Sunday Toughie No 226 by Silvanus
Review by Sloop John Bee
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This puzzle was published on the 24th of May 2026
Across
1a Speaker in court upset judge (6)
WOOFER: To court in a romantic sense WOO, and a reversal (upset) of a football judge REF becomes FER. WOOFER the largest speaker in your HiFi
5a Hiss and abuse boxing team across Belgium (8)
SIBILATE: A team of eleven players 11 becomes II, around the IVR code for Belgium B, are boxed in by a transitive verb to abuse or reprimand SLATE, S(I(B)I)LATE to make a hissing sound when speaking
9a Insect Australian sheep tolerate (6,4)
WOOLLY BEAR: An Australian term for a sheep due for shearing WOOLLY, and a synonym of tolerate BEAR
10a Rugby player struck ultimately by taxi travelling west (4)
BACK: A taxi CAB is reversed (travelling west in an across clue) BAC, and followed by the ultimate letter of struck K
11a Supporter of approach where very little is changed for that woman (8)
ADHERENT: The time when Christmas approaches ADVENT, swaps the abbreviation of very V, for that woman’s HER. An ADHERENT or supporter
12a US singer missing extremely creative day in past (6)
BEYOND: A well-known US singer BEYONCE, without the extreme letters of creative BEYON(CE), and an abbreviation of day D
13a Youngster defending Student Union (4)
CLUB: A young scout or bear CUB, defends the letter that student drivers display L. A union or C(L)UB
15a Object found in transport café, traditionally on the counter (8)
ARTEFACT: A lurker (found in) that is reversed (on the counter) in the rest of the clue
18a A little dog is with men on manoeuvres (8)
SMIDGEON: An anagram (on manoeuvres) of DOG IS MEN
19a Daughter departs put off about Connecticut college (4)
YALE: To put off a train or plane trip DELAY,is reversed YALE(D), but the D for daughter departs
21a Mind whisper principal murmured (6)
PSYCHE: Two homophones (murmured) of a whisper SIGH, and the principal stone in an arch KEY. SIGH KEY becomes PSYCHE, In Greek mythology she was a mortal princess who became the wife of Cupid and was later made immortal; she personified the human soul or mind
23a Diamond, say, extra pay at intervals secures, reversing transfer (8)
ALIENATE: Once you find the right NEIL Diamond, he is inserted between alternate letters (at intervals) of extra pay E T A(NEIL) A. Make sure you are reversing the order before putting them into the grid. ETA(NEIL)A becomes ALIENATE
25a Become very angry leaving automatic essentially in “Drive” (4)
GOAD: A two-word phrase for becoming very angry GO MAD loses the essential or central letter of automatic M. To drive as if with a pointed stick GOAD
26a Limits wearing old DJ and possibly tangerine jacket (6,4)
ORANGE PEEL: A limit or scope RANGE, goes in (wearing) O for old and an old DJ John PEEL, whose favourite song was “Teenage Kicks”
27a Wanting golf game, ambassador succeeded to tour islands (8)
HEBRIDES: A card game BRIDGE, without G for golf is surrounded by how you should addressHis Excellency the ambassador HE, and the genealogical abbreviation of succeeded S, HE-BRIDE-S a group of islands in Scotland
28a Catwalk model wary around Quant occasionally (6)
RUNWAY: An anagram (model) of WARY and occasional letters of Quant UN
Down
2d Humpty Dumpty figure, typically round and hollow (5)
OVOID: The round letter O, and a hollow or absence VOID. An OVOID is egg-shaped like Humpty Dumpty
3d Briefed about retaining least depleted feature of sewage works (6,3)
FILTER BED An anagram of BRIEFED goes about what remains of least when depleted of its contents L-T. BRIEFEDLT becomes FILTER BED
4d Verses of short song, cutting about Starmer primarily (6)
RHYMES: A song or HYMN is shortened HYM, it goes in one of our usual abouts RE, and the primary letter of Starmer S. Verses or R HYM E S
5d Nothing whatsoever in a few nasty names roughly embodying Democrat? (5,5,5)
SWEET FANNY ADAMS: An anagram (roughly) of A FEW NASTY NAMES and D for Democrat
6d Time Bill lifted hearts in place where Robin drinks? (8)
BIRDBATH: An informal term for time in prison BIRD, a reversal (lifted) of a bar-bill TAB becomes BAT, and an abbreviation for the hearts card suit H
7d Pressure group left flyer, hard to ignore (5)
LOBBY: L for left and an bird of prey HOBBY, but ignore a hard pencil abbreviation H
8d Chance to work with elite, no frills specialist (9)
TECHNICAL: An anagram of CHANCE and what remains of eLITe when its frills are removed
14d Rock ace not “semi-literate”, revolutionary claims (9)
LIMESTONE: A lurker (claims) that is reversed (revolutionary) between the definition and (indicators)
16d Spooner’s curious electrical device that’s used in the kitchen (6,3)
FRYING PAN: To be curious or nosey PRYING, and an electrical device for cooling FAN, are given Spooner’s treatment
17d Bull, perhaps, from present US president (8)
HEREFORD: A synonym of present HERE, and a former US president Gerald FORD
20d Root striking ball matching Pope’s last run (6)
GINGER: Matching or GOING together strikes the ball-shaped letter O, followed by PopE’s last E,and a cricket abbreviation for a run R. GING E R, a spice from the root
22d Cycle bent round tree (5)
CEDAR: A synonym of bent or part of a circle ARCED, cycles a letter from first to last twice ARCED becomes CEDAR
24d Military volunteers once getting letter from Crete? (5)
THETA: Split (3,1,1) it is a former term for members of the British Army Reserve THE T. A. , (5) it is a letter from the Greek alphabet THETA used in Crete
Compiler
Silvanus
That’s all Folks…