Sunday Toughie No 141 by Zandio
Review by
Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 6th of October 2024
Across
1a Produce I bake in churns – it’s an uphill thing (8,4)
MOUNTAIN BIKE: Churns is a fairly obvious anagram indicator, you need to find a synonym of produce MOUNT, (a theatrical production perhaps) then add an anagram of I BAKE IN for a thing used uphill (and down dale) a MOUNTAIN BIKE
9a One may delay service of chicken etc or duck (3,4)
NETCORD: A tennis lurker – hidden in the last four words
10a Capone’s done a bunk between one country and another (7)
AUSTRIA: There are two countries in this clue, the one to pick is the one where Mr AL Capone has been removed from the other AUSTR(AL)IA
11a Oddly being ignored, 10 highlighted end of only convenience (7)
UTILITY: The even letters of the solution to 10a UTI, a synonym of highlighted LIT, and the end of only Y, UTILITY at your convenience
12a Part one, so intense, with last two characters having gone west (7)
EPISODE: The letter that looks like one I, SO from the clue, and a synonym of intense DEEP, the last two characters of which go west (to the beginning as it is an across clue) EP(I)(SO)DE the first part of a new TV programme
13a Vehicle or horse reversing (5)
ORGAN: A vehicle for communicating information or opinions, OR from the clue and a reversal of an informal horse NAG becomes GAN
14a Jack’s invested in plastic money – ten for satisfaction (9)
ENJOYMENT: An anagram (plastic) of MONEY-TEN into which J for Jack has been invested
16a Twice betray WWII soldier (6,3)
DESERT RAT: Two synonyms of betray To DESERT and to RAT, define a WWII soldier who fought in North Africa
19a Hundred pound hoard (5)
CACHE: A Roman hundred C, and to pound or throb like a pain in the head ACHE A hoard or CACHE
21a More blasting will require this writer to get into more probing (7)
NOISIER: The nominative singular pronoun for this writer I, is inserted into more probing NOSIER, gives us more blasting or NOISIER
23a Allure shown by French antiheroes (7)
ENCHANT: A lurker (shown by) hidden in the last two words
24a Pictures found in jumble also by Stubbs originally (7)
TATTOOS: Synonyms of jumble TAT, and also TOO, go by the original letter of Stubbs S
25a Cargo not for return before November period (7)
TONNAGE: Reverse not TON, and put it before an abbreviation of November N, and a period of time AGE
26a Midwife maybe trains twice around hospital, one that cheers infants up (7,5)
NURSERY RHYME: The profession of Midwives and other medical attendants NURSE, two examples of an abbreviation for the tracks the trains run on RY and RY The second of which goes around the map abbreviation of a Hospital H R(H)Y. The one provides the final two letters ME. To paraphrase The Queen singing along to The Sound of Music “One; a name I call oneself”
Down
1d Pairing’s gripping tango that goes across the floor (7)
MATTING: A sexual pairing MATING, around the letter that Tango suggests goes on the floor as MATTING
2d Posh shirt, say, I teamed with article that’s perfect (7)
UTOPIAN: A single letter adjective for posh U, shirt is an example of an item of clothing worn on the upper body TOP. I from the clue teamed up with the indefinite article that precedes a vowel sound AN. Sir Thomas More would find this perfect or UTOPIAN
3d Time vortex on display in Paddington? (5,4)
TEDDY BEAR: T for time, a vortex or disturbance in the flow EDDY, and to display or BEAR. Paddington? Is an example of that which we seek a TEDDY BEAR
4d Granny breaking that is silly (5)
INANE: An informal Grandmother NAN, in a Latin that is I.E. Silly or INANE
5d Lobbyists putting out BT broadcast in high-handed style (7)
BOSSILY: An anagram (broadcast) of LOB(B)YIS(T)S but put out B and T first
6d A row over filling kiosk’s walls with English amateur’s notes (7)
KARAOKE: A and the reversal of the instrument used to row a boat OAR become RAO. fill in between the walls of kiosk K-K, and add E for English
7d Threatening to mutiny aboard submarine, make speech interrupted by pandemonium (13)
INSUBORDINATE: A synonym of aboard IN, an abbreviated submarine SUB, and to make a speech ORATE interrupted by a pandemonium or DIN Someone threatening to mutiny an IN(SUB)OR(DIN)ATE
8d India’s out for long-suffering European wearing foam shoe material (6,7)
PATENT LEATHER: A synonym for long-suffering PATIENT, loses I for India and adds E for European inserted into a foam of soap the shoe material PATENT LEATHER
15d Black dog who’s come from Germany, perhaps … (3-6)
JET SETTER: Germany is one of the countries where this breed of hunting dog is from, it follows a synonym of black JET. I suppose Zandio chose the German breed (even though it is more correctly a pointer) because it is further afield than local breeds that wouldn’t need to fly here and it ties in neatly with the linked clue…
17d … one’s ordered ‘Hush! Zit!’ (4,3)
SHIH TZU: An anagram (ordered) of ‘Hush! Zit!’, and how a German may order his dog to stop barking and sit
18d Sport in America during which nothing is excessive (7)
RUINOUS: A sport played by men with odd-shaped balls RU, IN from the clue, the letter that looks like nothing O and one of our usual Americas US is excessively expensive or RUINOUS
19d Ailing from acne? (7)
COCKNEY: I liked this – maybe if I included the apostrophes that indicated dropped aitches ‘ailing from ‘acne you may hear the accent of one from a suburb of East London
20d Act should be cleaner as well as randier occasionally (7)
CHARADE: Alternate letters (occasionally) of randier ADE, follow a cleaner or CHAR an act or CHARADE
22d Bit of a step on, and Master’s mounted (5)
RISER: A synonym of on RE, and the title of a Master SIR, are reversed (mounted in a down clue)RISIR the vertical part of a step