Sunday Toughie No 225 by proXimal
Review by
Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 17th May 2026
Across
1a Spooner’s one not revealing partner that’s web-user under cover (5,6)
HOUSE SPIDER: A marital partner SPOUSE, and one who doesn’t reveal HIDER, is given the Spooner treatment
7a Divide fish keeping endlessly even and uniform (5,2)
CARVE UP: A freshwater fish CARP, contains what remains of even when endless VE, and the letter that uniform represents U. CAR(VE)-(U)P
8a Zoom with AI character and fine team player (3,4)
FLY HALF: To zoom along at great pace FLY, the Artificial Intelligence created by Arthur C Clarke for 2001 A Space Odyssey HAL, and a fine pencil abbreviation F
10a A group receiving tips for cardiovascular exercise (2,6)
AB CRUNCH: A from the clue and an informal grouping BUNCH, contain the tips of CardiovasculaR CR. An exercise AB CRUNCH
11a Object returned, carried by stray hairy beast (6)
SIMIAN: I had a plausible answer early doors but the parsing came on the night bus! An object or goal AIM, is reversed MIA, and is carried by a straying from God’s path SIN. SI(MIA)N
13a Detest fifth choice of headwear? (4)
HATE: If you categorised your headwear according to the alphabet, the fifth choice would be HAT E
14a Party protecting popular revolutionary fellows ultimately against exile (10)
BANISHMENT: An informal party BASH, contains a reversal (revolutionary) of a popular synonym IN becomes NI, followed by some fellows MEN, and the ultimate letter of against T. Exile or BA(NI)SH MEN T
16a Sales girl merrily welcomes new comms people (10)
SIGNALLERS: An anagram (merrily) of SALES GIRL and N for new
18a Told what’s predetermined for holiday (4)
FETE: A homophone (told) of what’s predetermined FATE becomes FETE
21a Enchanting person captured in extremely injurious pictures (6)
IMAGES: A learned or enchanting person, more often encountered in the plural MAGE, is captured by the extreme letters of injurious I_S
22a Peach fruit cut as ingredient for stew, perhaps (5,3)
SPLIT PEA: What you have to do to the peach to make it a suitable ingredient for stews. As Gazza pointed out in the hints blog Peach is a transitive verb for to accuse, inform or SPLIT on, the fruit is a PEAR without it’s last letter (cut)
24a Like Chas & Dave, maybe remix hit single after releasing it (7)
ENGLISH: Not the trickiest compound anagram, an anagram (remix) of H(it) SINGLE after removing IT. Maybe indicates a definition by example
25a Mischief-maker that is totally discharged for irreverence (7)
IMPIETY: A mischief maker IMP, a Latin that is I.E. and what remains of totally when discharged of its contents T_Y
26a Employees gathering got leader to definitively make improvements (4,7)
WORK WONDERS: Employees or WORKERS, gather a synonym of got WON, and the leading letter of Definitively D. WORK (WON-D) ERS
Down
1d Bean counter’s head lowered in carriage (7)
HARICOT: A carriage for Roman soldiers CHARIOT, lowers its leading letter C, down the order until it is the fifth letter of the HARICOT bean
2d Handy huts serf built at regular intervals (6)
USEFUL: Take letters at regular intervals from h U t S s E r F b U i L t
3d Very game opponents displaying elevated coldness in friendly (10)
ESPECIALLY: Opponents in the card game Bridge East and South ES, and a synonym of friendly PALLY, into which a reversal (elevated in a down clue) of coldness is displayed ICE becomes ECI. ES P(ECI)ALLY
4d Bird taking off in gust (4)
PUFF: Remove IN from a PUFF(IN)
5d Diary regularly seen with delicate visual aid (8)
DAYLIGHT: Regular letters of Dairy DAY, and a synonym of delicate LIGHT. An aid to seeing when the sun is up
6d Get on case after second bit of evidence goes missing (7)
REALISE: One of our usual ons or abouts RE, and a small French case (V)ALISE, from which the second letter of evidence has been removed
7d After couple of drinks, play equipment to make dance song (3-3,5)
CHA-CHA SLIDE: Two cups of tea CHA CHA, and a trip to the kids playground for a SLIDE, may make you try this song and dance routine. I will spare you the earworm, but if you really want to have it in your head for the rest of the day, look up DJ Caspar
9d Deftly with hand, I performed card trick (4,3,4)
FIND THE LADY: An anagram (performed) of DEFTLY HAND I
12d Somehow see such turmoil might be serendipitous (10)
DISRUPTION: When you find the definition in the middle it is probably a compound anagram. (somehow) – Somehow SEE and the answer we seek can be found in SERENDIPITOUS. RNDIPITOUS becomes DISRUPTION
15d Comparatively wet week at lake with onset of rain (8)
WATERIER: An abbreviation of week W, AT from the clue, one of the Great Lakes ERIE, and the onset of rain R, give a comparative term for wet or overdiluted WATERIER
17d City’s luminosity inspiring when on top of Gherkin (7)
GLASGOW: Luminosity or GLOW, contains (inspiring) a synonym of when AS and the top of Gherkin G
19d Female ruler gets cross replacing third in command, say (7)
EXPRESS: A female ruler EMPRESS, replaces the letter that is third in command M, with the one that looks like a cross X. E(M/X)PRESS
20d American ready, tackling disheartened pal’s depression (6)
DIMPLE: Ready is an informal term for a small American coin DIME, it contains what remains of pal when disheartened PL. DIM(PL)E a depression on the cheek (be that face or bum)
23d Appear quiet with nothing being brought up (4)
SHOW: An interjection to be silent SH, and a reversal (brought up) of an abbreviation of with W, and the letter that looks like nothing O
Compiler
proXimal
That’s All Folks…