Sunday Toughie No 116 by Zandio
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 14th of April 2024
Across
1a Taking a short journey, she craftily put locks on her chest (4,6)
LADY GODIVA: We start with an all-in-one, her short journey was around Coventry, and she concealed her lack of clothing with long locks of hair
6a Northerner‘s journey on two wheels with one wheel missing (4)
SCOT: To travel on a type of two-wheeled vehicle SCOOT, loses one of its wheel-like letters
9a Adult hotel in Maine reserved in place of Disney (7)
ANAHEIM: An anagram of Maine and the letters that adult and hotel suggest MAINE A H becomes ANAHEIM a place where Disney has a theme park
10a Singer that gets high, really a negative where publicity is involved (7)
SOPRANO: An interjection for really SO, A from the clue and a negative NO, involve some publicity in the form of a press release PR. SO(PR)A(NO)
12a Change wheels (5-8)
PENNY-FARTHING: A double definition, change in a Victorian pocket and the wheels available for him
14a Slice of lemon’s 1 euro, sir (8)
MONSIEUR: A lurker (slice of), after the 1 has been changed to the letter I it looks like
15a Powerful intelligence embedded? (6)
COGENT: Some intelligence or GEN, is embedded in a small bed or COT
17a Delegate going to west Hong Kong is sampan bound (6)
ASSIGN: This is a lurker (indicated by bound), going to west in an across clue indicates it is reversed, delegate is the definition and the answer is found in the rest of the clue
19a Boisterously dispersed, avoiding disorderly riot that follows someone’s discharge (5,3)
BLESS YOU: Something you may say to one following an explosive discharge of snot, and an anagram of B(OI)S(T)E(R)OUSLY (dispersed) after another anagram (disorderly) of RIOT has been removed (avoided)
21a Misjudge foolish nude nap with current boyfriend? (13)
UNDERESTIMATE: An anagram (foolish) of NUDE, followed by a nap or REST, the physics symbol for current I, and a male friend MATE
24a Elbow, a group taking off? The opposite (7)
ABANDON: To give the elbow to, A from the clue, a group BAND, takes the opposite of off ON
25a Do keep quiet during work (7)
SHINDIG: An informal “do” Two letters that request quiet SH, and a phrase that suggests work on a building or archaeological site IN DIG
26a This writer’s sent back the writer’s award (4)
EMMY: A pronoun that this writer may use for himself is reversed ME becomes EM, followed by the possessive adjective he would use for his belongings MY, give us an award presented by the American Academy of Television Arts and Sciences an EMMY
27a 12/25 or 25/12, which is modern? (7-3)
PRESENT DAY: Two ways of expressing the 25th 24 hour period of the 12th month CHRISTMAS DAY, define a third for the habit of exchanging gifts or PRESENTs that DAY – The modern or PRESENT DAY
Down
1d Heavy metal guitarist’s role with a different sound (4)
LEAD: A double-definition that are homographs of each other, (words that are spelled alike but are different in meaning, derivation or pronunciation)
2d Pop spiked with ecstasy and pot, hiding what’s inside (7)
DEADPAN: We have just one illegal drug here, pot is more of a kitchen implement, one’s “pop” or DAD, is spiked with ecstasy E, followed by the pot or PAN
3d Capable of growing common if gender is mistaken (5-8)
GREEN-FINGERED: An anagram (is mistaken) of IF GENDER, follows a common or GREEN
4d Turned up dirt — gosh! — leading to charge and trial (5,3)
DUMMY RUN: A reversal of wet dirtMUD becomes DUM, an interjection that gosh! suggests MY, and to charge at a fast pace RUN, give us a trial or rehearsal- a DUMMY RUN
5d Scene in Rome, half the Apostles with Thomas maybe needing answer (5)
VISTA: How a Roman would count half of the Apostles six or VI, an abbreviation of the holiness that Thomas (and the other eleven Apostles had) SSaint or ST. and an abbreviated answer A. I suppose Thomas was chosen from the twelve or six for his doubting nature that needed answers
7d Hot drink followed by large cooler in special container (7)
CHALICE: An informal hot drink CHA and an abbreviation of large L, followed by something used to cool drinks ICE. A CHALICE or special cup
8d Nevertheless, pit’s base energy-free fuel must be abstracted (10)
THOUGHTFUL: A synonym of nevertheless THOUGH, the base letter of pit T, and FU(e)L after the energy has been freed. THOUGHTFUL or abstracted
11d Left’s piercing protestation disrupted filling here? (6,7)
PETROL STATION: An anagram (disrupted) of PROTESTATION after L for left has been inserted
13d Clean one’s uniform — delayed collecting raincoat (10)
IMMACULATE: The letter that uniform suggests U, and a raincoat MAC, go into a phrase said when one’s delayed I’M LATE- clean or IM(MAC)(U)LATE
16d It delivers its last letter … in code (8)
ELLIPSIS: Be careful with the penultimate letter it is unchecked! I just adored this clue. The last letter of it delivers is S when delivered in Morse code would be dot dot dot …
Also, a figure of syntax by which a word or words are left out and merely implied are indicated by this mark…
18d ‘Revolver’ conceivably produced by Wings? (7)
SIDEARM: The capitalisation of Wings made me think of Sir Paul McCartney and his earlier bandmates who produced Revolver as an obvious definition. I may be missing something as we have a concept or IDEA, within the answer but I moved on without thinking too deeply
20d Bore, not so young, endlessly absorbed by home improvement in retirement (7)
YIELDED: Someone not so young ELDE(R), loses the end letter and goes in a reversal (in retirement) of some home improvement DIY becomes YID. YIELDED or bore fruit perhaps
22d Orca enjoys surfacing occasionally, one detects (5)
SONAR: Alternate letters (occasionally) reversed (surfacing in a down clue) of oRcA eNjOyS – SONAR an acronym for SOund NAvigation and Ranging a means of underwater detection
23d ‘Crass’, revolutionary group found in vinyl guide (4)
UGLY: A lurker (group found in) reversed (revolutionary) in the last two words of the clue
That’s All Folks!