Toughie 367

Toughie No 367 by Messinae

But is it a Toughie?

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

Tilsit s the only person I know who can get injured playing Bridge, so I am stepping in for him today.  Not for the first time, I am asking what was Tough about this puzzle.  Perhaps you can let me know.

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Across

1a    Bats consuming waste dessert (6,8)
{BANANA FRITTERS} – a colloquial word for bats, as in crazy, is placed around a word meaning to waste to get this dessert

9a    Spilt tomato on new seat (7)
{OTTOMAN} – combine an anagram (spilt) of TOMATO with N(ew) to get a cushioned seat for several people sitting with their backs to one another

10a    Sticky stuff, sort of lac found in e.g. pine (7)
{TREACLE} – to get this sticky foodstuff put an anagram (sort) of LAC inside the type of plant of which pine is an example – and if you have done today’s cryptic, plane is another!

11a    Clobber youngster (3)
{KIT} – a double definition – clothing and a young cat

12a    One working hard to conjure up Reds’ revival (5-6)
{SLAVE-DRIVER} – more one who makes others work hard – he’s an anagram (conjure up) of REDS’ REVIVAL

14a    Some characters involved in common assault in island’s capital (6)
{NASSAU} –hidden (some characters involved) inside common assault is the capital of the Bahamas

15a    Rice has song about a drink (3,5)
{TIA MARIA} – combine the first name of Evita’s lyricist with a song and put them around A to get a liqueur

17a    More than one joint leader in league succeeded (8)
{TOPSIDES} – to make these joints of beef, take the leader of a league table and add S(ucceeded)

19a    Hits yobs with clubs to the head (6)
{CLOUTS} – a word meaning hits is built up from yobs preceded by (to the head) C(lubs)

22a    What good tennis players aim for with first of services behaving well (11)
{COURTLINESS} – take the markings that a tennis player must keep within and add S (first of Services) to get a word meaning behaving well

23a    Function for island Chief-of-Staff (3)
{COS} – a triple definition – a function in trigonometry, a Greek island and the abbreviation for Chief-of-Staff

24a    Large Chinese element booze, getting up late (5,2)
{LYING IN} – a charade of L(arge), the Chinese element paired with yang, and an alcoholic drink gives a phrasal verb meaning getting up late

26a    Normal place for performing cut short newcomer (7)
{PARVENU} – the normal score for a golf hole is followed by a place for performing a concert without the final letter (cut short) to give a newcomer

27a    In South East trendy crowd encourages weed (9,5)
{SHEPHERD’S PURSE} – inside S(outh) E(ast) put synonyms for trendy, crowd and encourages to get a cosmopolitan weed – Chambers gives the enumeration as (8’1-5)

Down

1d           Illegal and legal ways to stop rugby players getting help with lifting (5,3,6)
{BLOCK AND TACKLE} – in rugby you are allowed to do the latter but not the former in order to stop another player – together they give a lifting device comprising a pulley and ropes

2d           Writes down votes against accepting rubbish (7)
{NOTATES} – a verb meaning writes down is built from votes against, in parliament for instance, around shabby articles

3d           Sum at mint is assembled for one whose money attracts interest (11)
{NUMISMATIST} – an anagram (assembled) of SUM AT MINT IS gives someone interested in collecting coins and notes

4d           Onset of genius in last cave man (6)
{FINGAL} – put G (onset of Genius) inside a word meaning last to get the mythological occupant of a famous cave

5d           I printed characters bold (8)
{INTREPID} – an anagram, weakly indicated by characters, of I PRINTED gives a word meaning bold or daring

6d           There’s on-and-off support (3)
{TEE} – the alternate letters (on-and-off) of there give a support for a golf ball

7d           Record in the past — ‘Get Back’ (7)
{RECOVER} – a charade of the abbreviation for REC(ord) and a word meaning in the past give a synonym for to get back

8d           Stand tight in case Jacob’s brother is caught dressing (9,5)
{BÉARNAISE SAUCE} – combine a word meaning to stand or tolerate with an anagram (tight / drunk) of IN CASE and then insert (is caught) Jacob’s hairy brother to get a sauce made from egg yolks, butter, shallots, tarragon, chervil and wine vinegar

13d         Road safety feature sees through journey (6,5)
{RUMBLE STRIP} – one of a set of rough-textured areas set into a road surface to warn drivers (by tyre noise) of a hazard ahead, if split (7,4) could be sees through, or discovers the truth about, and a journey

16d         Challenge of French intended (8)
{DEFIANCE} – a word meaning a challenge to combat is made up of the French for “of” followed by a lady’s intended partner

18d         Puritanical priest, rather fresh (7)
{PRUDISH} – a word meaning puritanical is constructed from P(riest) and an adjective meaning rather fresh or cheeky

20d         Obscure relative a rector (7)
{UNCLEAR} – a synonym for obscure is a charade of a male relative, A and R(ector)

21d         The man did impression over the top (6)
{HEAPED} – a charade of the male pronoun and a word meaning did an impression gives a quantity that is over the top of the receptacle – a teaspoon for instance

25d         Opening shop? (3)
{GAP} – an opening is also the name of a chain of clothes shops

Let’s hope we get a real Toughie tomorrow.  A little bird told me to expect something special!