Friends, I must ask for your your latitude this morning as the kids need to be got to school at 8.30 and I only started the crosswords at 8am... so I'll be giving proper attention to this blog up later!
I found this a strange puzzle for a Friday, three of the first four clues going straight in Quick Cryptic style, quite a few chestnuts e.g. 4ac, 14dn. However it soon became clear that maximum speed would not be possible with biff-traps like 13ac (I almost put RANG) and 6dn (AGITATE) to contend with, and 20ac where I started with SCAN. And I still don't understand 9ac but maybe I just haven't had time to understand anything properly yet. I did like the more humorous clues at 27ac and at 17dn, that latter of which is definitely my Clue of the Day, thanks setter. Anyway, must rush. Sorry sorry sorry! I will pop by for my deserved excoriation in due course...
ACROSS
1 Adapted to established woodland (6)
FOREST - FOR EST [adapted to | established]
4 Dirt about celebrity — some hot stuff (7)
MUSTARD - MUD [dirt] about STAR [celebrity]
9 What might have exuded from trees in former times (5)
LATEX - LATE X [former | times]
10 Retinue has to remain outside, holding back (9)
RESTRAINT - TRAIN [retinue] has REST [to remain] outside
11 Nothing happening with girl chasing lone man at an event (9)
STAGNANCY - NANCY [girl] chasing STAG [lone man at an event]
12 Anger with rogue husband (5)
WRATH - W RAT H [with | rogue | husband]
13 Called to work before golf (4)
RUNG - RUN [to work] before G [golf]
14 Deign to climb down after deception (10)
CONDESCEND - DESCEND [climb down] after CON [deception]
18 Sight of London and power attracting ancient ruler? (6,4)
PEARLY KING - P [power] attracting EARLY KING [ancient ruler]
20 See second container? (4)
SPOT - S POT [second | container]
23 What bereaved do with second container for ashes (5)
MOURN - MO URN [second | container for ashes]
24 Be very dear and try entering downland valley (4,1,4)
COST A BOMB - STAB [try] entering COOMB [downland valley]
25 Aromatic fragrance knocked caliph out (9)
PATCHOULI - (CALIPH OUT*) ["knocked"]
26 What’s poetic greeting heard the country over? (5)
HAIKU - homophone of HI [greeting "heard"] + UK reversed [the country "over"]
27 Approve last one in ‘unt? (7)
ENDORSE - the "last one in 'unt" is presumbably the END 'ORSE
28 Go to put on weight, giving up following diet initially (6)
ATTEND - {f}ATTEN [put on weight, "giving up F for following"] + D{iet}
DOWN
1 Series of projections covering sierra journey (9)
FILMSTRIP - FILM S STRIP [covering | sierra | journey]
2 Coach again is wet with downpour, perhaps (7)
RETRAIN - RET [wet] with RAIN [downpour, perhaps]
3 Vote on being in state and part of Germany (6)
SAXONY - X ON [vote | on] being in SAY [state]
4 Your setter — oddly sassy and difficult to deal with (5)
MESSY - ME [your setter] + S{a}S{s}Y
5 Run into woman with desire to be ill-natured (8)
SHREWISH - R [run] into SHE [woman] with WISH [desire]
6 Keep moving stone with internal magnetism (7)
AGITATE - AGATE [stone] with internal IT [magnetism]
7 Days on long canal (5)
DITCH - D [days] on ITCH [long]
8 Get annoyed about working argument over metal craft (8)
IRONWORK - IRK [get annoyed] about ON [working] + ROW reversed [argument "over"]
15 Family crunched its candy (8)
DYNASTIC - (ITS CANDY*) ["crunched"]
16 Tax link limits university with firm obligation (4-5)
DUTY-BOUND - DUTY BOND [tax | link] "limits" U [university]
17 Someone grappling with a 12’6” item? (8)
CLINCHER - a 12'6" item would be an 150-incher, and should you desire to express that in Roman numerals for some reason, a CL-INCHER
19 Touched on commercial about dairy spread that’s yet to be finished (7)
ABUTTED - AD [commercial] about BUTTE{r} [dairy spread "that's yet to be finished"]
21 Extent of public notice for data collection (7)
PROFILE - PRO FILE [for | data collection]
22 Posed holding revolutionary bag (6)
SACHET - SAT [posed] holding CHE [revolutionary]
23 Plot with hollow lime tree (5)
MAPLE - MAP [plot] with L{im}E
24 Water slide is very appealing when it’s hot inside (5)
CHUTE - CUTE [very appealing] when it has H [hot] inside
I found this a strange puzzle for a Friday, three of the first four clues going straight in Quick Cryptic style, quite a few chestnuts e.g. 4ac, 14dn. However it soon became clear that maximum speed would not be possible with biff-traps like 13ac (I almost put RANG) and 6dn (AGITATE) to contend with, and 20ac where I started with SCAN. And I still don't understand 9ac but maybe I just haven't had time to understand anything properly yet. I did like the more humorous clues at 27ac and at 17dn, that latter of which is definitely my Clue of the Day, thanks setter. Anyway, must rush. Sorry sorry sorry! I will pop by for my deserved excoriation in due course...
ACROSS
1 Adapted to established woodland (6)
FOREST - FOR EST [adapted to | established]
4 Dirt about celebrity — some hot stuff (7)
MUSTARD - MUD [dirt] about STAR [celebrity]
9 What might have exuded from trees in former times (5)
LATEX - LATE X [former | times]
10 Retinue has to remain outside, holding back (9)
RESTRAINT - TRAIN [retinue] has REST [to remain] outside
11 Nothing happening with girl chasing lone man at an event (9)
STAGNANCY - NANCY [girl] chasing STAG [lone man at an event]
12 Anger with rogue husband (5)
WRATH - W RAT H [with | rogue | husband]
13 Called to work before golf (4)
RUNG - RUN [to work] before G [golf]
14 Deign to climb down after deception (10)
CONDESCEND - DESCEND [climb down] after CON [deception]
18 Sight of London and power attracting ancient ruler? (6,4)
PEARLY KING - P [power] attracting EARLY KING [ancient ruler]
20 See second container? (4)
SPOT - S POT [second | container]
23 What bereaved do with second container for ashes (5)
MOURN - MO URN [second | container for ashes]
24 Be very dear and try entering downland valley (4,1,4)
COST A BOMB - STAB [try] entering COOMB [downland valley]
25 Aromatic fragrance knocked caliph out (9)
PATCHOULI - (CALIPH OUT*) ["knocked"]
26 What’s poetic greeting heard the country over? (5)
HAIKU - homophone of HI [greeting "heard"] + UK reversed [the country "over"]
27 Approve last one in ‘unt? (7)
ENDORSE - the "last one in 'unt" is presumbably the END 'ORSE
28 Go to put on weight, giving up following diet initially (6)
ATTEND - {f}ATTEN [put on weight, "giving up F for following"] + D{iet}
DOWN
1 Series of projections covering sierra journey (9)
FILMSTRIP - FILM S STRIP [covering | sierra | journey]
2 Coach again is wet with downpour, perhaps (7)
RETRAIN - RET [wet] with RAIN [downpour, perhaps]
3 Vote on being in state and part of Germany (6)
SAXONY - X ON [vote | on] being in SAY [state]
4 Your setter — oddly sassy and difficult to deal with (5)
MESSY - ME [your setter] + S{a}S{s}Y
5 Run into woman with desire to be ill-natured (8)
SHREWISH - R [run] into SHE [woman] with WISH [desire]
6 Keep moving stone with internal magnetism (7)
AGITATE - AGATE [stone] with internal IT [magnetism]
7 Days on long canal (5)
DITCH - D [days] on ITCH [long]
8 Get annoyed about working argument over metal craft (8)
IRONWORK - IRK [get annoyed] about ON [working] + ROW reversed [argument "over"]
15 Family crunched its candy (8)
DYNASTIC - (ITS CANDY*) ["crunched"]
16 Tax link limits university with firm obligation (4-5)
DUTY-BOUND - DUTY BOND [tax | link] "limits" U [university]
17 Someone grappling with a 12’6” item? (8)
CLINCHER - a 12'6" item would be an 150-incher, and should you desire to express that in Roman numerals for some reason, a CL-INCHER
19 Touched on commercial about dairy spread that’s yet to be finished (7)
ABUTTED - AD [commercial] about BUTTE{r} [dairy spread "that's yet to be finished"]
21 Extent of public notice for data collection (7)
PROFILE - PRO FILE [for | data collection]
22 Posed holding revolutionary bag (6)
SACHET - SAT [posed] holding CHE [revolutionary]
23 Plot with hollow lime tree (5)
MAPLE - MAP [plot] with L{im}E
24 Water slide is very appealing when it’s hot inside (5)
CHUTE - CUTE [very appealing] when it has H [hot] inside