Sunday Toughie No 197 by Light
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 2nd November 2025
Across
1a Introducing proceedings, Idle in formal outfit … (6,4)
LOUNGE SUIT: To introduce proceedings, we start with a synonym of idle LOUNGE, then proceedings in a civil court SUIT,
6a … monkeys with Parrot Sketch’s opening (4)
APES: To parrot or imitate APE, and the opening letter of sketch S.
9a Racket hit ball seized by dog (7)
CLAMOUR: A dog of mixed breed CUR, containing a hit LAM, and the ball-shaped letter O.
10a Instruction to play slowly with a new trike on vacation (7)
ANDANTE: A synonym of with AND, A from the clue, N for new and what remains of trike when vacated T-E.
12a Maybe boxer’s immobile following fracture and botched operation (4,9)
DOGS BREAKFAST: What boxer’s is an example of DOG’s and a synonym of immobile FAST, follows a fracture BREAK.
14a Bolt and chain no longer available? (3,3)
RUN OFF: An unbroken chain of Wordle solves, RUN perhaps, and a menu item that is no longer available OFF.
15a Single ale or two, fantastic! (8)
WATERLOO: This single, first performed by ABBA, at the Eurovision Song Contest, is an anagram (fantastic) of ALE OR TWO.
17a After smashing Miles Morales, Venom essentially becomes comic books’ most-famous alien (8)
SUPERMAN: Smashing surface here. A synonym of smashing SUPER, an abbreviation of Miles M, and the central (essential) letters of MorAles and VeNom A N, lead to a third comic-book character who came from the planet Krypton SUPERMAN.
19a World record recalled ahead of athlete’s first final (6)
PLANET: An album-length record LP, is reversed PL, ahead of athlete’s first A, and your final profit NET.
22a Keep quiet about sex? Not at all (4,7,2)
DONT MENTION IT: I am going to call this a double definition, one cryptic (hence the question mark) and the other more straightforward.
24a Number, short, sweet and old: It’s Impossible (2,3,2)
NO CAN DO: An abbreviated number NO, most of something sweet CANDy, and O for old.
25a Potential hazard in the road – kitty heading off unharmed (7)
POTHOLE: The kitty in a card game POT, and a synonym of unharmed WHOLE with its heading off HOLE.
26a Note Sloane Ranger’s agreement to get sauce (4)
SOYA: A note on the tonic scale SO, and how a Sloane Ranger indicates agreement YA.
27a Uncovered cryptic clue for sailor (5,5)
STARK NAKED: The sailor is concealed in the first word of the answer; what you have to do to that word, to find the sailor, is make STARK NAKED i.e. remove the covering letters.
Down
1d Lap 50, mostly unpleasant (4)
LICK: A Roman 50 L, and most of an informal word for unpleasant ICKy.
2d African waving gun stopped by an American lawyer (7)
UGANDAN: An anagram (waving) of GUN contains AN from the clue and an American lawyer DA.
3d Fighter, pro with reputation rising? Best perhaps to cover that (6,7)
GEORGE FOREMAN: Another great surface. A synonym of pro FOR, and a reversal (rising in a down clue) of someone with a reputation NAME becomes EMAN. This is covered by GEORGE Best from Northern Ireland.
4d Writer, namely King, mocks missing cover (6)
SCRIBE: I confess I bunged this in from the definition and had to ask for help with the parsing (Thanks to Lie-in-King). If you know your Latin better than I, you may know the Latin for namely is Scilicet, this can be abbreviated to SC, add the Latin abbreviation of King R for Rex, and what remains of a synonym of mocks (g)IBE(s) when you have removed the covering letters giving a SC R IBE or writer.
5d Declaration from Evel Knievel, for example? Probably (1,4,3)
I DARE SAY: Something that Evel Knievel might utter about his bravery I DARE, and a synonym of for example? SAY, Probably.
7d Duck Spooner’s metal bucket! (7)
PINTAIL: Oor Wullies’ favourite metal bucket TIN PAIL, turns into a PINTAIL duck when treated by The Reverend Spooner.
8d The stew too liquid, preference for chocolate pudding etc (5,5)
SWEET TOOTH: An anagram (liquid) of THE STEW TOO.
11d Jazz musician Harry liked long tune (4,9)
DUKE ELLINGTON: Another anagram (Harry) of LIKED LONG TUNE.
13d Pressure on locals to supply Directors (10)
PRESIDENTS: The abbreviation of pressure P on locals RESIDENTS. They propose or supply Directors to the Board.
16d No time to instruct business with extremely ancient Mac? (8)
RAINCOAT: To instruct without T for time tRAIN, a usual business CO, and the extreme letters of ancient AT.
18d Worked up in Settle, outside police station (7)
PANICKY: Some misleading capitalisation of Settle, but a reminder to order my Cheese for Christmas. To settle an account PAY, goes outside an informal police station NICK.
20d What is central to advancing movie career? Make connections (7)
NETWORK: The central letter of advancing N, a favourite movie alien ET, and one’s career WORK.
21d One upsetting pages in row (6)
TIPPER: A plural abbreviation of page PP, inserted into a row TIER.
23d Objects to cycle relay (4)
SEND: Plural objects aimed at ENDS, cycle one letter from back to front to relay a message or SEND.
Compiler
Light
That’s all Folks…