This one was a straightforward stroll up the nursery slopes, I thought; without rushing I had it all done and dusted in 19 minutes, ending with the NE corner. No doubt the gradients will get steeper in the 8 weeks to come. I'm surprised 31 of 82 competitors failed to solve it correctly, but no doubt the added pressure situation and the thought of at least two more puzzles ahead caused the problems.
There was one word I'd never seen before (16a) but the wordplay was very specific and the meaning obvious.
| Across |
| 1 | BARRIE - BARRIER = block, shorten it; D writer, J M Barrie of Peter Pan fame. |
| 4 | BAGPIPER - BAG = secure, catch; PIER = jetty, insert P for piano; D musician. |
| 10 | AUCTIONED - (EDUCATION)*, D offered lots. |
| 11 | DRILL - being ILL so at the DR's; D practice. |
| 12 | TWO-DIMENSIONAL - (ALSO DOWN IN TIME)*; D like a plane. |
| 14 | FLAIL - Insert L for learner into FAIL for bad exam result; D thrash. |
| 16 | SONNETEER - SON = issue, NET = clear, E'ER = always poetically; D Shakespeare, say. |
| 18 | ESTAMINET - EST = 'in Paris, is', A MINT = a money-maker, insert E for English; D café. |
| 20 | GIRTH - H(ard) TRIG (area of maths, trigonometry), all reversed; D measurement of circumference. |
| 21 | PRE-RAPHAELITES - (ATELIER PERHAPS)*, D group of artists. |
| 25 | ATOLL - A(rea), TOLL = sound as a bell, D island. |
| 26 | EXCELSIOR - EX = former, CELSIUS = scale, replace US by OR, D higher still. |
| 27 | OUTLYING - Double definition, one cryptic. |
| 28 | GOOGOL - GOGOL the author, insert another O. A googol is a very large number, with a lot of zeros, being ten to the power of 100. |
| Down |
| 1 | BEAUTIFIED - BEATIFIED would be in a blissful state, insert U; D looking much better. |
| 2 | RECTO - RECTOR shortened, D page 3 for example, word meaning a right-hand page, as opposed to verso. |
| 3 | INITIAL - Double definition. |
| 5 | ANDES - Hidden word in INC(AN DES)CENT; D here, &lit. |
| 6 | PADRONE - PA = secretary, DRONE = buzzer that doesn't work, kind of bee; D innkeeper. |
| 7 | PRIVATEER - PEER = fellow, insert R = river, I VAT = one large vessel; D warship. |
| 8 | RELY - RARELY = seldom, delete RA = artist, D bank, as in bank on, rely on. |
| 9 | UNPERSON - (SPURN ONE)* D political outcast. Originally from Orwell's 1984, where unpersons just had been evaporated. |
| 13 | ORCHESTRAL - R CHEST = right, part of body; insert into ORAL examination; D for a lot of players. |
| 15 | AFTERMOST - (FOR MATES)*, T; D behind all on board. |
| 17 | NUTHATCH - N(ew) THATCH = new roof, insert (yo)U; D bird. |
| 19 | MORALLY - MO = medical officer, RALLY = recovery; D in ethical way. |
| 20 | GALILEO - LAG = person with convictions, upset = GAL; I LEO = one Pope; D scientist. |
| 22 | PAEAN - PEN = write, alternate with articles A, A, D song of praise. |
| 23 | THING - THIN = lacking substance, G = leader in Guardian; D article. On the surface, a sideways pop at the Grauniad! |
| 25 | TACO - TAO = Asian way, Japanese religion; insert C = cooked initially; D foreign food. |