Sunday Toughie No 127 by proXimal
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 30th of June 2024
Across
1a Spooner’s jittery poor style of swimming (12)
BREASTSTROKE: Synonyms of jittery STRESSED, and poor BROKE, swap their starting sounds to be the BREASTSTROKE a style of swimming
9a Poet’s in Italy in church (7)
HOMERIC: Our usual in HOME,followed by an abbreviation for the predominant Roman Catholic religion in Italy RC, around the IVR code for Italy I, an adjective for in the style of the poet Homer, HOMERIC
10a Axe I lump around to cut wood (7)
ABOLISH: I and a synonym of lump LOB are reversed (around) and cut into a species of wood ASH – to A(BOL)(I)SH or axe
11a Deft carrying very big weight – it’s unproblematic (2,5)
NO SWEAT: A synonym of deft NEAT, carries abbreviations of very big OS, and weight W, split (2,5) it is a doddle or N(O S)(W)EAT
12a Mixing this sauce, son and I might supply soup kitchen (7)
KETCHUP: proXimal hiding those definitions in the middle again. The sauce can be found in an anagram (mixing_this) of soup kitchen after son and I are extracted
13a Attack playing series of games (5)
ONSET: The beginning of an attack, Playing or ON court, the series of games in tennis gives us SET
14a Direction of return for Phoenix, a state capital (5-4)
UPPERCASE: That Phoenix is the State Capital of Arizona is a clever deception. You want the direction the fabled Phoenix rose from the flames UP, a preposition for each or a PER, and a synonym of state in a court of law CASE
16a Aristos charge to catch game (9)
DUCHESSES: The charge for membership of a club DUES, go around (catch) the board game CHESS
19a Floated along with foot lifted out no longer wet (5)
DRIED: A synonym of floated along aimlessly DRI(FT)ED, has the abbreviation for foot lifted out
21a This dull dorm converted could be ultramodern (7)
NEUTRAL: A DULL compound anagram (this_converted) of ULTRA(MOD)E(R)N but remove the DORM first
23a Fifty brought in to handle work for summit (7)
HILLTOP: A Roman fifty L, in the handle of his Sword HILT, and a usual work synonym OP
24a Engineer at centre drilled audibly within vessel (7)
INBOARD: The two letters at the centre of engINeer and a homophone (audibly) of drilled bored becomes BOARD, INBOARD an engine perhaps within a vessel
25a Polish hosts ultimately offering full board (7)
SHINGLE: A synonym of polish until glowing SHINE, contains the last letters of offering full GL. A shingle being the board you may tile a roof with
26a Office accessory needs returning, object chewed by pet (4,8)
DESK CALENDAR: Lots to do here, a synonym of pet as a term of affection DEAR, contains (chewed) a reversal (returning) of needs or wants LACKS becomes SKCAL, and an objective or aim END – DE(SKCAL)(END)AR
Down
1d Happen upon sources of inspiration for puzzles (7)
BEMUSES: To happen or occur BE and the sources of inspiration of the Greek liberal arts MUSES. Puzzles or BEMUSES
2d Serious pests uncovered beneath net (7)
EARNEST: What you “net” in your pay EARN, and what remains of pests when uncovered EST, is serious or EARNEST
3d Regret splitting stone with one’s turning bladed tool (9)
SECATEURS: Cards with one “pip” ACES, then an abbreviation for a stone ST,that has been split by to regret RUE, then reverse (turning) the lot S(RUE)T(ACES) to be the bladed tool SECATEURS
4d Give pound to expand loot (5)
SLACK: To loot or pillage SACK. contains an abbreviation of pound (in pre-decimal currency rather than weight) L the give or SLACK
5d Register to keep old farm animal (7)
ROOSTER: A register of names ROSTER, around (to keep) the abbreviation of old O
6d One worshipped rakish rogue tackling knight (7)
KRISHNA: This God is an anagram (rogue) of RAKISH along with the notation of a knight in chess N
7d I enchant with sound playing classical composition (7,2,4)
CHANSON DE NUIT: Elgar composed this classical composition that is an anagram (playing) of I ENCHANT and SOUND
8d Plants perhaps beneath tender meaty fare (9,4)
SHEPHERDS PIES: Plants secret agents SPIES, beneath the tender of ovine livestock SHEPHERD
15d Uninitiated osteopath’s in trouble immediately (9)
POSTHASTE: An anagram (in trouble) of (o)STEOPATH’S without its initiating letter o
17d Cold scrap for American’s pudding (7)
CRUMBLE: An abbreviation for cold C, and the American “scrap” such as that fought by George Foreman and Muhammad Ali in Kinshasa in 1974 The RUMBLE in the Jungle
18d Designate European ship to protect inlet (7)
EARMARK: An inlet of a river ARM, goes between an abbreviation of Europe E, and Noah’s ship ARK
19d Played from start for Dundee United (7)
DALLIED: The start of Dundee D, and a synonym of united ALLIED
20d Adapting plans, this figure might be single parent (7)
INTEGER: Another compound anagram with a middle definition, (adapting_this) SINGLE PARENT without PLANS to find this figure or number INTEGER
22d Woman partial to sparkLY DIAmonds (5)
LYDIA: A lurker (partial to) end with, she is hidden in the last two words
That’s all Folks…