Crossword Genius

Staff charge is steep (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

macerate

'is steep' is the definition.
(thesaurus)

'staff charge' is the wordplay.
'staff' becomes 'mace' (mace is a kind of staff).
'charge' becomes 'rate' (rate is a kind of charge**).
'mace'+'rate'='MACERATE'

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

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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