Sunday Toughie No 162 by proXimal
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 2nd of March 2025
Across
1a Spooner’s sweet telegram that’s supportive to mugs (6,5)
COFFEE TABLE: A place to support your mug, whilst you eat sweets or read telegrams perhaps. A TOFFEE CABLE becomes a COFFEE TABLE
7a Information for golfer, man putting (7)
PARKING: The information as to the relative difficulty of each hole on a golf course PAR, and a chess piece KING
8a Second-rate run that’s part of football (7)
BLADDER: A letter that indicates second rate B, and a “run” in a pair of stockings perhaps LADDER. I don’t think footballs have these anymore
10a Study of projectiles, tons found in garden area (8)
ROCKETRY: The abbreviation of tons T, found in an area for alpine plants ROCKERY
11a Some offal I placed around Asian dish (6)
PILAFF: A reversal (around) of a lurker (some). An Asian dish can be found between the indicators o(FFAL I P)laced
13a Respect adversary finally following award (4)
OBEY: The final letter of adversarY, follows three others that are the award of the Order of the British Empire. OBE Y
14a Originally develop piece without outsiders for early vehicle (10)
VELOCIPEDE: An anagram (originally) of DEVELOP and IEC (pIECe without outsiders)
16a Detective with source catching criminal gang at liberty (10)
DISENGAGED: A Detective Inspector and the source from which plants grow contain an anagram (criminal) of GANG
18a Approach American pub hosts (4)
PUSH: A military approach from the abbreviation of a public house around one of the usual Americas
21a Skilful as one drives in Paris losing tail (6)
ADROIT: How a Parisian would describe the side of the road driven on À DROITE without its last letter
22a Woman‘s misery being surrounded by rodents (8)
MICHELLE: Small rodents MICE, surround a miserable alternative to heaven HELL
24a A university notice about year for examination (7)
AUTOPSY: A from the clue, the abbreviation of university U, a reversal (about) of to notice SPOT becomes TOPS, and an abbreviation of year Y
25a Noble‘s effrontery with underclothing stripped (7)
GALLANT: Effrontery (as secreted by the liver perhaps) GALL, and three letters from some underclothing stripped of its outer letters pANTs gives ANT. Noble or GALLANT
26a End of course in term (4,7)
HOME STRETCH: Where you are when in HOME, and a term (in prison perhaps) STRETCH, is coming to an end like a runner rounding the final bend in a race
Down
1d If this craft pint was drunk, one might get narcoleptic (7)
CORACLE: The proXimal™ compound anagram – This craft can be found in an anagram of nARCOLEptiC without PINT. ARCOLEC becomes CORACLE
2d Frustrated wearing metallic jacket (6)
FOILED: A double definition – the metallic jacket one may bake a potato in perhaps
3d Recall knowing dreary work of French artist (5,5)
EDGAR DEGAS: A reversal (recall) of knowing or wise SAGE, dreary work DRAG, and the French for of DE. SAGE DRAG DE becomes ED GAR D EGAS, The artist happens to be French but doesn’t have to be as French of supplies the last two letters of the reversal
4d Container of paste perhaps endlessly swelling (4)
TUBE: The swelling that is a potato or other root vegetable TUBER loses its end R
5d Blissful win against Hearts in Fife – nice! (8)
BEATIFIC: To win convincingly BEAT, and the heart letters of the last two words fIFe and nICe, would be blissful or BEATIFIC
6d Occasionally, mean panto character gets good in play at late stage (7)
ENDGAME: Alternate letters of mean EN, and the panto character DAME, contain G for good in the late stages of chess perhaps
7d Historical work showing supernatural being, strange incarnation of deity (6,5)
PERIOD DRAMA: The supernatural being is an alternative name for a fairy PERI, add a synonym of strange ODD, and an incarnation of the Hindu God Vishnu RAMA
9d Soldiers, first-years in America ultimately want renewed vigour (11)
REFRESHMENT: The soldiers are engineers RE, a term for the first year students in an American school or college FRESHMEN, and the ultimate letter of wanT supply renewed vigour or REFRESHMENT
12d Performing flea acrobatically leaving palm wound up elsewhere on hand (10)
FOREFINGER: Another compound anagram, PERFORMING FLEA without PALM leaves the fodder for something elsewhere on the hand. Two anagram indicators (acrobatically and wound up) as palm leaves performing flea in anagram form
15d Worker is taking up plan dealing with junk (8)
ANTISPAM: One of our usual workers ANT, IS from the clue and a reversal (taking up in a down clue) of a plan or MAP. The junk dealt with is mainly email
17d Casual characters around bar are dishevelled (7)
SCRATCH: Another compound anagram (dishevelled), an adjective for casual can be found in CHarACTeRS when ARE has been removed
19d Free having tunnelled regularly when back in Belmarsh (7)
UNLEASH: Alternate letters (regularly) of tunnelled U N L E, a conjunction for when AS, and the back letter of Belmarsh H. To free or UNLEASH
20d Everything beginning to trouble serf (3,3)
THE LOT: The starting letter to trouble T, and an historical term for a serf HELOT. (One of a class of serfs among the ancient Spartans, deliberately humiliated and liable to massacre)
23d Passes through centre of Tewkesbury (4)
BYES: The state of a player or team that has not drawn an opponent, and passes without contest to the next round, a preposition for through BY and the centre letters of Tewkesbury ES
Compiler
proXimal
That’s all Folks…