Land’s sakes, we have ourselves the entire alphabet, in a puzzle which achieves the impressive feat of not looking as if it’s trying too hard. I was hampered by a rash of typos throughout, pushing my time to a steady 23.54 including a very necessary post solve check. The only slightly forced word I spotted was at 28, a comparative form of a word that I don’t think really has one, no better as an agent noun. There are a few words which might challenge the vocab of some, but by and large they’re all kindly enough clued and reasonably guessable.
All is explained below with instances and diversions. The clues are in italics, the definitions underlined, and the SOLUTIONS in big, bold letters.
Across
1 In a way, stole on to a train, perhaps (6)
ABOARD Your stole is a (feather?) BOA, to be placed in A R(oa)D for a way. The definition is slightly marred by “to”, as “on a train” is correct, but then the surface would suffer.
5 The high road is my comfort zone (8)
CORNICHE I’ve driven along the one in Monaco, it’s a good way up and the views are spectacular: a coast road built into a cliff-face. My is here an exclamation: pick COR! as an equivalent, add NICHE for comfort zone
9 Holding fire at first, annoy NCOs in fighting force (5,5)
RIFLE CORPS The first letter of Fire held in RILE for annoy. CORPS is slightly cheeky for the plural of the abbreviated corp.(oral)
10 Passion of Cook to secure uniform (4)
FURY Pick FRY as your method of cooking, insert a NATO Uniform.
11 Silver edge on unknown herb (8)
AGRIMONY Silver is AG (Ag for purists), edge is RIM, ON in plain sight and Y for your unknown. Clever of the setter to anticipate the NHO reaction of some of out solvers.
12 Fugitive avoids a long stretch of tarmac (6)
RUNWAY Simply RUNAWAY without one of its A’s.
13 One whose brother cheated him out of cheese sauce (4)
ESAU Kindly setter gives us a “hidden” for those who blench at Bible stories. In cheesE SAUce. Jacob was the cheating brother, stealing Esau’s birth right (a big deal) as the elder twin in exchange for a helping of lentil stew.
15 Cockney house landlord not finishing simple meal (8)
OMELETTE We all know Cockneys drop their aitches, so ‘is ‘ouse ‘ere is an ‘OME. Landlord is LETTER, add it “not finishing”.
18 Old Irish prison officer round with very good wishes (5,3)
MAZEL TOV Hebrew/Yiddish for “good fortune/luck”. The old (Northern) Irish prison is/was the MAZE formerly Long Kesh, also known as the notorious H-blocks during the NI troubles, and used for political and terrorist prisoners. Now redeveloped as a peace centre. Add LT for officer (Lieutenant) O for round and V(ery).
19 Court giving prison (4)
QUAD a simple double definition, one short for quadrangle, the other one of many slang terms for prison. This may actually be a homophone (“giving”?) as I can only find this second meaning spelt as QUOD in Chambers, though Collins is more lenient.
21 One poor black moth (6)
BEGGAR B for black, and then assume EGGAR is a moth, not Samantha. It is.
23 Charlie moving about, working for firm (4,4)
CAST IRON Charlie gives C via cocaine, moving about is ASTIR, working is ON. Respace.
25 Very cold, losing free energy (4)
ZING So very cold is FREEZING, lose the free. Last seen on 26th January, slightly more bafflingly clued as “go, free from Baltic”
26 Suffering insomnia at the pictures (10)
ANIMATIONS Ah, our first anagram (suffering) of INSOMNIA AT
27 Drop a stone? One’s required to cut weight (8)
JETTISON Decent surface. Stone is JET, a form of lignite best found in the gift shops of Whitby. One’s gives IS which is “cut” into TON for weight.
28 Opening measuring device, finally place extra fitting (once) (6)
MEETER The last letter of placE is inserted (opening) into METER for measuring device. Meet means fitting, as in the Book of Common Prayer: “It is meet and right so to do”. I’m not sure Cranmer would have recognised the comparative.
Down
2 Given heart transplant, start living (5)
BEING Start with (as) BEGIN, transplant the G at its heart to the end.
3 In idle moment, raise lute to play (2,7)
AT LEISURE Our second anagram (to play) of RAISE LUTE.
4 Make up rubbish chapter as academic (6)
DOCTOR I think this is make: DO then the reverse (up) of rubbish: ROT and C(hapter). I’m open to alternative suggestions.
5 Seem truthful, but have police record? (5,10)
CARRY CONVICTION Two definitions, the second mildly whimsical.
6 Repaired, and as good as new, time having moved on (8)
RESORTED A somewhat quaint meaning of repaired, here derived from good as new RESTORED with the T(ime) moving a little along the word.
7 Solvent, cut off daughter and son for a laugh (2,3)
IN FUN An expression for solvent (as in not bankrupt) is IN FUNDS. Remove the D(aughter) and S(on)
8 In lab reheat revolting brew (6,3)
HERBAL TEA Anagram (revolting) 3, of LAB REHEAT. Mrs Z is prepared to try anything but your actual tea in a brew, I am more inclined to include the word revolting in the definition.
14 Cocktail with twist, and something to eat? (9)
SNAKEBITE Took a while to see this, but only because I had a mistyped A as the first letter. Twist gives SNAKE, something to eat BITE. Lager and cider in (probably roughly) equal measure. See my comment above on herbal tea
16 One’s opening book of Bible, absolutely excellent (9)
EXQUISITE The book of the Bible is EX(odus) absolutely is QUITE, insert IS for one’s (see 27ac)
17 Top actors touring African country and missing a series of films (4,4)
STAR WARS Top actors are STARS, here surrounding RWANDA, the African country “missing” AND.
Apropos nothing in particular, this from Twitter: ‘Fun little trick in the Sunday New York Times crossword yesterday: the central theme clue was “The better of two sci-fi franchises”, and regardless of whether you put Star Wars or Star Trek, the crossing clues worked.’ We are not so teased here!
20 Flying insects perhaps so equally affected by heat (6)
ASWARM Descriptive of flying insects, and (just) AS WARM for equally affected by heat.
22 Cut to performance reversed (5)
GIGOT A leg of mutton, and a reverse of TO and GIG for performance.
24 Powerless to attack cat (5)
OUNCE To attack is POUNCE, take away the P(ower). Any of several large cats.
COD: A nice bit of CheesE SAUce
Had to painstakingly piece together the SW to get all of the checkers before disbelievingly typing that in.
FOI FURY
LOI ASWARM
COD MAZEL TOV
TIME 16:03*
* My average SNITCH time slid back for the fourth month in succession, and is over a minute and a half slower than it was last August. I need to sharpen up, and performances like this one won’t help.
Edited at 2022-02-10 04:46 pm (UTC)
My love for American shows and films, especially those from in and around the general New York area, helped with MAZEL TOV; I think I last heard it during a re-watch of the New Jersey-based House, though it might’ve been Brooklyn 99.
On the other hand, I wouldn’t have put in QUAD/”quod” so confidently without it having come up here in the past, and struggled with ZING even though I think I’ve seen the idea before.
I also struggled with the idea of anything that normally comes in pint glasses being called a “cocktail”, though I suppose the phrase “a cocktail of drugs” would probably cover the SNAKEBITE and black I used to drink in Coventry pubs back in my student days!
Edited at 2022-02-10 05:10 pm (UTC)
As I struggled for nearly an hour
The pangram I knew
And it helped with the Q
But my grey cells are losing their power 😟
Resorted reminds me of the folk song “Spencer the Rover” :
With the night coming on to the woods he resorted
With woodbine and ivy his bed for to make
But he dreamt about crying, lamenting and sighing
Go home to your family and rambling forsake