Sunday Toughie No 101 by Zandio
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 31st of December 2023
Across
1a Believe rage will lead to fine (3,3,5)
SEE THE LIGHT: To rage or boil SEETHE, followed by a synonym of fine as a fabric perhaps LIGHT, then split according to the enumeration to SEE THE LIGHT
7a Navy’s welcomed in company with a double brandy to start — bit of food’s inside (7)
CORNCOB: The abbreviation of a company is doubled CO-CO, The Royal Navy RN, goes in and the start of Brandy B, follows CORNCOB the container of many bits of IMO inedible food
8a Where we may see seeds winning (2,1,4)
ON A ROLL: Nothing to do with Wimbledon or any other tennis competition, A double definition, these seeds are usually poppy or sesame, it is also a phrase for winning regularly
10a Viewer confronted by guards in imagination (5,3)
MINDS EYE: A synonym of guards or cares for MINDS, fronts the organ that makes us a viewer EYE
11a One living in sea and river who enjoys the ice? (6)
SKATER: Someone who enjoys sliding on frozen water from a sea creature SKATE, and an abbreviated river R
13a Almost finished adding new kit in kitchen (4)
OVEN: Almost all of a synonym of finished OVE(r), adding N for new
14a What every singer needs — a clue to what the guitarist may be playing! (5,5)
VOCAL CORDS: A clever clue here, perhaps a reverse homophone indicator, A homophone of the groups of notes that “Guitar George” from the “Sultans of Swing” knows all of CHORDS, the homophone indicator VOCAL, becomes the first word of our answer
16a Source of tough demand with staff cowering at heart? (10)
TASKMASTER: I can’t separate a part for the definition so I guess it is an all-in-one bit of Lego™, The source of tough T, to demand or enquire ASK, the staff that holds sails or aerials up MAST, and the at-heart letters of cowering ER
18a Leader of 20, assets regularly wasted, overthrown … (4)
TSAR: Take the leading letter of 20d R, and alternate letters of AsSeTs and reverse it (overthrown) for the former leader of 20d before they were overthrown TSAR
21a … if not overthrown, Charles le roi will imprison this group (2,4)
OR ELSE: Ignore the elision… – it just helps with the surface. A lurker (will imprison this group [of letters]) is reversed (overthrown) in the other three words
22a This person, one brought in by Trump, sorted out Yankee corruption (8)
IMPURITY: A first-person pronoun I, the letter that looks like one I, and TRUMP are anagrammed (sorted out) and the code letter that Yankee suggests Y, follows
24a Above pit, a phrase to encapsulate this? (7)
EPITAPH: Pit is a rather informal term for the place of eternal rest where this phrase to encapsulate one’s life may be. It is a lurker (to encapsulate this) hidden in the first four words
25a More offensive, seeing that stage knight at the West End (7)
NASTIER: Two letters for seeing that AS, and a stage or level TIER, have the Chess notation for a Knight N, appended at the west end. Some deceptive capitalisation of West End to make you think of Stage Knights, I wonder why Zandio didn’t capitalise Le Roi in 21a – maybe to confuse us with the city in Belgium
26a Fast beginning with tarts, possibly (6,5)
FLYING START: A reverse anagram of TARTS, where the anagram indicator FLYING, becomes the first word of our answer
Down
1d Queer Street — charged, maybe getting comeuppance (7)
STRANGE: The definition and the first two letters were clear (an abbreviation of street ST) but I went to sleep last Sunday with this unparsed, thinking along the lines of the anxiety of how far a fully charged battery may allow you to go (RANGE anxiety is a thing amongst electric car owners I believe), I awoke with a start after a dream of a Bull charging across a field RAN, with maybe (as an example of) EG becomes GE reversed (getting comeuppance) chasing after ST(RAN)GE or Queer
2d Lovemaking seen by copper on a cycle — examined initially and let off (6)
EXCUSE: A blunter synonym of the act of lovemaking SEX, cycles one letter EX S around the chemical symbol of copper CU, followed by the initial of examined E
3d Thing in cooker, topping with grating, we’re told (5-5)
HOBBY-HORSE: A “thing” you may become obsessed with. A flat surface for heating on a cooker HOB, a preposition of with BY, and a homophone (we’re told) of a grating voice HOARSE becomes HORSE
4d Duck raised to eat nothing, brave creature (4)
LION: A duck or scoreless synonym NIL, is raised LIN, and eats the letter that looks like nothing O,
5d One’s booted out by No.1 hippie destination with 1,000 gatecrashing thrash (4,4)
GOAL KICK: A hippie destination in Western India GOA, and K, one of the several abbreviations of 1,000, inside (gatecrashing) a synonym of thrash LICK. No.1 is usually the shirt number of the player who restarts a game of football in this manner
6d Tango with cad, bit of a pig (7)
TROTTER: The letter that Tango suggests T, and a cad or ROTTER, TROTTER the lowest part of a pig’s leg
7d Cold, shivering, frozen too, cuddling maiden in security blanket (7,4)
COMFORT ZONE: An abbreviation of Cold C, then Maiden M, contained in (cuddling) an anagram (shivering) of FROZEN TOO
9d Our father will start this petition on Sunday (5,6)
LORDS PRAYER: Our Father… starts this petition you may say on Sunday
12d Pay for model daughter and son, eating close to 9 (4,6)
MAKE AMENDS: The closing word of 9d AMEN, goes between a synonym of model MAKE, and abbreviations of daughter and son D&S
15d Perhaps Syria’s represented with me heading up? (8)
EMISSARY: A reversal (heading up) of me becones EM, and an anagram (represented) of SYRIA’S, would be someone sent out on behalf of a government or state that Syria (perhaps) is an example of
17d Female guitarist’s figure — man, that’s arresting! (7)
SHERIFF: A 3rd person female pronoun SHE, and the guitarist’s improvisation on a theme RIFF, become a man who may arrest you
19d Kilts will fly around if one’s pulled up (3,4)
SKI LIFT: An anagram (will fly around) of KILTS and IF
20d Rolling broadcast about American sierra, vast country (6)
RUSSIA: To broadcast on the Radio perhaps AIR, reversed (rolling) becomes R IA, around (about) an abbreviation of American US, and the letter that Sierra suggests S, R(US)[S]IA a vast country
23d Avoid overhead heater in hotel? On the contrary (4)
SHUN: The wordplay suggests that the source of heat that glows overhead SUN, goes in the abbreviation of hotel H – On the contrary reverses that so the abbreviation goes in the heater to SHUN or avoid
That’s All Folks!