Times Book Of Crosswords

[barnaclebill58]

Please parse these for me.
1 Stray from the point in a certain passage. Ans Alley cat (=stray). The passage will be the alley but how do we get cat from "from the point in a certain", please?
2 Scoundrel picked up simple coat . Ans ruffian. A ruffian is both a scoundrel and a simple coat so why the "picked up" please . I could understand it if is one was spelled ruffien so one would sound like the other.
3 Crucially important note to someone on the way up (down clue). Ans Pivotal . Looks like la (note) to and vip. Is it fair to clue someone as vip, please?
4 Short, loose dress, clothing I discarded in religious ceremony . Ans sacrament. s ac ra(i)ment.
Where does ac come from , please?
While I've parsed it, I would never have got "Members in ships rejected plump American women" as the answer is taffrails (never heard of) and you have to know that frails is slang for American women. 104 crosswords in and still waiting for a Monday standard one!

[elliemay1]

4 sack is a loose dress so sac(K) is short loose dress

[bobbinwales]

Point e East in ally?

[elliemay1]

//What does sack dress mean?
noun. a loose, unbelted dress that hangs straight from the shoulder to the hemline.//

[Mamyalynne]

3 VIP for 'Someone' is fine.

[bobbinwales]

Ignore mine. Can't juztify

[ProfessorMaisie]

For 2, I can't see a def for 'ruffian' as coat in Chambers and I think the clue gives NAIF for 'simple' and FUR for 'coat' (reversed).

[Atheist]

'Scoundrel is the definition of ruffian, and the clue is naif and fur backwards (picked up)

[ProfessorMaisie]

1 might suggest CAT (as a form of 'tipcat' - a pointed stick) for 'the point in a certain passage' [but I hope there's a better explanation].

[Mamyalynne]

I also mused whether 'point' could refer to the point colorization in cats?