Toughie 613

Toughie No 613 by Giovanni

Hints and tips by Bufo

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BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

I must have been on Giovanni’s wavelength this morning because I breezed through this with no problems (except that I had to convince myself that the definition in 1 across is OK)

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Across

1a    Disappointing and woeful leader must be replaced (8)
{BATHETIC} Take a word meaning “woeful” and change the first letter. I could only come up with one possible word and thus was led to conclude that “disappointing” is a reasonable definition

9a    Open vessel to capsize (8)
{OVERTURN} “Open” + a vessel (such as contains the ashes of a dead person) gives “to capsize”

10a    Swimmer gets bellyache (4)
{CARP} 2 meanings; a fish (swimmer)/to bellyache

11a    Tight person, one liable to be accused of sexual harassment … (5-7)
{PENNY-PINCHER} This term for a miser might also conceivably describe someone who molests a female with a particular name

13a    … who shows this, putting girl into disarray (8)
{MEANNESS} A quality a miser shows is obtained by putting a girl’s name in a disarray

15a    Mischief-maker and gangster, a beast (6)
{IMPALA} A mischief-maker + the usual gangster + A gives an antelope

16a    Husband in club makes money abroad (4)
{BAHT} H (husband) goes in a club (for hitting something with) to give the monetary unit of Thailand

17a    Train — or its alternative? (5)
{COACH} “To train” is also a vehicle that may be used as an alternative to a train

18a    Current hassle with street blocked off (4)
{RIFE} “Current” is obtained by removing ST (street) from the front of a word meaning “hassle”

20a    Note the general purport from what’s being heard (6)
{TENNER} A bank note is a homophone of the general purport

21a    Trust one placed in cleaner misplaced (8)
{RELIANCE} Trust is formed from I (one) inside an anagram (misplaced) of CLEANER

23a    Ace, almost one intellectual pilot (12)
{EXPERIMENTAL} An ace with the last letter removed + I (one) + “intellectual” gives an adjective synonymous with “pilot”

26a    Wind? Chap finally goes to toilet (4)
{LOOP} “To wind” is given by toilet + P (last letter of chap)

27a    Canopy that casts shadow over more than a yard (8)
{UMBRELLA} A canopy is made up of shadow containing a length of approximately 45 inches

28a    Daughter is essentially separate (8)
{DISPERSE} D (daughter) + IS + a Latin phrase (3,2) meaning “essentially” gives “separate”

Down

2d    Four articles about male pariah (8)
{ANATHEMA} Pariah is made up of 4 articles (3 indefinite and 1 definite) round M (male)

3d    Writer bumping into ten chaps, a peculiar coincidence (12)
{HAPPENSTANCE} Something you write with goes inside an anagram (peculiar) of TEN CHAPS A to give a coincidence

4d    Around bottom of garden detect haze (6)
{TRANCE} N (last letter of garden) goes inside “detect” to give “haze”. I’m not entirely happy with the definition here.

5d    Before end of day get stuff to prepare for publication (4)
{COPY} “Stuff to prepare for publication” is made up of Y (end of day) after “to get”

6d    Good-looking woman — inside is wicked, very wicked (8)
{DEVILISH} An informal word for a good-looking woman goes round “wicked” to give “very wicked”

7d    Career in the backwoods book brought out (4)
{RUSH} “To career” is obtained by removing B (book) from the front of backwoods

8d    Balloon not far from stumps? (8)
{INCREASE} Here’s the cricket reference! “To balloon” = where the batsman stands (i.e not far from the wicket) (2,6)

12d    Bird’s romp with characteristic sound that is engaging one (12)
{CAPERCAILLIE} A type of grouse is made up of romp + characteristic sound + IE (that is) round I (one)

14d    Great performer, furthest back of four (5)
{STARR} A leading performer + R (last letter of four) gives the name of a member of a group of four people who was always positioned behind the other three when they were performing

16d    Try to get round announcement that grocery item has got more expensive? (6,2)
{BUTTER UP} This term for “to try to get round somebody” suggests that an item of grocery has increased in price

17d    See Scottish historian in the auditorium (8)
{CARLISLE} And here’s the religious reference! A see (seat of a bishop) in Northern England is a homophone of a Scottish historian named Thomas (1795-1881)

19d    Turbulent and ready to quarrel when denied right (8)
{FACTIOUS} “Turbulent” is obtained be removing R (right) from “ready to quarrel”

22d    Stimulant going wrong has knocked insect out — substance used in lab (6)
{LITMUS} An anagram (going wrong) of STIMUL (stimulant with ANT removed) gives a substance used an an acid-base indicator

24d    Drink up outside Britain — primarily in wine bars rather than these? (4)
{PUBS} A reversal of “to drink” round B (first letter of Britain) gives drinking establishments which are alternatives to wine bars

25d    The country is suffering regular cuts, by Jove! (4)
{EGAD} Take alternate letters of the country in which most of us live to get “by Jove”

Pleasant enough but one of the easier Toughies