Toughie 970

Toughie No 970 by Petitjean

Handle with care

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

A tougher than usual puzzle for the start of the Toughie week.

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Across

7a    Youth lusts after grand affairs to be treated discreetly with a couple? (3,6)
{KID GLOVES} – a youth or child followed by a verb meaning lusts itself preceded by G(rand)

8a    Groom quiet about bride’s last name (5)
{PREEN} – the musical notation for quiet followed by a two-letter word meaning about, the final letter (last) of bridE and N(ame)

10a    Lots race to fill empty seats (6)
{SHARES} – a verb meaning to race inside (to fill) SeatS without the inner letters (empty)

11a    Following team takes silver (8)
{EQUIPAGE} – a general word for a motor-racing team around the chemical symbol for silver

12a    Shout bravo, female’s leaving partner (6)
{BELLOW} – the letter represented by Bravo in the NATO phonetic alphabet followed by a partner without (leaving) the F(emale)

14a    Bad-tempered taxi driver hogging middle of the road (6)
{CRABBY} – a taxi driver around (hogging) the middle letter of “the Road”

16a    Things revolve around this original character with enormous energy (4)
{AXLE} – the first letter of the alphabet followed by enormous as a clothing size and E(nergy)

17a    Bishop overcome by kind of fever or bug (5)
{HARRY} – the two-letter abbreviation for the title of a bishop inside (overcome by) a kind of fever gives a verb meaning to bug or annoy

18a    Answer to question: ‘Uganda’s borders can be fluid?’ (4)
{AQUA} – A(nswer) followed by Q(uestion) and the outer letters (borders) of UgandA

19a    Lacier pants that may be mostly cream (6)
{ÉCLAIR} – an anagram (pants) of LACIER

21a    Toughen Queen record with Police backing (6)
{TEMPER} – the single-letter Latin abbreviation for Queen followed by a vinyl record with 2 tracks on each side and the abbreviation for the London police, all reversed (backing)

24a    Composer’s extremely experimental or single-minded individual (8)
{BACHELOR} – a four-letter composer followed by the outer letters (extremely) of ExperimentaL and OR gives an individual intent on remaining single

26a    What commentator does in game (6)
{RABBIT} – two definitions, the second being game as an animal hunted for sport

27a    Slight pressure to indulge in conspicuous consumption (5)
{SLURP} – a slight or insult followed by P(ower)

28a    Find out a banker in South Africa’s all the rage (9)
{ASCERTAIN} – the A from the clue followed by a banker or safe bet inside the abbreviation for South Africa and a two-letter word meaning all the rage

Down

1d    Snake’s movement shedding skin is supple (5)
{LITHE} – a snake’s movement without (shedding) its outer letters (skin)

2d    A finicky veggie assumes right to offend (8)
{AGGRIEVE} – the A from the clue followed by an anagram (finicky) of VEGGIE around (assumes) R(ight)

3d    Antique pair of smalls in check (6)
{FOSSIL} – S(mall) and S(mall) inside a verb meaning to check or block

4d    Praise paper covering eastern Europe (4)
{FETE} – the pink newspaper around E(astern) and followed by E(urope)

5d    Good hip-hop singer’s vocal ought to show spirit (6)
{GRAPPA} – G(ood) followed by what sounds like (vocal) a hip-hop singer

6d    Hour being wasted in local (9)
{NEIGHBOUR} – an anagram (wasted) of HOUR BEING

9d    Old-fashioned curry oddly causing show of anger (6)
{OUTCRY} – a word meaning old-fashioned or dated followed by the odd letters of CuRrY

13d    Most unpleasant stuff journalist ignored (5)
{WORST} – some stuff or material without (ignored) the final ED (editor / journalist)

15d    Atrocious manager confronting mob without alternative plan (9)
{EXECRABLE} – a four-letter word for a manager or director followed by a mob without a letter that follows Plan to indicate an alternative policy

17d    Change of temperature in turn creating obstacle (6)
{HURDLE} – change the C(old) at the beginning of a word meaning to turn or go sour to a different temperature

18d    Endless bacteria about with unknown virulence (8)
{ACERBITY} – an anagram (about) of BACTERI(A) without its final letter (endless) followed by a mathematical unknown

20d    Stick a Band-aid eventually on this spot (6)
{ADHERE} – the A from the clue followed by the final letter (eventually) of Band-aiD and a word meaning on this spot

22d    Damage half of manuscript and stand there open-mouthed (6)
{MARVEL} – a verb meaning to damage followed by half of a manuscript or parchment

23d    Watch dotty minor characters interrupting very good line (5)
{VIGIL} – put two dotty letters between (interrupting) V(ery), G(ood) and L(ine)

25d    She makes Lee a cuppa (4)
{ROSY} – a girl’s name which, when followed by Lee, gives Cockney rhyming slang for a cuppa tea

Let’s hope this is the sign of a good week ahead in Toughieland.