Toughie No 397 by Warbler

Hints and tips by Bufo

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

Big Dave reckoned that this would be a gentle solve and so it proved. It was a pleasant enough puzzle but far from Toughie standard. There were some answers (10 Ac, 1 Dn, 3 Dn) where I was not familiar with the meanings used, but they were obvious enough from the wordplay.

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Across

1a    Handyman sailor left old sea raft in new condition (4-2-3-6)
{JACK-OF-ALL-TRADES) A word for sailor is followed by an anagram (in new condition) of L OLD SEA RAFT to give someone who can turn a hand to anything

9a    Attentive minister’s department’s nearly perfect (7)
{MINDFUL} Abbreviations for Minister and Department are followed by a word meaning “perfect” with the last letter removed

10a    Good oarsman skirts tip of loose iceberg (7)
{GROWLER} G (good) + an oarsman round L (tip of loose) gives a small iceberg

11a    Glandular trouble almost laid one out (9)
{ADENOIDAL} A three-letter word for trouble with the last letter removed is followed by an anagram (out) of LAID ONE

12a    Inwardly Antigone is cross (5)
{TIGON} The cross is a zoological one and it is hidden in Antigone

13a    In shops criminal diverts funds (7)
{SIPHONS} An anagram (criminal)of IN SHOPS

15a    In confusion, Chay has obligation — to be such a one? (7)
{YACHTIE} An anagram (in confusion) of CHAY is followed by a word for obligation to give what Chay Blyth is

17a    Gains from conflict among communists (7)
{REWARDS} A word for conflict goes inside the usual word for communists

19a    With a guilty look witch swallows head of newt — and tail (7)
{HANGDOG} A word for a witch goes round N (head of newt) and this is followed by a word meaning “to tail”

21a    Moor’s origin discussed (5)
{BERTH} A homophone. A word meaning “to moor” sounds like another word meaning “origin”.

23a    Place to store silverware or most of pot metal maybe (5-4)
{PLATE ROOM} An anagram (maybe) of OR PO METAL, where PO is most of POT

25a    Frivolous jaunt cut through centre of Milan (7)
{TRIVIAL} A word for jaunt with the last letter removed + through + L (centre of Milan} gives a word meaning “frivolous”

26a    Are conservationists finally determined to give back piece in mosaic (7)
{TESSERA} One of the small pieces of which a mosaic is made is given by a reversal of ARE + S (conservationists finally) + a word meaning “determined”

27a    Artfully sister creates a new fabric that is wrinkle-free (6-9)
{CREASE-RESISTANT} An anagram (artfully) of SISTER CREATES A N (new) gives an adjective used to describe some fabrics. I think the clue is faulty in that it ought to lead to the name of a fabric and not to an adjective that describes a fabric.

Down

1d    Chap gets stuck in a state of nervous excitement (7)
{JIMJAMS} A man’s name is followed by a word meaning “gets stuck”

2d    Preserve shell of one boat (5)
{CANOE} A word for preserve is followed by OE (shell of one)

3d    Official flag is blue (3-6)
{OFF-COLOUR} An abbreviation for official is followed is followed by a flag to give a word defined by Chambers as “(of jokes, etc.) smutty, blue”

4d    Refers to an obscene broadcast on Sunday (7)
{ALLUDES} A homophone of an alternative to “an obscene” is followed by S (Sunday) to give a word meaning “refers to”

5d    Support friend in accordance with rules (7)
{LEGALLY} A support + a friend gives “in accordance with the rules”

6d    Bounder has empty squat as sleeping place (5)
{ROOST} The bounder is a young Australian creature. It is followed by ST (empty squat)

7d    Pleased to land in river delta (9)
{DELIGHTED} A word meaning “to land” is put inside a river which flows through Chester and D (for delta)

8d    Odd gangster, robbed of a grand, goes berserk (7)
{STRANGE} An anagram (goes berserk) of GANGSTER without one of the G’s (robbed of a grand)

14d    Cable supplier’s centre provides this in abbreviated form (5,4)
{POWER LINE} The centre of supplier is PL. Treat these as two abbreviations (P and L) and expand them

16d    Agreement reached when official count includes ONS (9)
{CONSENSUS} An official count (of the population) goes round ONS (Office for National Statistics)

17d    Foundation incorporated British in charge of computerised machine (7)
{ROBOTIC} A word meaning foundation goes round B (British) and this is followed by IC (in charge)

18d    Training run plus PE makes one more lithe (7)
{SUPPLER} An anagram (training) of R PLUS PE

19d    Hot water starts to run through heating system in homes (7)
{HEARTHS} H (hot) + a two-letter word for running water + the first letters of “run through heating systems”

20d    Flying gnats surround head of young male athlete (7)
{GYMNAST} An anagram (flying) of GNATS goes round Y (head of young)and M (male)

22d    He is about right: they do succeed (5)
{HEIRS} HE IS goes round R (right)

24d    Sacred syllable for example has a conclusion (5)
{OMEGA} A sacred syllable intoned as part of Hindu devotion and contemplation is followed by EG (for example) + A to give the last letter of the Greek alphabet

I hope for something more challenging next time!