Crossword Genius

Club tariff is steep (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

macerate

'is steep' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'club tariff' is the wordplay.
'club' becomes 'mace' (I've seen this before**).
'tariff' becomes 'rate' (I've seen this before).
'mace'+'rate'='MACERATE'

(Other definitions for macerate that I've seen before include "Steep in liquid like cream tea" , "Soak" , "Cream tea (anag) -- soften by steeping in liquid" , "Soften food by soaking" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app