Toughie No 1076 by Messinae

Wot, no Indians?

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

We seem to be getting more than our fair share of easy Toughies this week. Will tomorrow’s more than make up for it?  Bufo should be back in this slot next week.

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Across

1a    Success with aid for winter tourists lacking first independence and right to travel freely (5,1,4)
{HITCH A LIFT} – a three-letter success followed by an aid used to carry winter tourists uphill without the fist I(nternational) and the R(ight)

6a    Join an objection (4)
{ABUT} – A (an) followed by an objection

9a    Song in North-East — spare a music hall one (6,4)
{NELLIE DEAN} – an original German word for a song inside the abbreviation for the North-East and an adjective meaning spare or skinny gives a famous music hall song

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10a    State true choice (4)
{PLUM} – sounds like (state) an adjective meaning true or level

12a    Novelist left dealing with teacher (6)
{LONDON} – the surname of the author of The Call of the Wild and White Fang is derived from L(eft), a two-letter preposition meaning dealing with or concerning and a university teacher

13a    Armed conflict to drive away solicitor (5-3)
{SHOOT-OUT} – an exhortation used to drive something away followed by someone who solicits for custom in an obtrusive, aggressive or brazen way

15a    Kindest actor deployed standard resources (5-2-5)
{STOCK-IN-TRADE} – an anagram (deployed) of KINDEST ACTOR

18a    The people here that are shooting cowboy film (3,9)
{THE SEARCHERS} – split as (5,7) this could mean the people here that are shooting arrows

21a    Criticise scope restricting expert (8)
{REPROACH} – a word meaning scope or jurisdiction around (restricting) an expert

22a    Turner watercolour finally creates a stir (6)
{LATHER} – a machine used to turn and shape wood or metal followed by the final letter of watercolouR

24a    How to address a Knight of the Round Table correctly (4)
{OKAY} – split as (1,3) this could be how to address King Arthur’s foster brother , one of the Knights of the Round Table

25a    Suffering tedium of deb first coming out (5,5)
{BORED STIFF} – an anagram (coming out) of OF DEB FIRST

26a    Person who restrains a row (4)
{TIER} – two definitions

27a    Agree with Ming toiling in task (10)
{ASSIGNMENT} – a verb meaning to agree into which an anagram (toiling) of MING (the Merciless!) has been inserted

Down

1d    Crank‘s commonly used name (6)
{HANDLE} – two definitions

2d    Irregular troops made advances to (6)
{TALENT} – the abbreviation for irregular or volunteer troops followed by a verb meaning made advances to or loaned

3d    Hospital treated godfather with case of impetigo giving repeated dose (4,2,3,3)
{HAIR OF THE DOG} – H(ospital) followed by an anagram (treated) of GODFATHER with the outer letters (case) of ImpetigO

4d    Boy goes with Yankee dame (4)
{LADY} – a young boy followed by the letter represented by Yankee in the NATO Phonetic alphabet

5d    It provides beam, sort of wood — length used in stairs (10)
{FLASHLIGHT} – a sort of wood and L(ength) inside (used in) a set of stairs

7d    Scotch bonnet needs something to soothe pain in the mouth (8)
{BALMORAL} – this round flat Scottish bonnet with a pompom comes from a charade of something to soothe pain and an adjective meaning in the mouth

8d    Vegetables and meats too in the soup (8)
{TOMATOES} – an anagram (in the soup) of MEATS TOO

11d    Criminal can do worst to crime-fighter (6,6)
{DOCTOR WATSON} – an anagram (criminal) of CAN DO WORST TO

14d    They may deter a murder (10)
{SCARECROW} – a cryptic definition of something that deters the kind of birds that are collectively called a murder

16d    Parliament‘s rage over introduction of tax (8)
{STORMONT} – a rage or outburst followed by a two-letter word meaning over or concerning and the initial letter (introduction) of Tax

17d    Model office worker delayed (8)
{TEMPLATE} – an office worker followed by an adjective meaning delayed

19d    Function takes hour in holy place (6)
{SHRINE} – a trigonometric function around H(ou)R

20d    Benefit for able-bodied (6)
{PROFIT} – a word meaning for followed by an adjective meaning able-bodied

23d    Malevolent spirit creating endless danger (4)
{PERI} – most of (endless) a danger

Straightforward but enjoyable.