Sunday Toughie No 179 by proXimal
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 29th of June 2025
Across
1a According to Spooner, Apostolic Palace is somewhere to visit (4,2,4)
PORT OF CALL: A tricky Spoonerism to start, a palace where the Apostle, also known as Saul of Tarsus, reigns, The COURT OF PAUL, becomes somewhere to visit on a cruise A PORT OF CALL.
6a Substitute sewer essentially with external drain (4)
SWAP: To drain of a life-giving fluid SAP, is external to the essential letter of sewer W.
9a Traveller on street is one walking (7)
STRIDER: An abbreviated street ST, followed by one travelling on a horse or bicycle RIDER, becomes one walking in a purposeful manner STRIDER.
10a Firmly joins me tucking into French bread (7)
CEMENTS: The smallest part of the Euro (being the “bread” used in France) CENTS, with ME from the clue tucked in.
12a Reveal person’s confidential details doctor pens down along with insurance information (4,4,5)
BLOW ONES COVER: An informal term for a doctor, familiar to Star Trek fans BONES, contains a synonym of down LOW, then details of exactly what losses your insurance may protect you from COVER.
14a Concealed camping location near the Hollywood Sign? (6)
LATENT: The abbreviated city where the Hollywood sign is located LA, and the temporary structure exactly where you camp TENT.
15a Lacking in lyrical quality, novel put on ice (8)
UNPOETIC: An anagram (novel) of PUT ON ICE.
17a Dull bores indoors ignored now and then – never mind (2,6)
NO MATTER: Five letters for dull or not reflecting light MATTE, bores into alternate letters (ignored now and then) of iNdOoRs NOR.
19a Fabricated some of account, ruefully (6)
UNTRUE: A lurker (some of)at the end of the clue.
22a Deposit coppers and assert what’s required (3,4,3,3)
LAY DOWN THE LAW: Deposit that copper on the ground, otherwise you will be arrested.
24a One exceptionally good solver (7)
CRACKER: Someone exceptionally good at solving puzzles.
25a Break vacuous rule with venom (7)
RESPITE: A synonym of venom SPITE, follows what remains of rule when vacuous R-E.
26a Father fascinating woman endlessly (4)
SIRE: A woman who enticed sailors onto the rocks with her alluring voice SIREN, loses her last letter for a father or SIRE.
27a Uniting troubled council estates, leaving it with us worked (10)
COALESCENT: The trademark™ proXimal compound anagram, two anagram indicators (troubled and worked), as it and us leave CO(u)NC(i)L E(s)(t)ATES in anagram form. What remains is the fodder for a synonym of uniting, CONCLEATES becomes COALESCENT.
Down
1d I’m not responding to that amorous advance (4)
PASS: A double definition.
2d Lightly cooked and ate cheesy dish (7)
RAREBIT: Lightly cooked RARE and ate or BIT. Cheese and Beer on toast a RAREBIT
3d Collection of backscratchers? (3,3,7)
OLD BOY NETWORK: A group of former schoolmates who may say, “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours”.
4d Box prisoner, hooking a right (6)
CARTON: One of our usual prisoners CON, contains (hooking) A from the clue and an abbreviation of right RT.
5d Recalled the Spanish court hearings regularly used stands (8)
LECTERNS: A reversal of how the Spanish say the EL becomes LE, an abbreviated court CT, and regular letters of hEaRiNgS ERNS. Stands or LECTERNS
7d Receive tax bringing in European container of alcohol (4,3)
WINE VAT: A slightly elastic synonym of receive WIN, and a tax on purchases VAT, contain our usual European abbreviation E. I say slightly elastic as the synonym we need is not listed under receive in Chambers or Collins but receive is listed as a synonym under the answer.
8d Kitchen employee cooked perch fast, stuffed with something unknown (6,4)
PASTRY CHEF: One of our usual unknown letters Y, is stuffed in an anagram (cooked) of PERCH FAST.
11d Suspect noisy alarm is ringing about examination in chemistry (13)
MICROANALYSIS: An anagram (suspect) of NOISY ALARM IS around one of our usual abouts C.
13d Companies stocking material for dressing arms (10)
FLINTLOCKS: Companies or a large gathering of birds or sheep perhaps FLOCKS, contain (stocking) a soft material used in dressing wounds LINT.
16d Stars rolled up before party for polymath (8)
LEONARDO: A constellation of stars LEO, a reversal (up) of rolled or turned RAN becomes NAR, and an informal party DO.
18d After rising before noon, fabulous being cycling somewhere in London (7)
MAYFAIR: A reversal of (rising in a down clue) of the time before noon AM becomes MA, and a fabulous being FAIRY, who has cycled last letter to first. MA YFAIR
20d Clubs abandoning team ceremony for new version (7)
REWRITE: The abbreviation of a suit of playing cards abandons a team of shipmates CREW minus C = REW, and adds a ceremony RITE.
21d Leaders in concert hall said to be concerning singers (6)
CHORAL: Leading letters of concert hall CH, and an adjective relating to said ORAL, gives us another adjective, related to or written for or performed by singers CHORAL.
23d Fellow guzzling entire bottles (4)
GENT: A lurker (bottles) in guzzlinG ENTire
Compiler
proXimal
That’s all Folks…