I'm just temping here, alternately with Brnchn (Bruce), for the next few weeks while our new boss Vinyl finds a permanent replacement for the irreplaceable Linxit (I believe B is continuing). Some vintage American material here with a soupcon of political content, some geography, some music and some mythology - all giving us a highly entertaining puzzle. The two long down clues were very helpful and I was on the wavelength for this one at 15.07. Definitions in italics underlined. Answers in bold caps.
Across
1. Groom has small furry animal schooled (7,2)
SMARTEN UP. S[mall]. MARTEN=furry animal. UP=schooled, i.e. up at university.
6. Magnate wants a cracking new hairstyle (5)
NABOB. N[ew] A witht BOB=hairstyle. And see 13A infra.
9. Answer several letters in order to protect an Asian currency (7)
AFGHANI. A, followed by FGHI (letters in order) containing (to protect) AN.
10. Best man gets old mate round (7)
OPTIMAL. TIM=man, surrounded by (round) O[ld] PAL=mate.
11. Mike, popular American, makes negative point (5)
MINUS. M=mike (in Nato alphabet). IN=popular. US=American.
12. No good to succeed FBI boss, one sucking up (9)
HOOVERING. The infamous J. Edgar, once upon a time Director of the FBI with N[o] G[ood] vacuuming up 1=one. Excellent!
13. Maybe Agnew thus entertains religious right (5)
SPIRO. SO=thus, containing (entertains) PI=religious R[ight]. Neat one. He was Richard Nixon's VP who resigned in disgrace, to be replaced by Gerald Ford who then became president when Nixon resigned in disgrace. One of his best known catchphrases, referring to the media, was to call them the "nattering nabobs of negativism". It was in fact his speech-writer William Safire who coined the phrase and then went on to become a highly respected columnist for that bastion of "negativism" the New York Times. See 6A.
14. Toeing establishment line brings chaos in revolutionary Genoa (2,7)
ON MESSAGE. MESS=chaos in anagram (revolutionary) of GENOA. Something of a theme here.
17. Loire seething with fish in continental location (9)
CHARLEROI. Anagram (seething) of LOIRE with CHAR=fish. Belgian city which played a significant role in the dispositions for the Battle of Waterloo.
18. Tedious talk of flower power begins (5)
PROSE. P[ower]. ROSE=flower. It's not always tedious when written but as talk it may be.
19. Scorer ordered pork with duck and five bananas (9)
PROKOFIEV. Sergei. If you have the long down clues solved, there aren't all that many words that we know that end in I*V. Anagram (bananas) of PORK, O=duck and FIVE. The scorer is, as is often the case in these puzzles, a composer. He can be tricky to spell (I always think the F in the middle should be a V) but the setter has given us all the necessary.
22. Port has delays -- nothing allowed in (5)
LAGOS. Nigerian capital and seaport. LAGS=delays, containing O.
24. Song complete about Minoan daughter (7)
ARIADNE. ARIA=song with END=complete, reversed (about). In Greek mythology the daughter of King Minos of Crete. She helps Theseus escape the Labyrinth and the Minotaur.
25. See the writer is Swift, using name for Lilliput's leader (7)
IMAGINE. IM=writer of the puzzle is AGILE=swift, swapping the L in Lilliput for n[ame].
26. All fingers and thumbs? Or finding settled course? (5)
TENOR. We've got ten of these digits altogether with OR. As in the "noiseless tenor of their way" in Gray's Elegy.
27. Delicacy that may complement sour vegetable?
SWEETMEAT. Yes indeed, a sweet meat would be a good pairing, as the food writers might say.
Down
1. Did butterfly, say, crossing river move as many insects do (5)
SWARM. SWAM=butterfly swimming stroke.containing (crossing) R[iver].
2. Country chap, cultured, entering yacht station, having month off (9)
ARGENTINA. GENT=cultured chap surrounded by (entering) [m]ARINA=yacht place with M[onth]removed.
3. One spotted in woods? Amphibian's also seen by lake (9)
TOADSTOOL. TOADS=amphibian's. TOO=also. L[ake].
4. Behaviour of the kind shown by script in soap opera (15)
NEIGHBOURLINESS. Reference is to long-running Australian/UK tv series.
5. Teacher or parent maybe well prepared to read aloud list of charges (8,7)
PROFORMA INVOICE. Commercial term. PROF=teacher. OR. MA=parent. IN VOICE=ready to read aloud. In the US "pro forma" is usually two words.
6. Money raised on explosive component (5)
NITRE. NIT=tin (money) reversed (raised). RE=on.
7. Famed fawn in tropical grass loves to leave island (5)
BAMBI. Remove the OO (loves) from bamboo and replace with I[sland]. At my first boarding school someone had the bright idea to show this famous Disney movie the first weekend of the September term. I was 9 and the memory remains.
8. Doctor at centre in Amsterdam keeps diary -- it's saucy! (9)
BOLOGNESE. BONES=doctor (from "sawbones"), surrounding LOG=diary with E=middle letter in [Amst]E[rdam].
13. Crawler's second year chap, not fresher (9)
SYCOPHANT. S[econd] Y[ear] with anagram (fresher) of CHAP NOT.
15. Begging to take place of boxing instructor initially (9)
SUPPLIANT. SUPPLANT=take the place of containing (boxing) I[nstructor] (initially).
16. What's hypotenusenext to? (9)
ALONGSIDE. The longest side of a right triangle. Double definition and nice Pythagorean pun.
20. Hunter ahead snaring S. American banker (5)
ORION. ON=ahead containing (snaring) RIO=river (banker). He was the hunter in Greek mythology, now perhaps better known for the constellation named for him and highly visible in the night sky.
21. Rulingclass (5)
ORDER. Succinct double definition.
23. Sons given little money for bouquet (5)
SCENT. S=sons with CENT=little money. This would also have worked with "sons" singular.
Across
1. Groom has small furry animal schooled (7,2)
SMARTEN UP. S[mall]. MARTEN=furry animal. UP=schooled, i.e. up at university.
6. Magnate wants a cracking new hairstyle (5)
NABOB. N[ew] A witht BOB=hairstyle. And see 13A infra.
9. Answer several letters in order to protect an Asian currency (7)
AFGHANI. A, followed by FGHI (letters in order) containing (to protect) AN.
10. Best man gets old mate round (7)
OPTIMAL. TIM=man, surrounded by (round) O[ld] PAL=mate.
11. Mike, popular American, makes negative point (5)
MINUS. M=mike (in Nato alphabet). IN=popular. US=American.
12. No good to succeed FBI boss, one sucking up (9)
HOOVERING. The infamous J. Edgar, once upon a time Director of the FBI with N[o] G[ood] vacuuming up 1=one. Excellent!
13. Maybe Agnew thus entertains religious right (5)
SPIRO. SO=thus, containing (entertains) PI=religious R[ight]. Neat one. He was Richard Nixon's VP who resigned in disgrace, to be replaced by Gerald Ford who then became president when Nixon resigned in disgrace. One of his best known catchphrases, referring to the media, was to call them the "nattering nabobs of negativism". It was in fact his speech-writer William Safire who coined the phrase and then went on to become a highly respected columnist for that bastion of "negativism" the New York Times. See 6A.
14. Toeing establishment line brings chaos in revolutionary Genoa (2,7)
ON MESSAGE. MESS=chaos in anagram (revolutionary) of GENOA. Something of a theme here.
17. Loire seething with fish in continental location (9)
CHARLEROI. Anagram (seething) of LOIRE with CHAR=fish. Belgian city which played a significant role in the dispositions for the Battle of Waterloo.
18. Tedious talk of flower power begins (5)
PROSE. P[ower]. ROSE=flower. It's not always tedious when written but as talk it may be.
19. Scorer ordered pork with duck and five bananas (9)
PROKOFIEV. Sergei. If you have the long down clues solved, there aren't all that many words that we know that end in I*V. Anagram (bananas) of PORK, O=duck and FIVE. The scorer is, as is often the case in these puzzles, a composer. He can be tricky to spell (I always think the F in the middle should be a V) but the setter has given us all the necessary.
22. Port has delays -- nothing allowed in (5)
LAGOS. Nigerian capital and seaport. LAGS=delays, containing O.
24. Song complete about Minoan daughter (7)
ARIADNE. ARIA=song with END=complete, reversed (about). In Greek mythology the daughter of King Minos of Crete. She helps Theseus escape the Labyrinth and the Minotaur.
25. See the writer is Swift, using name for Lilliput's leader (7)
IMAGINE. IM=writer of the puzzle is AGILE=swift, swapping the L in Lilliput for n[ame].
26. All fingers and thumbs? Or finding settled course? (5)
TENOR. We've got ten of these digits altogether with OR. As in the "noiseless tenor of their way" in Gray's Elegy.
27. Delicacy that may complement sour vegetable?
SWEETMEAT. Yes indeed, a sweet meat would be a good pairing, as the food writers might say.
Down
1. Did butterfly, say, crossing river move as many insects do (5)
SWARM. SWAM=butterfly swimming stroke.containing (crossing) R[iver].
2. Country chap, cultured, entering yacht station, having month off (9)
ARGENTINA. GENT=cultured chap surrounded by (entering) [m]ARINA=yacht place with M[onth]removed.
3. One spotted in woods? Amphibian's also seen by lake (9)
TOADSTOOL. TOADS=amphibian's. TOO=also. L[ake].
4. Behaviour of the kind shown by script in soap opera (15)
NEIGHBOURLINESS. Reference is to long-running Australian/UK tv series.
5. Teacher or parent maybe well prepared to read aloud list of charges (8,7)
PROFORMA INVOICE. Commercial term. PROF=teacher. OR. MA=parent. IN VOICE=ready to read aloud. In the US "pro forma" is usually two words.
6. Money raised on explosive component (5)
NITRE. NIT=tin (money) reversed (raised). RE=on.
7. Famed fawn in tropical grass loves to leave island (5)
BAMBI. Remove the OO (loves) from bamboo and replace with I[sland]. At my first boarding school someone had the bright idea to show this famous Disney movie the first weekend of the September term. I was 9 and the memory remains.
8. Doctor at centre in Amsterdam keeps diary -- it's saucy! (9)
BOLOGNESE. BONES=doctor (from "sawbones"), surrounding LOG=diary with E=middle letter in [Amst]E[rdam].
13. Crawler's second year chap, not fresher (9)
SYCOPHANT. S[econd] Y[ear] with anagram (fresher) of CHAP NOT.
15. Begging to take place of boxing instructor initially (9)
SUPPLIANT. SUPPLANT=take the place of containing (boxing) I[nstructor] (initially).
16. What's hypotenusenext to? (9)
ALONGSIDE. The longest side of a right triangle. Double definition and nice Pythagorean pun.
20. Hunter ahead snaring S. American banker (5)
ORION. ON=ahead containing (snaring) RIO=river (banker). He was the hunter in Greek mythology, now perhaps better known for the constellation named for him and highly visible in the night sky.
21. Rulingclass (5)
ORDER. Succinct double definition.
23. Sons given little money for bouquet (5)
SCENT. S=sons with CENT=little money. This would also have worked with "sons" singular.