Sunday Toughie No 169 by Light
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 20th of April 2025
I now know who Light is, not through any spectacular sleuthing on my part or Gemini/AI investigations, but Light has put the alias in his Twitter/BlueSky profile. Although he is well known to all of Big Dave, I will leave it up to Light to disclose his identity here. He is a welcome addition to the roster of Sunday Toughie setters.
Across
1a Old man on wild tracks being mindful of livestock (6,9)
ANIMAL HUSBANDRY: Your old man would be one half of a marriage HUSBAND, it follows a synonym of wild ANIMAL, and finishes with the abbreviated railway tracks that trains run on RY
9a Suspect fugitive is former US criminal (3-6)
RUM-RUNNER: Synonyms of Suspect – RUM, and fugitive – RUNNER, lead to a crime of transporting alcohol to the United States during prohibition. I found some interesting stuff on a dive through Wikipedia about one of the main protagonists, that gave rise to the phrase “The Real McCoy”
10a More exposed black leaves for tree (5)
ALDER: A synonym of more exposed (particularly of the hair on one’s head) BALDER, loses B for black, to leave a tree ALDER
11a Entering unclothed, ultimately feeling lighter (5)
BARGE: The ultimate letter of feeling G, enters a synonym of unclothed BARE. Lighter is a noun for a flat-bottomed canal boat BARGE
12a Problem of pigeon caught in tight cord – I’m thinking (9)
CONUNDRUM: I had a problem here, I saw the anagram (tight) of cord CO-DR contains a pigeon followed by an interjection indicating thinking, but I had to look deeply in the BRB to catch, that contains a pigeon with feathers on its head in the style of a NUN CO-NUN-DR, followed by an interjection indicating thinking UM
13a Where you might have to turn around when driving close? (3-2-3)
CUL-DE-SAC: A double definition of a road with a dead end
14a Great intellect Brown curbing City’s insiders (5)
TITAN: A nice political surface if a little dated. A shade of brown TAN, contains the inner letters of city IT
16a Make stupid wager, going round Ascot ignoring the odds (5)
BESOT: A small wager BET, around the even letters of Ascot SO
18a Grasped loud daughter squeezing in (8)
FATHOMED: Abbreviations of musically loud F, and daughter D, contain a phrase for in residence AT HOME
22a East German follows Open University session, farthest from the centre (9)
OUTERMOST: The abbreviation of The Open University OU, and one of the three main sessions of learning TERM, followed by how a German would write East OST
23a Shimmer of emerald initially found in some rock (5)
GLEAM: An initial letter E, in a style of rock music that did nothing for our dress sense in the 70’s GLAM
24a Nut in a new hotel overturning shrub (5)
HENNA: A reversal of A from the clue, N for new and H for hotel was clear to me but how to explain the other two letters that have sneaked in? Another deep dive into the BRB here, the tenth definition of Nut provides the printers space EN, we insert into the reversal H EN N A, Henna a shrub from which is derived the semi-permanent tattoo ink
25a Card is ace (clubs) held by Bond (9)
CHARACTER: This “Card” or interesting person is found in a Bonded document CHARTER, that contains abbreviations of Ace and Clubs A & C. A card or CHAR AC TER
26a Weird insect next to plant – it’s befuddled genius (6,9)
ROCKET SCIENTIST: A plant that may be known as arugula in North America ROCKET, followed by two anagrams (weird and befuddled) of INSECT and ITS
Down
1d Kind of exercise: lying about spies to conceal tap (7)
AEROBIC: An American spy organisation CIA, conceals the “tap” that bores into a hole to tap a female thread BORE, then reverse the lot (about) CI BORE A reversed becomes AEROBIC
2d Some of Sondheim MOR? Alarmingly wrong (7)
IMMORAL: A lurker (some of) hidden in the next three words
3d Play covered way in which Pinball Wizard’s performed (9,6)
AMUSEMENT ARCADE: A covered way of shops ARCADE, follows a play or light entertainment AMUSEMENT. Where Tommy, that deaf, dumb, and blind kid sure plays a mean pinball.
4d Report that slowly reveals dissatisfaction (8)
HANDCLAP: Normally a “report” that indicates audience approval, when performed slowly A slow HANDCLAP reveals dissatisfaction
5d Street, centre of London. Insert right answer here? (6)
STRAND: An abbreviation of street ST, the central letters of LoNDon, and insert abbreviations for Right and Answer for The STRAND – a street in central London
6d Contrary to others’ wishes, objecting to whisky? (7,3,5)
AGAINST THE GRAIN: Those opposed to whisky. No e in whisky so it can only refer to Scotch made from malted barley, other un-malted sources of starch are going to rub me up the wrong way.
7d Philosopher ripped 500 papers up (7)
DIDEROT: A synonym of ripped TORE, a Roman 500 D, and our usual papers ID, are reversed (up). TORE D ID becomes DIDEROT, A philosopher I was only vaguely aware of – mainly because he didn’t make Monty Pythons Bruce’s Philosopher’s Song
8d One in the role of farmhand recalled mostly acting unpaid in New York (7)
YARDMAN: An abbreviation of the performing of plays on an unpaid basis Amateur Dramatics, abbreviated to AMDRAM, loses its last letter (mostly) AMDRA, it is inserted into the abbreviation of New York N AMDRA Y, this is then all reversed (recalled) for a farmhand or YARDMAN
15d Beef done rare originally by friend in Montmartre (8)
PASTRAMI: A synonym of done PAST, the original letter of rare R, and how someone from Montmartre may refer to a friend AMI
16d My king is in trouble (7)
BROTHER: A bit of trouble BOTHER, contains a Latin king R for Rex. My is an interjection that brought to mind Derek Nimmo who often heard this interjection of kinship Oh BROTHER!
17d Diabolical in Cats, ridiculously hugging Grizabella at the end (7)
SATANIC: An anagram (ridiculously) of IN CATS and the last letter of Grizabell A
19d Whizzes as timer going off (7)
MAESTRI: An anagram (going off) of AS TIMER MAESTRI being the plural of the musical whizz or MAESTRO
20d Flipping weary emcee occasionally stops, failing (7)
DEMERIT: A synonym of weary is flipped TIRED becomes D-ERIT, it contains (stops) occasional letters of eMcEe M & E. A failing mark or DEMERIT
21d Words of warning about constant bullies (6)
FORCES: Plural golfers shouts of warning FORES, go about a constant abbreviation C. bullies or FORCES
Compiler
Light
That’s all Folks…