Crickey, this was, shall we say, demanding. Not many gimmes and quite a few where definitions were at best elusive. The setter takes us on a tour of the entire alphabet and quite a lot of planet earth. I did not know the farming method – our more bucolic contributors might be able to add to what I culled from Chambers, and the Spanish contribution to cuisine was only vaguely familiar. I think I might have been quicker had the 1s given in more readily, but they were late arrivals, towards the fat end of my 42 (whisper it not) minutes. Oh, and today’s soundalike is particularly gruesome.
Here’s how I reasoned it all out, with clues, definitions and SOLUTIONS. For 28d, it’s kind of tricky to show what the definition is, but I like it as a clue.
Across
1 Annual ceremony convened with wizard’s backing (6)
BAFTAS The British Academy of Film and Television Arts annually gives out prizes for luvvies and associates. We are meant to see convened as SAT (as in, say Parliament) and wizard as FAB and reverse both.
4 Complaint coming upthat must be got around? (3,5)
THE BENDS Divers ascending too rapidly develop nitrogen bubbles in the bloodstream, potentially both dangerous and painful, hence the first definition. I suppose the bends need to be got round on the road, say, if you’re not going to end up in the ditch.
10 Ted escapes being turned over, maybe, in Scottish town (9)
INVERNESS Being turned over is INVERTEDNESS. Scrub TED
11 Gangster and president with much in common (5)
ALIKE A rare easy one. AL Capone (probably) and “I like IKE” Eisenhower (POTUS 1953-61 – Tricky Dickie was his Veep)
12 Lightly touching on love for farming method (4,7)
ZERO GRAZING Trust the cryptic and guess a bit. Love is ZERO (at least in tennis) and lightly touching gives the rest. “A system of dairy farming in which the cattle are kept indoors and cut grass is brought to them, thus avoiding the wastage caused by conventional grazing” – Chambers (with a hyphen). Poor cows don’t get to see daylight.
14 Means to improve reputation with posh girl (3)
PRU–dence, of course. PR is your means to improve reputation, and posh is U(pper class), as popularised by Nancy Mitford.
15 Artistic movement of green and white horse? (3,4)
NEW WAVE Mostly relating to arts as in cinema and music.. Green gives NEW, and white horse gives WAVE – the foamy sort you see in rough water.
17 A division of history of equestrian art? (6)
RIDING The historic divisions of Yorkshire, and being capable on a horse.
19 Plays in ways not conforming to expectation? (6)
STRUMS I think this is ST(reet)S ways with RUM for the rest inserted
21 Local brewing house opens to provide it? (7)
ALCOHOL&lit. An anagram (brewing) of LOCAL plus HO(use) insered, “opens” being the insertion indicator
23 Return of legendary winger’s brother (3)
COR Well, a ROC is your legendary bird, and I think you get to cor from brother by seeing them both as exclamations. Cor blimey! Oh brother! Good grief!
24 Fresher you mentored in biblical work (11)
DEUTERONOMY The Times’ earnest endeavour to get you all boned up on the Bible books continues, via an anagram (fresher) of YOU MENTORED. 5th in the Pentateuch.
26 Gets gunboat back defying odds in exploit (5)
ABUSE Reverse alternates in gEtS gUnBoAt. Defying odds just means concentrate on the evens.
27 Old province of Asia, until dissolved (9)
LUSITANIA Perhaps better known as the unfortunate liner sunk bu U boat in 1915, but for our purpose a Roman province in Eastern Iberia. ASIA and UNTIL are “dissolved”.
29 Turnover from enterprise initially millions a year — then nothing (8)
EMPANADA“in Spanish and Latin American cookery, a light pasty with a usually savoury filling” – Chambers, but you can probably work that out from your rudimentary Spanish. If not, then E(nterprise) + M(illions) + P(er) A(nnum) (yearly) + NADA for nothing
30 Put out by kiss that’s tender but worth very little (6)
KOPECK Put out is KO if you think about it, and PECK your kiss. Tender could go with the kiss but I think it’s meant to indicate currency, a Kopeck being 100th of a rouble (itself worth about 1p) and worth nada.
Down
1 Go after second rate reading matter, attacking furiously (8)
BLITZING Second rate is, of course B, reading matter LIT, so ZING will have to do for go.
2 Note Cockney’s kindness being spoken of (5)
FIVER Will those wishing to protest please form an orderly queue. Allegedly, Cockneys would so pronounce favour, but I think only if played by Dick van Dyke.
3 Bearing the strain (3)
AIR Double definition, the second being as in a song or tune.
5 Is owner of bank considered? Not so (7)
HASTIER Is owner of HAS, bank: TIER
6 Trumpet-blowing of dance music dwarf covered in life story (11)
BRAGGADOCIO So RAGGA is your dance music, developed from reggae, DOC is your Person of Restricted Growth from the Disney version of Snow White, and both surrounded by BIO for life story.
7 Run in with box for tool (4,5)
NAIL PUNCH I think you get from run in to nail via coppers doing their constabulary duty and arresting felons. Box to PUNCH is easier.
8 Those in favour tipped 17 for promotion, maybe (4,2)
STEP UP Those in favour are PETS: tip ‘em up (they deserve it) and add UP from 17’s “riding”
9 What a welcome for Mary after start of birthday function (6)
BEHAVE Cor blimey Miry Poppins, this is a right do and no mistike. Let’s get start of Birthday B to begin with, then add EH(?) for what(?), and remember our Hail Marys for AVE. Function=behave? Chambers gives it in respect of things rather than people.
13 Really fancy package, round, wrapped by West Indian (2,1,6,2)
GO A BUNDLE ON Once you concede that GOAN is OK for West Indian (Goa is on the west coast of real India) this is not so hard: package is BUNDLE and round is O, enclose it in the aforementioned.
16 No ducking the consequences of its successful negotiation? (5,4)
WATER JUMP Cryptic definition, the conceit being that if you clear a water jump you don’t get wet.
18 After filming, maybe, run to take on champion (8)
PLAYBACK Run gives play as in play/run out a rope, champion is more straightforwardly BACK.
20 Declined to hug as filthy (7)
SQUALID SLID is declined, which “hugs” QUA for as.
21 Answer kid’s composed (2,4)
AT EASE A(nswer) and TEASE for kid are differently spaced
22 Mountaineering aid seen in distance, above fell (3,3)
ICE AXE Distance is Ice, as in coolness towards, and AXE is fell as in the mighty Scots pine.
25 Large feline in spring, heading off (5)
OUNCE Well, it’s quite big if it’s a lynx, and properly big in cat terms if a snow leopard. Take the first letter off BOUNCE for spring.
28 Tango without what it takes? (3)
TWO It takes two to tango, but Tango is also NATO T, and without gives you W/O