Sunday Toughie No 244 by Light
Full Review by Gazza
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This puzzle was published on 27/09/26
Light has provided a very enjoyable Toughie this week.
Across Clues
1a Tense journalist chasing beer with short is stupid (4-6)
HALF-WITTED: the grammatical abbreviation for tense and our usual senior journalist follow a measure of beer (half) and ‘with’ without its last letter (short).
6a Weed this writer’s spotted in middle of cowpat (4)
WIMP: the contracted form of ‘I am’ (this writer is) can be seen between the middle letters of cowpat,
10a Character from abroad returning before twelve US soldiers (5)
SIGMA: join together the abbreviations for ‘before 12 o’clock’ and US soldiers and reverse it all (returning) to get a Greek letter.
11a Most intelligent student charging about mountain (9)
CLEVEREST: our usual abbreviation for a student goes between (charging) a single-letter abbreviation for about or approximately and the world’s highest mountain.
12a Might one make you feel better with a floral bouquet? (14)
AROMATHERAPIST: an all-in-one clue where the definition is the full clue. We need someone who can cure (therapist) following a pleasant smell (aroma) possibly (indicated by the question mark) of flowers.
14a Part of windmill contained rolls and bloomers (7)
DAHLIAS: stick together the part of a windmill that is turned by the wind (sail) and a verb meaning contained (had) then reverse it all (rolls).
15a Liberal beat Ford? (4,3)
SOFT TOP: an adjective meaning liberal or easy-going and a verb to beat or overcome (top) give us a type of car of which a Ford is an example. My original answer here was ‘open top’ (with open in the sense of liberal or open-handed) until the crossing answers proved me wrong.
17a Award puts out second hip American music producer (7)
OCARINA: string together the most famous film award (Oscar) without its second letter, an adjective meaning hip or trendy (in) and an abbreviation for American.
19a Affected area initially itching, mostly red (7)
CHIANTI: an anagram (affected) of the initial letter of A[rea] and most of the word ITCHIN[g].
20a Provisions are disposed of at morning meeting here? (9,5)
BREAKFAST TABLE: cryptic definition of where food is consumed in the morning.
23a A tipple in breaks? (9)
APPLETINI: an all-in-one clue – an anagram (breaks) of A TIPPLE IN.
24a Private Victor Watts has deserted (5)
INNER: remove the symbol for the SI unit of power (watt) from a synonym of victor. Both Chambers and Collins have w meaning watt but not the plural watts.
25a Saw cut fruit (4)
DATE: a verb meaning saw in a romantic way is truncated (cut)
26a Around one, bizarrely, a Sting set begins (10)
INSTIGATES: an anagram (bizarrely) of A STING SET goes around the Roman numeral for one.
Down Clues
1d Securer when covered by hire purchase (4)
HASP: a synonym of when (as) is contained in the abbreviation for hire purchase.
2d Chattering incessantly, yellow bird south of wood (9)
LOGORRHEA: the heraldic term for yellow (or) and a flightless bird (rhea) follow a piece of wood (log).
3d James’s work with innovative AI makes hit novel (4,6,4)
WHAT MAISIE KNEW: this is a work by Henry James. Start with the abbreviation for w[ith], add an anagram (innovative) of AI MAKES HIT and finish with a synonym of novel (new).
4d Historian occasionally looking up Asquith is crafty (7)
TACITUS: regular letters of ‘Asquith is crafty’ in reverse (looking up in a down clue) so yTfArC sI hTiUqSa.
5d English partners defending mostly equal sides (7)
ELEVENS: an abbreviation for English and two partners at bridge (NS) contain a truncated (mostly) synonym of equal (leve[l]).
7d Old people online civil in retirement? Not entirely (5)
ICENI: hidden (not entirely) in reverse (in retirement) of [onl]INE CI[vil].
8d Vegetables spoil pies – stop it! (6,4)
PETITS POIS: an anagram (spoil) of PIES STOP IT.
9d Taking a drug out of Java, perhaps? (14)
DECAFFEINATING: cryptic definition where Java is an example of coffee.
13d Do radio bit somehow prompter (5,5)
IDIOT BOARD: an anagram (somehow) of DO RADIO BIT.
16d Temporary shelter erected to protect fish trap at sea (6,3)
TANGLE NET: a temporary shelter which is erected (tent) contains (to protect) a verb to fish with a rod and line.
18d Article on excellent pub coming up, “Knight & Horse” (7)
ARABIAN: start with a single-letter indefinite article, stick together a 2-letter abbreviation meaning excellent and a synonym for pub (bar) then reverse that (coming up). Finish with the chess abbreviation for knight.
19d Queen delighted by this jazz fan with a vast sum of money? (7)
CATMINT: queen here is a female domestic animal. An informal rather dated word for a jazz fan (cat) precedes a word for a load of money (mint).
21d Cross old man visiting alien living in exile (5)
EXPAT: the letter shaped like a cross and an affectionate term for one’s old man go inside (visiting) Spielberg’s alien.
22d Reportedly takes home containers for drinks (4)
URNS: a homophone (reportedly) of a verb meaning ‘takes home’ i.e. receives recompense for doing one’s work.