Sunday Toughie 221 (Review) – Big Dave's Crossword Blog

Sunday Toughie No 221 by Beam

Review by Sloop John Bee

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This puzzle was published on the 19th of April 2026

Across

1a Bar supporters and opponents regularly railed (9)

BRASSERIE: Beam with his usual chest supporters BRAS, two Bridge opponents South and East SE, and regular letters of railed RIE. BRAS-SE-RIE The French word for a bar

6a Deep sea fish (4)

BASS: A double definition, the first a deep singing voice, the second a sea fish

10a Bracing air over particular area (5)

OZONE: A crickety over O, and a particular area or ZONE

11a Word is sent erroneously about heretic (9)

DISSENTER: A lurker (about) in the first four words. A heretic or DISSENTER

12a Support section of church backing gospel (7)

EVANGEL: A support for a table LEG and a section of a church NAVE, are reversed

13a Gathers energy carrying large sink back (7)

RELAPSE: Gathers a crop REAPS, carries a large abbreviation L, and ends with an energy abbreviation E. To sink back or RE-L-APS-E

14a Choosing, after a daughter perhaps? (8)

ADOPTING: A synonym of choosing OPTING goes after A from the clue and D for daughter

16a Complete detailed series about inventor (5)

TESLA: A synonym of complete ALL, loses its last letter AL, add a series or SET and reverse the lot. AL SET becomes the inventor Nikolai TESLA

19a Divine man cut curvy shape (5)

GUESS: A man or chap GUY, loses his last letter GU, add how you would say the curvy-shaped letter ESS

21a Hot, also a little attractive (8)

HANDSOME: A hot abbreviation H and synonyms of also AND, plus a little SOME

24a Grazing land is beyond river (7)

PASTURE: Beyond or over PAST, and a northern river that is the only tributary of the Ouse, which doesn’t give its name to the Wensleydale valley it runs through. The river URE

25a Stuck, this compiler’s turned white (7)

IMPALED: How Beam refers to himself I’M and turned white or lost colour PALED

27a Doctor part, keeping mum for performance (9)

RIGMAROLE: To doctor or fix a game of chance RIG, and a dramatic part ROLE, around an informal mother MA

28a Initially indignant, rather angry, then enraged (5)

IRATE: Beam’s ™ initialism all-in-one.

29a Can’t stand sweetheart following heart, oddly (4)

HATE: Odd letters of heart HAT, followed by Beam’s™ heart of sweet E

30a Check mistake in endless international relief? (9)

DETERRENT: The easing of tension in international relations DETENTe loses its end and contains to make a mistake or ERR. A check to progress or a DET-ERR-ENT

Down

1d Backfire blast echoed round exhaust’s opening (9)

BOOMERANG: A blast or explosion BOOM, and echoed like a bell RANG around the opening letter of exhaust E

2d Square as expressed by Euclid? (5)

AGORA: Nothing to do with geometry, how Euclid or other Greek speakers may refer to a square or marketplace

3d Minor employing electronic skill (7)

SLEIGHT: A synonym of minor SLIGHT, contains an electronic prefix E. Skill or SLEIGHT of hand perhaps

4d Come round accepting affair is suggestive (8)

REDOLENT: To come round to seeing another point of view RELENT, contains an affair, party, or social event DO. Suggestive or RE-DO-LENT

5d Follow around Republican Guard (6)

ENSURE: To follow ENSUE, goes around a Republican abbreviation R

7d Italian tip as tomato covers starter (9)