Sunday Toughie No 148 by
Robyn
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 24th of November 2024
Across
1a Hard shot, catching ball with old golf driver causing annoyance (4,3)
ROADHOG: A driver who wants more than his fair share. An anagram (shot) of HARD, catches the letter shaped like a ball O, followed by the abbreviation for old O, and the letter that golf suggests G
5a Threw out legal text introducing concession the wrong way (7)
DEPOSED: The legal text of ownership DEED, contains a reversal (the wrong way) of a concession SOP becomes POS. The concession comes from the drug-soaked bread Sibyl gave to Cerberus to enable Aeneas to enter the Underworld
9a Lower number of Romans on barge (5)
SCOWL: A flat-bottomed barge SCOW, and one of the Roman letter for fifty L, SCOWL to lower in a sullen or threatening manner
10a Judge and advisor gutted by speed of electronic data (9)
ARBITRATE: Advisor is gutted of all but its outer letters A_R and adds a term for the transmission speed of electronic data BIT-RATE. To judge as a verb rather than a noun
11a Chums and I test rum, and leave before the last rounds (4,3,3)
MISS THE CUT: An anagram (rum) of CHUMS and I TEST. Golf players who fail to make the last rounds of a golf tournament
12a Day in ancient calendar that is endless (4)
IDES: An un-abbreviated Latin that is ID ES(T) loses its last letter for a day in the ancient calendar. Caesar had a bad day on the IDES of March 44BC
14a Sneaky way to fight cybercrime led by President Dubya (12)
BUSHWHACKING: A president BUSH, and the middle initial that distinguishes him from his father W, leads a cybercrime HACKING, for a sneaky way to fight in the manner of guerillas
18a Knowing what to put on cast steel chosen to coat spades (7-5)
CLOTHES-SENSE: An anagram (cast) of STEEL CHOSEN around S for Spades
21a Cooking ingredients loudly removed from hampers (4)
OILS: A synonym of hampers (F)OILS, loses the musical notation for loudly
22a Bung Asian ruler in ruddy vehicle from the East (4-6)
BACKHANDER: The colour that ruddy suggests RED, and a vehicle for hire CAB. are reversed (from the east in an across clue) BAC_DER, around an Asian ruler or KHAN
25a Cast doubt on record before criminal tried (9)
DISCREDIT: The shape of a record DISC, goes before an anagram (criminal) of TRIED
26a Paris’s allies retreating, stabbed by grand character in the Iliad (5)
SIGMA: Because we are again in the realm of Ancient Greece My first thought was that Paris was the Trojan Warrior, but we want a reversal (retreating) of how a Parisian may refer to his allies AMIS becomes SIMA, around G for grand for a character in the Greek alphabet SIGMA
27a Frank book about Egypt lacking content about the regime? (7)
DIETARY: The type of book that Anne Frank wrote DIARY, goes about the outer letters of Egypt ET, for an adjective relating to the regime that rules what we eat DIETARY
28a That man’s favouring the right subject (7)
HISTORY: A male possessive pronoun HIS, and a member of a political party that favours the right TORY. The school subject HSTORY
Down
1d Mull over breaks on list of jobs for Trump? (6)
RESUME: How an American such as Donald Trump may refer to the list of jobs that we call a C.V. A reversal (over) of to mull, consider or ponder MUSE becomes ESUM, breaks into one of our usual ons R_E
2d Incite Charlie to abandon what drunken revellers do (6)betwee
AROUSE: What drunken revellers do CAROUSE, loses C for Charlie to incite or stimulate AROUSE
3d Prince’s filled with sorrow after paper’s manipulated facts (4-6)
HALF-TRUTHS: An archaic term for sorrow RUTH, follows a Shakespearean Prince (The young Henry V) HAL, and between the abbreviated Financial Times newspaper FT and the plural ‘S). These facts have been manipulated so that they are only partially creditable
4d Shiny material in front of gentleman’s lounge (5)
GLAZE: The front of gentleman’s G, and to lounge about LAZE – the shiny material on a doughnut perhaps
5d Rotter maybe sleeping around, you said, with lots of boldness (9)
DEBAUCHEE: A reversal of where you usually are when sleeping ABED becomes DEBA, a homophone (said) of you U, with almost all of a synonym of boldness CHEE(K)
6d Leading revolutionary not drinking shot (4)
PUTT: A synonym of leading UP, is reversed PU, over the abbreviation for someone who is teetotal TT
7d Is a deputy wrong to support point of view? (6,2)
STANDS IN: A moral wrong SIN, under (supports) a point of view STAND
8d Having lost the final, sober guru limiting drugs in Olympic event (8)
DRESSAGE: A synonym of sober DR(Y), loses its final letter and adds the plural abbreviation of the drug ecstasy E’S, and a guru SAGE for an equestrian event
13d Around clubs, sees Oasis performing dance tunes (10)
ECOSSAISES: A candidate for The List™ Terence, A French term for Scottish dance tunes but it is just an anagram (performing) of SEES OASIS that goes around C for clubs
15d Saving mostly quiet track plugged by Coldplay, say (9)
HUSBANDRY: Most of a synonym for quiet HUS(H), a group of musicians such as Coldplay BAND, and the abbreviation for the track that trains run on RY. HUSBANDRY the saving of resources
16d Gave fantastic diamonds, worn by my daughter (8)
ACCORDED: A synonym of fantastic ACE, and the abbreviation for the suit of diamond cards D, around an expression of surprise like my! COR, And the genealogical abbreviation of daughter D He gave or AC(COR)(D)E(D) with due respect
17d Key to cut combustible material on electronic fuse (8)
COALESCE: The combustible material, which is mainly fossilised vegetable matter COAL, a computer key ESC and the abbreviation for many things electronic E, are fused together COALESCE
19d Trouble overwhelms a combatant slowly (6)
ADAGIO: An American combatant A GI, is overwhelmed by much trouble ADO (Much Ado About Nothing according to Shakespeare)
20d Grocer’s wrapping a piece of cake with lots of butter? (6)
GREASY: The wrapping letters of grocer G_R around something that is a piece of cake EASY
23d Scrubbing up sauce boat (5)
KETCH: A popular sauce KETCHUP, without (scrubbing) up leaves behind a small two-masted sailing vessel, the foremast being the taller
That’s All Folks…