’s holiday home (5,3)
BRAKE PAD; A homophone (reporter’s) of a holiday or respite from work, BREAK becomes BRAKE, and an informal term for your home PAD, that slows down travellers in wheeled vehicles

12a Manx cat in Southampton or a tropical island (5,5)
SAINT KITTS; An informal cat loses its last letter (Manx therefore tailless) KITTY, and goes in the nickname for the Southampton football team SAINTS. One of a dual-island nation in the Caribbean, SAINT KITTS and Nevis

13a Telegraph‘s Robyn right to appear among Telegraph compilers (4)
WIRE; A word that Robyn might use in mentioning himself  I, and R for right appear among a collective pronoun that other Telegraph compilers use to refer to the group WE. Interestingly the solution is also the pseudonym of another setter who cut his teeth in Rookie Corner and the NTSPP, who I hope to meet again at Elgar’s Birthday Bash in October – see the link in the events column >>> if you are interested it is a good weekend

14a Old car that’s amazing! (1,1,1)
O.M.G.; An abbreviation of old O, and a brand of sports car MG, originally produced by Morris Garages in Oxford (now China!) become the textspeak used when amazed O.M.G. 

15a One female, extremely flash, dons big slip in exciting scene (11)
CLIFFHANGER; The letter that looks like one I, an abbreviation of female F, and the extreme letters of flash FH, go in a big slip or stupid mistake CLANGER, to be the exciting scene of an episode of a serial, etc that leaves one in suspense CL(I-F-FH)ANGER

18a Asking to hide loot plundered in criminal activity (11)
BOOTLEGGING; To smuggle or deal in illicit alcohol or illegally made recordings from a synonym of asking or pleading BEGGING, around an anagram of LOOT

20a By the sound of it, win the Ashes here (3)
URN; A homophone of to win or get by labour EARN, is a place where The Ashes are kept, an URN

21a Exceedingly Parisian hair cut (4)
TRES; How a Parisian would say a synonym of exceedingly or very TRES, , also most of (cut) a lock of hair or TRESS

22a Barbadian cricketer inspiring team? He’s deadly serious (10)
SOBERSIDES; One of the greatest all-rounders at Cricket, who once scored six sixes in an over Sir Garfield SOBERS, around a synonym of team SIDE, is a noun for a sedate, serious-minded and solemn person SOBERSIDES

24a A lord now paralytic in cafe or restaurant, say (4,4)
LOAN WORD; Cafe and restaurant are definitions by example (say) for “terms” that have been “borrowed” from another language. Paralytic is an anagram indicator and that leaves the first three words A LORD NOW as the fodder

25a Digit at the end or start of twenty one point one, oddly (6)
TIPTOE; The start of Twenty T, a printer’s abbreviation of a space of one point 1PT, and the odd letters of one OE. The very end of ones lower digits TIPTOE

26a Add some ginger to greens, i.e. in a salad (8)
ENERGISE; An instruction to Scotty to operate the transporter in Star Trek is an anagram (in a salad) of GREENS and I. E. As a transitive verb “to put GINGER into” means to make spirited, to enliven or ENERGISE

27a Perhaps mind Rover model after sports car model (3-3)
PET-SIT; To model for an artist SIT, follows some sports lessons PE,and an early Ford Model T car. To mind or look after Rover here is a common name of a dog kept for companionship

Down

1d Soldier’s arm troubles nursed by one doctor with love, then another (5,4)
MILLS BOMB; Some troubles or ILLS, in (nursed) one bachelor of medicine MB, the letter that love represents O, then another bachelor of medicine to follow MB. The popular name for a hand-held “armament” that soldiers can throw at the enemy The MILLS BOMB being an early name for the hand grenade developed by and named for William Mills

2d Activity for students where Oscar was put in detention (7)
READING; A double definition, what students do and the place where Oscar Wilde was incarcerated in Gaol

3d Like e.g. Thomas Cook plc — it’s ace! (9)
SCEPTICAL; Some devious capitalisation here, not the traveller who first created “package” holidays, Thomas is the saint who doubted that Jesus had risen from the dead, Cook is the anagram indicator and PLC IT’S ACE is the fodder, like e.g. indicates that we want another term for the Doubting Thomas

5d For starters, fried rice for mate (5,7)
FIRST OFFICER; A two-word phrase for starters FIRST OFF, and an anagram (fried) of RICE The Mate or second in command to a captain

6d Ungulates occasionally in pEn, LiKe So (4)
ELKS; Alternate letters (occasionally) in the last three words of the clue

7d Charlie and Erica’s baby Rowan, perhaps (7)
SAPLING; A right Charlie or SAP, and another word for the ericaceous heather plant LING, are also a very young Rowan tree

8d Greek character driven at intervals to be explicitly rude (5)
NUDIE; A letter in the Greek Alphabet NU, and alternate letters of DrIvEn, a publication, entertainment, or venue featuring nude performers or models NUDIE

11d Detective pursuing swine after cheating in football pools may have these (6,6)
DIVING BOARDS; Cheating in football by simulating a bad tackle DIVING, and a male swine BOAR, pursued by a Detective Sergeant or D.S.

16d Hippo’s notable and grand island on banks of Nile (9)
AUGUSTINE; I have never heard of this theologian or the region of which he was a notable bishop and Saint, but he was deducible from plenty of checkers and a synonym of grand or serious AUGUST, the abbreviation of island I, and the banks of the N(il)E

17d Near rocks, trail is rising again (9)
RENASCENT; An anagram (rocks) of NEAR followed by the trail that a bloodhound follows SCENT

19d Media reporting not initially too mature (7)
OVERAGE; The extensive reporting of a news story by the media COVERAGE, loses its initial letter

20d Page clad in uniform sees the latest info (7)
UPDATES; The romantic occasions when you “see” a significant other DATES, follows U for uniform as a code word in international radio communication and an abbreviation of page P

21d Senor should have one day in Panama, say (5)
TILDE; An abbreviation of day D, in an informal term for a hat such as a Panama TILE, This diacritical remark should be over the n in Señor

23d Small adornment for head or neck (4)
SWIG; S for small and the adornment you may wear to conceal baldness WIG, to “neck”  or SWIG a deep draught of beer or other alcoholic drink