Toughie 879

Toughie No 879 by Kcit

A piece of (lemon drizzle) cake!

+ – + – + – + – + – + – + – +

BD Rating – Difficulty ** – Enjoyment ***

Once again we start the Toughie week with a puzzle that is very much on the easy side.

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    US writer consuming nuts in dressing (6)
{POMADE} –the surname of a famous 19^th century US writer goes around an adjective meaning nuts or crazy giving a dressing used on the hair

4a    Small container long embedded in stone (6)
{SACHET} – a verb meaning to long or pine inside ST(one)

8a    ID marker‘s characteristic, having name obscured (3)
{TAG} – a characteristic flavour without the N(ame) (having … obscured)

10a    Screen feature that’s extremely cruel, ultimately, to lawyers (7)
{TOOLBAR} – not the cinema screen but a feature of a browser or other computer program – a three-letter word meaning extremely, the final letter (ultimately) of crueL and the legal profession collectively

11a    German city church’s distinctive feature (7)
{ESSENCE} – a German city followed the Church of England

12a    Small bird of prey that hurts Grant (5)
{OWLET} – a cry of “that hurts” followed by a verb meaning to grant

13a    Digerati perplexed by a classic vote of thanks? (3,6)
{DEI GRATIA} – an anagram (perplexed) of DIGERATI followed by the A from the clue – by the grace of God

14a    Fail to follow instructions, causing problem on flight? (4,3,2,4)
{STEP OUT OF LINE} – this could be a problem on a flight of stairs!

17a    Bureaucrat skirts restaurant, being in love, mostly (13)
{ADMINISTRATOR} – Gazza’s favourite short skirts and an abbreviated word for an Italian restaurant inside most of a verb meaning to love or worship

22a    Lack of decision in the case under review (9)
{HESITANCE} – an anagram (under review) of IN THE CASE

23a    Sauce from annoying character, nothing more (5)
{PESTO} – an annoying character followed by O (nothing)

24a    How one keeps operating in the red makes you baffled (2,1,4)
{AT A LOSS} – cryptically how one keeps operating a business while in the red, rather than in the black!

25a    Church with active role linked to a dangerous disease (7)
{CHOLERA} – CH(urch) followed by an anagram (active) of ROLE and the A from the clue

26a    Add  whisky? (3)
{TOT} – a double definition – to add up and a quantity of whisky

27a    Catch comment about festival being curtailed (6)
{SAFETY} – this catch is the kind often found on a firearm – a verb meaning to comment around most of (being curtailed) a festival

28a    Put back  closure of Parliament (6)
{RECESS} – a double definition

Down

1d    Love, in some ways, is a sentimental feeling (6)
{PATHOS} – O (love) inside some ways used by pedestrians

2d    Doctor discussing literature describing romantic scenes? (7)
{MOONLIT} – an abbreviation for a doctor followed by a two-letter word meaning discussing or concerning and LIT(erature)

3d    Entry in one column bound to reflect about book (5)
{DEBIT} – this entry appears in one column of a ledger – an adjective meaning bound or fettered reversed (to reflect) around B(ook)

5d    Country street, with distinctive air about it, reversing distress (9)
{AUSTRALIA} – ST(reet) inside (about it) a distinctive air and followed by the reversal of a verb meaning to distress or trouble

6d    Devon town hospital: head receiving a bit of treatment (7)
{HONITON} – H(ospital) followed by a slang word for the head around (receiving) the initial letter (a bit) of Treatment

7d    One’s turned over in upper part of shoe (6)
{TOECAP} – the one in a pack of playing cards reversed (turned over) inside an adjective meaning upper

8d    Congress member, active in deputations, having run for power (5,8)
{TRADE UNIONIST} – an anagram (active) of IN DE(P|R)UTATIONS after putting R(un) instead of P(ower)

9d    Participate legislatively? (3,2,2,3,3)
{GET IN ON THE ACT} – could become involved legislatively!

14d    Ocean‘s a source of coal? Not entirely (3)
{SEA} – a source of coal minus its final letter (not entirely)

15d    Indicates piston? (6,3)
{POINTS OUT} – the answer is an anagram which results in PISTON

16d    What Cockney uses it to do? (3)
{EAR} – reinstate the initial H commonly dropped by a Cockney to get what he uses this to do

18d    Girl’s employees female? (7)
{DISTAFF} – one of Crosswordland’s favourite girls is followed by a some employees to get the female side of a family – the spear side being male

19d    Description of some blue movie, presumably part filmed on location? (7)
{OBSCENE} – split as (2,5) this could be a part of said movie that is filmed on location

20d    Jenny‘s insolence about the bloke (3-3)
{SHE-ASS} – surprisingly this female donkey is not in Chambers – a colloquial word for insolence around the male pronoun

21d    Confused situation, the principal part involving soldiers (6)
{MORASS} – the principal part or main body around (involving) soldiers who are not officers

23d    Not against most of relations producing writing (5)
{PROSE} – a word meaning in favour of as opposed to against followed by most of a word meaning relations or intercourse

Once again the Tuesday Toughie could be a good starting point for those that usually avoid these puzzles – especially as the one on the back-page should take less time than a cup of coffee.