Toughie 962

Toughie No 962 by Giovanni

All in the Worst Possible Taste

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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment **

There is a fine line between risqué and smutty. I thought two of today’s clues fell on the wrong side and spoiled this puzzle.

Please leave a comment telling us what you thought. You can also add your assessment by selecting from one to five stars at the bottom of the post.

Across

1a    Male will, as they say, give way (6)
{BUCKLE} – a male animal followed by what sounds like will, as in in I’ll

4a    Spooner’s low box for key (5,3)
{SPACE BAR} – how William Archibald Spooner might have said this key on the computer keyboard sounds like an adjective meaning low and a verb meaning to box

9a    Lovey-dovey eventually (6)
{INTIME} – if this adjective meaning Lovey-dovey is split as (2,4) it means eventually

10a    Standing by man who has won bakery competition? (8)
{FLANKING} – split as (4,4) this could be a man who has won bakery competition

11a    Journalist needing a further restraint … (9)
{HACKAMORE} – a slang word for a journalist followed by the A from the clue and a word meaning further gives this restraint or halter used for breaking in foals

13a    … that this person might find useful, taking back short account (5)
{ROPER} – 11 across could be used by this person who breaks in foals – reverse (taking back) most of (short) an account or narrative

14a    Communicating what a voter may be doing (7,6)
{PUTTING ACROSS} – split as (7,1,5) this could be what a voter may be doing on the ballot paper

17a    Plant a conifer, vital after devastation (7,6)
{AFRICAN VIOLET} – an anagram (after devastation) of A CONIFER VITAL

21a    Blow a pipe (5)
{HOOKA} – a blow that a boxer might land followed by the A from the clue

23a    Guns in vessel badly stowed away (9)
{ARTILLERY} – start with a blood vessel and insert a word meaning badly

24a    Water supply trouble? You can get that on yacht (8)
{MAINSAIL} – a water supply (5) followed by a verb meaning to trouble or afflict

25a    Scholar succeeded before in Paris (6)
{SAVANT} – S(ucceeded) followed by the French (in Paris) for before

26a    Bully to be affectionate when holding bird (8)
{DOMINATE} – a verb meaning to be affectionate around (holding) an Asian bird

27a    My clue may be worked out in a place of study (6)
{LYCEUM} – an anagram (may be worked out) of MY CLUE

Down

1d    Bishop, genuine and hopeful (6)
{BRIGHT} – B(ishop) followed by an adjective meaning genuine

2d    Jump around to prune a shrub (3,1,5)
{CUT A CAPER} – this could mean to prune a thorny South European shrub with edible flower-buds

3d    Transport animal heading off carrying black stone and slate (7)
{LAMBAST} – drop the initial L (heading off) a South American transport or pack animal, put what is left around B(lack) and then add ST(one) to get a verb meaning to slate or reprimand

5d    Exorcist needed to deal with it? Let priest go out (11)
{POLTERGEIST} – an anagram (out) of LET PRIEST GO

6d    Making money, having lots of it, but not hard at heart (7)
{CENTRIC} – a small foreign coin followed by an adjective meaning having lots of money without (not) the H(ard)

7d    Conservative  craft at a high level (5)
{BLIMP} – two definitions – an incurably conservative elderly military colonel and a non-rigid dirigible lighter-than-air craft

8d    One good in morris dancing may be following steps precisely (8)
{RIGORISM} – I (one) and G(ood) inside an anagram (dancing) of MORRIS

12d    Nothing exotic in old books catalogue to engage a student of far-off lands (11)
{ORIENTALIST} – the French (exotic?) for nothing inside the older of the two sets of books that make up the bible followed by a catalogue all around (to engage) the A from the clue

15d    Commentators will commentate _______, being tart (2,3,4)
{ON THE GAME} – fill in the blank to get what commentators do gives a phrase meaning being a tart or prostitute

16d    Worked out food component in starter for dinner (8)
{FATHOMED} – I found two ways to resolve this – a) the initial letter (component) of Food followed by a phrase meaning in (2,4) and the initial letter (starter) of Dinner and b) a component of foof (3) ffm a word meaning in and the initial letter of Dinner – I have a slight preference for a)

18d    Against including rude word to become more vulgar (7)
{COARSEN} – a three-letter word meaning against around a four-letter (rude) word

19d    Song balefully arranged with two successive notes missing (7)
{LULLABY} – an anagram (arranged) of BAL(EF)ULLY without the E and F (with two successive notes missing)

20d    Lacking a part in decision-making to stop plan of action (6)
{SYSTEM} – drop (lacking) the A from a three-letter word meaning a part in decision-making and add a verb meaning to stop

22d    Drug this person’s got outside university after work (5)
{OPIUM} – how the setter (this person) might say he is (1’1) around U(niversity) all preceded by (after) a two-letter word for a musical work

Not my favourite start to a Toughie week.