Sunday Toughie No 189 by Light
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 7th September 2025
Across
1a Sweep? Grand prize: young dog, domesticated (5,6)
GLOVE PUPPET: A definition by example to start, An abbreviation G for Grand, to prize or cherish LOVE, a young dog PUP, and his status within the family when domesticated PET.
7a Ready for Vladimir‘s problem with the French? (5)
RUBLE: Shakespeare, French and Russian. In Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” speech, he says, “To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there’s the “RUB”; for in that sleep of death what dreams may come”. Add one of the French definite articles LE, and you have an alternative spelling of the “ready” that Vladimir may spend RUBLE.
8a Nuisance is returning for start of the film, making one gloomy (9)
PESSIMIST: At first glance I seemed to have a surplus T that wouldn’t fit in the grid. I had a four-letter nuisance PEST and a four-letter film MIST, along with IS, but if you pay close attention the reversal of is SI, replaces the last letter of the pest T, in PES(T) becomes PES(SI), followed by the film or haze PES(t) SI MIST.
10a Composite ultimately added to cavity in part of tooth (7)
DENTINE: The ultimate letter of composite E, is added to a cavity DENT, and IN from the clue.
11a Brainstorming meeting, light and mostly helpful (5-2)
THINK-IN: Something light THIN, and most of being helpful or considerate KIN(D).
12a Poet uncovered sonnet written by daughter (5)
DONNE: Uncover the sonnet ONNE, and write it by the abbreviation for daughter D, for the poet DONNE. It is suggested that he used the typography of the time to make his erotic poetry even more obvious.
13a Among other things, Alicia disheartened with Milan team (5,4)
INTER ALIA: A Latin phrase, remove Alicia’s heart AL(ic)IA, and put it with one of the football teams from Milan INTER ALIA.
16a Lying at home, as revenue depleted (9)
INSINCERE: Being at home IN and a synonym of as SINCE, with what remains of revenue when depleted of its contents RE.
18a Make fun of odd bits of glam music subgenre (5)
RAGGA: To make fun of RAG, and odd letters of glam GA. RAGGA short for raggamuffin a subgenre of Reggae
19a Pagan god’s seen on gold pens (7)
AUTHORS: The chemical symbol of gold AU, is seen on a pagan God THOR, and his plural ‘S.
22a Ring student after school’s principal gets locked in storeroom (7)
ARSENAL: The principal letter of school S, gets locked in a ring or similar performance place ARENA, followed by the usual student letter L.
23a Setter unhappy about coming round for evening cocktail? (9)
SUNDOWNER: That which sets every night SUN, a synonym of unhappy DOWN, and one of our usual abouts RE, that is reversed (coming round) ER.
24a Race ending in victory, visibly emotional (5)
TEARY: to race along TEAR, and the end of victory Y.
25a Cabinet politician checking that man’s medical records? (4,7)
CASE HISTORY: A cabinet or chest CASE, and a blue politician TORY, around that man’s HIS.
Down
1d Lose it when a grandmother’s stuck under overturned Portaloo? (2,7)
GO BANANAS: A and some plural grandmother’s NANAS, go under an overturned Portaloo BOG becomes GOB.
2d Needing to tour base, punctual or late? (3-4)
ONE-TIME: A synonym of punctual ON-TIME, around (needing to tour) the letter we use as the base of natural logarithms E.
3d Oath that might be taken by editor (9)
EXPLETIVE: Another word for the oaths, or other offensive words, that an editor may delete. The phrase Expletive Deleted was used to replace swear words in the Watergate tapes of Richard Nixon.
4d Superior dentures should not have a rattle (5)
UPSET: a conjunction for each or a PER, is removed from a superior set of dentures. UPPER SET becomes UPSET
5d Tripe I scribbled about Oscar award-winning actor (7)
POITIER: An anagram (scribbled about) of TRIPE I and O for Oscar. Oscar is needed for the wordplay but Sidney Poitier won his fare share of them too.
6d Tense, strain and wheeze (5)
TRICK: An abbreviation for tense T, a strain in the neck perhaps RICK, gives us a cunning wheeze TRICK.
7d Insects swirling misled radar (3,8)
RED ADMIRALS: An anagram (swirling) of MISLED RADAR.
9d Money and hollow moneymen essentially controlling every area of music publishing (3,3,5)
TIN PAN ALLEY: Some informal money TIN, a geological hollow PAN, and the essential letters of moneymen EY, around a synonym of every ALL.
14d Inside house, husband and son binding English reference book (9)
THESAURUS: A house of the astrological calendar TAURUS, contains abbreviations of husband H, son S, and English E.
15d Famous, on edge and cautious, covering head (9)
LEGENDARY: A crickety on side LEG, an edge END, and a synonym of cautious WARY, without its covering head ARY. LEG END (W)ARY
17d US right-wingers, once called “old cheats” (7)
NEOCONS: Bunged in from GK, at first I couldn’t see the wordplay here, but there is plenty when you recall the male version of born, used in giving the original name of a titled man NE, add O for old and cheats or deceives CONS.
18d Teacher put up with too much ordinary food (7)
RISOTTO: A reversal of a male teacher SIR becomes RIS, an informal abbreviation for too much OTT, and an O for ordinary.
20d Note how label’s addressed for novelist Hornby, not King (5)
TONIC: An adjective related to notes. How you would address a note to the author Mr Hornby TO NICK, without the K for king in his forename.
21d Electronic device regularly spying on back of suspect hotel (5)
SYNTH: Regular letters of spying SYN, the back of suspect T, and H for hotel.
Compiler
Light
That’s all Folks…