I found this one quite hard and needed nearly 70 minutes to work my way steadily through it. With hindsight it doesn't seem particularly difficult but there were a few references that took a while to dig from the recesses of my mind and I often struggle a bit with &lit definitions. 25 and 27ac were my last ones in and needed all the checkers.
As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions are in curly brackets} and [indicators in square ones] (PASTE TEMPLATE HERE)
As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions are in curly brackets} and [indicators in square ones] (PASTE TEMPLATE HERE)
| Across | |
| 1 | TV personality about to be seen in new westerns (10) |
| NEWSCASTER - CA (about) contained by [to be seen in] anagram [new] of WESTERNS | |
| 6 | Page taken by Listener advertisement (4) |
| PLUG - P (page), LUG (listener - ear) | |
| 9 | Expert at court regularly defending scoundrel? (10) |
| PROCURATOR - PRO (expert) + AT + {c}O{u}R{t} [regularly] containing [defending] CUR (scoundrel). The definition is &lit | |
| 10 | Just one dropping round for card game (4) |
| FARO - FA{i}R (just) [one dropping], O (round) | |
| 12 | Conservative party, needing billions, will back a rate increase (12) |
| ACCELERATION - A, C (Conservative), CELE{b}RATION (party) [needing billions] | |
| 15 | Literary collection about Maine, Rhode Island and California? (9) |
| AMERICANA - ANA (literary collection) contains [about] ME (Maine), RI (Rhode Island), CA (California). Another & lit. SOED defines "Americana" as "publications or other items concerning or associated with America" | |
| 17 | Cross about flipping fool taking precedence (5) |
| TIGON - ON (about) is preceded by GIT (fool) reversed [flip] | |
| 18 | Old weapon found under settee is loaded just at the front (5) |
| FUSIL - First letters [just in front] of F{ound} U{nder} S{ettee} I{s} L{oaded}. It's a type of musket. It may be a bit obscure as a weapon but "fusiliers" has survived in military regimental circles. | |
| 19 | Keen soldier in WW1 battlefield? (9) |
| TRENCHANT - TRENCH (ref WW1 battlefield), ANT (soldier) | |
| 20 | Difficult to comprehend Bengali translation by, for example, Cambridge graduate (12) |
| UNIMAGINABLE - UNI (for example, Cambridge), MA (graduate), anagram [translation] of BENGALI | |
| 24 | Triplets oddly seen in bank (4) |
| TILT - T{r}I{p}L{e}T{s} [oddly] | |
| 25 | Roster assembled for visiting island? (6,4) |
| MUSTER ROLL - Anagram [assembled] of ROSTER is contained by [visiting] MULL (island). I think the definition here has to be taken as &lit although "roster" on its own could pass muster, so to speak. Didn't know this one as such | |
| 26 | Welsh runner providing sustenance for baby? (4) |
| RUSK - R. USK (Welsh runner - river) | |
| 27 | Flamboyantly-dressed trader in city once stocking top-quality line? (6,4) |
| PEARLY KING - PEKING (city once) containing [stocking] A (top-quality) + RLY (line - railway) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Definitely not what inactive pupils want on timetable? (4) |
| NOPE - NO P.E. A straight definition and a cryptic | |
| 2 | Material helping make igloo warm up (4) |
| WOOL - Hidden [helping make] and reversed [up] in {ig}LOO W{arm} | |
| 3 | Former statesman’s to agitate briefly with South American, reportedly (12) |
| CHURCHILLIAN - CHUR{n} (agitate) [briefly], sounds like [reportedly] "Chilean" (South American) | |
| 4 | Fish found beneath small rock (5) |
| SHAKE - S (small), HAKE (fish) | |
| 5 | Free ecstasy? That's wrong, I judge (9) |
| EXONERATE - E (ecstasy), X (that's wrong), ONE (I), RATE (judge) | |
| 7 | Top performer managed first of lines in plays (7,3) |
| LEADING MAN - Anagram [plays] of MANAGED + L{ine} [first of] + IN | |
| 8 | Fruit crumbled onto crackers (6,4) |
| GROUND NUTS - GROUND (crumbled), NUTS (crackers - mad) | |
| 11 | Very much concerned with knee, perhaps, during exercise (12) |
| PARTICULARLY - ARTICULAR (concerned with knee, perhaps) contained by [during] PLY (exercise) | |
| 13 | Watch safari participant who's not fully committed? (4-6) |
| HALF-HUNTER - HALF (not fully committed), HUNTER (safari participant). A watch with a hinged cover protecting the outer part of the glass. | |
| 14 | Extremely short trips around the French palace (10) |
| VERSAILLES - VER{y} (extremely) [short], SAILS (trip) containing [around] LE (the, French) | |
| 16 | Property tax introduced by a Trotskyist leader (9) |
| ATTRIBUTE - A, T{rotskyst} [leader], TRIBUTE (tax) | |
| 21 | 7 works avoiding extremes (5) |
| ACTOR - {f}ACTOR{y} (works) [avoiding extremes]. The definition refers to LEADING MAN at 7dn. | |
| 22 | Places I pass, heading north (4) |
| LOCI - I + COL (pass) reversed [heading north] | |
| 23 | Sell / leather (4) |
| FLOG - Two definitions | |