Sunday Toughie No 206 by Light
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 4th January 2026
Across
1a Gossip about one who may exchange bowler and batter (10)
CHATTERBOX: One of our usual abouts circa or C, someone who may exchange a bowler for a homburg HATTER, and to batter around the head BOX.
6a Prince briefly left concert venue (4)
HALL: A Shakespearean prince HAL and L for left. Prince Hal is the standard term used in literary criticism to refer to William Shakespeare’s portrayal of the young Henry V of England as a prince before his accession to the throne. He was Welsh BTW!
9a Campaign for French vineyard dismal, ending in failure (7)
CRUSADE: A vintage French vineyard CRU, and dismal SAD, with the ending in failure E.
10a People from Philippine Islands returning through pergola gate (7)
TAGALOG: A lurker (through), that is reversed (returning) in perGOLA GATe. Tagalog is a people from the Philippine Islands and their language.
12a Sadly, still no voice to inspire student musician (13)
VIOLONCELLIST: An anagram of STILL NO VOICE and L for student, but be careful to notice the fodder contains two O’s
14a American doctor providing tablets at first for free (6)
ADRIFT : A usual American A, an abbreviated doctor DR, a conditional providing IF, and the first of tablets T.
15a Holiday that could leave you jolly (4-4)
HALF-TERM: 50% of a Jolly Jack Tar or Royal Marine would be Half of teRM.
17a Tangled Up in Blue ultimately discarded by music magazine (8)
ENMESHED: An ultimate letter of Blue E, an abbreviated music magazine NME, and discarded like a snakeskin SHED.
19a Character from Lewis close to suspect on slope (6)
ASLANT: You will need to check the back of Clive Staples Lewis’ wardrobe for the Lewis character ASLAN, and add the closing letter of suspect T.
22a Criminal hammered (5,3,5)
UNDER THE TABLE: A double definition, the first a concealed transaction of illegal goods, the second overconsumption of alcohol.
24a Perhaps Bob’s “cracking” and not a loser (2-5)
NO-HOPER: A famous Bob HOPE, cracking into a conjunction for and not NOR.
25a City’s wingers in niggle with Slot (7)
NEWPORT: Some winging letters NigglE, with an abbreviation of with W, and the slot on a computer where peripherals can be connected PORT. There are many cities with this name around the world, but only one that saw the birth of Twmbarlwm/Light.
26a Could they be Charles and Johnnie’s skates? (4)
RAYS: Both Ray Charles and Johnnie Ray are musicians; they share a forename and surname with skates.
27a Being hateful, model is soon sued (10)
ODIOUSNESS: An anagram (model) of IS SOON SUED.
Down
1d Firm with Oscar, caught climbing palm tree (4)
COCO: Our usual firm CO, and abbreviations of Oscar O, and caught C, that have been reversed O C becomes CO.
2d Attorney’s initial case for carrying weapons is in shaky state (7)
AQUIVER: An initial A, and a case for carrying weapons of a pointy nature. Arrows are kept in a QUIVER.
3d Drop King’s tour for lecture (4,3,1,5)
TEAR OFF A STRIP: A lachrymosal drop TEAR. And a King’s tour OFFA’S TRIP, up and down the eponymous dyke he built to keep the Welsh out of Mercia. Split (4.3.1,5) TEAR OFF A STRIP. That worked well Twmbarlwm!
4d South African resident raised knockout drink … (6)
REEBOK: A knockout abbreviation KO, and a glass of ale BEER, are raised for a resident of the grasslands of South Africa an Antelope or REEBOK…
5d … rum, in copita – glasses supplied by me (8)
OPTICIAN: An anagram of IN COPITA. It is not normally rum that is served in these tulip-shaped sherry glasses.
7d Petty Officer leaves unsurpassed (3-4)
ALL-TIME: Not 100% sure I have parsed this correctly. I can find an abbreviated officer in the leaves of a citrus tree, but he is a couple of ranks above Petty Officer. Maybe Petty is an abbreviation indicator, from the original French petit. Petty or SMALL-TIME loses the abbreviation of Sergeant Major. (Thanks Gazza)
8d Just vamoose with one amigo (10)
LEGITIMATE: To vamoose on foot LEG IT, a Roman one I, and an amigo MATE.
11d Places with no privacy that attract Persian queen? (8,5)
GOLDFISH BOWLS: I bunged this in from checkers but again I am not sure about all the parsing. Species of the Scomberoides genus such as the Persian Talang or Barred Queenfish seem to fit but I doubt that they have ever been seen in the small aquaria we seek. A female Persian cat or Queen, would be attracted to the contents of GOLDFISH BOWLS. Thanks Gazza,
13d Regret a pun about something that won’t be put down? (4-6)
PAGE-TURNER: An anagram (about) of REGRET A PUN.
16d Restrained poet Hughes describing clear sky (8)
TETHERED: Clear, upper air ETHER, is surrounded by the Poet TED Hughes.
18d Took advantage of the sun rising in the morning – what’s lying in time? (4,3)
MADE HAY: An expression of slight surprise for what EH, it lies in a 24 hour time period DAY, and follows the reversed (rising in a down clue) morning AM becomes MA(D(E H)AY).
20d Master seen around public school is solvent (7)
ACETONE: A master of flying perhaps ACE, around a public school ETON.
21d 22 fine eggs served up (6)
STINKO: A synonym of fine OK, and the eggs of head-lice NITS, are reversed (served up in a down clue). STINKO, hammered or so drunk you are under the table.
23d Slept out occasionally, travelling north in pick-up trucks (4)
UTES: Occasional letters of Slept out S E T U are reversed (travelling north in a down clue) for an unindicated Australianism UTES.
Compiler
Light
That’s all Folks…
Thank you SJB for the full review, and thanks again to all solvers.