Sunday Toughie 154 (Review) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog
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Sunday Toughie 154 (Review)

Sunday Toughie No 154 by Dada

Review by Sloop John Bee

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This puzzle was published on the 5th of January 2025

 

Across

1a           Yikes, not much of a bloomer? (6)
CRUMBS: Small bits of a bloomer after slicing.

4a           Load of computing yours truly is left (6)
IMPORT: A contraction of yours truly I’M and a nautical left PORT, to load the computer from external information.

8a           General hospital probes wounding remark (5-3)
CATCH-ALL: The abbreviation of hospital H, inserted into a wounding remark CAT_CALL.

10a        Money thief? (6)
NICKER: Informal double definitions.

11a        Atlas’s burden reportedly, Scottish isle (4)
SKYE: A homophone (reportedly) of the sky, that Atlas was supposed to bear.

12a        Surrealist graded by wise retired Impressionist (5,5)
EDGAR DEGAS: Surrealist is an anagram indicator and retired is a reversal indicator. An anagram of GRADED followed by a reversed synonym of wise SAGE. Giving us the impressionist painter EDGAR DEGAS

13a        The mantra with two twists anyway (2,6,4)
NO MATTER WHAT: Another anagram (twists) of THE MANTRA with TWO.

16a        Where honour may be found in precarious set-up? (5,2,5)
HOUSE OF CARDS: Four-thirteenths of this precarious set-up may be honours. (5/13ths if you include 10’s) Honours here are the high-value cards in a deck.

20a        Scent pudding, and eat! (10)
AFTERSHAVE: An informal term for pudding AFTERS, and to possess or eat HAVE.

21a        Morsel around a rib (4)
BAIT: A small morsel BIT, around A from the clue.

22a        Obsession about Lima being a capital (6)
MANILA: A synonym of obsession MANIA, around the letter that Lima suggests L. MANILA being the capital of Indonesia rather than Lima the capital of PERU

23a        Denial for example that’s boring people (8)
NEGATION: A group of people NATION, containing for example EG.

24a        Sister revised for further tests (6)
RESITS: An anagram (revised) of SISTER.

25a        Ungenerous – as hornets might be? (6)
STINGY: Hornets are “mean” critters when angry. STINGY being an adjective for mean or ungenerous

 

Down

1d          Ridiculous opening prize (8)
CRACKPOT: An opening through which a sliver of light may emerge CRACK, and the prize in a poker game POT, or am I being ridiculous?

2d          Collateral clearly held in month without capital for lender (5)
UNCLE: Clear the contents from collateral CL, and insert what is left into J(UNE) without its capital letter. UNCLE being a term for a lender such as a Pawnbroker

3d          Pair of garments, least yellow? (7)
BRAVEST: Two undergarments BRA and VEST are quite courageous.

5d          Third of twelve nets on butterfly (7)
MONARCH: The third of twelve months MARCH, contains ON from the clue.

6d          Players otherwise leading clubs and hearts, unfortunately (9)
ORCHESTRA: A synonym of otherwise OR, an abbreviation of clubs C and an anagram (unfortunately) of HEARTS. A group of players an ORCHESTRA

7d          Scoundrel chasing game catches no deer regularly (6)
TOERAG: A childish chasing game TAG, catches alternate letters of no deer OER.

9d          Craft on ground remained (11)
LEGERDEMAIN: On is s crickety LEG side, and ground is an anagram indicator of REMAINED, LEGERDEMAIN crafty or dexterous sleight of hand.

14d        Series of events, perhaps, 100 in this tale fabricated (9)
ATHLETICS: A Roman 100  C, in an anagram (fabricated) of THIS TALE. A series of ATHLETICS events

15d        Counselling woman without helmet to carry shield (8)
ADVISORY: Without the letter at her helm, a woman of some refinement L(ADY) contains a shield for the eyes VISOR. ADVISORY counselling

17d        Arriviste, when awake, set off (7)
UPSTART: Synonyms of awake UP, and set off START. An UPSTART or arriviste

18d        Cargo for boat crew, nothing to be unloaded (7)
FREIGHT: A boat crew named for their number EIGHT, follow F(o)R, after nothing has been unloaded.

19d        Illicit romance is a concern (6)
AFFAIR: A double-definition.

21d        Don’t stop fluttering eyes in club (5)
BATON: Please don’t stop fluttering your eyelashes at me! BAT them some more or BAT ON

Compiler

Dada

That’s all Folks…

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