Sunday Toughie 201 (Review)

Sunday Toughie No 201 by Light

Review by Sloop John Bee

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This puzzle was published on the 30th November 2025

Across

1a It’s impossible to say why bank queue isn’t moving? (6,2,7)

THERES NO TELLING: The bank queue wouldn’t be able to move if the TELLERS behind the counter weren’t TELLING.

9a Fool signor, amusing hosts (9)

IGNORAMUS: A lurker (hosts) hidden in the middle two words.

10a Get rid of grand old house (5)

BINGO: To get rid of by placing in a suitable receptacle BIN, and abbreviations of grand G, and old O.

11a Elected to back sales presentation and lend a hand (5,2)

PITCH IN: When elected IN, follows (to back) a sales presentation PITCH.

12a Latitude Festival’s ending with electronic energy and style (6)

LEEWAY: The last letter of festival L, abbreviations of electronic E, and energy E, and a synonym of style WAY.

15a Liqueur and tisane prepared at sea occasionally (8)

ANISETTE: An anagram (prepared) of TISANE and occasional letters of aT sEa.

16a Lying about what Kendrick Lamar does to cause dispute (4)

SPAR: A reversal (lying about) of the style of music that Kendrick Lamar does RAPS becomes SPAR.

19a Passage out of old Squeeze hit husband’s missing (4)

EXIT: A synonym of one’s former “old squeeze” EX, and what is left of (h)IT after the H for husband has gone missing.

20a Storms affected us once east of Florida (8)

FLOUNCES: The Two-letter state abbreviation of Florida FL, and an anagram of US ONCE. FLOUNCES or storms out in a camp or affected manner.

23a Actress Thurman eating a great deal of cheese somewhere in Italy (6)

UMBRIA: The forename of the actress UMA Thurman, contains most of BRIe, a French cheese.

24a Endlessly austere after brief taste of Buddhist scriptures? (7)

TANTRIC: A sharp taste TAN(g) is shortened by losing one end, it goes after a synonym of austere (s)TRIC(t) that has lost both ends.

26a Search engine to tackle origin of rattle in Escort (5)

BRING: A search engine that isn’t Google BING, around the origin of rattle R. Who will you escort to the ball?

28a Something for the barbie? Waving beer, quit drinking Tango! (9)

BRIQUETTE: An anagram (waving) of BEER, QUIT and T for Tango.

29a Medicine from jar next to blunt needle (5,5,5)

SHORT SHARP SHOCK: A synonym of blunt SHORT, and the pointed nature of a needle SHARP, next to a surprising jar SHOCK.

Down

1d Craft parts and story of Where the Buffalo Roam, reportedly (10)

TAILPLANES: Homophone time (reportedly). A story TALE, and Where the Buffalo Roam PLAINS. This craft flies and the parts are TAILPLANES.

2d Upright character beset by men in suite, disorderly element (11)

EINSTEINIUM: An anagram (disorderly) of MEN IN SUITE and the most upright character I.

3d Notice current in the river is rougher (8)

EARTHIER: The physics symbol of current I, inserted in THE from the clue, R for river, all follow to notice with your “listeners” EAR TH(i)E R

4d Name of bird probing log (8)

NOMINATE: The shortened form of of O’ and a bird that can be taught to mimic human speech MINA, are probing into a log or written record NOTE.

5d Contest at Le Golf National: you succeeded and upset Els (6)

TUSSLE: How a French national who calls Golf “Le Golf” may say you (informally) TU, the genealogical abbreviation of succeeded S, and a reversal (upset) of Ernie ELS. Giving us a TUSSLE.

6d Bedlam erupts, one ousting American politician (3,3)

LIB DEM: An anagram of BEDLAM but oust A for American for a Roman One I.

7d Local or international news? (3)

INN An abbreviation of International I, and plural abbreviations of news N N.

8d Insiders swapping places in ideal prison (4)

GAOL A synonym of ideal GOAL, swaps the inside letters to become a prison GAOL.

13d A dodgy tip with score at 16:9? (6,5)

ASPECT RATIO An anagram of A from the clue and TIP with SCORE AT. a widescreen format where the width is 16 units for every 9 units of height.

14d Angry with restaurant bill, verify with waiter? (10)

CROSSCHECK: Synonyms of angry CROSS, and the restaurant bill CHECK.

17d Idiot greeting drug king, one who supplies gear (8)

CLOTHIER: An idiot CLOT, an informal greeting HI, the abbreviation of the drug Ecstasy E, and a Latin King R for Rex.

18d Goes to secure blooming gates (8)

TURNOUTS: Flowers that are blooming and show their beauty OUT, secured within a synonym of goes TURNS.

21d Brilliant book on Dexter (6)

BRIGHT: A book abbreviation B, on the translation of the Latin Dexter RIGHT.

22d Graduate stops spending money in North African citadel area (6)

CASBAH: An arts graduate BA, in some “real” money CASH.

25d It’s among soaring waderS I BIrdwatch (4)

IBIS: A lurker (it’s among) that is reversed (soaring in a down clue)

27d Language from mid-on when boundary struck (3)

IDO: Strike off the boundary letters and you should be left with an international auxiliary language created in 1907 as a reform of Esperanto.

Compiler

Light

 

 

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