Sunday Toughie No 155 by proXimal
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 12th of January 2025
Across
6a Thievish war was protracted according to Spooner (5-8)
LIGHT FINGERED: Synonyms of war FIGHT, and protracted LINGERED, were treated by swapping initials.
8a Feigning relief (6)
ACTING: A double definition. An understudy or locum.
9a Difficult task taking middle of the road shakily, avoiding flooded ground (4,4)
HARD TIME: Two anagram indicators (shakily and ground) as FLOODED is removed in anagram form from MIDDLE OF THE ROAD leaving the fodder for the anagram of the difficult task MI THE RAD becomes HARD-TIME.
10a Fan recalled most of song (3)
NUT: Three-quarters of a reversed song TUN(E) becomes NUT
11a Woman‘s name spoken aloud (6)
MONICA: I spent way too long reminiscing about Vladimir Nabakov’s light of his life
“Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins. My sin, my soul. Lo-lee-ta: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Lo. Lee. Ta.”
It is just a homophone (spoken aloud) of an alias, nickname or real name MONIKER becomes MONICA. one of the “Friends” that met in Central Perk.
12a Loathe decrepit craft on river (8)
EXECRATE: A decrepit craft (usually an aircraft) CRATE, follows one of crossworders favourite rivers The EXE.
14a Like French one and the German being apart (7)
ASUNDER: A synonym of like AS, followed by a French one UN, and a German the DER.
16a Crabby members panic nursing rep after turning (7)
NIPPERS: A slight anagram (panic) of an informal term for lower limbs PINS becomes NIPS, contains a reversal of rep PER.
20a Bird mother on a large embankment (5,3)
ASWAN DAM: A from the clue, a large water bird SWAN, and a mother, usually of cattle, horses, etc DAM. I liked this as I have a theodolite from The Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company that was used to survey this large embankment in Egypt.
23a Scrap rejected article in wrapper that’s worn (6)
FRACAS: A reversal (rejected) of the wrapper that Isadora Duncan should have kept out of the wheels of her car SCARF become FRACS, around an indefinite article A, for a scrap or bout of fisticuffs a FRACAS.
24a Section of tulip allowing bud (3)
PAL: A lurker (section of) tuli-P AL-lowing.
25a Go down on record and confess (8)
DISCLOSE: A recording format DISC, and to go down in a bout of fisticuffs perhaps LOSE.
26a 31 days to leave centre in American city (6)
AUSTIN: One of the months that has 31 days leaves its central letters AU(gu)ST, and adds IN from the clue.
27a Lawn edge bloke straightened out is smart (13)
KNOWLEDGEABLE: An anagram (straightened out) of LAWN EDGE BLOKE.
Down
1d Extremely irritating fool, one subject to firing (8)
IGNITION: The extreme letters of irritating IG, a fool NIT, a Roman one I, and a synonym of subject to ON.
2d Pungency in food served up is rot (8)
STAGNATE: An informal term for the food we consume EATS, around a synonym of pungency TANG, all reversed (served up)
3d One determined on escaping cargo ship (7)
FIGHTER: One of our usual ons RE, escapes a cargo ship F(RE)IGHTER for someone determined to engage in a bout of fisticuffs.
4d Central city areas previously with arcades at intervals (6)
AGORAE: A synonym of previously (as in it happened some time…AGO) and alternate letters (at intervals) of aRcAdEs RAE. A candidate for THE LIST™ but these plural places of assembly or trading in Ancient Greece did ring a bell.
5d Carbon item of kitchenware initially missing bowl (6)
CRATER: A chemical symbol for carbon C, and an item of kitchenware without its initial letter (G)RATER.
6d The Parisian checks second item for sport (8,5)
LACROSSE STICK: One of the French terms a Parisian would use for the LA, the checks you make on ballot papers perhaps CROSSES, and a synonym of a second as a brief moment of time TICK.
7d Vanish having consumed money abroad in the end (13)
DEMATERIALISE: having consumed ATE, and the standard monetary unit of several Arab Republics RIAL, in a synonym of the end DEMISE. To vanish like “passengers” on Star Trek transporters.
13d Measure for cooking competition (3)
CUP: Another double definition.
15d Wife abandons sad fellow (3)
DON: A fellow at a university perhaps from a synonym of sad DO(W)N without the abbreviation of wife W.
17d Red final demand, also ignored, is shredded (8)
INFLAMED: An anagram (is shredded) of final demand but ignore a synonym of also AND. FINAL DEM becomes INFLAMED
18d Pressure increase on busy person cut short – that’s welcoming (6,2)
PRAISE BE: An abbreviation of pressure P, and a synonym of increase RAISE, on a busy worker insect BE(E) that is cut short. PRAISE BE you are welcome!
19d Rascals gathering destroy looms (7)
IMPENDS: Plural rascals IMPS, gather a synonym of destroy END.
21d Provider of stability, revolutionary beheaded monarch (6)
ANCHOR: Revolutionary is not a reversal indicator but an anagram indicator, take the head off (M)ONARCH and find the provider of stability an ANCHOR.
22d Cloned animal circles run in amusing way (6)
DROLLY: The first successfully cloned animal DOLLY the Sheep containing R for run.
Compiler
proXimal
That’s all Folks…