Sunday Toughie 218 (Review)

Sunday Toughie No 218 by Beam

Review by Sloop John Bee

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This puzzle was published on the 29th of March 2026

Across

8a          Endured pain in the neck (4)

BORE:                  A double definition to start today. He endured BORE, with great fortitude, despite being a pain in the neck BORE

9a          Protocol later allows outside security (10)

COLLATERAL:   A lurker (outside) is contained in the first three words. Outside seems a strange indicator, but the BRB allows it as an adjective to mean external to.

10a        Truth with nothing replacing electronic hunger (8)

VORACITY:         A synonym of truth VERACITY,  swaps the letter that looks like nothing O, for an abbreviation of electronic E,

11a        Ocean floor beginning to swallow sailor (6)

SEABED:             The beginning of life SEED, swallows an able-bodied sailor AB. SE(AB)ED

12a        Covering sweetheart in fond embrace (9)

CARPETING:     Not quite Beam’s™ usual sweetheart, three letters synonymous with sweetheart PET, are embraced by fond or CARING

13a        Grind edges of green residue (5)

GNASH:              The edges of green GN, and the residue of burning ASH

15a        Protocol holds attention, ready for danger (7)

FOREARM:         A synonym of protocol FORM, contains the part of the body that can catch one’s attention EAR. FOR(EAR)M

17a        Cross about dull tool? (7)

DOORMAT:         A cross at the entrance to a church chancel ROOD, is reversed (about) DOOR, followed by a synonym of dull MAT. The question mark indicates that we want an informal term for an uncomplaining person whom others treat inconsiderately, a DOORMAT

20a        One’s tossed about, about bowled over (5)

CABER:               One of our usual abouts RE, and a bowled abbreviation B, is reversed (over) B ER, it follows another of our usual abouts, circa or CA-B-ER

22a        Slur like individual imbibing Asti, lastly (9)

ASPERSION:      A preposition for like AS, and an individual PERSON, who has imbibed the last letter of Asti I. AS PERS(I)ON

25a        Grounds of divorce’s end, say (6)

ESTATE:               The end of divorce E, and to say or utter STATE

26a        Deck hands inside almost busy (8)

ORNAMENT:      Male hands on deck MEN, go inside almost all of much or elaborately decorated ORNATe. Is it unusual that as well as sharing a crossing letter with 18d, it shares a definition too?

27a        Things within people note in diary (10)

BELONGINGS:  An abbreviation of note N, is inserted into a diary or formal record LOG, then it goes within a synonym of people BEINGS. BE LO(N)G INGS

28a        Provided fast time (4)

LENT:    A triple definition to finish, provided with a view to having it returned

Down

1d          Place American flag with difficulty (8)

COLORADO:      How an American would spell the shades of a flag COLOR, followed by a Shakespearean difficulty, much ADO about nothing

2d          Standing, quietly released gas? Run away! (6)

DECAMP:            I had a plausible answer bunged in, but as I had already lost an hour to the clock change, I slipped off to the land of Nod with this unparsed. Dreams of the musical notation for quietly P for Piano, using a registered® trademark tear gas MACED, disturbed my sleep, and I woke with a start when I realised that (standing – in a down clue) was the reversal indicator to turn P MACED into DECAMP or Run away!

3d          Bible is definite covering reported tomb? (9)

SCRIPTURE:      A synonym of definite SURE, is covering a homophone (reported) of a tomb CRYPT becomes CRIPT. The Bible or S CRIPT URE

4d          America consumed by rapid criticism (7)

FLAYING:            A synonym of rapid FLYING, has consumed one of our usual American abbreviations A

5d          A large piece turned in wood (5)

BALSA:                A from the clue and a large piece of cake SLAB, perhaps are reversed (turned) for a type of wood BALSA

6d          Domestic charge paid in advance (8)

RETAINER:         A double definition

7d          Stroke of genius finally after sweats? (6)

CARESS:             Sweats, worries or is anxious for CARES, with the final letter of genius S, going after. To stroke or CARESS

14d       Study missing one old head teacher (9)

GOVERNESS:    To study, examine or check in review GO-OVER, loses one of the O for old abbreviations  GOVER, and adds a headland NESS. I “studied” this again and again before the parsing dropped

16d       Lift English tax, in part raised (8)

ELEVATOR:         E for English and a type of sales tax VAT, go in to a dramatic part ROLE, that is reversed (raised in a down clue) EL (E VAT) OR

18d       Loving installing new decking (8)

ADORNING:      A loving synonym ADORING, installs a new abbreviation N. Decking or ADORNING

19d       A noise around tenant’s top floor (7)

ASTOUND:         A from the clue, a noise SOUND, around the top of tenant T. To floor or ASTOUND

21d       Americans were partially providing solution (6)

ANSWER:           A lurker (partially providing) in the first two words

23d       Sun‘s opening with buxom specimen (6)

SAMPLE:             An opening letter of Sun’s S, and a buxom synonym AMPLE

24d       Rule empire including great nation, initially (5)

REIGN:                A Beam™ initial letter all-in-one

Compiler

Beam

That’s all Folks…