Toughie No 110

Toughie No 110 by Jed

A very easy Toughie – have a go at this one!

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BD Rating – Difficulty * – Enjoyment **

I look forward four days a week to battling with the Toughie.  This one was a pale impersonation of a Toughie, and was easier than the standard daily cryptic.

Across

1a Friend in European city embracing daughter Hannah, perhaps (10)
{PALINDROME} – PAL (friend) IN then an Italian city around (embracing) D(aughter) giving a  type of word of which Hannah is an example (perhaps)

6a Drop openers for one match in tournament (4)
{OMIT} – the first letters of One Match In Tournament spell out a synonym for drop

10a Frighten Duke with older relative (5)
{DAUNT} – D(uke) and your mother’s sister give a synonym for frighten that was also in last Sunday’s puzzle

11a Like extended forecast for the Rockies, say (4-5)
{LONG-RANGE} – a double definition – an extended weather forecast; how you might describe a chain of mountains (the Rockies, say)

12a Most of food in navy at sea is fish (7)
{ANCHOVY} – CHO(w) (most of food) inside an anagram (at sea) of NAVY gives a small fish

13a Concealment of deliveries in vessel (5-2)
{COVER-UP} – OVER (a set of deliveries in cricket) inside a vessel that is often awarded as a prize gives a synonym for concealment, particularly when perpetrated by someone in a position of authority

14a Never meeting obstacles in gymnastic event (8,4)
{PARALLEL BARS} – one of two lines which never meet then some obstacles gives a gymnastic event

18a Initially discover drug in strange phials in US city (12)
{PHILADELPHIA} – D(iscover – initially) E(cstasy – drug) inside two different anagrams of PHIAL (two phials); you have probably worked out the US city long before resolving the wordplay!

21a Establishes a secret organization (7)
{CREATES} – a not very difficult anagram (organization) of A SECRET gives a synonym for establishes

23a It’s inconvenient having a lot of power in one part of hospital (7)
{AWKWARD} – KW (kilowatt / a lot of power) inside A WARD (one part of hospital) gives a word meaning inconvenient

24a Expressed amazement, finding limited edition by poet (9)
{MARVELLED} – ED (limited EDition) follows a British poet to give a word meaning expressed amazement

25a In English basic education, nothing that’s wrong (5)
{ERROR} – E(nglish) RRR (the three Rs / Reading wRiting and aRithmetic / basic education) with O (nothing) inside give something that’s wrong

26a Secluded retreat in Sloane Street (4)
{NEST} – a retreat is hidden (secluded) in the rest of the clue

27a Agree to write (10)
{CORRESPOND} – a reasonably easy double definition completes the across clues

Down

1d Itinerant trader, one using bike, say (6)
{PEDLAR} – this itinerant trader sounds like (say) pedaller (one using bike)

2d Take meal outside a boat (6)
{LAUNCH} – a midday snack (meal) around (outside) A gives a power-driven boat

3d Patriotic song that inspires uprising (8,6)
{NATIONAL ANTHEM} – God Save the Queen or, for Dr b, The Star Spangled Banner

4d Three good passes help to win this sporting event (5-4)
{RELAY-RACE} – three passes, four competitors, just don’t drop the baton

5d Servant in charge? That’s crazy (5)
{MANIC) – MAN (servant – as in My Man Jeeves)  IC (in charge) giving a synonym for crazy

7d Young person on vessel from Mediterranean island (8)
{MINORCAN} – a legal term for a young person then a CAN (vessel) give a name for someone from this Balearic Island

8d Very French amorous move creates offence (8)
{TRESPASS} – TRES (very, French) and an amorous move that, allegedly, men never make to a girl who wears glasses gives the offence of entering unlawfully upon another’s land

9d Complaint one never gets at home (6,8)
{TRAVEL SICKNESS} – but you can get it while going on holiday

15d Scandinavian, part of race north of German areas (9)
{LAPLANDER} – one circuit of the track then LANDER (areas, German) for someone from the land of the reindeer

16d Epics composed by soldiers, for example (8)
{SPECIMEN} – an anagram (composed) of EPICS then MEN (one of many synonyms for soldiers that get used in crosswords) give an example

17d Guns of no use at the front? (8)
{SIDEARMS} – nor at the back, only on the right and left

19d Brazilian city with pub, initially, in Spanish quarter (6)
{BARRIO} – the hardest answer, but the wordplay leads you all the way – RIO (Brazilian city) preceded by (with … initially) BAR (pub) gives a Spanish-speaking community

20d Was devoted to a party on the far left (6)
{ADORED} – A DO (a party) then the colour of the Communist flag (the far left) gives a word meaning was devoted to

22d Part of colossal volley? (5)
{SALVO} – a mini-&lit to finish – the answer is hidden (part of) in the rest of the clue

Have you completed the puzzle?  Was it as easy as I said?  It wasn’t a bad puzzle, just disappointing.   Have your say via the comments.