Sunday Toughie No 187 by Beam
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 24th of August 2025
Across
1a Anxiety almost frozen in isolation (10)
SOLICITUDE: Almost all of frozen IC(E), goes in a synonym of isolation SOLITUDE. SOL(IC)ITUDE
6a Curse being brainier, oddly (4)
BANE: Odd letters of BrAiNiEr, A Curse or BANE
10a Beam possibly not starting following (5)
AFTER: Not Ray T’s alter ego, but the beam that holds your roof up RAFTER, without its starting letter AFTER.
11a Respecting mum keeping one strong (9)
RESILIENT: An abbreviation of respecting RE, and a synonym of being “mum” SILENT, contains (keeping) the letter that looks like one I. RE SIL(I)ENT or strong.
12a Fashion from street a renegade backed (8)
GENERATE: Fashion a lurker (from) that is reversed (backing) in streET A RENEGade or GENERATE
13a Sparkling wine beginning to resemble bubbly (5)
ASTIR: A sparkling wine ASTI, and the beginning letter of resemble R, are bubbly.
15a Bishop worried by prudish (7)
PRIMATE: A synonym of prudish PRIM, is followed by one of worried ATE.
17a Cynic is grim, periodically better inside (7)
DOUBTER: A synonym of grim DOUR, contains periodical letters of better BTE.
19a Flight engineer retaining uplift (7)
LIGHTEN: A lurker (retaining), in the first two words.
21a Prior to girl making proposition (7)
PREMISS: A grammatical prefix meaning prior to PRE, and an unmarried girl MISS, lead us to a proposition or PREMISS.
22a Provided ale, half empty, not drunk (5)
SOBER: A synonym of provided SO, and an ale or BEER, without one of its central letters BER, wouldn’t have the beer in the first place.
24a Land losing head, banking through flight (8)
AVIATION: A land, country or state NATION, without its head letter ATION, contains a synonym of through VIA.
27a Former cab company worker getting rich (9)
EXUBERANT: A usual former EX, a company that provides a taxi service UBER, and a worker insect ANT.
28a Revolts in prison reversed, taking over (5)
RIOTS: An informal term for prison STIR, is reversed RITS, and it takes a cricketty over O.
29a Slugs that one tries salting, initially (4)
TOTS: Slugs of rum or whisky perhaps from a Beam ™ initial letters clue.
30a Track account, blocking access (10)
RACECOURSE: An abbreviation of account AC, blocking a synonym of access RECOURSE.
Down
1d China’s rising clout (4)
SLAP: A reversal (rising in a down clue) of some Cockney rhyming slang. China Plate becomes Mate becomes PALS, reversed is SLAP
2d Queen involved in agreeing to inscription (9)
LETTERING: Our late queens regnal cipher ER, in a synonym of agreeing to LETTING.
3d French priest carries vicar’s first crook (5)
CURVE: The first letter of Vicar V, goes into the French term for another priest, CURÉ
4d Sauce of sweetheart chasing two sailors (7)
TARTARE: Repeated sailors TAR TAR, and Beam’s ™ sweetheart E. Good with fish TARTARE sauce.
5d Detectives are liable for stretch (7)
DISTEND: Abbreviated detectives DIS, and a synonym of liable to TEND.
7d Expert fitting round edges of doorframe (5)
ADEPT: A synonym of fitting APT, around the edges of doorframe DE.
8d Go in force for campaign (10)
ENTERPRISE: To go in ENTER, and a synonym of force PRISE.
9d Faithful following prayer to find solace (8)
PLEASURE: A synonym of faithful SURE, follows a prayer PLEA.
14d Shot duck, not ruddy, on trail (10)
OPALESCENT: The score represented by a duck O, the opposite of ruddy in complexion PALE, and on the trail, like a bloodhound SCENT. Leaving shot as the definition, a quick dive into the BRB and Shot is indeed synonymous with our answer. Think of an Opal or silk “shot” through with a shimmering iridescence.
16d Advocate adult still raising housing rent (8)
ATTORNEY: A for adult and a synonym of still YET (reversed -raising in a down clue) TEY, that is “housing” a synonym of rent TORN. A T TORN EY
18d Common European standard? (9)
TRICOLOUR: 19 countries in Europe follow this basic design for their standard.
20d Falls once more, upending rear occasionally (7)
NIAGARA: A synonym of once more AGAIN, is reversed (upending in a down clue) NIAGA, followed by occasional letters of rear RA.
21d Aphrodisiac could produce pronounced strain (7)
PHILTRE: This aphrodisiac is pronounced the same as a synonym of strain FILTER becomes PHILTRE. Arguably “could produce” is redundant in the clue, but Beam has conjured up a mental image of a pronounced strain caused by said aphrodisiac.
23d Dull sandwich given posh new filling (5)
BLUNT: A term for posh (popularized by Nancy Mitford) U, and a new abbreviation N, provide the filling between an acronym for a popular three-ingredient sandwich B.L.T..
25d Trunk principally, roughly (5)
TORSO: The principal letter of trunk T, and a phrase synonym of roughly OR SO.
26d Man perhaps lives large on vacation (4)
ISLE: Large here is an anagram indicator, but LI(V)ES is vacated by its central letter. Man perhaps being a definition by example.
Compiler
Beam
That’s all Folks…