Sunday Toughie No 151 by proXimal
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 15th of December 2024
Across
1a From Spooner, hear Kirk’s mate flattened chicken (10)
SPATCHCOCK: A synonym of to hear CATCH, and Captain James Tiberius Kirk’s Vulcan friend SPOCK, are treated by The Reverend Spooner, by removing the spine and flattening a chicken SPATCHCOCK
6a Exchange Shrek’s home with medium shed (4)
SWAP: Shrek’s home in the SWAMP sheds m for medium
9a Lip reflected in cooking liquid (5)
MIRIN: The lip of a glass RIM, perhaps is reversed (reflected) MIR, along with IN from the clue you get a sweet rice wine used in Japanese cookery MIRIN
10a Gent upset with this meteorological event might be remonstrating (9)
RAINSTORM: The ™ compound anagram (this) A meteorological event and gent can be anagrammed to become remonstrating
12a Cyclist, one distributing cards, is shrewd trader (7-6)
WHEELER-DEALER: A cyclist defined by the circular objects of his mode of transport WHEELER, and the chap who distributes cards in a card game DEALER, do very good business trading cars
14a One hundred staff around plot farming area (8)
CROPLAND: A staff or pole ROD, goes around a plot or scheme PLAN and follows a Roman hundred C
15a Stun college fellow, describing depleted finance (6)
DEAFEN: To stun with excessive noise, a senior college fellow DEAN, around (describing) what remains of finance when it has been depleted F-E
18a Clever, like one being taught endlessly (6)
ASTUTE: A synonym of like AS, and the pupil of a tutor TUTEE, without its final letter
19a Spies must accept service with right rules (8)
CRITERIA: A group of American spies CIA, around a ceremonial service RITE, and R for right
20a Doctor squeezing down head of spot with stickiness hit the roof (4,4,5)
BLOW ONES STACK: Captain James Tiberius Kirk’s favourite doctor BONES, contains a synonym of down LOW, or sad, the head of spot S, and some stickiness TACK
24a Part of the body involved in skin test inevitably (9)
INTESTINE: A lurker (involved in) the rest of the clue
25a Confidence returned winning heart of lucky date (5)
EPOCH: A reversal (returned) of confidence HOPEaround the central letter (heart) of lucky C. A date from which a new state is measured, an EPOCH
26a Possible guess in Battleships is missing (4)
GONE: Battleships is a game in which you must sink your opponent’s fleet by calling out an alphanumeric grid reference to find your opponent’s ships. One such alphanumeric guess of the seventh row and first row when spelled out is a synonym of missing
27a Speedy promoters working pitch regularly (10)
HYPERSONIC: Intensive or excessive promoters HYPERS, a synonym of working ON, and alternate letters of pitch IC
Down
1d Graduates from south and east not different (4)
SAME: Plural arts graduates MA’S, are reversed (from south in a down clue) with E for east. They are not different, they are the SAME
2d One pointing to yellow climbing plant (9)
ARROWROOT: A reversal (climbing in a down clue) of TO from the clue and heraldic yellow OR, follow a pointer ARROW
3d Abandonments from vessel on ocean still at sea (13)
CANCELLATIONS: A slightly different compound anagram™ (at sea) of a synonym of a vessel CAN, that goes before (on) an anagram of OCEAN STILL
4d Woman from capital leaving centre on railway track (8)
CAROLINE: Guess a Woman’s name time but there is some wordplay to help. A particular Capital city CAIRO, leaves its central letter CARO, and it goes on a railway track or LINE
5d Corgis occasionally avoided Queen Elizabeth’s herald (5)
CRIER: Omit alternate letters of C(o)R(g)I(s) and add Queen Elizabeth’s regnal cipher CRI+ER
7d Part of fingerprint which person’s found on both hands (5)
WHORL: A pronoun for which person’s WHO, and abbreviations of both hands Right and Left
8d Clean up some time with relative restraining one dog (10)
POMERANIAN: A reversal (up) of to clean MOP becomes POM, a main division of geological time ERA, and an older female relative NAN, that restrains the letter that looks like one I. A POMERANIAN dog
11d Reportedly noted Pittsburgh team players grabbing attention (5-8)
SCENE-STEALERS: Homophone/nyms (reportedly) of noted or observed SEEN, and the nickname of the Pittsburgh American Football team STEELERS
13d Dashing scout striking out on hike (10)
SCRAMBLING: Scout without out SC, goes on a hike RAMBLING. The dashing that fighter pilots did during the Battle of Britain
16d Anticipated revolutionary of note imprisoning king (9)
FOREKNOWN: A reversal of OF from the clue FO, a synonym of note RENOWN, around (imprisoning) an abbreviated King K
17d Aberrant merganser abandoning northern lake (8)
GRASMERE: An anagram (aberrant) of MERGANSER after N for northern has been abandoned
21d Dined on sandwiches made of grain (5)
OATEN: ON goes around (sandwiches) a synonym of dined ATE. Made of a grain that according to Samuel Johnson is
“A grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people”
22d Instruct European to replace second in change (5)
EDIFY: A synonym of change MODIFY, loses an informal two-letter second MO, and replaces it with E for European
23d One tweeting interminably with it (4)
CHIC: A small bird that tweets CHICK, loses its last letter (interminably) for a “with it” CHIC
That’s all Folks…