Sunday Toughie No 197
by Light
Hints and Tips by Sloop John Bee
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A great crossword from Light that I really enjoyed solving, even though some of the Latin parsing escaped me.
Some great surfaces and anagrams should give you the checkers to fill the grid. I have hinted at 13 of 28 clues, to be able to offer a nudge if you ask.
If you are considering coming to the Birthday Bash, a reminder that the date is now 31st January 2026
Here we go, Folks…
As it is a Prize puzzle I can only hint at a few and hope that will give you the checkers and inspiration to go further. I’ll return with the full review blog just after the closing date. Don’t forget to follow BD’s instructions in RED at the bottom of the hints!
Most of the terms used in these hints are explained in the Glossary and examples are available by clicking on the entry under “See also” Where the hint describes a construct as “usual” this means that more help can be found in The Usual Suspects, which gives a number of the elements commonly used in the wordplay. Another useful page is Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing, which features words with meanings that are not always immediately obvious. Don’t forget the Mine of Useful information that Big Dave and his son Richard so meticulously prepared for us.
A full review of this puzzle will be published after the closing date for submissions. Some hints follow: Remember the site rules and play nicely.
Across
1a Introducing proceedings, Idle in formal outfit … (6,4)
To introduce proceedings, we start with a synonym of idle, then a transitive verb for in, as in “to fall in with the requirements of”.
12a Maybe boxer’s immobile following fracture and botched operation (4,9)
What boxer’s (or Labradors) are an example of, and a synonym of immobile, follows a fracture.
17a After smashing Miles Morales, Venom essentially becomes comic books’ most-famous alien (8)
Smashing surface here. A synonym of smashing, an abbreviation of Miles and the essential letters of Morales and Venom lead to a third comic-book character who came from another 19a.
19a World record recalled ahead of athlete’s first final (6)
An album-length record is reversed, ahead of athlete’s first and your final profit.
22a Keep quiet about sex? Not at all (4,7,2)
I am going to call this a double definition, one cryptic (hence the question mark) and the other more straightforward. (I don’t know how to alter styles of underlining like Falcon and Mr K)
27a Uncovered cryptic clue for sailor (5,5)
The sailor is concealed in the first word of the answer; what you have to do to uncover the sailor is the second.
Down
1d Lap 50, mostly unpleasant (4)
A Roman 50 and most of an informal word for unpleasant.
3d Fighter, pro with reputation rising? Best perhaps to cover that (6,7)
Another great surface. A synonym of pro and a reversal (rising in a down clue) of someone with a reputation. This is covered by a very famous Best from Northern Ireland.
4d Writer, namely King, mocks missing cover (6)
I confess I bunged this in from the definition and had to ask for help with the parsing (Thank you Lie-in-King). If you know your Latin better than I, you may know the abbreviated Latin for namely, add the Latin abbreviation of King and what remains of a synonym of mocks when you have removed the covering letters.
7d Duck Spooner’s metal bucket! (7)
Oor Wullies’ favourite seat turns into a duck when treated by The Reverend Spooner.
16d No time to instruct business with extremely ancient Mac? (8)
To instruct without T for time, a usual business and the extreme letters of ancient.
1984! my god Tempus Fugit.
18d Worked up in Settle, outside police station (7)
Some misleading capitalisation of Settle, but a reminder to order my Cheese for Christmas. To settle an account goes outside an informal police station.
23d Objects to cycle relay (4)
Plural objects aimed at, cycle one letter from back to front to relay a message.
Compiler
Light
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Great fun, as ever, from Light. The sheer audacity of 17a tickled me and 27a’s cute. Etc. Best thanks to him and Sloop.
At four comic-book heroes I almost called a theme, but held off as three were in one clue.
And thanks for your contribution to S&B puzzles in York and Unch magazine. Very entertaining.
Ha, a mini mini theme perhaps. That clue certainly had Light’s name all over it! Sorry to miss you in York, hopefully see you in Jan.
A top-drawer puzzle from Light – thanks to him and SJB.
I think that the ‘proceedings’ in 1a are of the legal variety.
Top clues for me are 22a, 25a and 27a.
Good call, my interpretation of in was a bit stretched.
Not sure which was the trickier today – the Prize Cryptic or the Prize Toughie. Both equally enjoyable.
Favourite 27a – I like this type of clever clue.
Last one in – 5d. Never mind “Daddy, my Daddy”, this is my favourite line from The Railway Children. Said by the dour man with the cart when delivering the family’s luggage just once too often for Mother!
Thanks to Light and SJB
I do like The Railway Children, my sister used to live in Oakworth, about three doors up from Perks’ cottage.
A cracking puzzle, with a few answers I needed to revisit and dissect before fully parsing.To pick out just a few highlights, I’ve gone for the comic book capers in 17a, the unclad mariner in 27a and the outdated office equipment in 16d.
Thanks to Light and SJB.
I had to be very careful with an image search for 27a. Some very dodgy pics showed up.
A very enjoyable toughie that I finished in a quicker time than the Dada puzzle.
I liked the use of “single” at 15a, and ticked 22a, 27a, and 18d.
Many thanks to Light and to SJB.
Light has used that device before, just a shame it was a rather obvious anagram or I could have played it.
Fairly gentle but hugely entertaining, with 17 and 27a my two favourite clues. I hope that anyone who finished the cryptic will have a stab at this, because it was a real winner.
Many thanks to Light and SJB.
Not knowing the Latin for namely made this a bit tricky to parse, but at least 4d was quite bungable
Yet another enjoyable Sunday Toughie. Lots of good clues, of course, but I liked the cheeky 27a….’surely it couldn’t be’, I thought, but it was! A couple of the parsings eluded me, so thanks John, for elucidating. I wondered if you would hint the Settle clue, it can’t be that far from you?
Many thanks to Light and SJB
Smylers in Ilkley is nearer than we are (near York) but we go regularly for the smashing cheese 🧀 in the link.
We’re not that far from Settle either….the other way in North Lancashire. Sounds like the cheese shop is well worth a visit.
I’m a Wiltshire lad originally, hence Moonraker, and there’s an old Wiltshire story of a bunch of drunken lads trying to rake a truckle of cheese from a pond…except it was a reflection of the full moon!
Oh yes. Brilliant. I cannot believe I have sat here in the conservatory for so long just doing two guzzles! Well, not so long to wait for the six o’clock medicine. Great clues, though I’m not very well up in comic books – my boy cousins had the Beano but that is light years ago. Some guesswork involved. Loved 15a and 28 d. Many thanks to Light and SJB. Regards to Mama Bee,
have not heard of you taking her out to tea recently?
28d?
Sundays here involve a crossword (or two Senf) write the blog and then take Mama Bee out for tea or coffee. Earlier replies came from Caffè Nero today, but we have a rotating list of favourites from Settle to Malton.
This is the first time I have ever attempted a Toughie as I always assumed there were far above my pay grade, but since joining the blog last week I thought I’d give it a go. Great fun and no more difficult than today’s prize puzzle. Bet this is not always the case?
I think Chris Lancaster’s instructions to Sunday Toughie setters included that they should be at about a Tuesday/Wednesday equivalent degree of toughness. My own experience is that they can be a bit tougher but rarely at Friday level.
Super puzzle, light from Light, but it’s occasionally nice not to undergo cruciverbal brain surgery on a Sunday afternoon! COTD 27a.
Many thanks to Light and Sloop.
I was intending to keep this for some end-of-the-day entertainment, but found myself solving on-screen even whilst the printer was whirring into action. Then it was a case of ‘I’ve started so I’ll finish’, as Mr Magnusson would have said.Unfortunately the next crossword in my to-do pile is an Elgar from February 2022, which I doubt will be particularly relaxing at bedtime…
17a may be the ‘most-famous alien’ but the best comic book alien for me has to be The Mekon, with his green persona and malevolent gaze. Actually, just looking now at images of The Mekon on-line, if he was more a shade of orange I might think I’ve seen that brooding look elsewhere
Anyway, I digress; my favourites today were 9a, 12a, 15a, 27a, 16d & 18d with perhaps 12 and 27 tied for top spot.
My thanks to Light for the fun, and to SJB for hosting the Hints and Tips
I see what you mean re the orange Mekon.
12a was liked by me too as it gave me the oppotunity to replay Olive and Mabel’s Lockdown Debut.
Just been enjoying a few episodes of ‘Olive and Mabel’ – thanks for the introduction
A very fine Sunday Toughie. I thought I knew the Latin term for namely, but I can’t see that it features in the answer to 4D. Or maybe I’ve just bunged in the wrong answer. I’ll have to wait for your full review.
Thanks to setter and SJB. Now back to Dada’s puzzle which still remains unfinished.
According to BRB and Wiktionary, the Latin for namely has a 4 letter abbreviation and two 2 letter abbreviations, only one of which provides the two letters we need for the writer. the other four letters are Latin King and a synonym of mocks that has lost its outer letters.
Ah, so the 3 letter Latin abbreviation I was thinking of was a red herring then! I think I have it now after a bit of googling, but I was unaware of that abbreviation. Every day is a school day.
Super puzzle. A swifter grid fill than the Dada puzzle but then needed to figure out a couple of whys which took a wee bit longer. Had to look up Miles Morales to appreciate the surface but otherwise nowt obscure. Ticks aplenty – 12,17,22&27a + 3,16&18d particular likes.
Thanks to Light & to John – went all in Olive & Mabel would feature at 12a 😀
Olive and Mabel were a shoo-in for 12a
“I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this any more!” © Howard Beale
It would have been a fine link to the other film in 20d and I thought of you when it hit the cutting room floor.
Peter Finch was a terrific actor – oddly I wouldn’t regard 20d as my pick of his performances – loved him in Sunday Bloody Sunday & Far From The Madding Crowd.
Rarely comment but am chuffed to have finished this without recourse to the hints ( which i did need for prize cryptic)- even if I couldnt parse 4d. Appreciated your Lamb music for 22a ( I saw Focus live earlier today )
Am I allowed to point out that anyone wanting to attend an event on 31st Jan 2025, might need help from those superheroes ?
Thanks to setters and hinters
Rarely comment but am chuffed to have finished this without recourse to the hints ( which i did need for prize cryptic)- even if I couldnt parse 4d. Appreciated your Lamb music for 22a ( I saw Focus live earlier today )
Am I allowed to point out that anyone wanting to attend an event on 31st Jan 2025, might need help from those superheroes ?
Thanks to setters and hinters
Oops another slip of the keyboard. Now corrected thanks.
Saw Focus some years ago they were brilliant.
4d had too much Latin for my tiny brain.
Thanks to all, and to SJB for the hints.
I live 2 miles from the remote Capel Iwan manor house in West Wales where Genesis recorded the Lamb album at 22a!
Thanks for a fine Toughie, I really enjoyed even if it exposed some gaps in my Latin education.
I am pleased that I passed over the Stephen King film for the Genesis track too.
It took me two or three attempts to finish this but it was worth it.I Don’t always finish the toughies . Once the dice started to tumble the prize was grasped quickly . Many favourites inc.1,10,19,26 and 27 . Thanks to all
Congrats, I hope the prize 🖊 comes your way soon.