Sunday Toughie No 246 by Hudson
Full Review by Gazza
+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +
This puzzle was published on 11/10/26
Hudson has provided a very entertaining Toughie this week.
Across Clues
1a Hit extremely elegant golf shot (6)
SOCKET: an informal verb to hit (sock) and the outer letters of elegant. The answer is a rather obscure word for a golf stroke using the shaft of an iron club (thanks to the BRB).
4a Product designed for musical that’s likely to fold? (5,3)
OPERA HAT: cryptic definition of something to wear that’s collapsible so that you can store it under your seat during the performance.
10a Dad’s back, he’s in an upstairs room having lost interest (9)
APATHETIC: reverse an affectionate word for dad and add HE inside an upstairs room (attic).
11a Team having a way to contain Liverpool’s wingers (5)
VILLA: a word, from Latin, for a way or road (via) contains the outer letters (wingers) of Liverpool.
12a Oxford University student wearing prison clothing (7)
CAGOULE: abbreviations for Oxford University and student go inside (wearing) a synonym of prison (cage).
13a Complaint from the German pulled out of train crash (7)
AILMENT: start with a type of train crash (derailment) and remove (pulled out) the German definite article at its start.
14a 1,000 become weary going over desert (5)
MERIT: the Roman numeral for 1,000 followed by the reversal of a verb to weary (tire). Desert here means something that’s deserved as in “he got his just deserts”.
15a Rule out report that this puzzle was written in advance? (8)
PRECLUDE: this sounds like (report that) a puzzle has been compiled in advance (pre-clued).
18a Cool party in which naked gangs dance (8)
FANDANGO: a verb to cool (fan) followed by a festive party (do) inside which are the inner letters (naked) of gangs.
20a Second very large European elk (5)
MOOSE: assemble a short word for a second or brief time (mo), a clothing abbreviation meaning very large (OS) and an abbreviation for European.
23a Sounds like hard work, Sir Geoffrey! (7)
CHAUCER: a homophone (that works for some people) of hard work (chore) and Sir.
25a Momentum politician sitting in suite, relaxed (7)
IMPETUS: our usual elected politician goes inside an anagram (relaxed) of SUITE.
26a Record time claimed by retired Frenchman (5)
ENTER: the physics abbreviation for time is contained in the reversal of a French male forename meaning ‘born again’ (René).
27a PM lets go and goes crazy (9)
GLADSTONE: an anagram (goes crazy) of LETS GO AND.
28a Herb tea, grim on yucky cups (8)
AGRIMONY: hidden in the clue (indicated by cups as a verb).
29a Climb Andes shivering, penetrated by cold (6)
ASCEND: an anagram (shivering) of ANDES into which the tap abbreviation for cold is inserted.
Down Clues
1d “Second-class” not in new Chambers English, I’ve no idea why (6,2)
SEARCH ME: an anagram (new) of CHAM[b]ERS without the letter used to mean second-class is followed by the single-letter abbreviation for English.
2d Attack head of Royal Horse (7)
CHARGER: a verb to attack (charge) and the first letter of Royal.
3d Worn out former partner detested touring America (9)
EXHAUSTED: our usual former partner (ex) is followed by a verb meaning detested (hated) containing a 2-letter abbreviation for America.
5d How to see Goa, cheaply, flying with a kid? (7,7)
PACKAGE HOLIDAY: an anagram (flying) of GOA CHEAPLY A KID.
6d Opponent runs one opener out in Test ground (5)
RIVAL: string together the cricket abbreviation for runs, the Roman numeral for one and a Test Cricket ground in London (Oval) without its opening letter.
7d Husband, timeless Prince Consort, beginning to draw weapon (7)
HALBERD: weld together the genealogical abbreviation for husband, the forename of Queen Victoria’s Prince Consort (Albert) without the abbreviation for time and the first letter of ‘draw’.
8d Warm, delicious sandwiches back in igloo (6)
TOASTY: an adjective meaning delicious (tasty) contains (sandwiches) the rearmost letter of igloo.
9d King Herod: repugnant, revolting (5,9)
UTHER PENDRAGON: an anagram (revolting) of HEROD REPUGNANT gives us the name of the supposed father of the supposed King Arthur.
16d They’re supporters of light, by the way? (9)
LAMPPOSTS: cryptic definition where ‘by the way’ means ‘by the roadside’.
17d County Day to include a hot drink as support for the weary (8)
BEDSTEAD: the short form of the name of an English county (Beds) and the abbreviation for day include a non-alcoholic hot drink (tea).
19d Plug commercial interest rate bearing note (7)
ADAPTER: the abbreviation for a commercial (ad) is followed by the abbreviation for the interest rate on a loan (APR) containing the seventh note in tonic sol-fa.
21d Exposed firm voided mediocre result (7)
OUTCOME: charade of an adverb meaning exposed or revealed (out), the abbreviation for a firm or company (co) and the outer letters of ‘mediocre’.
22d Nietzsche maliciously conceals plan (6)
SCHEMA: hidden (conceals) in the clue.
24d Washington upset Catholic Church when wiping electronic disc (1,1-3)
CD-ROM: the abbreviation by which the US capital is known (DC, i.e. the District of Columbia) is reversed. Add the seat of the Roman Catholic Church (Rome) without the abbreviation for electronic. The enumeration would give C D-ROM which is plainly wrong – the enumeration should be 2-3.