Times for the Times

I found this puzzle a workout! About a third of the clues were “regular weight” and went in in 10 minutes or so, then I spent another hour or more looking at clue after clue without enlightenment. Couldn’t find the definitions, couldn’t untangle the wordplay.

Even when answers seemed obvious – for example, 1ac, 12ac or especially 8dn – I couldn’t figure out the parsing. And yet once you work it out, every clue works perfectly. I finished it all eventually, and only had to check the old spelling at 15ac for the blog, but I think this is one of the most challenging and enjoyable puzzles I have had the pleasure of blogging. Thanks to the setter!

I’d also like to thank the Crossword Club technos for cleaning up the format so we can paste the clues straight into the blog with minimal tidying up.

Anyway, here we go. Clues are in blue, with definitions underlined. Answers are in BOLD CAPS, then wordplay. (ABC*) means 'anagram of ABC', with the anagram indicator in bold italics. Deletions are in {curly brackets}.

Across
1 Nothing right about disgusting feeder (6)
TROUGH: O (nothing), RT (right), all reversed; then followed by UGH (disgusting).

4 Weapon criminal holds level (8)
BALANCED: LANCE in BAD.

10 Heartily sick after leave, rejecting doctor (4,1,4)
WITH A WILL: remove DR from WITH{dr}AW (leave), then ILL (sick). The definition is as in, “they set to with a will”

11 In depression, find a physician (5)
GALEN: a GLEN is a depression. Insert an A. We’ve met Galen here before - he was a Greek physician, surgeon and philosopher in the Roman Empire.

12 Gather work engrosses old politicians (5,2)
ROUND UP: O (old) “engrossed by” RUN (work), then DUP (the Democratic Unionist Party).

13 Remarkable why restaurant turns one away? (7)
NOTABLE: The restaurant couldn’t seat you if it had NO TABLE.

14 Assassin arrested by Lenin jailed (5)
NINJA: hidden answer.

15 Newly interpret old advice: great (8)
REDEFINE: REDE (archaic spelling of read, meaning advice), then FINE (great).

18 Slender cook with fat children (5,3)
SMALL FRY: SMALL (slender, as in “small chance” - odd that "fat chance" means much the same!), FRY (cook with fat).

20 Closely examining wingless bird (5)
ROBIN: {p}ROBIN{g} without its wings!

23 Bouncy castle I played with (7)
ELASTIC: (CASTLE I*). It's a challenge to work out which end of the clue is the anagram indicator!

25 Argue with one interpretation of ninety degrees? (7)
WRANGLE: W (with), R (right), ANGLE.

26 Peg leg almost put back on Jones’s partner (5)
DOWEL: DOW (Dow Jones index), LE{g} put back.

27 Leading a chosen group, one senior member of it? (9)
ISRAELITE: I (one), SR (senior), all leading A, ELITE (chosen group).

28 Panicking disastrously as a grenade exploded (8)
GADARENE: (A GRENADE*). I didn’t know “Gadarene” as an adjective, but the meaning is obvious enough.

29 Vein runs through meat (6)
STREAK: R (runs) in STEAK.

Down
1 Very violent pull, needing energy to operate bell (8)
TOWERING: TOW (pull), E (energy), RING (operate bell). Definition as in “a towering rage”.

2 Result of a number of voters switching? (7)
OUTTURN: OUTTURN is not a word I’m familiar with, but apparently it can mean “outcome” – logically enough – and hence “result”. Make it by “switching” TURNOUT (number of voters).

3 Barrier, and two other elements of train journey (5,4)
GUARD RAIL: GUARDs and RAILs are features of a train journey.

5 Not unusual to be exhausted by a full shift (3,2,1,4,4)
ALL IN A DAY’S WORK: ALL IN (exhausted), A DAY’S WORK (a full shift).

6 Special terms in old ship announced (5)
ARGOT: sounds like Jason’s ship, the ARGO.

7 Brutish islander, defence finally failing, jailed? (7)
CALIBAN: ALIB{i} (defence, final letter failing), in the CAN (jailed!). Shakespeare.

8 One taking steps and collapsing on ground, getting up (6)
DANCER: an anagram of AND, then REC (ground) backwards (getting up). I really struggled with the parsing of this simple clue!

9 Light reading for one trip thrown in case? (7,7)
AIRPORT FICTION: anagram of FOR I TRIP, inside ACTION (case).

16 Intended to raise a tree metres higher in the sky (9)
FIRMAMENT: MEANT (intended), with the A moved to the top, all with FIR (tree), M (metres) in front (“higher”).

17 Predictable finale from Jack, born fool (8)
KNEEJERK: {Jac}K, NEE (born}, JERK (fool).

19 In revolutionary day, I sounded like a queen? (7)
MIAOWED: I inside MAO (revolutionary), then WED{nesday}. The queen is a cat.

21 Ask for poem, say, and muck it up (7)
BEGRIME: BEG for a RIME (sounds like “rhyme”).

22 Travels up to collect bill for salt (6)
SEADOG: GOES backwards (“up”) around AD (bill).

24 Worker going up the wall perhaps left during row (5)
TILER: L in TIER.

This one required an average solving time but it felt harder than that - there were several answers that I had to biff and then reverse-engineer the parsing. FOI 5A, LOI 1A. I very much liked the surfaces of 19A and 53A - not difficult clues, but also not obviously clues at all.

Definitions are underlined, * = anagram, {} = omission, dd = double definition

Across
1	Islamic movement led by quiet pair of upright characters (7)
	SHIITIC - SH (quiet) + II (pair of upright characters) + TIC (movement). Awkward-looking word that doesn't jump out from the checkers at all.
5	Birdgathering hedgerow fruit… (9)
	BRAMBLING - dd, the first (Chambers): "A bird closely related to the chaffinch"
10	… and one principally inhabiting British Isles (4)
	IBIS - I{nhabiting} (principally inhabiting) + B (British) + IS (Isles), with the definition "one" referring back to 5A
14	Selfish criminal appropriately incarcerated by judge? (13)
	INCONSIDERATE - CON (criminal) in INSIDE (incarcerated), + RATE (judge). I can only assume the "appropriately" is telling us to put CON in INSIDE but that doesn't quite work for me as the CON is then IN INSIDE rather than simply INSIDE - or am I missing something?
15	Sumptuous picnic, evidently extended (6,3)
	SPREAD OUT - a spread is a feast and a picnic is an outside meal, so a sumptuous picnic might be a SPREAD OUT
16	Diving bird and European deer spotted crossing mountain (5,5)
	EMBER GOOSE - E (European) + MOOSE (deer) around BERG (mountain). Don't think I'd ever heard of this bird but the answer as derived from the wordplay seemed believable.
17	Like brothers' place in St Malo area, mostly in ruins (11)
	MONASTERIAL - (IN ST MALO ARE{a})*
18	Eggs laid by rook needing half of nest – it's what birds do (5)
	ROOST - R (rook, i.e. the chess piece also known as a c*stle) + OO (eggs, in the sense of two round things) + {ne}ST (half of nest)
19	The book-buying public praised her novel (10)
	READERSHIP - (PRAISED HER)* What a nice surface.
21	Book, hard for Irish girl (6)
	BRIGID - B (Book) + RIGID (hard), to give the name that has Bridget as its English equivalent
23	Go off alcoholic drink before end of trip back: one can see what might happen (9)
	PREDICTOR - reversal of ROT (Go off) + CIDER (alcoholic drink) + {tri}P (end of trip)
25	Cryptic description of corned beef that could kill you? (5)
	TOXIN - corned beef could be described as OX in a TIN
26	Fashion editor, trendy, made increasingly prominent (5,2)
	FADED IN - FAD (Fashion) + ED (editor) + IN (trendy), where to fade in is (Chambers): "In films, radio, television, etc, to introduce (sound or a picture) gradually, bringing it up to full volume or clarity"
28	Along with nightclub, rents out new shop (8,5)
	DISCOUNT STORE - DISCO (nightclub) + (RENTS OUT)*
31	Scrutinising pounds invested in show by group (9)
	EXPLORING - EXPO (show) around L (pounds), + RING (group)
33	Henry in danger, back in former times in English region (9)
	YORKSHIRE - H (Henry) in reversal of RISK (danger), in YORE (former times)
35	Story books by singular Lakeland writer for one seeking gifts? (6,7)
	TALENT SPOTTER - TALE (Story) + NT (books) + S (singular) + POTTER (Lakeland writer, i.e. Beatrix Potter)
37	Drive old Hillman, needing service around end of April (7)
	IMPULSE - IMP (old Hillman) + USE (service) around {Apri}L (end of April). The Hillman Imp was a small car produced in the '60s and '70s.
38	Lover boy's trophy concealed in East London (5)
	CUPID - CUP (trophy) + 'ID (concealed in East London, i.e. "hid" with the elision associated with that region of the capital)
40	So English city mostly is covered by those on vacation (9)
	THEREFORE - HEREFOR{d} (English city mostly) in T{hos}E (those on vacation)
42	Horse managin' to get round Becher's Brook at first (6)
	DOBBIN - DOIN' (managin') around B{echer's} B{rook} (Becher's Brook at first), to give (Chambers): "A workhorse". I knew the answer had some kind of horse connection but, if put on the spot, I'd probably have said it was a horse in a children's book or cartoon rather than a general name.
44	French dishes— one hundred — a person put into sets (10)
	CASSOULETS - C (one hundred) + A, + SOUL (person) in SETS, with the singular version (Chambers): "A stew consisting of haricot beans, onions, herbs and various kinds of meat"
46	Durham town's walls demolished in attack (5)
	ONSET - {C}ONSET{t} (Durham town's walls demolished). Consett is the birthplace of Rowan Atkinson.
48	I'm involved with orchestra, possibly (11)
	CHOIRMASTER - &lit, consisting of (I'M + ORCHESTRA)*.
50	It's just unpleasant, diving into two lochs (10)
	LAWFULNESS - AWFUL (awful) in L (loch) + NESS (another loch, hence two lochs)
52	It flies way beyond a port when in difficulties (9)
	ROTAPLANE - (A PORT)* + LANE (way), to give (Chambers): "Rotor plane" (thanks!), itself defined as: "A helicopter or autogyro". Didn't know the word but it seemed the likeliest result of the wordplay.
53	Bury and Manchester finally getting transport link (13)
	INTERRELATION - INTER (Bury) + {Mancheste}R (Manchester finally) + ELATION (transport). And another nice surface.
54	Republican has American backing? Then vote Communist (4)
	MARX - reversal of R (Republican) + AM (American), + X (vote)
55	Maybe avoided bitter disgrace, sleeping around (9)
	ABSTAINED - ABED (sleeping) around STAIN (disgrace), with the bitter in this case referring to beer
56	Liked first half of tour, going round a county of England (5,2)
	TAKEN TO - TO{ur} (first half of tour), around A + KENT (county of England)

Down
1	Where you'll see Victoria and Mike bathe (4)
	SWIM - SWI (Where you'll see Victoria, i.e. the postcode for the part of London containing Victoria Station) + M (Mike - from the phonetic alphabet)
2	Where might chamber pot be put out? (9)
	INCOMMODE - a chamber pot might be IN a COMMODE
3	Several jobs of work (6,6,7,3)
	TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY - literal interpretation of the title of the Le Carré novel
4	Remain stuck to top of cliff? One might (7)
	CLINGER - C{liff} (top of cliff) + LINGER (Remain)
5	One climbs into coach (first class) on short break in S American city (6,5)
	BUENOS AIRES - reveral of ONE, in BUS (coach) + AI (first class) + RES{t} (short break)
6	A puzzle people finally submit, showing surprise (9)
	AMAZEMENT - A + MAZE (puzzle) + MEN (people) + {submi}T (finally submit)
7	Ray catches river fish (5)
	BREAM - BEAM (Ray) around R (river)
8	Lack of feeling in punishment one received (11)
	INSENTIENCE - IN + SENTENCE (punishment) around I (one)
9	Very colourful, like a freshwater fish? (6)
	GARISH - a gar is a freshwater fish, so like a gar might be GAR-ISH
11	Following expression of disapproval, go drinking (7)
	BOOZING - BOO (expression of disapproval) + ZING (go, i.e. energy)
12	Chose Mafia boss from America's west coast to eliminate Capone's No 2? (7,2)
	SETTLED ON - SE{a}TTLEDON (Mafia boss from America's west coast to eliminate Capone's No 2)
13	Ask for trouble, wanting revenge after a food remark is misinterpreted (4,1,3,3,4,3,4)
	MAKE A ROD FOR ONE'S OWN BACK - (A FOOD REMARK)* + ONE'S OWN BACK (revenge)
18	Quickly perform rhythmic monologue without real commitment? (7)
	RAPIDLY - RAP (perform rhythmic monologue) + IDLY (without real commitment)
20	Egg eaten by His Excellency (3,4)
	SEX CELL - hidden in HiS EXCELLency
22	Briefly propose accepting tips about avoiding experienced skiers? (3-5)
	OFF-PISTE - OFFE{r} (Briefly propose) around TIPS*, however I'm not sure I really get the definition as I would have thought off-piste IS where you'd find experienced skiers, unless the implication is that inexperienced skiers are likely to come off the main run involuntarily?
24	Annuity schemes not taken up by youngsters, reportedly (8)
	TONTINES - reversal of NOT, + homophone of TEENS (youngsters). Well I never - I'd always assumed the second syllable of the singular form of this was pronounced like the river Tyne but it appears not. It is (Chambers): "An annuity scheme in which several subscribers share a common fund, with their individual benefits increasing as members die until only one member is left alive and receives everything or until a specified date at which the proceeds are divided amongst the survivors".
27	One believes tide's turned (5)
	DEIST - TIDE'S*
29	Paddy entering bistro perhaps (5)
	STROP - hidden in biSTRO Perhaps, with both words meaning a bit of a tantrum
30	Ceramic business set up by American organisation with influence (7)
	OCTOPUS - reversal of POT (Ceramic) + CO (business), + US (American), to give (Chambers): "A person or organization with widespread influence (figurative)"
32	Tiger, so wild, more savage than all the others (7)
	GORIEST - (TIGER SO)*
34	Witch in French musical captivating soldier, right? (11)
	ENCHANTRESS - EN (in French) + CHESS (musical - the one written by Björn/Benny from ABBA and Tim Rice, featuring One Night in Bangkok among others), around ANT (soldier) + R (right)
36	Hell! Bag lady's sent reeling, we're told (6,5)
	NETHER WORLD - NET (Bag, as in gain) + HER (lady's) + homophone of WHIRLED (sent reeling)
37	Lack of civility around Christmas, female being ejected from meeting (9)
	INDECORUM - IN DEC (around Christmas, i.e. in December) + {f}ORUM (female being ejected from meeting)
39	King and queen, say, wearing jacket? (9)
	DOUBLETON - if you are wearing a jacket, then you might have a DOUBLET ON. The definition means (Chambers): "(the possession of) two cards of a suit in a hand".
41	Bishop joining meeting fronted by old bag? (9)
	OBSESSION - O (old) + B (Bishop) + SESSION (meeting), where bag means (Chambers): "A person's particular interest or speciality (old sl)"
43	Fish that is very filling? (7)
	BLOATER - to bloat is to fill up, so something that fills could be a BLOATER. The fish is (Chambers): "A herring partially dried in smoke, esp at Yarmouth"
45	Learner's clever feat round centre of cul-de-sac (7)
	STUDENT - STUNT (clever feat) around {cul-}DE{-sac} (centre of cul-de-sac)
47	Guerrilla put to death a group of soldiers (6)
	ZAPATA - ZAP (put to death) + A + TA (group of soldiers, i.e. the Territorial Army, now the Army Reserve). My LOI by a minute or two, as I was initially thinking of ?A?ARA. I must admit Emiliano Zapata - a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution - is not top of my list of Crosswordland guerrillas though I knew of his style of moustache, which fortunately came to mind when I was trying to think of words fitting the checkers.
49	Yoghurt concoction and Italian sorbet, neither good nor new (5)
	RAITA - {g}RA{n}ITA (Italian sorbet, neither good nor new)
51	What you might need to know about National Insurance going up (4)
	INFO - reversal of OF (about) + NI (National Insurance)

One of the best Jumbos I can remember blogging, this - quite often there's the feeling that a Jumbo setter might have (completely understandably, really!) gone into churn mode to get the job done, but there are a lot of clever, original, and/or legitimately hilarious clues here. Big round of applause to the setter. Lots of potential CODs but I've just noticed again that 53ac's surface is a brilliant homage to Morse, so maybe I'll give it to that. What else did you guys enjoy?

1 Reduction in aid given to church body (7)
CHASSIS - ASSIS{t} ["reduction in" aid] given to CH [church]

5 Mazdaist works printed and published secretly (8)
SAMIZDAT - (MAZDAIST*) ["works"]

9 Cheap, silly rings he passed on (3-3)
TWO-BIT - TWIT [silly] "rings" OB [he passed on]

13 Top brickie partnering Greek miss in series of films (7,3,6)
WALLACE AND GROMIT - WALL ACE [top brickie, ha ha] + AND GR OMIT [partnering | Greek | miss]

14 Poor quality gifts? Not from Santa’s place! (6)
GROTTO - GROT TO [poor quality gifts? | not from]

16 Appropriate the second person’s no longer veiled (8)
STEALTHY - STEAL THY [appropriate | the second person's, "no longer"]

17 Reduced pollination from the right shrub (4)
ANIL - hidden reversed in {pol}LINA{tion}

18 Left home after resolving troubles, those often exaggerated? (9)
MOLEHILLS - (L HOME*) ["after resolving"] + ILLS [troubles]. "Making mountains out of molehills"

20 Firm found to be outside law, slightly corrupt (8)
STALWART - START [found] "to be outside" (LAW*) ["slightly corrupt"]

21 Madly in love with Catholic maybe embracing pacifism (11)
NONVIOLENCE - (IN LOVE*) ["madly"], with NON-CE [Catholic maybe] "embracing" it

24 A letter from abroad, apart from anything else making you smile? (9)
AMUSINGLY - A MU SINGLY [a | letter from abroad | apart from anything else]

25 Popular session I vote to join (8)
INTERMIX - IN TERM I X [popular | session | I | vote]

26 Fruit starts off as cold as ice (4)
ACAI - A{s} C{old} A{s} I{ce}

29 Where CO passes, putting fag out in front of churchwarden? (7,4)
EXHAUST PIPE - putting EXHAUST [fag out] in front of PIPE [churchwarden?]

31 Source of energy cuts old British PM’s entertaining? (5,3,3)
NORTH SEA GAS - E [energy] cuts NORTH'S A GAS [old British PM's entertaining], &lit.

33 Did Nick pop back before hotel closed? (11)
APPREHENDED - PA reversed [pop "back"] + PRE H ENDED [before | hotel | closed]

36 Fitting act by doctor, attending sick (11)
DOVETAILING - DO [act] by VET [doctor], attending AILING [sick]

38 Capital made out of party hat being too small (4)
DOHA - DO [party] + HA{t}. Capital city of Qatar.

39 Intended answer not exactly reflecting Oxbridge life? (8)
ACADEMIA - reverse all of AIMED A CA [intended | answer | not exactly]

41 General going with model to get plastered (9)
ROUGHCAST - ROUGH [general] going with CAST [model]

44 Got down without delay, oddly finding nothing (6-5)
DIDDLY-SQUAT - DID SQUAT [got down], "without" D{e}L{a}Y

45 Mass killer one time leaving a pair of graves (4,4)
ATOM BOMB - A + TOMB {t}OMB [pair of graves, with one T leaving]

48 Ace TV show’s without energy however (2,2,5)
AS IT COMES - A SITCOM'S [ace | TV show's] "without" E [energy]

49 Form of agreement extended by adding a second? (4)
OKAY - OK is a form of agreement, which can be extended by adding AY, a second form of agreement, and I guess the whole is a sort of &lit?

50 Satellite receiver to come down after swapping three components (8)
MINIDISH - DIMINISH [come down], with three letters (D, M, N) moving around

52 In position I maybe must make new place base (6)
PLINTH - if position A is 1, B is 2, etc, position I is NINTH. Make N [new] into PL [place] and you have a base. Whew!

53 Old police series with Oxford DCI keen on good puzzling (5,2,4,5)
DIXON OF DOCK GREEN - (OXFORD DCI KEEN ON G*) ["puzzling"]

54 What garden’s left with after hurricane’s finished off? (6)
NOSHED - or NO SHED, what garden might be left with after a hurricane, ha ha.

55 Decline to be seen in a white coat normally (3,5)
SKI SLOPE - cryptic definition, for a usually snow-covered downhill incline

56 Shot provider of duff gen on country at war briefly (7)
SYRINGE - (GEN*) ["duff"] on SYRI{a} [country at war, "briefly"]

DOWN
1 Not merely one’s desire to be as neat? (6)
COWISH - a CO-WISH being a desire shared between two people, ha ha. Neat being a word for cows, "as neat" here = likes cows!

2 Poisoner keeps being sheltered, having got off (6)
ASLEEP - ASP [poisoner] keeps LEE [being sheltered]

3 Composer in obscurity mostly rich, at last (9)
SCARLATTI - (RIC{h} AT LAST*) ["in obscurity"]

4 Fume descending on delicate twig (3,3,5)
SEE THE LIGHT - SEETHE [fume] descending on LIGHT [delicate]

5 Perfume to be picked up and dispatched (4)
SENT - homophone of SCENT [perfume]

6 A long time in reorganising unsuccessful defence (7,4)
MAGINOT LINE - (A LONG TIME IN*) ["reorganising"]. Didn't stop the Germans from invading France in WWII.

7 Life drifting round Australia turned idiot on, crossing desert finally (11)
ZOOPLANKTON - reversed O OZ [round | Australia, "turned"] + PLANK ON [idiot | on], "crossing" {deser}T

8 When a child one must visit the old country (4,5)
ASIA MINOR - AS A MINOR [when a child], I [one] "must visit"

10 Connecting tunnel in theory hard, without right tunneller around (8)
WORMHOLE - H [hard], W/O R MOLE [without | right | tunneller] "around"

11 String player’s jamming style? (10,6)
BOTTLENECK GUITAR - this is a style of playing guitar where bottleneck suggests a different type of jamming, ha ha!

12 Sounds a warning that is for one on foot (7)
TOOTSIE - TOOTS I.E. [sounds a warning | that is]

15 Look up conceivably rather dreadful version of Gaelic (3,5)
OLD IRISH - reversed LO [look "up"] + DIRISH [conceivably, rather dreadful]

19 Genteel field day arranged (8)
LADYFIED - (FIELD DAY*) ["arranged"]

22 Part of Cumbria legend where eg European turns into pack leader (8)
LAKELAND - take the word LEGEND, then turn the EG E in the middle into AKELA [scout pack leader]

23 Carry out raising of platforms, admitting one to have been buried (4,2,3,7)
PUSH UP THE DAISIES - PUSH UP THE DAISES [carry out raising of platforms!] "admitting" I [one]

27 More than one enlightening moment sadly isn’t (sigh) (8)
INSIGHTS - (ISN'T SIGH*) ["sadly"]

28 Sci-fi knights turned up alongside jail guards (4)
JEDI - hidden reversed in {alongs}IDE J{ail}

30 Set of 45s, maybe, but no new instruments (4)
UKES - {n}UKES [set of 45ac = atom bombs, minus N for new]

32 Water deity’s way, protecting quartet thus (5,3)
RIVER GOD - RD [way] "protecting" IV ERGO [quarter | thus]

34 Former copper and spy chief in court getting pardon (6,2)
EXCUSE ME - EX CU [former | copper] + M [spy chief] in SEE [court]

35 Old creatures trampled, breaking into bits across pond (11)
DIMETRODONS - TROD ON [trampled], "breaking into" DIMES [bits, across pond]

36 Do add a dose — a shot — and absolutely no more (4,2,1,4)
DEAD AS A DODO - (DO ADD A DOSE A*) ["shot"]

37 They can be depressed by what it takes to hitch-hike! (11)
THUMBPIECES - cryptic def, you need your thumb to hitch-hike, and you use it to press a thumbpiece

40 Piece of chickenheld in the kitchen? (9)
DRUMSTICK - double def, where the "kitchen" is a percussion section

42 Fabulous example of bell doubling as buzzer? (9)
HUMDINGER - a DINGER is a bell, but a HUM is a buzz, so...

43 Formal attire not to have any connection with bishop (5,3)
BLACK TIE - LACK TIE [not to have any connection], with B [bishop]

44 Notice secretary’s put in study unable to be read? (7)
DEADPAN - AD PA [notice | secretary] is put in DEN [study]

46 Old judge of mine, reflecting over a long period (6)
GIDEON - reversed DIG [mine, "reflecting"] over EON [a long period]

47 Beef joint presented by wife (6)
WHINGE - HINGE [joint] presented by W [wife]

51 In speech, throws in something cutting (4)
ADZE - homophone of ADDS [throws in]

9:49. Straightforward stuff from Jeff this week. I found a few of the definitions a bit loose as I solved, but they all turn out to be supported by dictionaries and/or things I hadn’t come across before. Nothing really obscure: even the plant was familiar to me, and the half-known actress came with generous wordplay. 1ac is that bugbear of some, an anagram of a foreign word, but I am more concerned with familiarity than foreignness and I would expect this word to be familiar to most people. Or perhaps not?

Not much more to say really, so here’s how I think it all fits together…

Definitions are underlined, anagrams indicated like (THIS)*, anagram indicators like this.

Across
1	Barking seller paid for something to put on one of his plates?
	ESPADRILLE - (SELLER PAID)*. Plates of meat is Cockney rhyming slang.
7	Directall the actors in a play
	CAST - DD. I was hesitant about this one. The second definition is fine of course but the second seemed weak to me. However for ‘cast’ Collins has ‘to direct (a glance, attention, etc)’, giving the example ‘cast your eye over this’. I don’t really see the equivalence – you wouldn’t say ‘direct your eye over this’ – but I guess I’ll have to take it up with them rather than Jeff.
9	After driver’s test setback attempt to get a lift for little fellow
	TOM THUMB - reversal of MOT (driver’s test), THUMB (attempt to get a lift).
10	Struggle with marsupial caught for wife
	COMBAT - replace the W (wife) in WOMBAT with a C.
11	Violin’s entertaining number — String of Pearls
	STRAND - STRA(N)D. Again I wasn’t sure here but it turns out a STRAND can be specifically ‘a string of pearls or beads’ (Collins again).
13	Pulled everyone in — being covered in fat (8)
	TALLOWED - T(ALL)OWED.
14	Chorister apt to go offaccompanists here?
	ORCHESTRA PIT - (CHORISTER APT)*.
17	Climberprepared last of red salmon with bread
	OLD MANS BEARD - (reD SALMON BREAD)*.
20	Click with H?
	HIT IT OFF - HIT with IT OFF gives you H.
21	Public business initially concealed pressure to avoid responsibility
	COP OUT - slightly odd wordplay here: OUT (public) is preceded by CO to give COOUT, which then conceals P.
22	The bum’s late with the payment
	BEHIND - DD.
23	Music I love follows eloquent speech maker
	ORATORIO - ORATOR, I, O.
25	The pictures showing “Lawrence of Arabia”?
	EPIC - hidden in ‘the pictures’.
26	Titled actress has boring routine with her car
	RUTHERFORD - RUT, HER, FORD. Dame Margaret Rutherford. I had vaguely heard of her I think but needed the wordplay and wouldn’t have been able to tell you her first name.

Down
2	Guns? Small alarming things!
	SHOOTERS - S, HOOTERS. This clue could have been more controversial.
3	Ancient king drops charioteer’s gift
	ART - ART~~hur~~.
4	One shot in a full game of golf
	ROUND - DD. When solving I thought the first definition was a reference to alcohol, but of course that would necessarily be more than one drink so I think ballistics is the relevant field.
5	Throws aquatic bird endless shellfish
	LOBSTER - LOBS, TERn.
6	Cuts and runs after botched case
	ESCALOPES - (CASE)*, LOPES.
7	Oppose match being played aroundrotting vegetation
	COMPOST HEAP - (OPPOSITE MATCH)*.
8	Unable to produce tool for the auditor
	SPAYED - sounds like ‘spade’.
12	Love potion from Asia? Orchid crossed with poppy, primarily
	APHRODISIAC - (ASIA ORCHID, P~~oppy~~)*.
15	Small girl returned flipping wine and deer for chips?
	SIDE ORDER - S, reversal (returned) of DI (girl), then reversal (flipping) of RED (wine), ROE (dear).
16	Might you see one shuffling to work in Vegas?
	CROUPIER - rather obvious CD.
18	A loud guy cutting newspaper’s insult
	AFFRONT - A, F, F(RON)T.
19	Bill and Mark appearing for trial
	LINE-UP - LINE (mark), UP (before the beak). ‘Mark’ for LINE struck me as a bit vague.
21	Vermin found in church box
	CRATE - C(RAT)E.
24	Topless nob’s high
	OFF - tOFF. In the ‘gamy’ sense.

Those of you who do not do Mephisto puzzles regularly may get tripped up by one of the differences between the daily puzzles and the specialist puzzles which is not announced. When there is a hyphenated term (and there are multiple in this one), the enumeration does not indicate a hyphenated answer. It does indicate when there is more than one word.

Grid watch: Mephisto is typically 12x12, this is 11x13, with 180-degree symmetry, allowing for the very long entry right down the middle and three entries running across the rows. I've heard setters tell me that constructing a symmetric grid is more fun with odd-length sides since it allows for features in the middle (and avoids the possibility of an accidental swastika in thie middle). I liked this grid.

Pun watch: Paul McKenna is at it again, with a tricker one this time, a pun on FREE SPEECH running across the top row.

The first definition is underlined. Away we go...

Across
1	Band on building? We catch set and what numbers do? (6)
	FRIEZE - double wordrplay, since it sounds like FREEZE which can mean set and numb
6	Ground where Beatle’s introduction precedes every one (5)
	BEACH - B~~(eatle's)~~ EACH(every one)
10	Townie’s green? Start of exquisite spring (5)
	LUNGE - LUNG(a green in a town), E~~(xquisite)~~
11	Help spinning this form of fluke (5)
	REDIA - reverse of AIDER(help)
12	Rarely can it develop set between others (11)
	INTERCALARY - anagram of RARELY,IT,CAN
13	Pull a funny face about summer’s last drink (4)
	GIRN - last letter of summeR inside GIN(drink)
14	Saints amongst those working tapestries (7)
	DOSSERS - S,S(saints), insie DOERS(those working) - did not know this definition of DOSSER
16	Scot’s coal-yard close to kirk that is full of smoke (6)
	REEKIE - REE(coal yard), ~~(kir)~~K, IE(that is)
17	Cap is for French least exciting (6)
	TAMEST - TAM(cap), EST(that is)
19	Saki’s struggling and writes out examinations (11)
	SKIASCOPIES - anagram of SAKI'S then COPIES(writes out)
23	Stirring drama about invasion force (6)
	ARMADA -anagram of DRAMA, then A(about)
26	Poet retaining fashionable narrative style ignored by New Wave (6)
	LINEAR -LEAR(poet) containing IN(fashionable)
28	One flapping about National Trust sentence (7)
	ANTBIRD - A(about), NT(National Trust), BIRD(jail sentence)
29	This woman with BA, say, pulled back a day’s work up north (4)
	GRAD - short for GRADUATE - DARG(day's work) reversed
30	A little one’s misrepresented Taggart’s fraud (11)
	STELLIONATE - anagram of A,LITTLE,ONE'S
31	Char’s voice beginning to naff off (5)
	TOGUE - TONGUE(voice) with the first letter of Naff missing - char is a fish here
32	One passionately disliked pulling off black top (5)
	LOUSE - B(black) removed from BLOUSE(top)
33	Turf in resort is back (5)
	SWARD - DRAW(resort), 'S reversed. Not a usage of DRAW I'm familiar with, but it is in Chambers
34	Release a new series in Roman type (6)
	RANSOM -

Down
1	Fine day for flock (6)
	FLIGHT - F(fine), LIGHT(day)
2	Admit Military Intelligence infiltrated popular Red (8)
	INTROMIT - MI(military intelligence) inside IN(popular), TROT(red)
3	Queen with this need gives you old Government (6)
	EGENCE - if you added R(queen) you would get REGENCE(Government)
4	Bushy-tailed African is bizarrely red in South Africa (5)
	ZERDA - anagram of RED in ZA(South Africa). Don't know about the bushy tail, but this fox has huge ears
5	Take in new Tesco bag — it adds support (13, two words)
	ESCORT CARRIER - R(take) inside an anagram of TESCO, then CARRIER(bag)
6	Level in much-loved place where con was done to death (7)
	BRASERO - RASE(level to the ground) inside BRO(much loved place, second def in Chambers)
7	Net otherwise closed by Egypt (6)
	EEL-SET - ELSE(otherwise) inside ET(Egypt)
8	Dire price paid out for being stuck on rock (9)
	CIRRIPEDE - anagram of DIRE,PRICE
9	Old fence rarely gives up half — right time to “do” grass (6)
	HAYSEL - HAY(fence) then SELDOM(rarely) missing the last half
15	Assume control over historic pain in cast — aargh! (9, three words)
	TAKE IN TOW - AKE(pain) in TINT(cast), OW(aargh!)
18	Holy humbug! Drink up, a German wife burst in (8, two words)
	PIA FRAUS - SIP(drink) reversed, with A, FRAU inside
20	Stormy Daniels went very slowly (7)
	SNAILED - anagram of DANIELS, and a topical reference to the pleasant politics of my adopted country... sigh
21	Principal of conservators loads fragments (6)
	CLASTS - C~~(onservators)~~, LASTS(loads)
22	Sharpen up one making first appearance with trumpet (6)
	DE-BLUR - DEB(debutante, one making first appearance), LUR(trumpet)
24	Le Manoir’s dainty is minute packing a bit of gorgeousness, agreed (6)
	MIGNON - MIN(minute) containing G~~(orgeousness)~~, ON(agreed)
25	Measure US prosecutor up for erstwhile award (6)
	ADDEEM - MEED(measure), DA(District Attorney) all reversed
27	Language with a couple of laughable fallacies (5)
	IDOLA - IDO(language) and the first two letters of LAughable

Well I found this a bit like eating a piece of cake during a walk in the park with a gentle breeze blowing whilst swiping tasty candy from passing babies with a load of children running around enjoying child's play and rehearsing their ABCs and 123s. Perhaps it could have been a PB if someone hadn't called me unexpectedly in the middle and busted my concentration. As it was I think it took me about 7 minutes but it felt like it should have been 5. One of these days I am going to seal myself in an isolation tube and do it under strictest exam conditions and really try and trim some flesh off the clock. But for now all I can say is that I found it very easy by my own lights and I am sure some of you others hardly even had to open your bleary eyes or lift your worn out fingers.

The main structure was composed of several juicy, low-hanging anagrams that fairly screamed out their identity and paid out in cascading jackpots of checkers. Add to this some straightforward hidden words and double definitions and a smattering of slightly less obvious clues and you have a recipe for pie. As in easy.

But for all that this was a fun puzzle, and as we have often said before it's great for all you beginners out there to have something you can really get your teeth into. Meanwhile all you experienced PB-hunters can blaze away and fill your tucker bags to your hearts' content. Many thanks to Hurley, I found it most enjoyable, and I hope that the whole spectrum of Monday-morning solvers did too.

FOI was 1A as you might expect in a puzzle of this sort. And I think also the LOI was appropriately enough 20D. But that was not because I did everything in absolute sequence. I didn't do that, but not for the normal reason of finding a clue too difficult at first and moving on. It was more because I kept sort of seeing clues out of the corner of my eye (mostly the large anagrams) that solved themselves while I was thinking about another clue*. So then I would jump to that clue next to fill it in out of sequence and then have to backtrack to do the others. And then what was left at the end but just that last little minnow waiting to be gobbled up.

OK, going a bit off piste there, so getting back on track I think my COD was 22A. Half an anagram, bit of sports GK, nice twist in the surface and an overall pleasing mental image.

Definitions are underlined and everything else is explained just as I see it.

*Hmmm. Solving one clue while thinking about another? Reminds me a bit of the classic advice for keeping a monogamous relatioship alive. And before you start lamenting my smutty mind, I should tell you that the thought has only just come to me now because it came up in an article in this very paper not more than a week ago.

Across
1	Snack costs — a top rip off (6,6)
	POTATO CRISPS - a simple anagram to kick off with: COSTS A TOP RIP rearranged ('off'). Reminds me of the famous graffito anagram back in the 70s: CATS LIKE PLAIN CRISPS. Those were the days.
8	Assistant catching second stage whisper (5)
	ASIDE - AIDE (assistant) 'catching' S (second).
9	Senior common room raised the French moral doubt (7)
	SCRUPLE - SCR (Senior Common Room) + UP (raised) + LE (French definite article).
10	Had meal Greek character brought over (3)
	ATE - ETA, seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, reversed ('brought over').
11	Most likely to drop off pastries in wintry weather (9)
	SLEEPIEST - who's eaten all the PIES in this SLEET (wintry weather)?
13	Woodland creature upsets a tyrant to some extent (5)
	SATYR - Hidden word: upsetS A TYRant. OK well I suppose it is a creature, but a mythical one. As James Thurber said: "The unicorn is a mythical beast..." Same for the satyr. And it sets off a string of memories and connections for me. First, I went to see The Merchant of Venice the other day, which reminded me of The Jew of Malta, which reminded me of Christopher Marlowe, which reminded me of The Troublesome Reign and Lamentable Death of Edward the Second, King of England, which has the lines "My men, like satyrs grazing on the lawn/Shall with their goats' feet dance the antic hay", which reminds me of Aldous Huxley's Antic Hay, which quotes the lines on its title page, and which is how I first came across them back in the day when I just used to read everything I could in an endlessly exciting daisy chain of literature where one thing always referenced another, which led to another, and another. Sorry, this is turning out to be one of those nostalgic days for me. I'd better not get started on the difference between satyrs and fauns and Mr Tumnus in The Lion, the Witch and The Wardrobe or I'll be here all day.
14	Snake putting two and two together? (5)
	ADDER - well that's fairly simple, isn't it. Do I need to explain?
16	Excellent trees in front of Gallery? About right (5-4)
	FIRST-RATE - FIRS (trees) 'in front of' TATE (gallery) 'about' R (right).
17	Small boy is cunning (3)
	ART - if ARTHUR is a boy, then his contraction, ART, may cryptically be a 'small' boy.
19	Way out involving Apollo, disregarding odds? A feat! (7)
	EXPLOIT - EXIT (way out) 'involving' PLO (the even letters of APOLLO, i.e. 'disregarding the odds').
21	Bankrupt agent abandoning resistance in end (5)
	BROKE - a BROKER is an agent. Disregard the R at the end (resistance as in Ohm's Law, V = IR) and there you have it.
22	Yell on poor football team: they’re looking for a match? (6,6)
	LONELY HEARTS - anagram of YELL ON = LONELY, plus HEARTS, as in the Scottish football team Heart of Midlothian. Note that the anagrind is 'poor' and thus no football fans have been offended in the setting of this clue.

Down
1	Some hoopla, zany, in public area (5)
	PLAZA - another hidden word: hooPL A ZAny.
2	Merit rest — could be three months (9)
	TRIMESTER - another anagram. MERIT REST 'could be' TRIMESTER.
3	Worked over true rates: valuable find (8-5)
	TREASURE-TROVE - and another one. OVER TRUE RATES 'worked' becomes TREASURE TROVE.
4	Money initially earned with type of nut (6)
	CASHEW - CASH (money) + EW (initials of Earned With).
5	Label, epic, rare, potentially unique (13)
	IRREPLACEABLE - keep hitting me with those anagrams! Go ahead, I can take it! LABEL EPIC RARE 'potentially'.
6	Music for Dad (3)
	POP - double definition.
7	One advising soldiers on hill (6)
	MENTOR - MEN (soldiers) 'on' (in this down clue) TOR (hill).
12	Effort to finish with ultimately fine favour — start to go off (9)
	ENDEAVOUR - END (to finish) + E (ultimately finE) + AVOUR (fAVOUR with the 'start' going off).
13	Become gentle, beginning to soothe frequently (6)
	SOFTEN - S (beginning to Soothe) + OFTEN (frequently).
15	Insignificant attempt to support friend (6)
	PALTRY - TRY (attempt) 'supporting' (in this down clue) PAL (friend).
18	Lock of hair given emphasis — not the first (5)
	TRESS - STRESS (emphasis), but 'not the first' gives TRESS.
20	In favour of person getting paid (3)
	PRO - double definition. PRO means for, and is also short for professional and prostitute. Take your pick as to whom you prefer to pay!

Time: 45 minutes
Music: Stan Getz, Sweet Rain

My time may not seem that great, but my last 30 minutes were spent on a single clue. If I had happened to see it right away, then my time would have been very good indeed. Is there an element of luck in solving? Maybe there is. What if in the Championship finals, the formidable Magoo was confronted with something he simply didn't know, and there was no easy way to figure out from the cryptic? Someone else might know it, and then then there would be a tremendous roar from the crowd as the new champion was crowned.

Just don't count on it. As the cynic once said, "I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill....but that's the way to bet on it!"

Across
1	Bill promises to pay after new dog first becomes aggressive (10)
	PUGNACIOUS - PUG + N + A/C + IOUS, a collection of the usual elements.
6	Missile Soviets introduced — something to chew over? (4)
	SCUD - S[oviet] + CUD.
9	Bridge players tremble receiving intelligence agency’s note (10)
	SEMIQUAVER - S,E (M1) QUAVER, an answer that many solvers will biff as soon as they see 'tremble' and 'note'.
10	Precipitation beginning to settle at present (4)
	SNOW - S[ettle] + NOW, one from the Quickie
12	Noble widow’s party bet, mostly payable before game (7,7)
	DOWAGER DUCHESS - DO + WAGER + DU[e] + CHESS.
14	Novelist bringing Worthing’s alter ego way to the front? (6)
	STERNE - ERNEST, with ST brought to the front.
15	Eg Brunel’s technique ultimately, never without spirit (8)
	ENGINEER - [techniqu]E + N(GIN)EER, another biffable clue.
17	Impartial peacekeepers stationed around India (8)
	UNBIASED - UN + B(I)ASED.
19	A better article in French about S American mammal (6)
	ALPACA - A CAP LA backward, another one I biffed.
22	Keeping register back, risks joint state office (14)
	CHANCELLORSHIP - CHANCE(ROLL backwards)S + HIP
24	TV award this writer rejected? Goodness! (4)
	EMMY - ME backwards + MY.
25	Tufted material originally clicked with Shetland, town right away (10)
	CANDLEWICK - C[licked] AND LE[r]WICK, a very tricky one, probably, for many solvers.
26	Not any composition left unfinished! (4)
	NONE - NONE[t]. I nearly biffed 'nary' until I read the rest of the clue.
27	Touch down on river following try-out of plane (4,6)
	TEST FLIGHT - TEST + F + LIGHT.

Down
1	Classy naval NCO’s husband (4)
	POSH - PO'S, H, i.e. Pilot Officer.
2	Yellow ducks, for example, seen around marsh (7)
	GAMBOGE - GAM(BOG)E, where 'ducks' are not OO or OS for once.
3	Contact — a whimsical-sounding one touring north (12)
	ACQUAINTANCE - Sounds like A QUAINT + A(N)CE.
4	Woman identifies with first murder victim (6)
	ISABEL - IS ABEL.
5	High-class writer with tailless dog, standing erect (8)
	UPENDING - U PEN + DING[o].
7	Acknowledge record formerly held by English (7)
	CONCEDE - C(ONCE)D + E. How many times do I have to tell them that a CD is the opposite of a record?
8	With the current duke, have new master (10)
	DOWNSTREAM - D + OWN + anagram of MASTER
11	Weakness in a country novel the Spanish girl finally digested (8,4)
	ACHILLES HEEL - A CHIL([gir]L)E + SHE + EL, a very complicated cryptic for an answer nearly everyone will biff.
13	Shield university kept in battered chest once (10)
	ESCUTCHEON - U in an anagram of CHEST ONCE, another easily biffable answer.
16	Revealing falsehood suppressed by one of the Archers? (8)
	TELLTALE - TELL + TALE, where, as usual, the 'Archers' are not a TV series, but actual archers.
18	Officer’s servant engaging old person in row, perhaps? (7)
	BOATMAN - B(O)ATMAN, a setter over at the other place.
20	Enduring a heartless injunction (7)
	ABIDING - A + BID[d]ING.
21	Help tidy up school appeal? (6)
	COEDIT - COED + IT, in the usual cryptic senses. This was my LOI. I was trying everything I could think of until I put in COYDIT, and suddenly I saw what it must be. I admit, I was looking for some sort of school slang, and got the completely wrong end of the clue.
23	Meet round rear of Garrick for burlesque (4)
	SKIT - S([garric]K)IT. 'Sit' in the sense that Parliament sits.

Clicked a few seconds over 10 minutes whilst working on LOI 20ac. A fair smattering of anagrams and a dog reference or two made this a pleasant solve. As I can’t see anything else in the grid, the two words appearing in the 'unchers' in columns 1 and 3 may be coincidental.

ACROSS

7. BRAISE - cook. (B)eautiful, boost (RAISE).
8. RINGER - bell. A ringer is also an exact likeness.
9. APSE - part of church. (S)ervice embraced by primate (APE).
10. STERLING - great (great/sterling service). Homophone of the Scottish city Stirling.
11. DISPIRIT - dampen. Anagram (treated) of STRIP ID to absorb iodine (I).
13. SOFA - comfy seat. Very (SO) big (FA)t shortened (without the last letter).
15. LEVI - OT character. In Bib(LE VI)llified.
16. DECISIVE - crucial. Month (DEC), is (IS) followed by I have (IVE).
18. PLETHORA - large amount. Anagram (shifted) of OTHER PAL.
20. TART - double definition - biting/acidic/tart and tart=pie.
21. AT ONCE - immediately. Make amends (ATONE) admitting (C)rimes.
22. GREASY - fatty. The ends of puddin(G) and dinne(R), piece of cake (EASY).

DOWN.

1. GRAPHITE - form of carbon. Greek character (PHI) found in fireplace (GRATE).
2. SIDE-SPLITTING - hilarious. Team (SIDE), disbanding (SPLITTING).
3. GEYSER - hot spring. Homophone (talked about) of bloke - geezer.
4. PRIEST - minister. Is interfering (PRIES), documen(T).
5. ENGLISH SETTER - dog. Anagram (agitated) of IN SHELTER GETS. I hadn’t heard of this breed a of setter - it has a white coat speckled with liver, brown, or yellowish markings.
6. NEON - gas. Anagram (spreading) of NONE.
12. ICE - something frozen. That is (IE) with cold heart (C in the middle).
14. FEVERISH - frantic (e.g. haste). Always (EVER) in the midst of swimmers (FISH).
16. DROVER - one moving sheep perhaps. Five hundred (D) with dog (ROVER).
17. CHARGE - double definition. Price/charge for some work, fill up (a glass/electric car).
19. LOTS - many. Plans lacking initially p(LOTS).

My solving time was just over an hour but this was yet again a technical DNF and I seem to be missing one answer in far too many puzzles at the moment. An easy run through the RH side gave me a false sense of security but I really struggled with some clues in the other half. 22ac was the one that did for me, and even after referring to the standard aids at my disposal it defeated me. More about that in the blog. I'd say there are a few scrappy bits of clueing going on here but it was an interesting puzzle and enjoyable on the whole.

As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]

Across
1	The Italian used in one northern location's flawless (8)
	UNSPOILT - IL (the, Italian) contained by [used in] 'UN (one, northern) + SPOT (location). I struggled to parse this with N clued by 'northern' but it left me with 'U' unaccounted for in the answer and 'one' surplus to requirements in the clue. I then figured that UN ('un) stands for 'one' and 'northern' indicates that it's dialect as spoken 'oop North'. Collins supports my first assumption (a spelling of one e.g. that's a big 'un - this spelling is intended to reflect a dialectal or informal pronunciation) but doesn't say that it's necessarily northern in origin. I'm pretty sure Cockerneys say it too.
5	Allows senior relative time with son (6)
	GRANTS - GRAN (senior relative), T (time), S (son)
8	Devalue time reduced in praise (10)
	ADULTERATE - TER{m} (time) [reduced] contained by [in] ADULATE (praise)
9	Audible drop in level (4)
	TIER - Sounds like [audible] "tear" (drop)
10	Stories well expressed with changing characters? (14)
	ANAGRAMMATICAL - ANA (stories), GRAMMATICAL (well expressed)
11	Holy ground covered in East European event (7)
	EPISODE - PI (holy) + SOD (ground) contained by [covered in] E (East) + E (European). I rather liked the juxtaposition of PI and SOD, bearing in mind that 'pi' usually carries overtones of affected piety and pretence at sanctity.
13	Genuine freedom missing first article put out (7)
	RELEASE - RE{a}L (genuine) + EASE (freedom) [missing first article - the first A]
15	Learner in house left mini parked outside? (7)
	SCHOLAR - S + CAR (mini) contains [parked outside] HO (house) + L (left). Some devious clueing going on here I think, with 'mini' giving us S (small) CAR. It's indirect wordplay so perhaps a little too devious, but quite clever in its way and the answer is easily biffable.
18	Gives nod when ordered south (7)
	ASSENTS - AS (when), SENT (ordered), S (south)
21	Senselesstrying to kill Dracula? (3,3,3,5)
	OUT FOR THE COUNT - A straight definition with reference to a knockout in boxing, followed by a whimsical one that's somewhat loose as 'out for somebody' doesn't really imply murderous intent.
22	Bizarre character / one receiving treatment (4)
	CASE - This was the one I eventually gave up on. I didn't stand a chance at the first definition, which the ODO has as 'dated, informal: an amusing or eccentric person'. I may have considered CASE to fit the second definition but was unable to square it with the first part of the clue and continued to look for something better. An alphabet trawl proved impossible with (as I discovered later) 160 possibilities to fit ?A?E, so as the hour appeared on the timer I abandoned my quest and revealed the answer.
23	Somehow, one uncle came to be advocating unity (10)
	ECUMENICAL - Anagram [somehow] of I (one) UNCLE CAME. More indirect wordplay with one letter of the anagrist (I) needing to be derived from a word in the clue. It would have been better in my view for 'one = I' to have been indicated as contained in the rearranged anagrist.
24	See energy returning in an American god (6)
	AEOLUS - LO (see) + E (energy) reversed [returning] contained by [in] A (an) + US (American). I'd never heard of this son of Poseidon so I was pleased to construct his rather unlikely-looking name from wordplay and then to discover it was correct.
25	Ends meeting US and Jordan scuppered (8)
	ADJOURNS - Anagram [scuppered] of US JORDAN.Hm. Again I feel the definition is not quite tight enough as 'adjourn' means to end a session or part of a meeting.

Down
1	Ignorant to have no starter with fish dishes? (7)
	UNAWARE - {t}UNA (fish) [no starter], WARE (dishes - for example, hence the question mark)
2	Easily shocked girl caught up in crush (9)
	SQUEAMISH - MAE (girl) reversed [caught up] contained by [in] SQUISH (crush). A somewhat obscure random girl, but a certain Miss West appears here often enough for it not to be entirely off the radar.
3	Over moon securing new pitch for province (7)
	ONTARIO - O (over) + IO (moon) containing [securing] N (new) + TAR (pitch)
4	Musketeer shortly to appear in the French city (7)
	LARAMIE - ARAMI{s} (musketeer) [shortly] contained by [to appear in] LE (the, French). Who remembers THE MAN FROM LARAMIE as sung by Jimmy Young in 1955?
5	Being famous embarrassed sergeants (9)
	GREATNESS - Anagram [embarrassed] of SERGEANTS. Is 'famous' the same as 'great'?
6	Diplomat with strong desire to drink? The opposite! (7)
	ATTACHE - The idea seems to be that having A TT ACHE (where TT stands for teetotal/teetotaller) would be the opposite of having a strong desire (ache) to drink . If I have understood this clue correctly the definition doesn't really work as I'm pretty sure that in the unlikely event I became TT I would have a very strong desire to drink, at least for a while. Also I think the first A needs to be clued.
7	Likely backer where climbers need training (7)
	TRELLIS - A cryptic definition that assumes the framework is at the back of the climbers that it supports
12	Do seances upset churchwoman? (9)
	DEACONESS - Anagram [upset] of DO SEANCES
14	Speaker on box perhaps runs after female cat (9)
	ANNOUNCER - ANN (female), OUNCE (cat), R (runs)
16	Vocal required in revolutionary hymn (7)
	CHORALE - ORAL (vocal) contained by [required in] CHE (revolutionary)
17	Nothing on the table? I'll make porridge! (7)
	OATMEAL - 0 (nothing) AT MEAL (on the table)
18	Embarrassed because pressman eats meat (7)
	ASHAMED - AS (because) + ED (pressman) contains [eats] HAM (meat)
19	Duettist from Home Counties Tory party? (7)
	SECONDO - SE (Home Counties), CON (Tory), DO (party). The person who plays the lower register part in a keyboard duet.
20	Agrees on views about total regularly taken (7)
	SETTLES - SEES (views) containing [about] T{o}T{a}L [regularly taken]

This one certainly fits the bill of quick cryptic. Plenty to enjoy along the way too; I would pick out the two clever anagrams at 3dn and 8dn in particular. Good to see multiple uses of the same letter or word clued in different ways ('s' = 'son' and 'small'; 'l' = 'line' = 'rope') - it pays to keep multiple hypotheses alive at once when starting out. On blogging, I notice that this puzlle is also a masterclass in subtracting/replacing single letters. Thanks Joker.

Definitions underlined.

Across
1	Undercover spy misplaced clue? It’s a little matter (8)
	MOLECULE - MOLE (undercover soy) and an anagram of (misplaced) CLUE.
5	Decorates cake slices not using small lines (4)
	ICES - slICES missing (not using) 's' (small) and 'l' (line(s)).
9	Frequently become less harsh when son’s not present (5)
	OFTEN - sOFTEN (become less harsh) missing (not present) 's' (son).
10	Some disastrous error is appropriate (7)
	TROUSER - hidden in (some) disasTROUS ERror. The definition is 'to appropriate' = 'to take possession of'.
11	Worked on in secret, it becomes a road junction (12)
	INTERSECTION - anagram of (worked) ON IN SECRET IT.
13	Where we are in line, following EU? (6)
	EUROPE - ROPE (line) after (following) EU.
15	One who’s dubbed king before the end of the day (6)
	KNIGHT - K (king) before NIGHT (the end of the day).
17	Experimental set-ups in Labour chapels (12)
	LABORATORIES - LAB (labour) and ORATORIES (chapels).
20	More understandable about Shakespearean king and queen (7)
	CLEARER - C (circa, about), LEAR (Shakespearean king), and ER (queen).
21	Complete tons of tests assessing liabilities at first (5)
	TOTAL - first letters of (at first) Tons Of Tests Assessing Liabilities.
22	Flourish when bran’s left out for recipe (4)
	DISH - branDISH (flourish) missing (left out) bran.
23	A number refuse to accept Conservative drift (8)
	TENDENCY - TEN (a number), then DENY (refuse) surrounding (to accept) C (conservative).

Down
1	Second working satellite around the earth (4)
	MOON - MO (moment, second) and ON (working).
2	Language the French can put together (5)
	LATIN - LA ('the' in french) and TIN (can).
3	Retro company needs restructuring to become this? (12)
	CONTEMPORARY - anagram of (needs restructuring) RETRO COMPANY.
4	Most recent cricket match in California? (6)
	LATEST - L.A. TEST (perhaps a cricket (test) match in Los Angeles, California).
6	Estimating the price of company swindle (7)
	COSTING - CO (company) and STING (swindle).
7	Good quality that comes from being 8 (8)
	STRENGTH - double definition. The opposite of a weakness (good quality) and what comes from being 8dn.
8	Decent carton redesigned and made stronger (12)
	CONCENTRATED - anagram of (redesigned) DECENT CARTON.
12	Succeeded getting travelling salesman tied up (8)
	REPLACED - REP (travelling salesman) and LACED (tied up).
14	Those who steal erasers to make one change? (7)
	ROBBERS - RuBBERS (erasers) swapping the 'u' for an 'O' (making one change).
16	Look to eat little volume and go very hungry (6)
	STARVE - STARE (look) surrounding (to eat) an abbreviations for (little) Volume.
18	Defeated, beheaded and consumed (5)
	EATEN - bEATEN (defeated) without the first letter (beheaded).
19	A partner each and every year (4)
	ALLY - ALL (each and every) and Y (year).

A twenty minute stroll, but a few tricky ones to parse once the answers were plucked from the likely-box; 17a, 18a, 3d, 15d for example. A pleasant if not demanding puzzle for a Wednesday, I don't expect to see orange on the SNITCH.
The definition / meaning of 6a may be new to some, as may be the geography of the far end of Wales, but the wordplay is clear enough. I think I like 18a best, for its neat but misleading surface.

Across
1	Soldier wearing suitable American equipment (9)
	APPARATUS - PARA = soldier, has APT around it, then US.
6	Unskilled work from son of afflicted man? (5)
	MCJOB - JOB was afflicted, needing patience, so McJob could be his son... a bit odd but different I suppose.
9	Trick cyclist performs in bin (7)
	WHEELIE - Double definition.
10	How unmarried couples used to live, swallowing extremely unusual hormone (7)
	INSULIN - Couples used to live IN SIN, they swallow U L being the first and last letters of UnusuaL.
11	Squirrel away almost months in terrible weather (5)
	STORM - STORE loses its E, adds M for months.
12	Take fish with rod, it’s plain (9)
	PIKESTAFF - PIKE = fish, STAFF = rod. A pikestaff was carried by a pilgrim, so plainly showed his situation, the word was corrupted from PACKSTAFF it seems.
13	Provided with backing, cease being addict (5)
	FIEND - IF is reversed then END = cease. Fiend in the sense of 'he's a golfing fiend / addict'.
14	Academy dancers after trainingwere very nervous (3,6)
	RAN SCARED - RA = Royal Academy, (DANCERS)*.
17	Provincial shopping centre in the way now made to move (5-4)
	SMALL-TOWN - MALL = shopping centre, inside ST = the way, then (NOW)* = now made to move.
18	Less threatening, to be deprived of all love (5)
	MINUS - OMINOUS = threatening, loses both its O's.
19	Conspirator hanged: rope splits in two, we hear (3,6)
	GUY FAWKES - Sounds like GUY (= rope) FORKS = splits in two.
22	Discharge returned bill first, producing capital (5)
	ACCRA - AC = bill, account, then ARC reversed. Capital of Ghana. I wanted to get in ABUJA at first just because I knew it had replaced Lagos.
24	Part of opera, some number about sailor from foreign land (7)
	ARABIAN - ARIA = part of opera, N = some number, insert our AB sailor, an Arabian is from a foreign land, if you're not currently in Arabia I suppose, a bit of a weak definition.
25	Giant in forest wore odd pants (7)
	REDWOOD - No Ents or Sibelius trees, simply the Giant Redwood tree as in California. (WORE ODD)*.
26	Detective, modest and attractive (5)
	DISHY - DI = detective, SHY = modest.
27	Proverbs about heroin that are employed by the chippy (9)
	SAWHORSES - SAWS are proverbs, around HORSE slang for heroin.

Down
1	Formerly a hated symbol broken in half (2,3)
	AS WAS - A, half of SWASTIKA. Neat.
2	Remarkable events in empty patch with flower springing up (9)
	PHENOMENA - P H = patch 'emptied', then ANEMONE reversed. Maybe I will now remember not to spell Anemone Anenome.
3	Look right up across unnamed newspaper, for example (4,5)
	ROLE MODEL - LO = look, R, reversed, = ROL, around LE MO(N)DE = newspaper losing its N for name.
4	The turf an object of derision for Cambridge college? (3,5,2,5)
	THE SPORT OF KINGS - Cryptic definition. I can see the Kings bit but not sure why SPORT equals derision, unless it's 'having sport at the expense of' meaning deriding?
5	Scarcities known to be artificialare unacceptable (5,2,4,4)
	STICK IN ONES CRAW - (SCARCITIES KNOWN)*.
6	Doctors succeeded saving European national leader (5)
	MOSES - MOS are doctors, S = succeeded, insert an E for European.
7	No new sort of calendar girl (5)
	JULIA - the JULIAN calendar loses its N.
8	Carelessly, behind sofa husband dropped proof of honesty (4,5)
	BONA FIDES - (BE IND SOFA)*, the H for husband dropped from the anagram fodder.
13	Port that protects marine resource? (9)
	FISHGUARD - Slightly witty cryptic definition, although having been through Fishguard many times going to and from Rosslare, there's nothing very amusing there, it's dull and at the far end of Wales.
15	In mock game, have decided to be inconsistent (4-3-2)
	COME-AND-GO - COD = mock, GO a game, insert MEAN = have decided, in the sense of 'I mean to go to Tesco'.
16	Meet rhyme for first clue? (3,6)
	RUN ACROSS - Seems to me this is supposed to be a rhyme for ONE ACROSS but if that's all there is to it, not a great challenge.
20	I agree about returning thanks for poet (5)
	YEATS - TA reversed inside YES I agree.
21	A college year provides friendship (5)
	AMITY - A, MIT (Mass. Inst. of Tech.), Y for year.
23	Chain of human descent not complete (5)
	ANDES - Today's hidden word in HUM(AN DES)CENT.

I found this quite a challenge, and took just over 30 minutes to complete. I gained the impression that there were rather more first and last letter bits of wordplay than we normally get, and a decent number of reverses to go with them. The vocabulary is interesting, and includes both virtues and vices jostling for space in the grid Definitions range from the broad – “food” in 3d, “several Asian countries” in 24a and “works” in 1d - to the “you what?” school, such as “accoutrement” in 19a and (in a different way) “address” in 18a. But there are some fine surfaces: I especially liked the religious text books in 26a, 16d and 17d.

Here’s how I see it all, with clues, definitions and SOLUTIONS

Across

1 Ruler knocked back a drink with a piece of meat (8)

MAHARAJA The version without the final H, which looks slightly odd. A drink: JAR and A piece of meat: HAM all reversed, or knocked back

5 Feverish, eating old tropical root (6)

MANIOC Feverish supplies MANIC, insert O(ld)

9 Antiquated writer, nearly on time, stood still (8)

TRANQUIL the aged writer nearly give QUIL, Time prides the T, and stood produces RAN, as in stood for president. Assemble in a believable order.

10 Iron Lady felt accoutrement (6)

FEDORA Accoutrement is just (about) a posh word for something to wear. Chambers gives no less than 4 spellings and “dress or other items for a particular activity” which here, together with the felt (as in material) is meant to suggest FEDORA. Just as well the wordplay, iron: FE plus random lady DORA is easier.

12 What bird’s brought back as an offering (5)

TITHE What as in “pardon” gives EH, and the bird is a TIT. Conflate and reverse

13 A garment jockeys ultimately knit for nag (9)

TERMAGANT Anagram (jockeys) of A GARMENT plus the ultimate in knit. The word derives from a name for a supposed Muslim deity turning up in medieval morality plays and by transference to any violent or quarrelsome person, eventually applied to shrewish women, hence the nag bit. Look, I only report this stuff, I’m not making any value judgement. An easy word to misspell, so be grateful for (and careful with) the wordplay.

14 Crook I detect pinching crockery is keen to have it (12)

CONCUPISCENT Needed all the checkers to give up the idea that crook was an anagram indicator. Crook is our beloved CON, I detect is not anagrist but I SCENT, and together they bracket CUP as a representative piece of crockery. The whole is one of today’s collection of deadly sins, lust.

18 First class mail: a fellow’s put in guy’s address (12)

APOSTROPHISES In an address, suddenly takes a side turning onto a different subject, digresses, like the American Bishop at the wedding of the year. The structure is first class: A, mail: post, (belonging to ) a fellow: HIS contained in guys ROPES.

21 Soccer pitches around the side get noisier (9)

CRESCENDO Full marks to the setter for getting the definition right. Everybody else (especially soccer commentators) thinks it’s something you rise to. It’s an anagram (pitches) of SOCCER set around END for side.

23 Rival soldiers retreating in case of emergency (5)

ENEMY Soldiers are MEN (other genders are available) and they retreat into the “case” of EmergencY

24 Several Asian countries rating boring stage number (6)

ARABIA The rating is our A(ble) S(eaman) and the (opera) stage number an ARIA. One bores into the other.

25 Thus doctor's about to crack clue, the last (8)

HINDMOST Thus: SO, doctor MD , together reversed (about) into clue: HINT

26 Religious text books, unspecified ones (6)

LITANY A set of prayers and responses which has also become in contemporary parlance a list of complaints (so not that different, then). Books are LIT(erature) unspecified: ANY

27 Afflict one woman after a lot of hassle (8)

AGGRIEVE Our second random (or perhaps quintessential) woman is EVE, coming after 1 (one) and before that most of AGGRo hassle.

Down

1 Little piece by Tallis wanting content for works (6)

MOTETS The little piece is MOTE, and TalliS wanting content provides the TS

2 Man, pretentious or friendly? (6)

HEARTY Maybe a bit of a step from friendly, via a more dated meaning of cordial, from the heart. Man is the generic HE, ant pretentious: ARTY

3 Food from queen breaking eggs with a lot of strength (9)

ROQUEFORT The eggs are/is ROE, Queen supplies the QU. Strength is FORTe, (one’s premier skill, perhaps), of which you only need a lot, but not all.

4 Where people save reefer jacket for aristocratic noble (5,7)

JOINT ACCOUNT Mrs Z and I have one, but it’s hardly for savings, though we’ll let that pass. Reffer is JOINT, jacket for AristocratiC provides the AC, and the noble here is a COUNT.

6 Palm wrapped in threadbare cambric (5)

ARECA Today’s hidden (thankfully, it may not be all that common a word) in threadbARE Cambric. Thanks to the setter for reminding me of my camberwick debacle of a couple of days ago.

7 Motto of procrastinator who's obsessed by image? (8)

IDOLATER An oldie but goldie. I DO LATER.

8 Avoiding relations in populous area without a lot of hurry (8)

CHASTITY The relations being, you know, thingy. The populous area is CITY, and a lot of hurry is HASTe. Insert one into the other, or in this case, don’t.

11 Mouths laughing noisily in sport (12)

TRAPSHOOTING Surprisingly (to me anyway) not hyphenated. TRAPS from mouths, and the noisy laughing is HOOTING

15 Buyer tours empty units one keeps stocking up (9)

SUSPENDER Buyer is SPENDER, and once again we have a first /last letter combination, empty UnitS.

16 Jeer welcomes Head of Harrow in comprehensive (5-3)

CATCH-ALL Jeer is CATCALL, and the head of Harrow is inserted.

17 Desire to receive family member's agreement (8)

COVENANT (To) desire is to COVET, our second deadly sin, and it embraces NAN as a family member.

19 Put down journalist holding printed work up (6)

DEMOTE Journalist is almost always ED, today holding TOME for printed work and all reversed “up”

20 Plant borders in mainly radiant landscape (6)

MYRTLE Not just one but three words provide their first and last (borders) MainlY RadianT LandscapE

22 Man in Genesis covering Queen or The Stones? (5)

CAIRN Your man in Genesis (chapter 4, as it happens) is CAIN, firstborn of Eve and fratricide. Queen this time is just R.

Phil Collins (Genesis) played drums with Queen for Radio Gaga at the Party at the Palace 2002. Both Phil Collins and the Stones covered the Temptations’ Ain’t Too Proud to Beg. So the surface isn’t completely farfetched, and no doubt our more erudite crew can supply more connections. Fun.

I was bang on my target for this good quality puzzle, but there was a bit of trickery and misdirection so I'd say it was a touch on the harder side. The misdirection was of a very satisfying type, with smooth surface readings having to be dissected, such as the "on" in 1ac, the "in" in 18ac, and the S.A. in 11ac. The simple advice when meeting a device like the anagram indicator at 3d is to learn the idea, enjoy the idea, and praise the English language! Good puzzle, much enjoyed, many thanks to Flamande!

Across
1	Sun lounger on front of cruise ship (8)
	RECLINER - RE (on, about, etc.) C (front of Cruise) LINER (ship)
5	Healthy food rejected for the most part, unfortunately (4)
	ALAS - SALAD (healthy food, usually) rejected/reversed, for the most part = dock the last letter.
8	Father joins retired teacher in European capital (5)
	PARIS - PA (father) joins RIS (SIR = teacher. retired = reversed)
9	Course advisor organised trips covering half term (7)
	TIPSTER - Anagram (organised) of TRIPS covering TE ("half" of TERM)
11	Leader of Salvation Army gutted, for instance (3)
	SAY - S (Leader of Salvation) AY (ArmY, gutted = remove the innards)
12	Remembering the vocation of a teacher of religion? (9)
	RECALLING - Having an "R.E. calling" could indeed be the vocation of a teacher of religion.
13	Leave city of London area beset by "rising" problem? (6)
	DECAMP - EC (City of London) beset/surrounded by DAMP (as in the problem of rising damp)
15	Disturbance in Cajun restaurant (6)
	UNREST - "in" the letters of cajUN RESTaurant.
18	Money expert in more stylish clothing (9)
	FINANCIER - IN (in) has FANCIER (more stylish) clothing. Read a bit like a telegram: 'in, "more stylish" enveloping'.
19	Mongrel's successful treatment after losing tail (3)
	CUR - CURE (successful treatment) loses its tail / last letter.
20	Assumed visitor is to be announced (7)
	GUESSED - sounds ("to be announced") like GUEST (visitor)
21	Overly masculine Scottish fellow with small house (5)
	MACHO - MAC (Scottish fellow) with HO. (small/abbreviated house)
22	Taste less than half of small citrus fruit (4)
	TANG - less than half of TANG~~ERINE~~ (small citrus fruit)
23	Inclination to write song (8)
	PENCHANT - PEN (write) CHANT (song)

Down
1	Did more work as artist's model and took a break (7)
	REPOSED - to do more work as an artist's model would be to RE-POSE.
2	Transport vehicle on railway (5)
	CARRY - CAR (vehicle) on RY (railway)
3	Interns must supply scalpels perhaps (11)
	INSTRUMENTS - Anagram (supply) of INTERNS MUST. If something is made supple, it becomes supple-y: a whimsical little device (like a number being a thing that numbs) that will surely flummox you the first time you see it. I can't think of a similar "-y" trick off the top of my head, but I'm vaguely sure there are some. Any examples appreciated!
4	Attract tourists, principally, in eastern Mediterranean resort (6)
	ENTICE - T (Tourists, "principally") in E(astern) NICE (Med resort)
6	Trio taken short in country road, finding toilet (7)
	LATRINE - TRI (TRIO, taken short) in LANE (country road)
7	Youngster getting into humorous programmes (5)
	SPROG - the answer gets into the letters of humorouS PROGrammes. Of obscure, nautical origin, possibly related to the earlier "sprag", a term for a young cod or salmon, and indeed a lively young fellow, but that doesn't get us very far, as sprag is of equally obscure origin.
10	Description of mum, dad, nan and sis, in a word (11)
	PALINDROMIC - cryptic definition, with all four family members being a palindrome.
14	Canadian adolescent in dining room (7)
	CANTEEN - CAN. (Canadian) TEEN (adolescent)
16	Eject all those in attendance (7)
	TURNOUT - TURN OUT (eject)
17	Bride and I distracted, watching this on camera? (6)
	BIRDIE - Anagram (distracted) of BRIDE and I. Presumably a bird-watching (or possibly golf) reference. Shrug and move on.
18	Scuffle, with fifty missing trip by plane (5)
	FIGHT - (with L (fifty) missing) FLIGHT (trip by plane) - another read-as-a-telegram clue.
19	Two businesses introducing a drink (5)
	COCOA - CO. + CO. (two businesses) introducing A.

A typical witty and thought-provoking crossword from Izetti today, with plenty of practice at cracking cryptic definitions. A couple of fish, a couple of trips abroad, the police and their collaborator, a bit of Greek mythology, some wizardry and a nasty bit of witchcraft feature in the wide range of vocabulary and general knowledge to give us plenty of variety. A couple of new words to me, but the generous wordplay meant I got them fairly easily. Lots of lovely clues so it's hard to pick one, but my vote for Clue Of the Day goes to ROLLS UP. About 1/2 minute over average for me at about 7 minutes, so slightly on the tricky side, but not too much so. Thanks Izetti for a great puzzle! How did you all get on?

Definitions underlined in italics, (ABC)* indicating anagram of ABC, {} deletions and [] other indicators.

Across
1	Part of USA I love — want, not half, to go to it (4)
	IOWA - I O (love) WA{nt} [not half]. See here for things you might want to go to Iowa to see.
3	Fish making one bad tempered? (7)
	SNAPPER - If you are bad-tempered, you might snap at people. Watch out for a "?" at the end of the clue - it generally shows you need some sideways thinking to solve the wordplay.
8	Enjoyment obtained by lady with holy books and friend, in essence (13)
	FUNDAMENTALLY - A neat 4 part charade. FUN (Enjoyment) DAME (lady) NT (New Testament - holy books) ALLY (friend)
9	Knight is recalled by king (3)
	SIR - Turn IS around [recalled] and add R (for Rex - king) and get someone dubbed with a sword, by a king perhaps.
10	One struck perhaps in game (5)
	MATCH - Another bit of cryptic fun (here indicated by "perhaps"). If you want to light your cigar you might strike a MATCH.
12	Country given stamp of approval when holding information back (7)
	SENEGAL - Information in crossword land is often GEN. The stamp of approval is SEAL. Put the former backwards into the latter [holding back] to get the small West African country. The name is said to come from the Wolof phrase sunu gaal, which means "our canoe", resulting from a miscommunication between 15th-century Portuguese sailors and Wolof fishermen.
14	Arrives with something to eat and drink (5,2)
	ROLLS UP - Here's another little trick to watch out for. Sometimes you need to ignore the enumeration of the answer for the wordplay, in this case we combine ROLL (something to eat) and SUP (drink). Nice one.
16	A coastal feature sited inappropriately (5)
	TIDES - Our first anagram - (sited)* [inappropriately].
17	Witchcraft needs redbreast with wings plucked off (3)
	OBI - A new word for me. The redbreast is a {r}OBI{n}. With the outside letters removed [wings plucked off], you get the kind of witchcraftoriginating in Africaandpractised by someWestIndians, also known as Obeah. I hope they don't really do such things to little birds.
20	East Anglian student involved in a row? (9,4)
	CAMBRIDGE BLUE - A cryptic definition (again indicated by the "?"). A rower at the highest level in a Cambridge University boat is awarded a blue.
21	A Tuesday's fare, not fast food by tradition (7)
	PANCAKE - Some more sideways thinking needed here. The Tuesday in question is Shrove Tuesday, the last day of "fat eating" or "gorging" before the fasting period of Len, traditionally celebrated with pancakes in many countries.
22	Officers work in Civil Service (4)
	COPS - Put OP (abbreviation of opus - work) into C.S. (Civil Service) to get a band of Bobbies.

Down
1	Being favoured, yesteryear's collaborator with the police (8)
	INFORMER - Combine IN (being favoured) with FORMER (yesteryear's) to get a nark.
2	Rod, being pale, died (4)
	WAND - WAN (pale) + D (died) gets the sort of rod waved by wizards.
3	Aboard ship try to get a cutting tool (6)
	SHEARS - The ship is SS. Insert (put "aboard") HEAR (try - as in what a judge does) to get the garden implement.
4	Possibilities to change the inhabitants of a community? (12)
	ALTERNATIVES - ALTER (change) NATIVES (the inhabitants of a community). Possibly by invading.
5	Sacked person, initially unwell, deteriorated over time (8)
	PILLAGED - Combine P{erson} [initially] ILL (unwell) and AGED (deteriorated over time) to get what the Visigoths did to Rome.
6	Man's getting sunshine maybe (4)
	RAYS - The man is RAY, which is also a bit of sunshine. Of course there are other sorts of ray, hence the "maybe" to indicate definition by example.
7	As hermits, say, in trouble, creating widespread emotion (4,8)
	MASS HYSTERIA - (as hermits say)* [in trouble] creating something like the dancing plague of 1518 - "a case of dancing mania that occurred in Strasbourg, Alsace (then part of the Holy Roman Empire) in July 1518. Numerous people took to dancing for days without rest, and, over the period of about one month, some of the people died from heart attack, stroke, or exhaustion."
11	Charm of various animals after first bit of training (8)
	TALISMAN - Take T{raining} [first bit] and add (animals)* [various] to get "an object that someone believes holds magical properties that bring good luck to the possessor or protect the possessor from evil or harm".
13	Showing little enthusiasm, cut down on agenda? (8)
	LISTLESS - If you cut down an agenda you would LIST LESS. Nice surface.
15	Willing factotum, European, holding party up (6)
	POODLE - The European is a POLE. Insert DO (party) upwards [holding up] to get a servile lackey.
18	Fish salon's No.1, given trophy (4)
	SCUP - Take S{alon} ['s number one] and add CUP (trophy). A scup is a fish which occurs primarily in the Atlantic from Massachusetts to South Carolina. Also commonly known as a porgy. A new word for me, I think, but I'm not a fisherman.
19	Muse about wild animal losing tail (4)
	CLIO - C (about) LIO{n} wild animal [losing tail]. The Muses, of which Clio is one, are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts in Greek mythology. Clio's domain was history... and thus we end our history lesson for today.

I wasn't on the wavelength for this one - or maybe just shagged out after another long week - taking a little over 10 minutes to finish on paper. And very glad I was to do the paper version too, this time, 23dn being just the kind of clue I'm wont to bang in ("Playwright, _H_W? Done!") and parse post-submit if I'm racing the clock on the electronic version.

FOI 14ac, LOI the rather archaic-sounding phrase at 21ac, COD to 5dn because it's a film I'm always happy to be reminded of. Having written out all the parsings this does generally seem to have been more straightforward really than the heavy weather I made of it, with two absolute chestnuts at 9ac and 25ac, but also enlivened by some entertainingly quirky approaches, especially in the first and last three down clues. Thanks setter for rounding off another week in fine style!

ACROSS

1 Endlessly carp? Coming round in the end (5)
FINIS - FIS{h} [carp?] "coming round" IN

4 Complain luxury boat is unfinished, cutting beauty (9)
BELLYACHE - YACH{t} "cutting" BELLE

9 Champion drink, beer (9)
SUPPORTER - SUP PORTER [drink | beer]

10 Ecosystem merits having this wheat planted in it (5)
EMMER - hidden in {ecosyst}EM MER{its}

11 Depart this earth — left to disappear as soon as possible (4,3,4,2)
FROM THE WORD GO - FROM THE WOR{l}D, GO, losing its L for left

14 Acquire small area for training bats? (4)
NETS - NET S [acquire | small]

15 Hurry up— seems diaper is needed here (4,6)
LOOK SNAPPY - LOOKS NAPPY [seems | diaper]

18 I reuse film running in mixer (10)
EMULSIFIER - (I REUSE FILM*) ["running"]

19 One enters level two (4)
PAIR - I enters PAR [level]

21 “Cast in Chains”— song by The Wretches (3,2,3,5)
LAY BY THE HEELS - LAY [song] BY THE HEELS [wretches]

24 Some island seized by Henry I (5)
HAITI - AIT [island] "seized by" H I, &lit. Thanks to the commenters for untangling the full parsing: Henri Christophe, later Henry I of a Haiti, was a key figure in the local Revolution, and "some island" because Haiti is only half of Hispaniola, sharing it with the Dominican Republic of course. Retroactive Clue of the Day!

25 Outline provided by a stupid judge (9)
ADUMBRATE - A DUMB RATE [a | stupid | judge]

27 Carriage departed before time during endless floods, perhaps (9)
WAGONETTE - GONE before T during WATE{r}

28 Keen to eat old duck (5)
AVOID - AVID to eat O

DOWN
1 What keeps nurse going, perhaps German convenience food (4,6)
FISH FINGER - a nurse is a type of shark, so it may be propelled by a FISH FIN... plus GER [German]

2 Censure over card game (3)
NAP - PAN reversed. The card game also known as Napoleon.

3 Son gets rather mad covered in acne (6)
SPOTTY - S gets POTTY

4 Wealthier gambler not going into work (6,3)
BETTER OFF - BETTER [gambler] + OFF [not at work]

5 Slow and dignified film, but not indispensible (5)
LARGO - KEY LARGO (1948) minus the "key" bit.

6 Conceding Yankee playing cricket has no following (8)
YIELDING - Y + {f}IELDING

7 Pedestrian in public location (11)
COMMONPLACE - double def

8 Mostly ancient member of a noble line (4)
EARL - EARL{y} [ancient (as in "ancient civilisation"), "mostly"]

12 Big loud unit relocated in separate housing (11)
OUTBUILDING - (BIG LOUD UNIT*) ["relocated"]

13 Hotels mounted very intense type of water sport (10)
HYDROSPEED - HYDROS [hotels] + reversed DEEP [very intense]. Aka riverboarding, apparently.

16 Run home to look up family line (4,5)
KEEP HOUSE - reversed PEEK [loop] + HOUSE [family line]

17 Like an old civilisation rains, say, destroyed (8)
ASSYRIAN - (RAINS SAY*) ["destroyed"]

20 Fear ferret I introduced to father (6)
PHOBIA - HOB I "introduced to" PA

22 Fungus certainly turns up after vase is removed (5)
YEAST - YEA [certainly] + reversed T{urn}S - first removing the URN [vase] from the middle

23 Playwright that’s taken round for a staged production (4)
SHOW - (George Bernard) SHAW is the playwright, but taking an O [round] in place of his A.

26 Difficulty of a year that never was (3)
ADO - AD 0 is the infamous year that did *not* fall between 1 BC and AD 1, in the Gregorian/Julian calendar.

Times Cryptic No 27138 - Saturday, 08 September 2018. Tennis, anyone?

Once again I had a full weekend of meetings – don’t mention the tennis! – so I did this in bits and pieces, and have solving time to report. I would guess it rated middle of the road in difficulty for a Saturday. What did others think?

My LOI and clue of the day was 21dn. I liked that “supporter” for once wasn’t just “BRA”, even though I spent far too long trying to work out how to justify an “SS” to attach to the end of “BRA”! When the penny dropped, I loved how the setter told us to delete the excess letters.

Thanks to the setter for a very enjoyable puzzle.

Clues are in blue, with definitions underlined. Answers are in BOLD CAPS, then wordplay. (ABC*) means 'anagram of ABC', with the anagram indicator in bold italics. Deletions are in {curly brackets}.

Across
1 Restrain mongrel beginning to bite (4)
CURB: CUR (mongrel / B (beginning to bite)

4 See controller teasing man on board (10)
ARCHBISHOP: ARCH (teasing) / BISHOP (man on board)

9 Old volume, one to do with choppers belonging to the West (10)
OCCIDENTAL: O (old) / CC (cubic centimetre) / I (one) / DENTAL.

10 Black line that has wrinkles (4)
BROW: B (black) / ROW (line).

11 Nervous, like one about to dive? (2,4)
ON EDGE: double definition.

12 Old king rejected excess cover with trees (8)
AFFOREST: OFFA (old king) reversed (“rejected”) / REST (excess). I originally took “old” to give the “O” as the fourth letter, and then couldn’t think of any kings starting with “F”. D’oh!

14 Dairy product female disposed of, recoiling (4)
FETA: F (female) / ATE (disposed of), reversed (“recoiling”).

15 Walk, run, climb on it (10)
STEPLADDER: STEP (walk) / LADDER (run, as in a stocking).

17 Amateur poet's written about one chap from Riga (10)
DILETTANTE: DANTE (poet) around I (one) / LETT (Latvian, from Riga perhaps).

20 Sidekick's scheme's last to start (4)
AIDE: IDEA (scheme) with A moved to front.

21 Endearing expressionunruly boys use around Lima (5,3)
BLESS YOU: (BOYS USE L*), with L being from Lima in the phonetic alphabet.

23 Pass left and right, initially making arrest (6)
COLLAR: COL (pass) / L{eft} A{nd} R{ight}.

24 Border on piece of 21D, taking a turn (4)
ABUT: TUBA (brass instrument, serving to confirm the still as yet unjustified answer to 21dn) reversed (“taking a turn”).

25 Chase Percy, dropping small diamonds, say (3,7)
HOT PURSUIT: HOT{s}PUR (Sir Henry Percy) / SUIT (diamond, say – as in a deck of cards).

26 Fool European collecting new trophy for parasitic plant (10)
SAPROPHYTE: SAP (fool) / (TROPHY*) / E (European). An unknown word, but the wordplay was enough, with just an easy guess between “RO” and “OR” in the middle.

27 Sound of equine expending energy nearby (4)
NIGH: N{e}IGH (the E is “expended”).

Down
2 Incompatible peacekeepers set to tour part of UK (11)
UNCONGENIAL: UN (peacekeepers) / CONGEAL (set) around (“touring”) NI (part of UK).

3 Bravo Ted and Linda, engaged after such a meeting? (5,4)
BLIND DATE: (B TED LINDA*), with B for Bravo in the phonetic alphabet. Semi-literal definition.

4 Eternal princess’s elegance resurrected in part (7)
AGELESS: reverse hidden answer.

5 Cook to study catering for small business (7,8)
COTTAGE INDUSTRY: (TO STUDY CATERING*)

6 Bitter British beer not all drunk (7)
BALEFUL: B (British) / ALE (beer) / FUL{l} (drunk, “not all”).

7 Crowd in garden on either side of road (5)
HORDE: HOE (to garden, or at least a specific gardening activity), around RD (road).

8 Winger exercises intelligence (5)
PEWIT: PE (exercises) / WIT (intelligence). “Winger” as in “a bird”.

13 Drug becoming old hat, doing the rounds for love (5,6)
SPEED DATING: SPEED (drug) / DATING (becoming old hat). Cute definition.

16 Passed on antibody, one of forbidden seven (6,3)
DEADLY SIN: DEAD (passed on) / LYSIN (antibody). Collins gives: lysin. A substance that causes breakdown of cells.

18 Yankee to give away clothes for children's store (7)
TOY SHOP: Y for Yankee inside (“clothed by”) TO SHOP (to give away).

19 Bar to discharge about 150 (7)
EXCLUDE: EXUDE (discharge) “about” CL (150).

21 Supporter that is about to leave money (5)
BRASS: BRASS{iere}, where the letters “leaving” are IE (that is) and RE (about).

22 Stock web joke? (5)
EQUIP: A web joke might be an E-QUIP, geddit?

First of all, thanks very much to the setter for the "wave" at 1 across. I'm going out on a limb and saying it isn't coincidence given that it's the first clue in a puzzle that's on my watch for blogging. Fame at last.

Onto the puzzle itself, this was a fairly gentle affair taking me 35 minutes, but that's not to say it wasn't enjoyable. There were a couple of terrific clues in here and a couple of new words to keep up the educational benefits.

First in was RULER but that's because, spookily, I was drawn to 1 across and wanted to solve it from the off, but needed the first checking letter before light dawned. Last was CLOACAL.

Clues are in blue with the definition underlined. Different brackets mean different things:

Square to expand a standard crossword abbreviation: L[eft]
Wiggly to denote letters not used:{afterthough}T
Rounded followed by a * to indicate anagram fodder: (forded)*
Rounded to add clarification: cool (as in trendy)

Deletions are denoted by ~~strikeout~~

CD = cryptic definition, DD = double definition, I guess other stuff is spelled out for you.

Across
1	US broadcaster possessing spirit and goodness (6)
	CRUMBS - CBS around RUM, goodness as in crikey. Penfold's catchphrase.
5	Possible attraction of zoo staff drinking mostly water (7)
	MACAQUE - AQU{a} in MACE. Loadsa monkeys fall within this genus.
9	Support one nursing husband's lumbago maybe (8)
	BACKACHE - BACL ACE around H[usband]. Small Faces earworm not unwelcome.
13	Fancy a work by US playwright in a state (4,1,3,2,1,3,3,4)
	LIKE A CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF - Like (fancy) A then the play by Tennessee Williams. I wonder how Lionel Blair or Una Stubbs would have clued that.
14	Starter of beef in stuff put away as main dish (8)
	CRABMEAT - B{eef} in CRAM EAT (main as in sea)
15	Middle-of-the-road gem? (7)
	CATSEYE - CD. Percy shaw is a pub quiz staple. Insert your own pencil sharpener joke.
16	A cricket club hides papers with one cutting (6)
	ACIDIC -A C[ricket] C[lub] around ID I
17	Able to remove certain stains: blood? (10)
	BIOLOGICAL - DD as in washing powder / bood relative
20	Guide a sailor writing for petty officer (6-2-4)
	MASTER-AT-ARMS - A TAR MS (manuscript) after MASTER. Not sure how master = guide mind you.
23	Spots what’s in green caravan heading west (4)
	ACNE - revserse hidden in greEN CAravan
24	First lady's holding a sign for those fleeing danger (8)
	EVACUEES - EVE'S around A CUE. Both my parents were evacuated from London to the northern home counties in the war. Cool story bro.
26	Lament destruction of diaries ending in failure (4,4)
	DIES IRAE - (diaries)* + {failur}E
29	Radios in bankrupt state (12)
	RECEIVERSHIP - RECEIVERS HIP. Loved this clue. That "IN" looks like it's part of the wordplay but accounts for HIP, man.
30	Fairwith balanced workforce? (10)
	EVENHANDED - DD, the second vaguely cryptic
32	Southpaw went off with woman's clothing (4-6)
	LEFT-HANDER - LEFT then AND "clothed by" HER. Another cracker - "with woman's clothing" is a brilliant way to get to HANDER. Bravo.
34	Perfect example of Queen’s nicest ground (12)
	QUINTESSENCE - (queens nicest)*
36	Leaves in launch, moving surreptitiously (8)
	STEALING - TEA in SLING
38	Made orderly want to bear a small number (8)
	NEATENED - NEED around A TEN. Is ten a small number? Depends whether you're talking about an evening's consumption of pints of beer or pork scratchings.
39	Heard highly fancied player is to give up (4)
	CEDE - sounds like SEED
41	Small dainty queen packed in exam for her own benefit? (4-8)
	SELF-INTEREST - S[mall] ELFIN then ER in TEST
43	Reveal too much love poetry around show in NEC? (10)
	OVEREXPOSE - O VERSE around EXPO
44	Brief job at dentist's not complete (4,2)
	FILL IN - FILLINg. Brief as in not debrief
46	A series of races round trees in the initial stages (2,5)
	AT FIRST - A T[ime] T[rial] around FIRS
48	One calling meeting to trick salesman out of pennies once (8)
	CONVENOR - CON VENdOR
50	Course generating sparks to a certain degree? (10,11)
	ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING - CD based on the fact that sparks is slang for electrician
51	Troops promise Y-fronts perhaps (8)
	MENSWEAR - MEN SWEAR
52	Proceeds from gambling beginning to last (7)
	TAKINGS - STAKING with the S sent to the front
53	Prince George for one blocks charter (6)
	REGENT -E.G. in RENT as in charter a boat, say

Down
2	One regretting keeping large measuring device? (5)
	RULER - RUER around L[arge]
3	Be like Maeve, debauched, not of this world (4-7)
	MAKE-BELIEVE - (be like maeve)*
4	Second enclosure protects very small space for root (8)
	SCAVENGE - S[econd] CAGE around V[ery] EN (printer's space)
5	Assembled boxing article, as intended (5)
	MEANT - MET around (boxing) AN
6	Cold area in neighbourhood connected to old sewer (7)
	CLOACAL - C[old] then A[rea] in LOCAL. Cloaca seems to be a Latin word for sewer (not one who sews) but also has a biologocal meaning connected with stuff going on "downstairs".
7	Queen, bound to gather autumn nuts, makes breakthrough (7,4)
	QUANTUM LEAP - (autumn)* in Q[ueen] LEAP. I suspect I was not alone in waiting for the vital checking letter before deciding which way to jump, as it were.
8	Call up the day before receiving fine (5)
	EVOKE - OK in EVE
9	The critical point at which the beer runs out? (6,3)
	BITTER END - CD/DD hybrid I reckon
10	Dance company never goes abroad initially (5)
	CONGA - CO[mpany] N{ever} G{oes} A{broad}
11	Evil island state supporting WMD briefly (11)
	ABOMINATION - I[sland] NATION supporting (i.e. underneath) A-BOM{b}. Evil as a noun.
12	Element from a fine part of UK in bad odour (7)
	HAFNIUM - A F[ine] N[orthern] I[reland] in HUM. I've tried to familiarise myself with the names of all the elements a few times but I have no recollection whatsoever of this one.
18	Elected pope once, harsh (9)
	INCLEMENT - IN CLEMENT
19	Dealt with more than English in record (7)
	COVERED - OVER E[english] in CD
21	Order extremely saucy new items in home counties (9)
	SYSTEMISE - S{auc}Y then (items)* in SE (home counties as in South East of England)
22	Ace ran into hard unknown stone, this one? (8)
	AMETHYST - A[ce] MET H[ard] Y ST[one]
25	Sticking together, clubs formerly curbing her energy (9)
	COHERENCE - C[lubs] then ONCE around HER E[nergy]
27	Are experts defending overdraft? Dial them first (4,5)
	AREA CODES - ARE ACES around OD
28	A classic way into swimming and flying (8)
	AVIATION - A VIA (into)*
31	Serious retired actor of old entertained millions (7)
	EXTREME - EX (Sir Herbert Beerbohm) TREE around M[illions]. I know there are those who think old Beerbohm should be retired from these puzzles, but he founded RADA, so I reckon he's good for a few more years yet.
33	In emotional state, Hardy girl admits scolding knight (11)
	TEARFULNESS - TESS (of the Ds) around EARFUL N (crossword notation for knight)
34	Where only officers are allowedspades, say? (11)
	QUARTERDECK - just about a DD with the second being cryptic and requiring a bit of word splitting, hence the QM. If you don't know why "spades" might be represented by "quarter deck" I'll happily enlighten you over a high stakes game of poker.
35	Monogram in English cases a job for GCHQ? (11)
	ENCIPHERING - CIPHER IN cased by ENG[lish]
37	Gardener I trained as specialist in pineapples? (9)
	GRENADIER - (gardener i)*, pineapple being slang for a grenade (based on appearance)
40	Arctic residents check two rivers (8)
	REINDEER - REIN (river) DEE R[iver]
42	Record one scene without lead hermaphrodite (7)
	EPICENE - E.P. I sCENE
43	Old fool retaining label’s regular shape (7)
	OCTAGON - O[ld] CON around TAG
45	Some exert influence over explosive constituent (5)
	NITRE - reverse hidden in exERT INfluence
47	Refrain from eating inspiring oriental banquet (5)
	FEAST - FAST around E for Eastern / oriental. I'm struggling to recall if I've previously seen oriental used quite so indirectly to denote "E". Anyone?
48	Fruit, one found in fringes of Caucusus (5)
	CONES - ONE is C{aucusu}S
49	Oscar managed to get hold of golf magazine (5)
	ORGAN - O RAN around G

And it isn’t even the entire clue. My goodness, has this ever happened before?

(nagarams)* like this

ACROSS

1	Indian dish served in food halls (4)
	DHAL— Hidden in food halls
4	Boss with little experience receiving question mark (10)
	TASKMASTER— T(ASK M)ASTER
9	Colour in, like circle (6)
	INDIGO— IN + DIG, “like” + O
10	Check temperature in main warship (8)
	CORVETTE— “Check” = VET, with T(emperature) in CORE, “main”
11	A ceremonial linking of arms? (7,7)
	SHOTGUN WEDDING— Cryptic def. Rather as if the firearms themselves were getting hitched.
12	Bathroom cleaner as well, in the old days (10)
	TOOTHPASTE— TOO = as well + TH (PAST, “old days”) E. That last part’s a nice trick.
14	Right time to blow a fuse (4)
	RAGE— R(ight) + AGE, time
16	Priest will go topless soon (4)
	ANON— [c]ANON
18	Church altar broken by moving crane (10)
	TABERNACLE— TAB (crane)* LE
20	Sorry to see interest on the house (4-3-7)
	GOOD-FOR-NOTHING— “Interest” is GOOD (as a noun), FOR NOTHING = “on the house.” “To see” is just connective tissue.
23	Official advice given to workforce (8)
	TIPSTAFF— TIP + STAFF
24	Travel? I’m in many places (6)
	PASSIM— PASS (“Travel”) + I’M. Bibliographical notation.
25	Perhaps puppy bites first bit of loo paper? (10)
	NEWSLETTER— NEW S(L)ETTER
26	Squareyetflat (4)
	EVEN— Triple definition!

DOWN

2	Simplyleaves (5,4)
	HANDS DOWN— Double definition.
3	Heard song suspect arranged (4,3)
	LAID OUT— “Lay” “doubt”
4	Crowd with no right to see band (5)
	THONG— TH[r]ONG. “To see” functioning again as in 20.
5	Support for those who are not well off (8,7)
	SICKNESS BENEFIT— Somewhat impoverished cryptic definition
6	Seller’s counter receiving support (9)
	MARKETEER— MARKE(TEE)R
7	Remote transmitter found across lake (7)
	SLENDER— As in “a slender chance.” S(L)ENDER
8	Each cardinal gets fed (5)
	EATEN— EA + TEN, which is plain enough, but I was initially reluctant to put this down as an answer, as the clue did not seem to work. But of course “to feed” can mean “to eat” (says here, “especially of an animal or baby”). The wombat has fed, the wombat has eaten.
13	Business section of newspaper, about a market place (9)
	PATRONAGE— As in, you give a certain shop your business. The “section” of the newspaper is a PAGE, of course, and inside you have… TRONA? A TRON? It’s the latter, Collins informs me, with TRON being a weighing machine or, metonymically, a place where such a machine is in operation (if it’s located in Great Britain, that is), or “a marketplace” (one word).
15	Banger overturned, on fire (9)
	GELIGNITE— LEG overturned, which is an “on” In cricket parlance (and that’s all I know about it), on “fire,” or IGNITE
17	Strippers keen to hide nether regions (7)
	NUDISTS— NU(DIS)TS. “Nether regions” means the underworld of DIS. Cute clue. Sounds like they might want to don 4 downs.
19	One matter being discussed (2,5)
	AT ISSUE— A TISSUE. “Matter” seems a little vague for “tissue.”
21	Old fine to be dealt with later (2,3)
	ON ICE— O(ld) NICE
22	To appear regularly in boozer (5)
	TOPER— TO + every other letter in “appear”

Our setter has decided to emulate Hippocrates and dabble in human biology with three forays into anatomical terminology.

Unless you’re very experienced you are unlikely to solve a Mephisto without using Chambers. The idea is that you use the precise wordplay to derive an answer that you then verify in the dictionary. 14A is a perfect example.

This was a very pleasant but easy puzzle. There’s one questionable definition at 18A. In the clues definitions are underlined. Wordplay explanation is followed by very helpful comments.

ACROSS

1 Horrible war — theatre that may account for animal deaths (10)
HEARTWATER: (war theatre)*; a tick-borne disease of domestic and wild ruminants;
11 City church outside which spear is seen (9)
LEICESTER: LEI(CE)STER; spear=LEISTER; the cathedral is where Richard III was reinterred in 2015
12 Fixer of great deal, securing honoured sportsman? (7)
MORDANT: MOR(DAN)T; great deal=MORT; DAN=honour and judo expert;
13 Those in Scotland denying Macbeth his name? (4)
THAE: THA(n)E; in the play Macbeth is thane of Cawdor
14 Famous mistress hugging one with love to make impression? (6)
NIELLO: N(I)ELL-O; an impression from an engraved surface;
15 Plenty holding female up (5)
ALOFT: A-LO(F)T;
16 Note doomed individual losing head (4)
ONER: (g)ONER; ONER is slang for an old £1 note;
17 The language when vehicle reverses on to a house (6)
NAVAHO: (VAN reversed)-A-HO; language of fascinating native Americans with matrilineal society;
18 A line made by instrument in part of female anatomy (6)
LUTEAL: LUTE-A-L; I have doubts about this definition. It means relating to the formation of the corpus luteum - a temporary endocrine structure in female ovaries. Most women are familiar with their luteal phase which is the latter phase of the menstrual cycle
24 Garlands— artist is swathed in lots (6)
TORANS: TO(RA)NS;
25 All those attending the first person in that cell (6)
GAMETE: GA(ME)TE; a mature haploid male or female germ cell which can unite with another of the opposite sex in sexual reproduction to form a zygote.
28 Some sexy strut in a walk outdoors (4)
XYST: hidden (se)XY-ST(rut); a covered garden walk in ancient Rome;
30 Wind certain to return, first hint of upset inside (5)
EURUS: SURE reversed contains U(pset); the east wind or the brother Sherlock Holmes didn’t have;
31 Speaker gets nothing right, a politician falling short (6)
ORATOR: O-R-A-TOR(y);
32 After first sign of success fool may become this? (4)
SMUG: S-MUG; S from S(uccess);
33 Confession of beautiful female having area or areas under total control (7)
IMPERIA: I’M-PERI-A; PERI=winged spirits renowned for their beauty; A=area;
34 Troy’s swathed in leaves by end of June — many trees and shrubs (9)
TILIACEAE: T(ILIAC)EA-(jun)E; family of various plants;
35 Most unhealthy-looking street hiding secret places (10)
SCRANNIEST: S(CRANNIES)T;

DOWN

1 Specialists in church music somehow sing smoothly (12)
HYMNOLOGISTS: (sing smoothly)*;
2 Last bit of the meat to separate off (5)
ELOIN: (th)E-LOIN;
3 Demons at large, captured by serving women once (7)
AFREETS: A(FREE)TS; Auxiliary Territorial Service (became the WRAC); powerful jinns
4 Criminal— one of those going to pot? (7, two words)
TEA,LEAF: two meanings 1=CRS for thief 2=whimsical reference to tea pot;
5 Big drinkers in effect much bigger than most (5)
WINOS: WIN-OS; OS=outsize;
6 A court worker — one functions as an agent (6)
ACTANT: A-CT-ANT; in grammar, a noun acting as an agent for a verb.
7 A learner joining group set up in science unit (5)
TESLA: A-L-SET all reversed; unit of magnetic flux density; slightly odd use of “set” in clue and answer
8 Legal allowance is in France at an end (7)
ESTOVER: EST-OVER; an allowance made to a person out of an estate;
9 Fond of fellow, having suppressed dreadful hate (7, two words)
DEATH,ON: D(hate)*ON;
10 Member of religious order quietly protesting (12)
PREMONSTRANT: P-REMONSTRANT; one of the order of Roman Catholic monks founded at Premontre, France, by St. Norbert in 1119
19 A cure I’m contriving in respect of a “waterworks” problem (7)
URAEMIC: (a cure I’m)*;
20 Type of drug’s good going down — one’s showing dynamism (7)
ENERGIC: unbranded drug=generic then move the “g” to give ENERGIC;
21 Pauper, according to Spooner, that is buried under heath (7)
MOOR-PAN; poor-man Spoonerism; layer of soil below heathland;
22 Shrub moderately gnarled but not terribly old (7, two words)
MAY,TREE: (moderately – old)*; I’m not allowed to refer to the Prime Minister;
23 Cave is crumbling — it may be filled with water (6)
VESICA: (cave is)*; water=urine; the urinary bladder;
26 Like a pipe a plumber finally fixed under bath (5)
TUBAR: TUB-A-(plumbe)R;
27 Classical tag that sends out a sexist message? (5)
NOMEN: NO-MEN; name of a citizen of Ancient Rome
29 Stains from fuel brought aboard ship
SOILS: S(OIL)S;

A typical Monday offering, combining lightness of touch with well-crafted clueing. Not the easiest, but one for those wishing to migrate from the Quickie to have a stab at. 28 minutes plus change for me.

ACROSS
1 Finish off second young seal (3,2)
MOP UP - MO PUP
4 Chat with consumers of computer with a lock on the outside (5,4)
TABLE TALK - TABLET A L[oc]K
9 Give pounds and see famous sculptor (9)
DONATELLO - DONATE L LO
10 Runs out of fast-going sauce (5)
PESTO - P[r]ESTO
11 Old city friend abandoning a young child (6)
URCHIN - UR (birthplace of Abram) CHIN[a]
12 Failed riverboat broken up without resistance (8)
ABORTIVE - anagran* of [r]IVERBOAT
14 Not a word, note, over Saturday crossword’s baffling jargon (5-5)
MUMBO-JUMBO - MUM B [musical note] O JUMBO
16 All-points bulletin? (4)
NEWS - not too tricky, methinks : N-E-W-S
19 Seldom-encountered poison’s killed copper (4)
RARE - [cu]RARE; CURARE kills quite a few pesky problems for crossword setters
20 Car — old one, mostly internal combustion with unlimited power (10)
AUTOCRATIC - AUTO (car) CRAT[e] (most of old car - crate as in 'banger') IC
22 Absent-minded don, not working, is characteristic (8)
DISTRAIT - D[on] IS TRAIT
23 Puzzle in game needs to be worked out (6)
ENIGMA - INGAME*
26 Round fraction is a source of confusion to observers (2,3)
OP ART - O PART for the optical illusion style of drawing
27 Highwayman — time due, unfortunately, for his latest wickedness (9)
TURPITUDE - TURPI[n] T (time) DUE* (anagram indicator is 'unfortunately')
28 Strongly attacking East European claim that’s out of order (9)
POLEMICAL - POLE CLAIM*
29 Newly equip sappers before attack (5)
REFIT - RE (Royal Engineers) FIT

DOWN

1 I had son interrupting old actor when Bottom played Pyramus (9)
MIDSUMMER - I'D S in MUMMER (old word for luvvie)
2 Confused rush and grass (5)
PANIC - double definition (DD), the second referring to the tropical grass panicum
3 Preferred it over obscure quibble about details (8)
PETTIFOG - PET (my pet student) IT reversed FOG; lawyer's stock-in-trade
4 Ring road charge (4)
TOLL - DD
5 Very detailed autobiography of English baroque composer? (4-2-4)
BLOW-BY-BLOW - yes, there really was a composer called John Blow, who would toot his flute for you for a fee, presumably.
6 Sandwich, perhaps, and beer (6)
EXPORT - Sandwich in Kent was once the greatest port in England before it sold its soul to golf courses and fast food. Export is a type of pale ale: 'In the nineteenth century, the Bow Brewery in England exported beer to India, including a pale ale that benefited from the duration of the voyage and was highly regarded among consumers in India. To avoid spoilage, Bow and other brewers added extra hops as a natural preservative. This beer was the first of a style of export ale that became known as India Pale Ale or IPA.'
7 Restrained muscles can experience nasty tension initially (9)
ABSTINENT - ABS TIN (can) ENT (initial letters of the final three words before 'initially')
8 Bank finally inclined to abolish penny coin? (5)
KRONE - [ban]K [p]RONE
13 Endless fun sightseeing? Oscar’s gone looking ahead (10)
FUTURISTIC - FU[n] T[o]URISTIC
15 Post guarding a non-working state water plant (5-4)
MARES-TAIL - REST (a non-working state) in MAIL
17 State capital abolishing old religious symbol (9)
SACRAMENT - SACRAMENT[o]
18 Confines father over row (8)
FRONTIER - FR ON TIER
21 For the time being basic learning is confined to the afternoon (3,3)
PRO TEM - ROTE in PM
22 Decline operation under doctor who’s finishing (5)
DROOP - DR O ('who's finishing', i.e. the last letter of [wh]O) OP
24 Good frill that’s starched is rather harsh (5)
GRUFF - G RUFF (frill that's starched)
25 Not knowing right from wrong, losing a mark for exam (4)
ORAL - [am]ORAL

Times Cryptic No 27132 - Saturday, 01 September 2018. Don’t talk of clues – show me!

Summer Bank Holiday Jumbo 1340

Times Cryptic Jumbo 1339: Cracking Toast

Sunday Times 4814 by Jeff Pearce

Mephisto 3027 - Paul McKenna

QC 1175 by Hurley

Times 27139 - Weakness? What weakness?

Times Quick Cryptic 1176 by Mara

Times Cryptic 27140

Quick Cryptic 1177 by Joker

Times 27141. Dum spiro, spero.

Times Cryptic No 27142, Thursday, 13 September 2018 '?

Times Quick Cryptic No 1178 by Flamande

Times Quick Cryptic No 1179 by Izetti

Times 27,143: The End of the Beginning

Times Cryptic No 27138 - Saturday, 08 September 2018. Tennis, anyone?

Times Cryptic Jumbo 1341

Sunday Times Cryptic No. 4815, by Dean Mayer — Yon lone nagaram…!

Mephisto 3028 Don Manley with help from Henry Gray

Times 27145 - Play Opus?