Sunday Toughie No 134 by
Robyn
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 18th of July 2024
Across
8a Rod Laver’s van circled by chopper (4)
AXLE: The van or leading letter of L(aver) is encircled by a chopper or AXE
9a Swimming alone, catch a fish thought extinct (10)
COELACANTH: An anagram (swimming) of ALONE and CATCH
10a Vessel made of pine and willow, filled with nothing (8)
LONGBOAT: To pine or yearn for LONG, and the piece of sporting equipment made of willow BAT, containing the letter that looks like nothing O
11a Friend‘s discomfort nursed by both hands? (6)
RACHEL: One of the group of six from the sitcom Friend’s. A minor discomfort ACHE, contained (nursed) by abbreviations of both R and L hands
12a Roll I preserve, one brought back for a starter (9)
INITIATOR: The letter that looks like one I, to preserve by sealing in a metal container TIN, I from the clue and a roll or list of duties ROTA, are reversed (brought back) ROTA(I)TIN(I) becomes INITIATOR
13a Acting Head of Department, a revered figure in India (5)
DRAMA: The leading letter of Department D, and a revered figure in India RAMA, (who is an incarnation of Vishnu. Acting or DRAMA Contains DRAM a weight equivalent to 1/16th of an ounce
15a A number hoping to put away gallons (7)
ASPIRIN: A synonym of hoping ASPIRING, eliminates its terminal abbreviation of gallons -G ASPIRIN an analgesic that is a number of pain
17a Pick the wrong moment for film that is screening first in multiplex (7)
MISTIME: A film that descends in certain weather conditions MIST, and a Latin that is I.E. around the first letter of Multiplex
20a Leading, determined to create a surprising result (5)
UPSET: Synonyms of the first and next two words combine creating… an UPSET
22a Ebbing desire, say, to keep a record in the study of trees? (9)
GENEALOGY: The study of family trees, a desire YEN,and say as an example EG, are reversed (ebbing) they contain a record that a ship’s captain may keep A LOG – GE(NE(ALOG)Y)
25a Batter is what’s eaten by e.g. Jersey girl, as the upper classes say (6)
CUDGEL: What a Jersey ruminant does to re-eat her normal diet – she chews the CUD, and the facetious rendering of an upper-class pronunciation of girl GEL – the differing way the G is pronounced between source and answer grates a little but all is forgiven
26a Rogue out to interrupt test or lesson (8)
TUTORIAL: An anagram (rogue) of out, it interrupts a test or TRIAL
27a South American, a repeatedly crude one, curiously (10)
ECUADOREAN: An anagram (curiously) of two a’s and crude one (A A CRUDE ONE) becomes ECUADOREAN
28a Bomber, say, gently leaves track (4)
LANE: A musical notation for gently leaves the aircraft that Bomber is an example of PLANE -P a LANE or track
Down
1d Presents from Musk’s company in e-cash? (8)
EXPOUNDS: The social-media company now owned by Elon Musk X, goes between the prefix for many things electronic E, and the cash that is used in the UK POUNDS Contains the Imperial weight POUNDS
2d See 5 Down
WEIGHT:
3d A European I caught pocketing billion is nimble (9)
ACROBATIC: A from the clue and an Eastern European pocket an abbreviation of billion, followed by I and an abbreviation of caught
4d Ruin of the French city of Paris (7)
DESTROY: How a French person may say of the DES, and the city where Paris the mythological warrior died TROY Contains TROY a system of weights used for precious stones and metals
5d and 2d Be influential, as 13 Across and 1, 4, 6, 14, 16, 18, 19, 21 and 24 Down are seen to? (5,6)
CARRY WEIGHT: A synonym of the underlined definition and Robyn’s trademark list clue, all the clues mentioned are seen to “carry” weights
6d Vehicle turning up around desert for gambling game (8)
BACCARAT: A vehicle for hire is reversed CAB becomes BAC, one of our usual arounds CA, and a member of the 7th Armoured Division that fought in North Africa during WWII a Desert RAT. Contains CARAT a unit of weight used for gems
7d Pour boiled water? That’s about right (6)
STREAM: The gaseous condition of boiling water contains R for right
14d Strangely silent emo is a type of rock (9)
LIMESTONE: An anagram (strangely) of SILENT EMO Contains STONE an Imperial weight equal to 14 pounds
16d Go and admire translated bit of Chinese script? (8)
IDEOGRAM: An anagram (translated) of GO and ADMIRE Contains GRAM a Metric unit of weight
18d The cereal I have picked up is a pain (8)
MIGRAINE: A homophone of how I would claim ownership of a piece of cereal MY GRAIN becomes MIGRAINE is a pain in the head Contains GRAIN the smallest British weight equivalent to the weight of a seed of corn
19d Parisian is with American, introduced to key female French writer (2,5)
DE STAËL: Her being as obscure as the weight she contains made this clue almost impossible. The only saving grace was the word-play which if followed closely gives you a name to investigoogle. How a Parisian would say is EST, and one of our usual Americans A, is inserted into one of the keys on a computer keyboard DEL
D(EST)(A)EL becomes DE STAËL Contains TAEL a gold bullion measure used in the Far East
21d Face of Persian cat in spring (6)
POUNCE: The face letter of Persian P, and an alternative name for the Snow Leopard or other cats OUNCE
Contains OUNCE an imperial weight
23d Ring road in Ilkley oddly ignored in August (6)
LORDLY: The letter that looks like a ring O, and an abbreviated road RD are inserted into what remains of Ilkley when the odd letters are ignored L L Y – L(ORD)LY or August
24d Penning line, mention revolutionary pop singer (5)
ELTON: A short mention or record is reversed NOTE becomes E TON (revolutionary) around (penning) an abbreviation of line L the pop singer being ELTON John Contains TON our final weight
That’s All Folks…