I will say that this was pretty much a model easyish Times crossword, with great surfaces everywhere you look and an inventive way with its containment indicators, but it’s a shame that some of the more interesting stuff was lost to me in my flurry of biffing – I didn’t feel much need to double-check what was going on with EGG TIMER, REVEILLE, GROUNDSHEET, HERRING GULL, THESAURUSES etc given a crosser or two. COD to 21dn whose surface tickled my ribs very pleasantly. And overall this puzzle was pleasant indeed, just not for quite long enough! Thanks to the setter and to the image of porcine cheese-munching jockeys (another excellent one)!
ACROSS
1 Very softly swathed in rings and fur, like a primate’s thumb (9)
OPPOSABLE – PP [very softly] “swathed in” O O [(two) rings] + SABLE [fur]. FOI.
6 Intellectually bright, left university to join police (5)
LUCID – L U [left | university] to join CID [police]. SOI.
9 Tenth muse initially failing to inspire (7)
ENTHUSE – {t}ENTH {m}USE
10 Men paid to perform for one after retirement (7)
GIGOLOS – GIG [to perform] + reversed SOLO [for one]
11 Remove contents of round tower (3)
TUG – reversed GUT [remove contents of]
12 Seabird messing up girl’s head in Yorkshire port (7,4)
HERRING GULL – ERRING [messing up] + G{irl}, in HULL [Yorkshire port]
14 Conflict is very common on street (6)
STRIFE – RIFE [very common] on ST [street]
15 Porcine jockeys love cheese (8)
PECORINO – (PORCINE*) [“jockeys”] + O [love]
17 About to ring apple-picker with incorrect wake-up call (8)
REVEILLE – RE [about], to “ring” EVE [apple-picker] with ILL [incorrect]
19 Fashionable babywear on sale, three-quarters off (6)
SNAPPY – NAPPY [babywear] on S{ale}
22 Folk with spring birthdays welcoming what’s in these books (11)
THESAURUSES – TAURUSES [folk with spring birthdays] “welcoming” {t}HES{e}
23 Zero in, turning attention away from earl (3)
NIL – reversed IN, plus {ear}L (having lost EAR = attention)
25 Mythical creature speaking amusingly, tail before face (7)
GRIFFIN – RIFFING [speaking amusingly], moving its last letter to pole position
27 Polished table leg, antagonising hosts (7)
ELEGANT – hidden in {tabl}E LEG ANT{agonising}
28 Face granny, extremely close (5)
MUGGY – MUG [face] + G{rann}Y
29 Elaborate purge repressing returning former reservists (9)
EXPATIATE – EXPIATE [purge] “repressing” reversed T.A. [former reservists]. Somewhat saddening that this seems to always have to be qualified with “former”, now it’s been the “Army Reserve” since 2014. No one would kick up a stink about AL needing to be specified as a former gangster, or TREE as a former actor, would they? Though I guess plenty of people might happily ditch the archaisms entirely…
DOWN
1 Obvious floating voter (5)
OVERT – (VOTER*) [“floating”]
2 Grass covering a German kitchen garden (7)
POTAGER – POT [grass] covering A GER [a | German]. LOI, solely due to being an unfamiliar word.
3 Exotic haircuts of a Commonwealth nation (5,6)
SOUTH AFRICA – (HAIRCUTS OF A*) [“exotic”]
4 Tired king wearing busby inside out (6)
BLEARY – LEAR [king] wearing B{usb}Y
5 Device for boiler say ultimately needing set-up instructions (3,5)
EGG TIMER – E.G. [say] + {needin}G + reversed REMIT [instructions]
6 Member oddly ignoring allergy (3)
LEG – {a}L{l}E{r}G{y}
7 Briefly soothe copper with fifty one gallstones? (7)
CALCULI – CAL{m} [“briefly” soothe] + CU [copper] + LI [fifty one]
8 Random duels upset Peel, for one (9)
DESULTORY – (DUELS*) [“upset”] + TORY [Peel, for one]
13 Stout female dons acquire camping equipment (11)
GROUNDSHEET – ROUND SHE [stout | female] “dons” GET [acquire]
14 Plan to sabotage regattas on first of May (9)
STRATAGEM – (REGATTAS*) [“to sabotage”], on M{ay}
16 Prof finally learning about boring north-eastern city (8)
FLORENCE – {pro}F + LORE [learning] + C [about] “boring” NE [north-eastern]
18 Opportunity to see rival faction (7)
VIEWING – VIE [rival] + WING [faction]
20 Slate, silver, turning up on each ancient landmass (7)
PANGAEA – PAN [slate] + reversed AG [silver] on EA [each]
21 Was repelling wife with revolting skin like a kipper (6)
ASLEEP – {w}AS [losing its W = wife] + rising PEEL [skin]
24 Lissome, and happy to go topless (5)
LITHE – {b}LITHE [happy, “to go topless”]
26 Leaders of France, enthusiastic yet slightly mad (3)
FEY – F{rance} E{nthusiastic} Y{et}
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