I had two stabs at this, at the first in around 35 minutes I had completed and understood all except most of the top left hand quadrant, a.k.a the north west. That took me another twenty minutes or so to decipher and parse, not least because my knowledge of famous Assyrians need some refreshment. In retrospect, there's nothing (apart from 1d) too daunting about it, There are a couple of clues I could take issue with, just to be awkward, like 19d and 25a, but I won't because this is just the kind of puzzle I hope to see on a Wednesday becaue it stretched the little grey cells just far enough.

Across
1	One supporting cuts met with knight (8)
	SAWHORSE - SAW = met, HORSE = knight, in chess; hard to see the right wavelength here, but once you do the wordplay is fair.
5	Ready to assimilate City formula (6)
	RECIPE - The old standard EC for London City area goes into RIPE for ready.
8	Wreck in sea on moon finally eclipsed (3)
	MAR - Seas on the moon have Latin names like MARE something, so that MARE loses an E. I thought MAR just meant damage rather than wreck, but it's passable.
9	Crook to entertain sister's subordinate (5,5)
	STAFF NURSE - I spent an age trying to fit NUN into this. A crook is a STAFF, and you NURSE or entertain the idea of something.
10	Right-hand man keeping to hyperbole (8)
	RHETORIC - RH = right hand, ERIC is our random man, insert TO. I think not all rhetoric is hyperbole, but once again Collins in its third definition of rhetoric decides it's passable.
11	Tradesman, powerless to deliver cut wood (6)
	LUMBER - A PLUMBER, if you can find one, they're all on the beach now in France, he loses his P.
12	Current in which HM ships lost way (4)
	MODE - MODERN = current, loses the Royal Navy or RN.
14	Pressure in tie — United beaten for lack of fitness? (10)
	INEPTITUDE - (TIE UNITED P)*.
17	Tough Berber reflective in secure place (10)
	STRONGROOM - A MOOR could be a Berber, a North African Arab; Reverse him and add to STRONG = tough.
20	Stylish welcome received in clubs twice (4)
	CHIC - HI = welcome, inside C C for clubs twice. The French have a much used expression "BCBG" which stands for "bon chic bon genre" but those referred to seem to me to have anything but good taste and good attitude, they just have "old money" and arrogance. The Sloanes of Paris.
23	Small deposit to finish in bank (6)
	DEPEND - DEP for small deposit, END for finish; DEPEND on as in rely on, bank on.
24	Fundamental article about the Italian church (8)
	BASILICA - Insert IL = Italian for 'the', into BASIC A.
25	Feline woman binding husband in chains (10)
	CHATELAINE - I was well misled by this one, wondering why chains had anything to do with the Lady of a château. but of course, that would be a châtelaine, not a chatelaine, which is an ornamental chain or chains hanging from a belt. CAT has H inserted then ELAINE is our random woman. No wonder the French won't abandon their beloved circonflex.
26	Alcoholic in the end put back to bed (3)
	COT - C = end of AlcoholiC, TO reversed = put back TO.
27	About to introduce tax break (6)
	RECESS - RE = about, CESS = tax. We've seen CESS recently.
28	Forebear requires an exotic escort (8)
	ANCESTOR - AN, (ESCORT)*.

Down
1	Famed Assyrian house is home to sheep (9)
	SEMIRAMIS - a SEMI is a kind of house, and IS is is. Insert RAM for sheep, to get the name of a famous (if barely recalled) Assyrian queen. I'd only heard of it in an operatic context where I knew she was probably a queen but not especially of the Assyrian persuasion.
2	Charge bundle to keep bird on ground (7)
	WARHEAD - This is a naughty clue. You're supposed to think of WAD for a synonym of bundle, then think of one particular flightless bird, a RHEA, and bung one into the other to make a word vaguely related to CHARGE. The little grey cells were stretched. My LOI.
3	Cricket side's method hardly secret? (2,4)
	ON SHOW - ON'S - cricket side's, HOW = method. Biffable, but not obvious to parse.
4	Pen pusher, perhaps, bursting into tears (9)
	STATIONER - Back to regulation clues. (INTO TEARS)*.
5	Lock phone on rental contract (7)
	RINGLET - RING = phone, LET = rental. See lock, think hair.
6	Using colour, 20 to dress person travelling on time (9)
	CHROMATIC - 20a was CHIC (we're into Grauniad territory here, cross referencing); insert ROMA for a person travelling, and T for time.
7	Fake groom died, having introduced tango (7)
	PRETEND - PREEN - groom, insert T for tango, add D for died.
13	Clear river containing single rodent (9)
	EXONERATE - Devon's River EXE has ONE RAT inserted.
15	Testing time for one at crease, one performing (9)
	PROBATION - PRO = for, BAT = one at crease in cricket, I = one, ON = performing.
16	One charming Chinese detective in lodge (9)
	ENCHANTER - Mr CHAN goes into ENTER = lodge, in the sense of 'enter a protest / lodge a protest'.
18	Cereal stirred below temperature becoming syrup (7)
	TREACLE - T, (CEREAL)*.
19	Unprincipled little man enters gallery (7)
	GODLESS - GODS in a theatre  = gallery; insert our random bloke LES. I rail at this; I am godless, an atheist by conviction, but I am not not unprincipled. I have principles.
21	Process of reduction in capital growth (7)
	HAIRCUT - Cryptic definition.
22	Brie munched by me in galley (6)
	BIREME - (BRIE)*, ME. Old rowing ship with two banks of oars.

Having got no joy in several clues in the top half, I ducked down to the SW and built the grid up from there. Last two standing when everything else was complete were 17ac and loi 10ac. 8:31 which is faster than I expected from a slow start.

( Read more...Collapse )

36'50" for this, which is bang on my own personal NITCH. However, if you were to think that this was my average solving time, you would, I'm afraid, be gravely mistaken, as the SNITCH counts only correctly completed entries 'submitted with leaderboard' on the Times crossword website. So, given that I often go over my SNITCH average on tougher crosswords, where I am more likely to get one or two wrong or to have to look up one or two and therefore (rather happily, if the truth be told) disqualify myself from submitting with leaderboard, I would hazard that my real average is in the 40-45 minute range. And, then I cast my mind back and wonder, has there ever been a time since the invention of the SNITCH that I have taken forever and looked none up and got none wrong, but have decided nonetheless to submit without leaderboard to save face. Perish the thought!

I reckon this was a little easier than average but rather tougher than your average Monday puzzle. Having lived out of Blighty for so long, BARISTA is a word that came up on me unawares only a few years ago. I was intrigued at first, thinking that the men and women so named had taken a degree (or at least a diploma) in coffee-making, travelling to Costa Rica and Mexico and perhaps doing an elective or two in fair trade, organics, and mindfulness and compassion. Sadly, as in so much else in my life, I was disappointed when I discovered that every Tomasz, Dirk and Henryk working at Starbucks at Heathrow was called a barrista. How those ladies who used to serve up coffee and chicory at Lyons' Corner Houses must be turning in their graves!

On review, this setter likes his/her question marks as much as I love my exclamation marks!

ACROSS

1 Frequently pressure will be absorbed by broadcaster gaining influence (4,5)
SOFT POWER - OFT P in SOWER (broadcaster); a silly phrase meaning the ability to manipulate through culture, coffee etc. Apparently, the UK is the top peddler of SOFT POWER in the world, which means the laugh is on them, I reckon.
6 US lawyer impounding most of long rural residence (5)
DACHA -ACH[e] in DA; every Russian novel has a dacha and a samovar. Me, excepting War and Peace and anything by Dostoevsky, I prefer your French novels. The Red and the Black by Stendhal (who I thought was Scandinavian until recently) is particularly racy...
9 Café worker? A man filling bill is recalled (7)
BARISTA -reversal of A (SIR [man] in TAB [bill])
10 I guarantee I rejected further broadcast about son (7)
INSURER - similar device to the previous clue: I (S in reversal or RERUN [further broadcast])
11 Closer and closer to ritual at church (5)
LATCH - [ritua]L AT CH
12 Intimidating male taken to court over cartel (9)
HECTORING - HE CT O RING. An excuse (as if I need one) to plug CS Lewis's magnificent oration warning against 1ac
13 Huge energy sustaining Republican bodyguard (5)
GROSS - R in GO SS
14 It'll have a drop of arsenic in various portions, perhaps (3-6)
RAT-POISON - A (drop/first letter of Arsenic) in PORTIONS*
17 The writer's recalled nineteen characters around Northern American state (9)
MINNESOTA - N (north) in MINE reversal of A TO S (first 19 letters of the alphabet)
18 Ecstatic state offering no new suggestion (5)
TRACE - TRA[n]CE
19 Get program to stop after girl's taken aback (9)
APPREHEND - REH (HER reversed)in APP END
22 Inlet having run in a fraction, not loudly (5)
FIRTH - R in FI[f]TH
24 Alcoholic drink: writer, a bit cut, will get stuck into brew (7)
TEQUILA - QUIL[l] in TEA
25 Odd bits of opal and blue interrupted by marks in pale brown (7)
OATMEAL - O[p]A[l] M (marks) in TEAL (blue); a colour
26 Spider perhaps found behind cold hilltop (5)
CREST - C REST (a spider is a stick used in snooker to enable a player to strike over a ball)
27 International game? Plan to include one high-flier (4,5)
TEST PILOT - TEST I in PLOT

DOWN

1 Forecaster is upset over Times line (5)
SIBYL - reversal of IS BY L (line)
2 Eldest child initially ready to tuck into left half of bonbon? (5-4)
FIRST-BORN - R[eady] in FIRST BON (left half of BONBON)
3 Immediately make online comments over animosity surrounding society (4-5)
POST-HASTE - POST S in HATE
4 Newspaper feature teacher edited with software (7,8)
WEATHER FORECAST - TEACHER SOFTWARE*
5 Exhibit mammalian consequences of the foregoing? (4,4,3,4)
RAIN CATS AND DOGS - um, yes, well this is a somewhat strained cryptic definition of a quirky nature, where it has to be said that rain being as it were equivalent to a weather forecast is a bit of a stretch, even in Blighty. 'The foregoing' refers to the previous clue, of course.
6 Dancing talent that’s new? Not very (5)
DISCO - DISCO[very]; Susan Boyle was discovered on Britain's Got Talent; Screamer Easton on Esther Rantzen's The Big Time
7 Garment I'd picked up after a lot of consideration (5)
CARDI - CAR[e] ID reversed
8 Superior approach in developing organ care (9)
ARROGANCE - ORGAN CARE*
13 My acting's pulled apart as sort of vigorous (9)
GYMNASTIC - MY ACTINGS*; perhaps the literal is 'vigorous'. I am open to offers
15 Not agreeing how you might get pets? (3,2,4)
OUT OF STEP - an anagram of PETS is STEP, so you can get pets OUT OF STEP
16 Place for flights? Primarily soaring through atmosphere successfully (9)
STAIRWELL - S[oaring] T[hrough] AIR WELL
20 Anger? Private investigator quite expressing it (5)
PIQUE - PI QU[it]E getting rid of (expressing) IT
21 Throw out online winner having no alternative (5)
EVICT - similar device to the previous clue: E VICT[or] getting rid of OR (alternative)
23 Entertainer bringing in latest from musical composer (5)
HOLST - [musica]L in HOST

Unless you’re very experienced you are unlikely to solve a Mephisto without using Chambers. The idea is that you use the precise wordplay to derive an answer that you then verify in the dictionary. 4D is a perfect example.

This was a very pleasant middle-of-the-road puzzle. In the clues definitions are underlined. Wordplay explanation is followed by very helpful comments. I’m a bit pushed this week as we are about to take a short break, so I’ve not had time to fully resolve 31A – apologies.

ACROSS

1 Beast who shouts about being dry (7)
CRITTER: CRI(TT)ER; cowboy slang for a cow;
6 Dope, we hear, groans dejectedly (5)
SIGHS: sounds like “size” (dope=a thick liquid or semi-liquid like size);
10 Part of transmission is unsafe? Son to set firm (10)
CRANKSHAFT: CRANK-S-HAFT; set firm=HAFT; main shaft of the engine;
11 Pop turning a blind eye to fine column (4)
ANTA: (F)ANTA; pop=Fanta=awful fizzy drink;
12 A teacher backing cool cupidity (7)
AVARICE: A-(RAV reversed)-ICE; teacher=RAV;
14 Is one in an indefinitely large number a mug? (5)
STEIN: ‘S-TE(I)N; TEN=indefinitely large number according to Chambers; memories of Munich!
16 Old noble’s role seen in a new light (4)
EORL: (role)*; old word for earl – worth remembering;
17 Bit of ornamentation with its native dress (7)
OKIMONO; O(rnamentation)-KIMONO; ah, so;
19 Clear about one wiped out pressing hint? (9, two words)
CARE,LABEL: (clear)*-ABEL; Cane’s victim=ABEL; laundry instructions;
22 Weaken with a sailor’s progress round it (9, two words)
WASTE,AWAY: W-A-S(‘T)EA-WAY; it=’T
23 Explain once new e-reader (7)
ARREED: (e-reader)*;
25 Fish about for purpose (4)
IDEA: IDE-A; about=A;
29 Some people’s weeds are virtually amongst yours (5)
YARRS: Y(AR-e)RS; dialect for the corn spurrey, me dear;
30 Large edible fish beside butter reservoir (7)
GHILGAI: GHI-L-GAI; butter=GHI; (nanny)GAI=fish;
31 Active Scots swan off, coming back poorly (4)
SEIK: (bir)KIES reversed, I think; I know active Scots=birkies but not sure how “rib”=”swan”; SEIK is Scots for sick, poorly;
32 Allies together bury furore from the east (10)
INTERKNITS: INTER-(STINK reversed);
33 Sniffer is streaked with veins, but not very (5)
E-NOSE: (v)ENOSE; electronic spaniel;
34 Editing suddenly fired up (7)
IGNITED: (editing)*; suddenly=unexpectedly=anagram indicator;

DOWN

1 Quarry gets in civil engineer (5)
CHASE: C(HAS)E;
2 Find burrow’s littlest? (10, three words)
RUN,TO,EARTH: RUNT-O-EARTH;
3 Surprisingly it cures jaundice (7)
ICTERUS: (it cures)*;
4 I tidy up aged ribbons (7)
TAENIAE: (I-NEAT reversed)-AE;
5  ____ and a Romeo, possibly (9)
ENAMORADO: (and a Romeo)*;
6 Hand up (ie, renounce) advice for accountants initially (4)
SSAP: PASS reversed; Statement of Standard Accounting Practice;
7 Holy state raised welcome with pun (5)
IHRAM: HI reversed – RAM; pun=RAM; holy state enjoyed by Muslim pilgrims to Mecca;
8 Way of walking through German island (4)
GAIT: G-AIT;
9 Small bits of cauli picked up following leaves — they’re waxy (7)
STEROLS: S-(f)LORETS all reversed; f=following; solid, waxy, alcohols such as cholesterol;
13 Call round under no circumstances with independent realism (10, two words)
CINE,VERITE: CI(NEVER-I)TE; I still remember seeing Children of Hiroshima in my teens;
15 Running through wasted weeks near clink (9)
SKEWERING: (weeks)*-RING;
18 Antipodean itinerant succeeded with amusing but quiet European (7)
SWAGGIE: S-WAGGI(sh)-E; a swagman;
20 Extrovert with close to unseemly affinity for diminutive mistress? (7)
LADYKIN: LAD-Y-KIN; Y from (unseemly)Y; term of endearment used as a cosmetics trademark;
21 Drive eccentricity in leading support for sitter (7)
BEDREST: BE(DR-E)ST; eccentricity=E;
24 Perhaps old evils? Meet up about a line (5)
EALES: SEE reversed surrounds A-L; Waggle-dagger misprint in Hamlet;
26 Requested air staff fly (5)
ASKED: AS-KED;
27 Sunk one’s teeth into round tropical fruit (4)
BITO: BIT-O;
28 Man-eater consequently turned up (4)
OGRE: ERGO reversed;

Many will have encountered difficulties with the club site this weekend, so online times may be uncertain. I solved on paper in 33 minutes, so comparable to last week’s, although it felt if anything a little easier. My LOI was 13ac, an unusual word with common letters as checkers, but my clue of the day was the very clever 9ac. Thanks to the setter for a very enjoyable puzzle.

Clues are in blue, with definitions underlined. Answers are in BOLD CAPS, then wordplay. (ABC*) means 'anagram of ABC', with the anagram indicator in bold italics. Deletions are in {curly brackets}.

Across
1 Fairly good and soft like fur (8)
PASSABLE: P (soft), AS (like), SABLE (fur). A gentle one to start.

9 Comment on what one needs to make a mate a man (8)
ANNOTATE: the 1ac honeymoon didn’t last long! To make “mate” into “man”, you need the last few letters of the word to be “AN”, NOT “ATE”. I eventually biffed this, and deferred the parsing until I got to writing this blog. Luckily this style of clue doesn’t happen often, because I always find it hard to see!

10 Get amazed with temperature in star (4)
STUN: T (temperature) in SUN (star). Not sure the definition quite works. Isn’t “to get amazed” more like “to be stunned”?

11 Good and ancient flag against which others are to be compared (4,8)
GOLD STANDARD: G (good), OLD (ancient), STANDARD (flag). A fine collection of oldies in a standard clue, one might suggest?

13 Transport complex tickets sold in a book (6)
CARNET: CAR (transport), NET (“complex”, as a noun). I’ve never heard a ticket described as a carnet in real life. Does it still happen?

14 Finished by Tuesday? That’s about right for this work (8)
OVERTURE: OVER (finished), TUE (Tuesday) “about” R (right). I liked the faint irony in the surface of the clue.

15 Being concerned about daughter’s combing and cleaning (7)
CARDING: CARING (concerned) around D (daughter). The reference is to the process of preparing wool, say, for spinning.

16 Mangle attacking player without resistance (7)
WRINGER: WINGER “without” (outside) R. “Mangle” is another word that seems to have dropped out of use in this context. Perhaps it’s the unfortunate overtones of the word’s other meaning!

20 Plot summary appearing as Arsenic and Old Lace? (8)
SCENARIO: (ARSENIC O*). A cute anagram indicator!

22 Lamp’s working with a gas that’s ionised (6)
PLASMA: (LAMPS*), A.

23 In a low bar, he’s recording for tacky band (8,4)
ADHESIVE TAPE: HES in A DIVE, then TAPE (recording).

25 Overall of satinette (4)
NETT: hidden in {sati}NETT{e}.

26 Backer for theatre and opera company, one from Hollywood, perhaps (8)
ANGELENO: ANGEL (theatre backer), ENO (English National Opera). A resident of Los Angeles.

27 Annoying learner leaving truck having broken panel over wheel (8)
WORRYING: {l}ORRY inside (“having broken”) WING (panel over wheel – what in my parts is called a mudguard).

Down
2 More than one robot car to snarl up area (8)
AUTOMATA: AUTO (car), MAT (to snarl up, as in the expression “matted hair”), A (area).

3 Fuss arising from Sinatra’s activities? (4,3,5)
SONG AND DANCE: double definition.

4 News report shot at home (8)
BULLETIN: BULLET (shot), IN (at home).

5 In which one may hear others confused about answer (7)
EARSHOT: (OTHERS*) outside (“about”) A (answer).

6 How many chess games end for prisoner, perhaps (6)
INMATE: chess games often end IN (check-) MATE.

7 Delay over a special sports meeting (4)
GALA: LAG reversed (“over”), then A.

8 Try introducing skinned badger hats (8)
HEADGEAR: HEAR (try) “introduces” {b}ADGE{r}.

12 Union organiser in company serving archaeologists? (6,6)
DATING AGENCY: double definition. The second is a whimsical allusion to carbon dating of archaeological finds.

15 Rejected actors over 42nd Street, for one (8)
CASTAWAY: CAST (actors), over A WAY. I am not sure what’s going on here. Is 42^nd Street just an example of a road/way, or is there something more clever?

17 Perhaps watch theatre with one certain to scoff (8)
REPEATER: REP (theatre), EATER (one who scoffs). I knew the expression “repeater watch”, but had no idea what it was. Now I've checked, I don't know why you'd want one! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repeater_(horology)

18 Men do not travel in this city (8)
EDMONTON: (MEN DO NOT*).

19 One way or another pig keeps untidy home (7)
SOMEHOW: (HOME*) inside SOW.

21 Bankrupt regretted keeping fashionable (6)
RUINED: IN inside RUED.

24 Tango leaves part of leg extended above the normal level (4)
HIGH: {t}HIGH.
 

Obviously things can go either way on a Friday, but this was a relatively straightforward puzzle and so I was able to finish it and bash out a quick blog in time to leave on my jet plane from YVR to LGW, phew! Normal levels of verlaine service to be resumed as of next week.

Some very likeable clues in here with a combination of fun ideas and good surfaces. I think my favourites were probably the cryptically simple but adorable 12ac (how does he smell? terrible!) and the excellent lift-and-separate "customs inspector" clue at 22dn. Thanks setter!

ACROSS
1 Kitty chasing second little bit (4)
SPOT - POT [kitty] chasing S [second]

4 Pact remade with island united behind surrender (10)
CAPITULATE - (PACT + I*) ["remade"] + U LATE [united | behind]

9 Confined by police — suspect one soundly beaten? (10)
KETTLEDRUM - KETTLED RUM [confined by police | suspect]. A punny definition, meaning more "one beaten to produce sound", I reckon.

10 Elite soldiers bashing in middle window frame (4)
SASH - SAS [elite soldiers] + {bas}H{ing}

11 Many practise religion secretly at first (6)
DOZENS - DO ZEN [practise | religion] + S{ecretly}

12 My poor dog's nose! (8)
GOODNESS - (DOG'S NOSE*) ["poor"]

14 Chatter idly when leaving King's Head (4)
PATE - P{r}ATE [chatter idly, losing its R(=king)]

15 Bundle of nerves wrecking old car on short trip (6,4)
SPINAL CORD - (OLD CAR*) ["wrecking"] on SPIN [short trip]

17 Waste left in more open land running out to sea (10)
WILDERNESS - L [left] in WIDER [more open] + NESS [land running out to sea]

20 Two girls regularly finding work (4)
TOIL - T{w}O {g}I{r}L{s}

21 Woman must go without instant dessert (8)
SEMOLINA - SELINA [woman] must go without MO [instant]

23 Constant pain and temperature? Here's capsule! (6)
CACHET - C ACHE [constant | pain] and T [temperature]

24 Fate of Scandinavians alternatively featured in news? (4)
NORN - OR [alternatively] featured in N N [(two) news]. The Norns in Scandinavian mythology were the goddesses of fate, and named Urd, Verdandi and Skuld, give or take an ETH from 8dn or two.

25 Cold rook shovelled in not fit to eat — or unusually good! (10)
INCREDIBLE - C R [cold | rook] shovelled in INEDIBLE [not fit to eat]

26 Rebel group in 19 having need for speedy action (10)
INSURGENCY - IN S [in | society] having URGENCY [need for speedy action]

27 One such being goat starts to meander on the heath (4)
MOTH - M{eander} O{n} T{he} H{eath}. Cossus cossus, the goat moth.

DOWN
2 Right pair get over split (11)
PREROGATIVE - (PAIR GET OVER*) ["split"]

3 Appropriate document to be landed with? (5,4)
TITLE DEED - cryptic def; if you are landed you are a land owner and may well have a title deed proving such...

4 Regime originally coming in stops wrinkles (7)
CREASES - R{egime} coming in CEASES [stops]

5 Training on rifle-range, shot blue bird (9,6)
PEREGRINE FALCON - P.E. [training] + (RIFLE RANGE*) ["shot"] + CON [blue (as in Tory)]

6 Drum roll to precede this lottery's result? (7)
TOMBOLA - cryptic def, as you spin around a drum before picking a winner in a tombola

7 Wide open love Christian shows (5)
AGAPE - double def (very different pronunciations though!)

8 Sailor accompanies ancient character in spirit (5)
ETHOS - O.S. [sailor (Ordinary Seaman)] accompanies ETH [ancient character]. I thought ETH might have been Hebrew but in fact it's that d with a cross at the top that you see in Icelandic.

13 Ritual discouraged in managed accommodation (7,4)
SERVICE FLAT - SERVICE [ritual] + FLAT [discouraged]. Flat as in "lacking interest/emotion".

16 Problem is Mass involving eastern religious instruction (9)
CATECHISM - CATCH IS M [problem | is | mass] involving E [eastern]

18 Two swimmers, the first heard making complaint (7)
RAILING - the two swimmers (fish) are RAY and LING, but it's just a homophone of the first one here.

19 Company very close to collapse in financial district (7)
SOCIETY - SO [very] + {collaps}E in CITY [financial district]

21 Offence attracts fine where law handed down (5)
SINAI - SIN [offence] attracts A1 [fine]; God's law was handed down to Moses on tablets there.

22 Customs inspector hauling last couple up (5)
MORES - the inspector is MORSE; reverse the last couple of letters.

Today is a public holiday in my neck of the woods - Assumption - so I have a much needed respite from the daily grind of trekking 220 km by taxi, at the nation's expense, for a 10 minute treatment. And only 2 more to go, so, soon I shall have my life back, for a while.
I was able to solve this at leisure, sitting still, and found it a pleasant, middle-of-the-road puzzle, nothing too obscure or controversial, a 22 minute solve and only one clue - 1a - required a look-up afterwards to make sure I wasn't in Cloud Cuckoo Land. And so 1a is a fitting clue for a largely Catholic holiday, as is 21d. And the chap with the razor must have been a crossword fan.

Across
1	Decorative work in cape and vestment (7)
	CROCHET - C for cape, ROCHET is a white dress worn by Catholic (and some Anglican?) priests in a choir situation. I remember my gran's fingers moving at warp speed doing this without taking her eyes off the television.
5	Getting into beds, start to abandon clothes (5)
	COATS - A starts abandon, goes into COTS = beds. I think CLOTHES here is a verb.
9	Encourage holy person after word of disapproval (5)
	BOOST - ST for Saint, after BOO.
10	Teddy hugging wife in long apparel on holiday? (9)
	BEACHWEAR - W for wife inside ACHE for long inside BEAR for teddy.
11	Rough during performance that involves old flame (7)
	INEXACT - My LOI because I couldn't spell 8d properly and had 11a beginning with an S. Twit. EX for old flame, inside IN ACT for during performance.
12	Rev. is about to lead church worship (7)
	SERVICE - (REV IS)* followed by CE for church.
13	Region of USA to horrify a nameless pal (10)
	APPALACHIA - APPAL = horrify, CHINA = pal loses his N. One presumes, the area of USA where one finds the Appalachian Mountains, of which one had heard.
15	Bird in head ornament with tail knocked off (4)
	CROW - CROWN loses its tail.
18	Community to triumph, but one missing out (4)
	TOWN - TO WIN = to triumph, lose the I.
20	Say word of warning to players, having got cross enough (3,7)
	FOR EXAMPLE - FORE ! = word of warning, to golfers; X = cross, AMPLE = enough.
23	Religious group of idiots enthralling a thousand (7)
	MORMONS - MORONS enthrall an M.
24	Vehicle, traveller round planet, featured in diagram (7)
	CHARIOT - CHART = diagram, insert IO a moon which travels around Jupiter.
25	Moggy kept by doddery oldies is put out (9)
	DISLOCATE - CAT inside (OLDIES)*.
26	Blank out needing peace? That's about right (5)
	ERASE - EASE = peace, insert an R.
27	Composer has meal, finishing early (5)
	SUPPE - SUPPER ends early. Franz von Suppé, chap born in Split in 1819, d. 1895, wrote light opera and jolly overtures. He looks like Edward VII's decoy man.
28	Miss sent in a spin by your old man? (7)
	TIMOTHY - Miss = OMIT, in a spin = TIMO, add THY = 'your old'. Just a random man's name. Not great.

Down
1	Intimate photo of couples misbehaving (5-2)
	CLOSE-UP - (COUPLES)* it's that easy.
2	Terribly foul salt water discharges (8)
	OUTFALLS - (FOUL SALT)* it's that easy.
3	Way sailor gets into clobber (5)
	HABIT - AB = sailor inside HIT = clobber, as Ben Stokes can get away with it appears.
4	Vehicle dropping one with prominent church feature to be discovered (9)
	TRANSPIRE - TRAIN drops an I, SPIRE.
5	Enclosed space with house for university group (6)
	COHORT - COURT = enclosed space; replace the U with HO for house.
6	Provocative goddess, one reclining in studio (7)
	ATELIER - ATE was the Greek goddess of mischief, delusion, ruin and folly. Add LIER for one reclining.
7	Pair in Durham, say, for drinking bout (5)
	SPREE - Durham is a SEE or Bishopric, insert PR for pair.
8	Old boy beginning to enthuse is worker kowtowing to boss? (8)
	OBEISANT - OB = old boy, E(nthuse), IS, ANT = worker. Stupidly I first wrote in OBESIANT which, as noted above, screwed up 11a and delayed a finish.
14	Food item in can is sort that's been processed (9)
	CROISSANT - (CAN IS SORT)*. I prefer a pain au raisin.
16	Struggled with those left, then took the initiative (8)
	WRESTLED -W for with, REST = those left, LED = took initiative.
17	Scottish solicitor with a wit advanced cases (3,5)
	LAW AGENT - A WAG = a wit, inside LENT = advanced.
19	Notts town acts with river rising (7)
	WORKSOP - WORKS = acts, then the river PO rises. I'd heard of it as the home town of golfer Lee Westwood. Apparently it's also home town to Basil Boothroyd, Donald Pleasance and Graham Taylor, although I expect they don't or didn't crow about it.
21	Quiet woman holding scripture lessons maybe in school (7)
	PRIMARY - P - quiet, MARY a woman, one such whose Assumption is celebrated today, insert RI for Religious Instruction.
22	Merry man eating lettuce (6)
	JOCOSE - See lettuce in a clue, think COS. Insert into JOE.
23	Unfortunate king in motorway dash coming to premature end (5)
	MIDAS - M1 motorway, DAS(H). Moral of story; if things you touch turn to gold, don't touch your daughter. Go look for a Cameron, Rees-Mogg or Johnson to touch.
24	The best stuff, full of energy (5)
	CREAM - Stuff = CRAM, insert E for energy.

LOI 8ac took a while to drop and took me to a fraction over 8 minutes. If one were to feel particularly strongly about it, one could formulate a reference to US politics in 1ac, 10dn, 8ac and hidden in 18ac - elsewhere we have some longish definitions and some mental gymnastics with the word play. I liked 15ac but COD to 19dn. All in all a satisfying QC - thank you Pedro.
Anyone not yet having attempted a prize crossword may like to have a look at last Saturday's.

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