Sunday Toughie No 199 by Zandio
Review by
Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 16th November 2025
Across
1a Dish with fins chap cooked? (4,3,5)
FISH AND CHIPS: An anagram (cooked) of three of the first four words. DISH FINS CHAP becomes FISH AND CHIPS
9a Most natural energy displayed by 2 endlessly cycling (7)
EASIEST: Best come back to this after you have an answer to 2d. Start with Einstein’s abbreviation of energy E, remove the last letter of 2d SIESTA, then “cycle” what’s left by moving the last letter from back to front. E+ASIEST
10a Lay a carpet French way, back-to-front (7)
AMATEUR: A from the clue and a small carpet MAT, followed by a reversal of a French way RUE becomes EUR. A Lay preacher is an AMATEUR.
11a Falsified quote involving a Republican hot line? (7)
EQUATOR: An anagram (falsified) of QUOTE, A from the clue and R for Republican. The EQUATOR is the line around the globe where it is at its hottest.
12a Shut up in tower by parent (4,3)
KEEP MUM: The innermost and strongest part of a tower KEEP, and a parent MUM. An informal phrase to shut up.
13a Grass changes story again, perhaps disowning it (5)
REEDS: What a senior journalist does when he changes a story again RE-ED(IT)S, without (disowning) it.
14a Advocate magnificent shipping harbour (9)
SUPPORTER: A synonym of magnificent SUPER, contains (shipping) any harbour (PORT) in a storm
16a One teaching lacrosse for pupils nets on the counter (9)
PROFESSOR: A lurker (nets) that is reversed (on the counter) hidden backwards in lacROSSE FOR Pupils.
19a Kind of purple scrawl girl used regularly for reflection (5)
LILAC: Alternate letters (used regularly) of sCrAwL gIrL CALIL, but reverse them (for reflection) LILAC.
21a Difficulty of clue about season in Maine? (7)
PITFALL: Three reversals on the trot. A synonym of clue is reversed TIP (about) becomes PIT, and how someone from Maine refers to the autumn season FALL.
23a Cross letters among religious houses (7)
MONGREL: A lurker, some of the letters are housed within aMONG RELigious.
24a Sign: recently evacuated, works shelved here (7)
LIBRARY: A sign of the Zodiac LIBRA, and what remains of recently when evacuated R-Y. Works of literature are shelved in a LIBRARY.
25a Propose a meeting with universal representation (7)
TABLEAU: To propose an item for a meeting TABLE, A from the clue and a universal film classification U. TABLEAU A dramatic representation of a ‘frozen’ scene.
26a Little being revealed in eerie town near Gatwick when we take off east (6-6)
CREEPY-CRAWLY: A synonym of eerie CREEPY, and a town near Gatwick CRAWLeY, without its E for east.
Down
1d Following Grand Prix racing, girls at the finish certain to show cleavage (7)
FISSURE: The alphanumeric name of Grand Prix racing F1, the last letter of girls S, and a synonym of certain SURE.
2d After getting up, one’s seat’s designed for rests (7)
SIESTAS: A Roman one (and its plural ‘s) I’S, and SEATS are anagrammed (designed) for rests that occur after one has got out of bed SIESTAS. Originally from the Latin for naps taken in the sixth hour of ones day.
3d Text marks lead-free waste hazards (9)
ASTERISKS: Waste is free of its leading letter ASTE, and adds some hazards RISKS.
4d Democrat standing gets knocked back (5)
DRANK: D for Democrat and a standing for taxis perhaps RANK,
5d Push ecstasy hidden in drink, maybe bit of a laugh? (5-2)
HEAVE-HO: To take a drink HAVE, around the abbreviated drug E and a bit of a laugh HO. More of a pull in sailing terms, but it is also an informal term for dismissal or getting the push.
6d Anticipate publicity with flipping Boris, e.g. wearing golf gear (3-4)
PRE-EMPT: An item of golf equipment TEE, around the abbreviation that we use for people such as Boris Johnson in his role as First Lord of the Treasury PM, are reversed after two letters that we use to abbreviate publicity/Press Release PR+ EE MP T
7d News outlet, European, that stands for transfer of power (9,4)
TELEGRAPH POLE: This news outlet The TELEGRAPH and an Eastern European POLE. As well as telephony and telegraphy, which are low but not zero in power, they may also carry high voltage.
8d Issue, to cross border, a railway pass in blue? (7,6)
PRIMARY COLOUR: To “issue” a drink into a glass POUR, contains (to cross) a border RIM, A from the clue, an abbreviated railway RY and a mountain pass COL. Blue? Is an example of a P-RIM A RY COL-OUR.
15d Sellers possibly accepting a pound limit (9)
PARAMETER: The forename of the actor who was Inspector Clouseau PETER Sellars, accepts A from the clue and to pound or beat hard RAM.
17d Cube root botched after skipping university period (7)
OCTOBER: An anagram (botched) of CuBE ROOT, but skip U for university.
18d Retro style put away for spring (7)
EMANATE: The answer will spring forth when the “style” you call yourself NAME is reversed (retro) EMAN, and put away or consumed ATE follows.
19d Hunger on the naval front – this killed many in the past (7)
LONGBOW: To hunger or yearn for LONG, goes on the front of a naval vessel BOW.
20d Nearly exploding about copyright theft (7)
LARCENY: An anagram (exploding) of NEARLY around the circled letter of the copyright symbol ©
22d Heads to Lowestoft after Yarmouth but yet to find place to stop (3-2)
LAY-BY: To find the place to stop take the heads to five words of the clue.
Compiler
Zandio
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