Sunday Toughie 214 (Review)

Sunday Toughie No 214 by proXimal

Review by

Sloop John Bee

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This puzzle was published on the 1st March 2026

The publication of the result contains the line;

The answer to 27a is misspelt. We apologise for the error.

Well done to J De Bruyn, Sheffield for winning

Across

1a          Stew fruit for Spooner’s classically trained actor (8)

MCKELLEN:                      To stew or otherwise heat food COOK, and a gourd-like fruit with sweet flesh MELON, are given the Spooner treatment. A bit of a dodgy Spoonerism as I found the pronunciation of MOOK CELLON didn’t quite fit with Sir Ian McKellen. I did consider another fruit  ACKEE (found in a Jamaican stew with saltfish), but MACKE-ELLON was even worse.

5a          Whacked and remains in bunk (6)

BASHED:                           Remains of a fire ASH, inserted into a bunk BED

9a          Weapon left in grass ruined (9)

SLINGSHOT:                    An informal term for to grass or inform on SING, contains L for left, followed by ruined or SHOT

11a        Picked up car parts – exhausts (5)

TIRES:                                 To have one’s energy exhausted is a homophone (picked up) of a car part, Tyres becomes TIRES. I suppose Americans who call tyres tires would call it a double definition

12a        Desire tips from actor Charlie Sheen (6)

LUSTRE:                             A cardinal sin LUST, and, in this case, the tips from refers to the final letters of actoR CharliE, Sheen or LUST-RE

13a        Primitive prudent to muffle sound (5-3)

STONE-AGE:                     A synonym of prudent or wise SAGE, contains (to muffle) a sound or TONE

15a        Bid in good time for computer application (7,6)

COMMAND PROMPT:    To bid or order COMMAND, and to be in good time for a meeting PROMPT

18a        Ways of hiding nauseous reaction being imprisoned by two deities (13)

THOROUGHFARES:       OF from the clue conceals a disgusted reaction UGH, it is imprisoned between deities of Norse THOR, and Greek ARES, mythology. Ways or THOR O(UGH)F ARES

22a        Drug chart reviewed following one entering stupor (8)

DIAZEPAM:                        A chart or plan MAP is reversed (reviewed) PAM, it follows the letter that one represents I, that has entered a stupor DAZE. The drug D(I)AZE-PAM

23a        Tailless monkey covers metres to get to grass (6)

BAMBOO:                          Most of a type of monkey BABOO(n)contains a metric abbreviation M. BA(M)BOO difficult to putt on but a grass nevertheless

26a        Told nosey parker earlier (5)

PRIOR:                               A homophone (told) of a nosey parker, PRYER becomes PRIOR

27a        Models I twice separately encountered in record books (9)

EPITOMIES:                       Two I’s are separately inserted between an Extended Play record EP(I), and some large volumes TOM(I)ES, but I can only find some AI sources that indicate this is a common misspelling. A superfluous I, I wonder how it got there!. I have tried the pattern E-I-O-I-S in various solvers and no other word fits, if the mistake was spotted I can only assume the common misspelling had to be accepted

28a        Bladed tool hurt – article put aside for year (6)

SCYTHE:                            An archaic term for to hurt or damage SCATHE, swaps the indefinite article A for the year abbreviation Y

29a        Nut clamping to wheel oddly in vehicle recess (8)

FOOTWELL:                      Some more car parts, a nut or similar idiot FOOL, contains odd letters of to wheel T W E L

 

 

Down

1d          Lose machine pistol, unfortunately abandoning hit on rogue (8)

MISPLACE:                        Our first extraction anagram. An anagram (rogue) of HIT ON, has abandoned MAC(HIN)E PIS(TO)L, and what remains is anagrammed again (unfortunately) MACEPISL becomes MISPLACE

2d          Furore over contracts (5)

KNITS:                                An aromatic furore STINK, is reversed (over) KNITS, to contract or pull together like a broken bone perhaps

3d          Exposed figure in trouble climbing coastal region (7)

LIGURIA:                           A synonym of trouble AIL, is reversed (climbing in a down clue) L-IA, around what remains of f(IGUR)e when it is exposed by removing its outer letters. LIGURIA is a coastal region of northern Italy

4d          Head of college dropped for real (4)

ECHT:                                 A school teaching mechanical and industrial arts and the applied sciences TECHnical College, is abbreviated TECH, and drops its first letter down the order until it becomes a word for real ECHT, (borrowed from the German, but our language has stolen many similar words, I think it is unreasonable to expect setters to indicate every word that English has borrowed)

6d          Opposite some army, not natives retreating (7)

ANTONYM:                       A lurker (some) that is reversed (retreating) in arMY NOT NAtives

7d          With post in support, present other side (9)

HEREAFTER:                    A synonym of post AFTER, supports one of present HERE. What comes when we have shuffled off this mortal coil the HEREAFTER

8d          One moving quickly turned down that woman (6)

DASHER:                           A synonym of down SAD is reversed (turned) DAS, it goes on that woman HER

10d       Teaching in France, you tinker with course, ultimately getting demoted (8)

TUTORAGE:                      An informal French you TU, followed by a tinker, beggar or tramp TOERAG that demotes the last letter of coursE to the end TOERAG becomes TORAGE

14d       Propose moving radioactive waste once mutated wisteria removed (8)

ADVOCATE:                      To plead for or propose an idea ADVOCATE. Our second extraction anagram, two anagram indicators (moving) and (mutated) as WISTERIA is removed in anagram form from (RA)D(I)OACT(I)VE (WASTE)

16d       Interdependence of lifting corporation with excellence leader overlooked (9)

MUTUALITY:                      A synonym of excellence QUALITY overlooks its leading letter Q, and follows a reversal (lifting in a down clue) of an informal term for your corporation TUM becomes MUT

17d       Backing old American in China pursuing contract rivals (8)

ESPOUSAL:                       Start with rival players in contract bridge East and South ES, then a friend or “China plate” PAL, that contains O for old and one of our usual Americans US. Backing or ESPOUSAL

19d       The devil among us? (2,5)

ON EARTH:                       A cryptic double definition of the thought that the devil is within us all, see Gazza’s comment #1

20d       Using every effort, disregard entertaining act on vacation (4,3)

FLAT OUT:                         To disregard FLOUT, contains (entertaining) what remains of act when vacated AT

21d       A time to wear gym shoes, according to some, changes (6)

ADAPTS:                            A from the clue, a dialect term for gym shoes DAPS, wearing a time abbreviation T. The gym shoes were plimsoles, sandshoes or pumps when I wore them, but I have heard of DAPS before

24d       Be niggled regularly lacking shade (5)

BEIGE:                                BE from the clue, then alternate letters (regularly lacking) of n I g G l E d – IGE

25d       Writer of superb I, Robot (4)

BIRO:                                  A misspent youth in the Sci-Fi section of many bookshops tells me who actually wrote I Robot (Isaac Asimov if your interested – it is a superb book, but not a superb film IMO), but as this is a cryptic rather than GK crossword, we need to look for a cryptic “writer” named after the Hungarian inventor of the ballpoint pen László Bíró

 

Compiler

proXimal

 

That’s All Folks…