Toughie 681

Toughie No 681 by Kcit

Hints and tips by Bufo

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

A run-of-the-mill puzzle which was pleasant enough to solve but not very taxing on the brain.

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Across

1a    Gossip from poor player (6)
{RABBIT} 2 meanings: gossip/poor player

4a    Recalled line, a quote linked to work of verse (8)
{POETICAL} A reversal of L (line), A, ‘quote’ and ‘work’ gives ‘of verse’

10a    Nice grave vandalised, leading to complaint (9)
{GRIEVANCE} An anagram (vandalised) of NICE GRAVE leads to a complaint

11a    Highly-sexed extremes of rumpy-pumpy? (5)
{RANDY} ‘Highly-sexed’ = the first letter AND the last letter of rumpy-pumpy

12a    Working with chamber group, going round a province (7)
{ONTARIO} ‘Working’ + a group of musicians (possibly playing chamber music) round A = a Canadian province

13a    Children supplying zero information in probe (7)
{PROGENY} ‘Children’ = O (zero) + information inside ‘to probe’

14a    Peak hour activity initially getting highest rating (5)
{ALPHA} A peak (in central Europe) + H (hour) + A (first letter of activity) = ‘highest rating’

15a    Velocity and pace with no initial lack of content (8)
{VAPIDITY} V (velocity) + a synonym of pace with the initial letter removed = ‘lack of content’

18a    Soldier despatched on raid by the Spanish (8)
{SENTINEL} A soldier (on guard) = ‘despatched on raid’ (4,2) + ‘the’ in Spanish

20a    Go out in the near future to embrace women (5)
{SWOON} ‘To go out (lose consciousness) = ‘in the near future’ round W (women)

23a    Copy the very thing required to intervene in one game’s conclusion (7)
{IMITATE} ‘To copy’ = ‘the very thing’ inside I (one) + the conclusion of a game of chess

25a    Boat engineers needed after stern lost in journey (7)
{TRIREME} An ancient Greek boat = an abbreviation for a corps of military engineers coming after a journey with the last letter (stern) removed

26a    Selection of books offering some terrific stories, on reflection (3-2)
{SCI-FI} A literary genre is hidden in reverse in terrIFIC Stories

27a    It’s corn, as manufactured for breakfast item (9)
{CROISSANT} An anagram (manufactured) of IT’S CORN AS gives part of a continental breakfast

28a    Curtailed article in post reaching US lawyer, a woman (8)
{MATHILDA} Remove the last letter from the definite article and put it inside post (letters). Add an abbreviation for a US lawyer and you get a woman’s name (but not the usual spelling of it)

29a    I’m second in race — not very strong at all (6)
{FLIMSY} IM S (second) goes inside ‘to race’ to give ‘not very strong at all’

Down

1d    Monarch’s circling island on covering local area (8)
{REGIONAL} ‘Monarch’s (of a king)’ goes round I (island) IN to give ‘covering local area’. The Scottish island that appears in the answer has nothing to do with the clue

2d    Objection at university outside the Italian town (5-2)
{BUILT-UP} An objection + ‘at university’ goes outside the Italian word for ‘the’ to give ‘town’ (as an adjective)

3d    Unchanging in verse, song’s not without heart (9)
{INVARIANT} ‘Unchanging’ = IN V (verse) + a song + NT (not without heart)

5d    Arranged proper cut in production of eggs in excess numbers (14)
{OVERPOPULATION} An anagram (arranged) of PROPE(R) (cut = remove the last letter) inside ‘production of eggs’ gives excess numbers (of people)

6d    Body, scientific body, that’s brought in as well (5)
{TORSO} ‘Body’ = the abbreviation for a learned scientific society inside ‘as well’

7d    Oppose prisoner getting trial (7)
{CONTEST} ‘To oppose’ = a prisoner + a trial

8d    Parking spaces — store last of trolleys here! (3-3)
{LAY-BYS} Places you can park at the side of roads = ‘to store’ (3,2) + the last letter of trolleys

9d    Nice at sea, with one navy assembled around, having put out (14)
{INCONVENIENCED} An anagram (at sea) of NICE goes inside I (one) N (navy) ‘assembled’ to give ‘put out’

16d    Chipped dish and religious book in sack (9)
{DISMISSAL} Dish with the last letter removed (chipped) + a book containing the complete service for mass throughout the year = ‘the sack’

17d    Line dances, overlooking daughter’s attempt (8)
{ANCESTRY} Line (lineage) = dances without the initial D (daughter) + attempt

19d    English literature is primarily too exclusive? (7)
{ELITIST} E + an abbreviation of literature + IS + T (first letter of too) = ‘exclusive’

21d    Unusual volume in very short time turning up, following regular delivery? (7)
{OVERARM} A reversal of ‘unusual’ V (volume) inside a very short time gives a word which describes the usual method of bowling in cricket

22d    Not enlightened over everything in Chinese food (3,3)
{DIM SUM} ‘Not enlightened’ + everything = a selection of Chinese foods

24d    A desire to skip party? Here’s an excuse (5)
{ALIBI} A + sexual desire with DO (party) removed gives an excuse

A bog standard Kcit puzzle. What more is there to say?