Sunday Toughie 36

Sunday Toughie No 36 by proXimal

Review by Sloop John Bee

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This puzzle was published on the 2nd October 2022

Across

1a Everyone filling favoured platform (6)
PALLET: A synonym for everyone ALL, goes in a favoured PET for a wooden platform used for deliveries.

4a Scout striking out hit and fought (8)
SCRAPPED: Remove out from SCout and add a synonym of hit, RAPPED.

9a One loved pinning rook covering for knight (6)
ARMOUR: One who is loved AMOUR, around R for rook, gives us another chess pieces’ ARMOUR.

10a Gap in timber that’s broken reportedly (8)
KNOTHOLE: A homophone (reportedly) of that’s broken or NOT WHOLE gives us the gap in timber where a KNOT fell out.

12a Fish treats — pay attention (5,5)
NURSE SHARK: Treats medically or NURSES and a cry to pay attention HARK is split 5,5 to give a type of fish.

13a Work soap suds with occasional scrubbing (4)
OPUS: A musical work comes from sOaP sUdS when occasional letters are scrubbed.

14a Climber picked up medical supply (3)
IVY: This climbing plant is a homophone of the means to supply medical treatments intravenously abbreviated to I.V.

15a Come tenth (before some characters) after holding first in race for so long … (11)
ARRIVEDERCI: To come or ARRIVE plus the prefix for a tenth part DECI around the first letter of Race. Arriverederci the Italian for so long – farewell.

18a … expected winner that might make face-plant? (5-6)
FRONT-RUNNER:  Face or FRONTplus a plant that puts out runners to grow, such as strawberries or runner beans.

20a Deed trapping this winged beast would be discussed (3)
BAT: Discussed or DE-BAT-ED traps a winged mammal in DEED.

21a Young bee piercing brown horse (4)
BABY: A light brown horse or BAY around B for bee gives a young person – BABY.

22a Time after strain, have ramshackle place to live (10)
SHANTYTOWN: Strain in a musical sense SHANTYplus T for time and a synonym of to have or OWN.

24a Avoiding terrible rip-off, inflation-proof plastic is fanciful (8)
NOTIONAL: Terrible and plastic are the two anagrinds required to remove rip-off from inflation-proof and the anagram the remainder for fanciful or NOTIONAL.

25a Mostly seafood covering over light dish (6)
MOUSSE: Most of some seafood or MUSSE(L) around o for over.

26a Joined classes older educator holds (8)
SOLDERED: A lurker indicated by holds and defined by joinedis hidden in the remainder.

27a Nuisance occupying loft that’s insufficient (6)
SKIMPY: To loft or sky a golf ball perhaps is around (occupying) a nuisance or IMP.

Down

1d Person in court‘s simple dispute (9)
PLAINTIFF: Simple or PLAIN and a minor dispute or TIFF gives us the PLAINTIFF in a court case.

2d Endlessly weak victim is sucker (7)
LAMPREY: Most of weak or LAMe and a victim or PREY gives a LAMPREY or bloodsucking fish.

3d Lavish times tucking into tuna battered with beer (9)
EXUBERANT: The mathematical symbol times = X tucks into an anagram of TUNA and BEER for a lavish EXUBERANT.

5d Opposing method raised in meeting (12)
CONTRAVENING: Meeting or CONVENING contains a method or ART raised. giving us opposing or CONTRAVENING.

6d Drink all tips away, waste gin (4)
ASTI: Take the tips away from (w)AST(e) and (g)I(n) leaving the Italian white wine ASTI.

7d Experts upset salesman, 20 (7)
PROSPER: 20d is our definition here to BLOSSOM comes from some experts or PROS and a reversal of a salesman or REP to blossom or PROSPER.

8d Variable excluded by inactive people to become active ones (5)
DOERS: Inactive people or DOzERS  loses the mathematical variable Z to become active DOERS.

11d Way hard parts of earth disintegrated (12)
THOROUGHFARE: Hard or ROUGH goes in an anagram (disintegrated)  OF EARTH. THOROUGHFARE a way for traffic to pass.

16d Sign of enmity straddling toilet, try potty with kid (5,4)
DIRTY LOOK: A toilet or LOO is straddled by an anagram of TRY and KID.

17d Figures entering in cathedral city with a vengeance (9)
INTENSELY: To calculate some figures IN TENS and a cathedral city in the Fens ELY. INTENSELY vengeful.

19d Part involved in examination of circuit (7)
ORBITAL: A part or BIT goes in a spoken examination ORAL for the circuit of a planet or satellite.

20d See small plant coming up beneath black flower (7)
BLOSSOM: the reversal of a small plant MOSS and an interjection to look or behold LO follow B for Black. whether the small is indicating that the plant is small or the synonym of see is small is a matter of debate. Gazza thinks the latter but I am agnostic.

21d Extra posh type elevated above you and me (5)
BONUS: A posh type NOB is reversed (elevated in a down clue) above you and me US for an extra BONUS.

23d Drain alcohol after removing top (4)
OOZE: Some slimy mud slowly draining away is some alcohol or (B)OOZE after the top is removed.