A puzzle with enough trickiness to keep you on your toes, I thought. Not difficult, especially in the anagrams department, but with clues such as 6 and 25a, and 15 and 17d that demand the application of the little grey cells. All in all, a nice pick-me-up in a Hong Kong still reeling from the Chinese Communist Party's decision to introduce 'security' legislation for its autonomous region by
fiat. 18 minutes-ish.
A prize to anyone who can decipher my fiendishly cryptic heading.
ACROSS1
Starter that’s Spain to a T, somehow (9)
ANTIPASTO - anagram* of SPAIN TO A T
6
Name of commoner quietly erased by church (5)
CELEB - [p]LEB follows CE
9 The Speaker’s dogged
disquisition? (5)
TRACT - sounds like tracked
10 Called into London park with a
climber (9)
HYDRANGEA - RANG in HYDE; yes, beside being a shrub (and a tree), a hydrangea is quite the Sherpa Tenzing
11
Die, as one might in a casino? (4,2,4,5)
CASH IN ONES CHIPS - two definitional elements - one subsidiary and whimsical
13
Spooked, began to bury first of loot (8)
STARTLED - L[oot] in STARTED
14
One criticising alternative to Thatcher? (6)
SLATER - ordinary folk slate their roofs; gentrified folk thatch them
16
Content to be a flirt? (2,4)
AT EASE - with different enumeration A TEASE; we had something like this recently
18
Friendliness of retired toff, one in institution (8)
BONHOMIE - NOB reversed I in HOME
21 Writer repeatedly dismissing hesitation
in masterful manner (15)
AUTHORITATIVELY - AUTHOR IT[er]ATIVELY
23
Spicy food pioneer cooked, keeping very quiet (9)
PEPPERONI - PP in PIONEER*
25
Hold forth with enough people there, no question (5)
ORATE - [qu]ORATE
26 Dictator’s sinister
observation post? (5)
EYRIE - sounds like eerie
27
Budget problem proves Ned wrong (9)
OVERSPEND - PROVES NED*
DOWN1
Old Greek goat tickling nurses (5)
ATTIC - hidden in goAT TICkling
2
Clear running water outside flowed by spring (11)
TRANSPARENT - RAN (flowed) SPA (spring) in TRENT (running water)
3
Country fan’s simplistic rubbish drawing one in (7)
PATRIOT - PAT (simplistic) I in ROT
4
Big glass boat (8)
SCHOONER - double definition
5
Loads of drawings daughter chucked out (6)
OODLES - [d]OODLES
6 Gamble large
choir will sing here (7)
CHANCEL - CHANCE L
7
Bit of lamb maybe setter served up (3)
LEG - GEL reversed
8 Item of clothing I put down in
restaurant (9)
BRASSERIE - BRASSIERE with I sent down
12 Meet painter, horribly
self-indulgent (11)
INTEMPERATE - MEET PAINTER*
13
Lapps tear apart this fruit (4-5)
STAR-APPLE - LAPPS TEAR*
15
Case that would be haunting under English (8)
VOCATIVE - EVOCATIVE without its 'e', as it were
17 Nothing new in extremes of Sartre’s
language (7)
SLOVENE - LOVE N in S[artr]E
19
Contemptible chap in love with States (7)
HEINOUS - HE (chap) IN (in) O (love) US (Uncle Sam, or Brother Jonathan, for horryd's benefit)
20
Escort impressed American, old record being brought up (6)
GIGOLO - GI (impressed American - rather good, to describe a drafted serviceman) reversal of O LOG
22 Area needing new leader to make
a profit (5)
YIELD - FIELD with Y for F
24 On reflection, fast talking is
normal (3)
PAR - reversal of RAP - one of my pet hates