Toughie 671

Toughie No 671 by Cephas

Hints and tips by Big Dave

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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***

Cephas serves up some slightly tougher fare than one of his Saturday puzzles today.

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Across

1a    Got golfer better? (8)
{PROCURED} – this verb meaning got or obtained is a charade of the informal contraction of someone who engages in golf for a livelihood and an adjective meaning better or restored to health

9a    It’s grave after a mob trashed device (4,4)
{ATOM BOMB} – put a grave after the A from the clue and follow it with an anagram (trashed) of MOB to get a nuclear device

10a    Half of ancients butchered by emperor (4)
{INCA} – an anagram (butchered) of the first half of ANCI(ents) gives an emperor of an ancient South American people

11a    One cannot travel back with it (6,6)
{SINGLE TICKET} – if you have one of these you will need to pay for the return journey

13a    Last month soldier returned with force but little weight (8)
{DECIGRAM} – a charade of the abbreviation of the last month of the year, and American soldier reversed (returned) and a verb meaning to force gives a very small metric weight

15a    Gold equipment given to a group of stars (6)
{AURIGA} – another charade – this time you need the chemical symbol for gold, some equipment and the A from the clue to get a prominent northern constellation of stars

16a    Keen to have most sweet stuff (4)
{HONE} – an obscure word meaning keen, weep or grieve is derived by dropping the final Y from some sweet stuff made by bees from the nectar of flowers

17a    Secret place to go (5)
{PRIVY} – a double definition – as an adjective it means secret and as a noun it is a lavatory, especially one in its own shed or outhouse

18a    Fellow spinner? (4)
{EDDY} – this fellow, who is usually spelt with IE at the end, is also a current running back against the main stream, so causing a circular motion in the water

20a    Hardly ever count soldiers at the front (6)
{RARELY} – this adverb meaning hardly ever or seldom is created by putting a word meaning to count or depend after the Royal Artillery

21a    Trying to get away from impasse Charlie’s trapped in (8)
{ESCAPISM} – this word meaning trying to get away from reality is an anagram (from) of IMPASSE with C(harlie) inside (trapped in)

23a    Gift of half buck bestowed in sorrow (12)
{CONTRIBUTION} – this gift or donation is created by putting the first half of BU(ck) inside (bestowed in) a word meaning sorrow or remorse

26a    Matt slow to learn (4)
{DULL} -a double definition

27a    Old US coin Rex left in pecuniary arrangement (8)
{PICAYUNE} – this old US coin, which was new to me, comes from an anagram (arrangement) of PECUNIARY without the R (Rex left)

28a    Serious depression? (4,4)
{DEEP DOWN} – a charade of words meaning serious and a depression gives a serious depression

Back now from getting a new photo for my driving licence. Clever stuff – the Post Office send the photo and application electronically in a fraction of a second to DVLA and then it takes them three weeks to post the new licence.

Down

2d           Hear about Ron being upset by farmer (8)
{RANCHERO} – an anagram (being upset) of HEAR C (about) RON gives this farmer In Mexico and south-west USA

3d           It is given to correct the mess I can’t put right (12)
{CHASTISEMENT} – something doled out as a punishment is an anagram (put right) of THE MESS I CAN’T

4d           One operating as a smuggler (6)
{RUNNER} – a double definition – something that is operating satisfactorily, like a second-hand car, and a smuggler – or is this simply a cryptic definition?

5d           Cleaner’s limited diet (4)
{DAIL} – drop the final Y from a cleaner to get a diet or parliament, in this case lower house in the Republic of Ireland

6d           Quite like Mary opposite (8)
{CONTRARY} – quite like Mary in the nursery rhyme

7d           Hair fastener (4)
{LOCK} – a reasonably straightforward double definition

8d           Passing judgement (8)
{OBITUARY} – a judgement of someone who has passed away

12d         Seconder with drop-out conformed (12)
{CORRESPONDED} – an anagram (out) of SECONDER with DROP gives a word meaning conformed or matched

14d         ME or NE US state (5)
{MAINE} – ME is the abbreviation of for a state in NE USA – if there is anything more to this then it has escaped me!

16d         Difficult to please cheat with printout (4,4)
{HARD COPY} – a charade of an adjective meaning difficult to please and to cheat by duplicating someone’s work  gives a printout on paper

17d         Feeling of anger going round confused shy figure (8)
{PHYSIQUE} – put a feeling of anger or annoyance around an anagram (confused) of SHY to get a figure or body

19d         Almost repudiate everything within veto (8)
{DISALLOW} – drop the final N (almost) from a word meaning to repudiate and then insert (within) a word meaning everything to get a verb meaning to veto

22d         Item of jewellery found in church stoop (6)
{CRINGE} – put an item of jewellery inside the Church of England to get a verb meaning to stoop in a servile manner

24d         Thief might do it and end up in it (4)
{NICK} – a double definition – as a verb, something a thief might do and as a noun an informal word for  a prison or police station

25d         Ushered her out, exhausted (4)
{USED} – start with US(her)ED and remove “her” to get a word meaning  exhausted