Toughie 695

Toughie No 695 by Kcit

Add a little bit of flavour!

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

A very pleasurable, if comparatively easy, start to the Toughie week.

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Across

1a    Certain two getting drunk — what’s the drink? (5,5)
{TONIC WATER} – an anagram (getting drunk) of CERTAIN TWO gives a drink I like to add to gin

6a    Turned vulgar, abandoning fourth beer? (4)
{HALF} – take an adjective meaning vulgar or pretentious and reverse it (turned) after dropping the fourth letter to get a measure of beer

9a    Deliveries by rail vehicle are too stretching (10)
{OVERSTRAIN} – a charade of several deliveries on the cricket pitch (at least 12!) and a rail vehicle gives a word meaning too stretching

10a    Language exam: test not of French? (4)
{ORAL} – this language exam is derived by taking a test or torment and dropping DE (of in French) from the middle

12a    Travel document getting one into Vatican City and South Africa (4)
{VISA} – a travel document is created by putting I (one) between the IVR code for the Vatican City and an abbreviation of South Africa (which is not its IVR code!)

13a    Impractical people plan mediaeval combat (9)
{IDEALISTS} – these Impractical people come from a charade of a plan and the boundary of a jousting-ground used in mediaeval combat

15a    Gave news of beer in Yorkshire area (8)
{AIREDALE} – a charade of a verb meaning gave news of and a beer give an area in Yorkshire that is famous for its terriers

16a    Good to get everything working — here’s quantity of fuel (6)
{GALLON} – a charade of G(ood), everything and a two-letter word meaning working gives an obsolete quantity of fuel

18a    Consequence of failure is money getting invested in time (6)
{DISMAY} – this consequence of failure is created by putting IS from the clue and M(oney) inside (getting invested in) a period of time

20a    College holiday including a good break (8)
{CLEAVAGE} – start with C(ollege) and then put a holiday around (including) A and G(ood) to get the kind of break frequently illustrated by Gazza

23a    Very bad for use in a bust (9)
{NEFARIOUS} – this adjective meaning very bad or villainous is an anagram (bust) of FOR USE IN A

24a    Keen to see great singer’s comeback (4)
{AVID} – an adjective meaning keen is created by reversing (comeback) a great female operatic singer

26a    Last course, perhaps, or first, not second (4)
{TART} – what might form the last course of a meal is derived by taking a word meaning the first and dropping the initial S(econd)

27a    Happening almost entirely to be describing theatre music? (10)
{INCIDENTAL} – a charade of a happening or event and most of a word meaning entirely gives an adjective that could describe theatre music

28a    Not quite nine players? Nine short! (4)
{NONE} – almost all of a group of nine players results in a group that is nine fewer!

29a    Like smuggled goods, still coming in? (10)
{UNDECLARED} – this is an adjective that describes goods smuggled past customs that could describe a batting side that is staying on the pitch – if I’m right then it doesn’t quite work for me, if I’m wrong then I’m sure you will tell me!

Sorry for the delay – I was called away to rescue a neighbour’s computer!  Patient and owner are now both fine!

Down

1d           Play about King in ancient city (4)
{TROY} – put a verb meaning to play around the abbreviation of the Latin for king to get a city that was ruled by King Priam, making the surface reading of this clue excellent

2d           Control restraining river set up with fewer resources (7)
{NEEDIER} – put something used to control a horse around one of Crosswordland’s favourite rivers to get an adjective meaning with fewer resources

3d           Type of warehouse ready with article — vehicle under cover? (4-3-5)
{CASH-AND-CARRY} – this type of warehouse is constructed from some readies, the two-letter indefinite article and then put the vehicle inside a word describing what it will be if it is under cover

4d           Excellent rule: stand ready to catch where something may land (8)
{AIRFIELD} – a charade of a rating of excellent, R(ule) and to stand on the cricket field ready to catch the ball gives somewhere that a plane might land

5d           Made changes: lost weight, getting energy above all (6)
{EDITED} – to get this verb meaning made changes to a document start with a different verb meaning lost weight and move the first E(nergy) to the beginning (above all in a down clue) of the word

7d           Lose oar, drifting in spray (7)
{AEROSOL} – an anagram (drifting) of LOSE OAR gives a spray can

8d           Forge links after upsetting traditional entertainer (4,6)
{FOLK SINGER} – an anagram (after upsetting) of FORGE LINKS gives a traditional entertainer

11d         Spoken in ringing tones? (5,2,1,4)
{CLEAR AS A BELL} – a cryptic definition of a phrase meaning  distinct and pure in tone

14d         Tuck in, boarding chaotic trains? Here’s commuter’s view of one! (7,3)
{SARDINE TIN} – put a word meaning to tuck into food inside (boarding) an anagram (chaotic) of TRAINS to get a commuter’s view of a train during the rush hour

17d         No liquid water to be filled with special flavouring (8)
{ALLSPICE} – put a description of water none of which is liquid around SP(ecial) to get our first flavouring

19d         Singular insult, receiving cut in expensive flavouring (7)
{SAFFRON} – start with S(ingular) and add an insult without its final letter (receiving cut) to get our second, much more expensive, flavouring

21d         One brought in a tax on soldiers and one for the RAF? (7)
{AVIATOR} – put I (one) inside A from the clue and a sales tax and then add some ordinary soldiers to get someone who could be in the RAF

22d         Add contribution to Jack’s round, current in pub (4,2)
{JOIN IN} – to get a phrasal verb meaning to add one’s contribution start with J(ack) and a round letter and then put the symbol used in physics for an electric current inside a pub

25d         Cheered, with source of adrenalin releasing it, ultimately (4)
{GLAD} – an adjective meaning cheered or happy is derived by taking the kind of structure in the body that produces adrenalin and dropping the final letter (releasing it, ultimately) of adrenaliN – I thought this should be indicated as a “definition by example”

Let’s hope this heralds a good week for Toughies.