Club tariff is steep (8)
![Ross](/clue/static/ross-mug.min.png)
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" .)