Toughie 419

Toughie No 419 by Cephas

Hints and tips by Big Dave

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment **

Another not-so-toughie from Cephas.

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Across

1a    Would reportedly stick with impasse (3,3)
{LOG JAM} – first replace would with wood, a homophone (reportedly), and then we need a charade of some wood and a verb meaning to stick creating an impasse – an unusual use of a homophone

4a    False profession (8)
{PRETENCE} – a loosely cryptic definition

8a    Beat graduates one day in August (6)
{LAMMAS} – a charade of to beat followed by some graduates gives a feast day formerly celebrated on 1st August or a Scottish quarter day now fixed as the 28th

9a    Tune Ron composed about to be included in dreamy piano piece (8)
{NOCTURNE} – put an anagram (composed) of TUNE RON around C (about) to get a dreamy piano piece

ARVE Error: need id and provider

10a    State one put most of biscuit on seafood (8)
{CALAMARI} – start with an abbreviation of a US state then A (one) and most of a type of plain biscuit, usually thin with decorative indentations, to get some seafood

11a    Drug dealer held by copper and doorkeeper (6)
{PUSHER} – a drug dealer is a charade of a penny (copper) and a doorkeeper – apart from the surface reading, to what does “held by” contribute?

12a    No way sad performing in these times (8)
{NOWADAYS} – an anagram (performing) of NO WAY SAD gives these times

13a    Bird with broken leg to take food outside (6)
{EAGLET} – this young bird is created by putting an anagram (broken) of LEG inside a word meaning to take food

15a    Pattern of the law (6)
{MOSAIC} – a double definition – a design of small pieces of coloured marble, glass, etc. or relating to Jewish law

18a    Weapon belonging to you and me Edward covered (8)
{ARMOURED} – a charade of a weapon, belonging to you and me and Ed(ward) gives a word meaning covered in a protective layer

20a    It is to be distributed during speech after first ring has been removed (6)
{RATION} – something that is to be distributed comes from a speech from which the initial O (ring) has been removed

21a    Boxer dog is being held by independent lieutenant (8)
{PUGILIST} – a boxer is built up from a dog followed by IS inside (held by) I(ndependent) and a lieutenant

23a    Moving in, turn on one of a pair of pivots (8)
{TRUNNION} – an anagram (moving) of IN TURN ON gives a pivot forming one of a pair on which something such as a cannon is supported

24a    Speak endlessly about joint type of warfare (6)
{TRIBAL} – put most of a word meaning to speak around a joint, or piece of meat, to get a type of warfare between two communities

25a    Car delayed first during very hot day (8)
{ROADSTER} – a type of car is created by putting the first letter of Delayed inside a very hot day

26a    One of shooting-party back to receive some precious metal (6)
{NUGGET} – reverse (back) a member of a shooting party (or what he is carrying) and add a word meaning to receive and the result is some precious metal

Down

1d    Camilla, not in the morning, replanted tree (5)
{LILAC} – an anagram (replanted) of C(AM)ILLA without AM (morning) gives a tree with light-purple or white flowers

2d    Preserve bachelor, with the Parisian female at end of day, put on a spicy dish (9)
{JAMBALAYA} – a charade of a preserve, a Bachelor of Arts, the French feminine definite article, the last letter (end) of daY and A gives a spicy Creole dish

ARVE Error: need id and provider

3d    Make-up mother used to cover a blemish (7)
{MASCARA} – make-up for the eyelashes is a built up from a mother around A blemish

4d    Writer uses it to make a point (6-9)
{PENCIL-SHARPENER} – a cryptic definition of something used to put a point on a writing implement

5d    Person who’s out before their time (7)
{ESCAPEE} – a cryptic definition of a prisoner who has departed without permission

6d    Wrongly warn Henry about large sea-creature (7)
{NARWHAL} – combine an anagram (wrongly) of WARN with H(enry) A(bout) and L(arge) to get a large sea-creature

7d    Denounced executive officer who was highly thought of (9)
{EXECRATED} – a word meaning denounced is a charade of an EXEC(utive officer) and a word meaning was highly thought of

12d    Not a rare amount becoming higher figure (9)
{NUMERATOR} – an anagram (becoming) of RARE (A)MOUNT without the A (not A) gives the figure above the denominator in a fraction

14d    Trying porridge with fish (9)
{GRUELLING} – a word meaning trying or demanding is a charade of porridge and a fish

16d    Orange pottery (7)
{SATSUMA} – a double definition – a thin-skinned seedless type of mandarin orange or a yellowish pottery with gilding and enamel

17d    One who could have plenty of time and might become 5 (7)
{CONVICT} – a cryptic definition of a prisoner

19d    Middle Eastern gun on this bomb (7)
{MEGATON} – a charade of Middle Eastern, a gun and ON gives a type of bomb

22d    John does not have one indication of vacancy (2,3)
{TO LET} – remove I (one) from a john or lavatory to get an indication of a vacancy

Not a bad puzzle, but a few of the clues seem to contain padding purely to improve the surface reading.