Sunday Toughie 213 (Review)

Sunday Toughie No 213 by Dada

Review by

Sloop John Bee

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This puzzle was published on the 22nd February 2026

 

 

Across

7a          Express disapproval when husband tips instrument containing liquor (8)

HARRUMPH:                    A traditional stringed instrument HARP, contains a type of liquor RUM, followed by an abbreviation for husband H, HAR(RUM)P H

9a          Heart of local stolen by sister I love, Church diplomat (6)

NUNCIO:                           A sister in a religious order NUN, the heart letter of local C,and letters that I love suggest I O. NUNCIO Defined as a Papal ambassador

10a        Family engaged in extravagant outdoor activity (6)

BIKING:                              A term for family KIN, is contained in a synonym of extravagant BIG

11a        More than one newspaper sold, I suspect, after club taken over (8)

TABLOIDS:                        An anagram (suspect) of SOLD I, goes after a reversal (taken over) of the club used in sports such as cricket, rounders or baseball BAT becomes TAB

12a        Walk off with sweet thing – and go too far? (4,3,7)

TAKE THE BISCUIT:        To go too far or to surpass everything else, perhaps because you have stolen the last rhubarb and ginger cookie

15a        Way beyond some further thoughts I say! (4)

PSST:                                  An abbreviated way, route or road ST, goes beyond further thoughts added to a letter or similar correspondence PS. PSST I say

17a        Vagabond, male seemingly caught? (5)

TRAMP:                              An abbreviated male M, is caught in a snare or TRAP

19a        Noble as Cockney kings and queens when stripped (4)

EARL:                                  Cockney kings and queens, known for their extravagantly decorated costumes PEARLY Kings & Queens, are stripped of their outer letters, leaving EARL

20a        Vile pants ending on floor alongside underwear for sea rover (4,4,6)

LONG JOHN SILVER:     An anagram (pants) of VILE and the terminal letter of floor R, go alongside some winter underwear LONG JOHN’S

23a        Lawyer worried about undecided strategy, ultimately (8)

ATTORNEY:                       A synonym of worried ATE, around one of undecided TORN, and the ultimate letter of strategy Y

25a        Where seven letters come in “dessert“? (6)

AFTERS:                             Collectively, how would you refer to the seven letters remaining beyond the ess or AFTER S, an informal term for dessert

27a        Blooming disheartened, fail test (6)

FLORAL:                             Remove the heart of fail FL, and follow with a verbal test ORAL

28a        Old country‘s gone to seed, so I heard (8)

RHODESIA:                       An anagram (gone to seed) of SO I HEARD

 

Down

1d          Skirt that’s hitched up three hours before midday? (4)

MAXI:                                  Reverse (hitch up in a down clue) What a clock that used Roman numerals would display, three hours before the meridian, Nine AM would be IX AM, reversed to be a MAXI skirt

2d          Cook from Serbia going to pot (6)

BRAISE:                             An anagram (going to pot) of SERBIA

3d          Talking bird (4)

CHAT:                                 A double definition

4d          A central point exists for God (6)

ANUBIS:                            A from the clue, central point NUB, and a synonym of exists IS. ANUBIS is an ancient Egyptian  God (of funerals)

5d          Intricate tune with viol played (8)

INVOLUTE:                        An anagram (played) of TUNE and VIOL

6d          Pastry dish with fruit rising, make a mistake and it might be flat (4-1-5)

PIED-A-TERRE:                A pastry dish (that can be both sweet or savoury) PIE, the fruit of a palm tree DATE, and a reversal (rising in a down clue) of to make a mistake ERR becomes RRE. PIE DATE RRE a second home that may be a flat

8d          Image of suspect fool’s stolen (7)

MUGSHOT:                       Informal fool’s MUG’S and a the “temperature” of stolen goods HOT

13d       Sure to buy and sell supply, article going first (10)

ABSOLUTELY:                   An anagram (supp’ly as an adverb) of TO BUY and SELL, the indefinite article A, going first

14d       Loud bang originally heralding flood (5)

BRASH:                              An original letter and a noun for a flood as a large number of instances of anything happening at the same time or in the same place

16d       Indian dish with duck filling half-baked roti (8)

TANDOORI:                      A conjunction for with AND, the letter that duck would suggest to a cricket scorer O, is the filling of an anagram (half-baked) of ROTI.

18d       Fencing move I don’t know: bother! (7)

PASSADO:                         To express that one is unable to answer a question on Mastermind PASS, and some Shakespearean (much ADO about nothing) bother. The wordplay leads to some investigoogling – A fencing move that is a thrust with one foot advanced

21d       Following spot of joyriding, crook in clink (6)

JANGLE:                            I started with the spot (or small part) of joyriding, crook (or sick) with in clink as the definition, to get J AILED, but that made 23a and 27a impossible. The word that follows the spot (or small part – in this case the initial J) of joyriding is a synonym of crook or bend ANGLE, and the definition is just clink. JANGLE

22d       Babies leave a mess (6)

LITTER:                               A double definition, the first a multiple birth of animals or livestock

24d       Old Tokyo, residential houses (4)

YORE:                                 An archaic synonym of old lurks within (houses) TokYO REsidential

26d       Water seen when lid lifted from sewer (4)

RAIN:                                  A sewer or channel that allows fluid to flow away (d)RAIN, has its lid “lifted”

Compiler

Dada

 

 

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