Sunday Toughie 90 (Review)

Sunday Toughie No 90 by

Robyn

Review by Sloop John Bee

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This puzzle was published on the 15th of October 2023

 

                Across

1a             Angry, accepting running clubs train here in London? (7,5)
CHARING CROSS; A synonym of angry CROSS,  “accepts” running like a leveret or his parents HARING, and an abbreviation for the  CLUB suit of cards C C(HARING)(C)ROSS

9a             Short path followed by someone moving stock car (4,5)
LAND ROVER; A narrow passage or road is shortened by one letter LANe, followed by someone who moves stock DROVER

10a           Depiction of Mary’s pastry case for tea (5)
PIETÀ; Pastry defined as contained in a crust PIE, and the case letters of tea TeA, give us a representation of the Virgin Mary holding the body of Jesus

11a           Painting implement for car (6)
ROLLER; A double definition, an implement for painting and an informal Rolls Royce car

12a           Game bird that’s caught was sour when cooked (8)
CURASSOW; A candidate for THE LIST if ever I saw one, but the wordplay is clear, an anagram (when cooked) of WAS SOUR and C for caught should get you with Mr Google’s help to a South American game bird whose name is a homophone of the place it was first found Curaçao

13a           Get rancid, tiny amount of bread and vegetable (6)
TURNIP; A synonym of how you may describe milk about to go rancid – on the TURN, (bread here is an informal term for money) and the smallest coin in the UK currency 1P becomes IP 

14a           In a rage, nearly have hallucinations (8)
SEETHING; Nearly all of a 3,6 phrase for having hallucinations SEE THINGS, remove the last letter and the space between the words and you are in a rage SEETHING (8) 

17a           Report what loaded firearm has (8)
BULLETIN; Split 6-2 is what a loaded firearm has a BULLET-IN, (8) is a news report

19a           Colour used with green design again (6)
REDRAW; A primary colour RED, and a synonym of green or inexperienced RAW

22a           In the US, exhaust detective with exercise on track (8)
TAILPIPE; A detective for hire a Private investigator or PI, and a form of exercise PE, follow (on) to track or follow TAIL

24a           French pianist concluding finale from Rolling Stones (6)
GRAVEL; What a cracking clue, take the final letter (concluding finale) of rollinG, and append a French Pianist RAVEL, to fulfil the definition. The capitalisation of Rolling, and the definition Stones is a fine bit of misdirection

26a           Run out after batting? I might do this with the Ashes (5)
INURN; An anagram (out) of RUN follows those cricketers who are batting or IN

27a           What fishermen do about onset of legal contract complaint (5,4)
CATCH COLD; What Fishermen who are netting a particular species of fish do CATCH COD, contains the onset of Legal L

28a           Celebration after move wins game — our fans out behind rugby goal? (5-7)
HOUSE-WARMING; An anagram (fans out) of WINS GAME and OUR, after (behind) the letter suggested by the shape of a rugby goal H Robyn has form for using the rugby goal to clue H I first met  it in Sunday Toughie 7  Hints  And the review Sunday Toughie 7 Review

Please check out the fine comments there, in particular, those from our dear departed Robert C

                Down

1d             Criminal record admitted by rotter before appeal (7)
CULPRIT; A record or album LP, in (admitted by) a rotter CUR, goes before some sex appeal IT CU(LP)R-IT

2d             Scrap with Rear Admiral, turning round (7)
ANNULAR; To scrap or abolish ANNUL, followed by a reversal (turning) of the abbreviation for a Rear Admiral RA becomes AR
Very topical considering a large swathe of the United States experienced an ANNULAR eclipse of this nature very recently, I suppose astronomers knew it was coming and Robyn may have swapped his place in the Sunday Toughie rota to accommodate it 

3d             Account about king, exclusive figure in Bible (9)
ISRAELITE; I spent ages trying to justify a reversal of the Shakespearean King LEAR, before I realised we have a savings account I.S.A. about a regal abbreviation R, followed by something exclusive or ELITE, The parsing only finally dropped as I wrote the hint
Regrettably also topical as all people suffering in the Middle East would agree

4d             Foremost of gymnasts, this person’s showing flexibility (4)
GIVE; The foremost letter of Gymnasts G, and a contraction of this person’s possessions I’VE

5d             Soldiers trounced and sent elsewhere (8)
REROUTED; The Royal Engineers are trounced R.E. + ROUTED are sent elsewhere or REROUTED

6d             Caspian, say, penning letter in ink (5)
SEPIA; Caspian is an example (say) of the body of water that we require SEA, it contains the sixteenth letter of the Greek alphabet PI, Ink of a reddish-brown colour from the ink sac of a cuttlefish SEPIA (every day is a school day)

7d             Japanese teacher is seen after doing some translation (6)
SENSEI; An anagram (after doing some translation) of IS SEEN The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had a Rat called Splinter as their SENSEI

8d             Be nosy, say, when eating a brownie, oddly (6)
EARWIG; Say as an exempli gratia E.G. contains the odd letters of A bRoWnIe, being nosy by trying to overhear conversations not intended to be heard EARWIG

15d           Radio programme wanting small group of stars (3,6)
THE ARCHER; Sagittarius or a long-running radio programme THE ARCHERs, wanting its terminal ess for small

16d           At least a dozen beers, or nine softly placed in bags? (3-5)
SIX-PACKS; To be plural beers have to come in at least twos alternatively, we put a Roman nine IX, and a musical softly P for pianissimo, in some rough bagsor SACKS

17d           Bread sandwiches dry, I rudely interject (4,2)
BUTT IN; A small bread roll BUN, sandwiches someone who abstains from alcohol TT for teetotal, and I rudely interject or BUTT IN

18d           Left great party in Belfast in incapacitated state (4,2)
LAID UP; L for left and something first-rate or excellent A1, followed by one of the political parties in Northern Ireland The Democratic Unionist Party or DUP

20d           Contents of gRAVy tIn — sOLId food (7)
RAVIOLI; The contents of three words in the clue

21d           Funny Liberal turns up in toupee, one maybe barking? (4,3)
WILD DOG; A funny or strange ODD and an abbreviation of Liberal L, is  reversed (turns up in a down clue) in a toupee or WIG  (WI(L)(D DO)G)

23d           Long to get Oscar for dramatic entertainment (5)
PANTO; To wish ardently or yearn for PANT, and the letter that Oscar represents O

25d           Threats to wolves circling pack (4)
STOW; A lurker (circling) in the first three words