Club Monthly 20186 March 2016

cd = cryptic definition, dd = double definition, rev = reversed, anagrams are *(–), homophones indicated in “”

ODO means the Oxford Dictionaries Online, OED = Oxford English Dictionary, etc.

Across
1. Russian composer’s short shiny coat — Italian I see (8)
Glazunov – GLAZ(E) (short shiny coat) + UON (Italian I) + v (see, as in qv. or viz.). I know the name but practically nothing more about Alexander Glazunov.
9. Little works as usual, cop being corrupt (8)
opuscula – *(USUAL COP)
10. Caterpillar bound to follow closely (6)
hopdog – HOP (bound) + DOG (to follow closely)
11. Horse that’s weary after covering a hundred kilometres at wood (10)
hackmatack – A CKM AT (a hundred km at) in HACK (horse that’s weary)
12. Cross interior of Cuba and Australia, heading west (4)
zobu – (C)UB(A) + OZ, both rev. A zobu is another member of the extensive “zho” tribe, specifically a cross between a male yak and a cow. Chambers gives no less than 11 different available spellings..
13. Allows story to proceed, reserving end for you until later (5,5)
hasta luego – HAS (allows) + (YO)U in TALE (story) + GO (to proceed)
16. Live flies, very quietly eradicated in French city (7)
Beziers – BE (live) + ZI(PP)ERS (flies). Lovely city.
17. What appears on leaf or page enclosing film certificates (7)
cupgall – U and PG (film certificates) in CALL (page)
20. Serpent owl’s mistaken for fern (10)
spleenwort – *(SERPENT OWL)
22. One blown rudely back in blizzard (4)
razz – hidden, rev., in bliZZARd
23. Worthless security provided by female following runner in once (10)
bumbailiff – BUM (worthless) + BAIL (security) + IF (provided) + F(emale)
25. Provider of antiseptic not available without consent of German looking the other way (6)
ajowan – all rev: NA (n/a, not available) + WO (w/o, without) + JA (German consent)
26. Circuits I’m going to put on end of electric part of lock (4-4)
clap sill – (electri)C + LAPS (circuits) + ILL (I’ll, I’m going to)
27. Passes round collection of surrealist art, perhaps, depicting slaves (8)
odalisks – DALIS (the art) in OKS (OK’s, passes). Odalisks are slaves, true, though of a particular type..

Down
2. Help boy traumatised about love, reluctant to split up (8)
lyophobe – *(O + HELP BOY)
3. Unknown type of radiation turning up in one: kindly take food and drug (10)
zidovudine – Z (unknown) + UV (radiation) rev. in I DO DINE
4. Leggy creature out late approaching the boy (5,5)
night heron – NIGH (approaching) THE RON.
5. What’s initially viewed on digital players? (7)
vodcast – V( iewed ) + O(n) + D(igit al) + CAST (players), the def. being an &lit
6. Heat must get stripped out for article to reach freezing point (4)
Wurm – so, I think this is WARM, with the A (article) replaced by ( o )U(t) (“stripped out”). Tricky!
7. Chance to satisfy when broadcast is put out (6)
luxate – sounds like LUCK + SATE. Luxate is a fancy way of saying dislocate (a shoulder, etc)
8. Slope and list, but keep afloat? (8)
bankroll – BANK (slope) + ROLL (list, eg an electoral roll)
14. Poison to put in a drink briefly, regularly had neat (4,6)
aqua tofana – TO in A QUAF(F) + h A d N eAt. Aqua tofana has a fascinating Wikipedia entry…
15. In UK it involved long-standing scrap over legendary king (6-4)
Utgard Loki – OLD RAG (long-standing scrap) rev. in *(UK IT).
16. Four-legged African transport has been known primarily to tour capitals (8)
bushbuck – BUS (transport) + UC (capitals, ie u/case) in H(as) B( een ) K(nown)
18. An elevator that rarely works? (4,4)
lazy jack – a cd
19. Animal park that’s run badly caged skunk (7)
zorillo – R(un) + ILL (badly) in ZOO
21. Beat writer’s block: it’s a wicked thing for a poet (6)
lampad – LAM (beat) + PAD (writer’s block). A lampad is a kind of lamp or candlestick
24. Two nurses cross with a member of Iris’s family (4)
ixia – X (cross) in II (two) + A. Corn lilies, bees love ’em.