This one was not terribly difficult, and I made good progress by starting at the bottom and working my way up. Most of the cryptics were quite simple, with only two elements, and the answers were mostly familiar words. I did get stuck a little towards the end, but still managed to finish in one sitting of about two hours. In nearly every case, my first thought turned out to be correct, even though some of them took quite a while to be justified and confirmed. Mahsir gave the most trouble, and I needed nearly all the crossing letters to see how it works.
| Across | |
| 1 | Wonder about computer system — it shows astonishing quality (12) |
| PRODIGIOSITY – PRODIG(IOS, IT)Y. | |
| 9 | Stock cut? Could be rootstock as before (4) |
| RACE – Triple definition, the last from Shakespeare. | |
| 10 | With focus on means private hospital is unbending (7) |
| ACLINIC – A + CLINIC. | |
| 12 | Tangled hair shown by the Spanish troops (8) |
| ELFLOCKS – EL + FLOCKS, where both troops and flocks are verbs. | |
| 13 | In Scotland slight lead for Sturgeon getting credit (5) |
| SLOAN – S + LOAN. | |
| 14 | Loud laughter coming from Republican in recesses (7) |
| NICHERS – NICHE(R)S. | |
| 17 | Beat all chess records from years ago (8) |
| SHELLACS – Anagram of ALL CHESS. | |
| 18 | Runner starts in international eschewing a hat (6) |
| BEANIE – BEAN + I[ternational] E[schewing]. | |
| 22 | American novelist backed less good swimmer (6) |
| MAHSIR – [g]RISHAM backwards. | |
| 24 | One staggering sum shorter after section removed (8) |
| TOTTERER – TOT + TER[s]ER. | |
| 25 | Massage is needed after more than one fall (7) |
| TRIPSIS – TRIPS + IS. | |
| 27 | Spring onion cooked primarily with poor second-class oil (5) |
| CIBOL – Anagram of C[ooked] + B + OIL, where poor is the anagram indicator, since cooked is already used for something else. | |
| 28 | Guys love small whitefish found in Canada (8) |
| MENOMINI – MEN + O + MINI. | |
| 29 | Bridge points are occupying partners, indeed concerning South (7) |
| NASIONS – N(A)S + I + ON S. The partners are of course bridge partners – and there is a bridge in the clue, as well as another South. | |
| 30 | Overturned old car in the river (4) |
| AVON – NOVA reversed, a car in the UK that was completely different from the Nova in the US. | |
| 31 | Blush applied during excursion is winning with colour (12) |
| OUTREDDENING – OUT(REDDEN)ING. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Continue working perhaps around bottom switch (11, two words) |
| PRESS BUTTON – PRESS(BUTT)ON, what would be a push button in the US. | |
| 2 | Long-distance motor race really disorganised (6) |
| RALLYE – Anagram of REALLY. | |
| 3 | Model Danielle needing Chanel’s latest dress material, originally wool (7) |
| DELAINE – Anagram of DANIELLE – [chane]L, | |
| 4 | Cavalry regiment is pressing outside bank (9) |
| IRONSIDES – IRON(SIDE)S. | |
| 5 | Democrat emerging more shaky and rather unpleasant (6) |
| ICKIER – [d]ICKIER. | |
| 6 | Former Indian PM missing government function (4) |
| SINH – SIN[g]H, where those who biff sine will get into trouble. | |
| 7 | Rendered herein as “plant” (8) |
| INHEARSE – Anagram of HEREIN AS, with a rather macabre jocular definition. | |
| 8 | Third time for parking in Jag (6) |
| TIERCE – (-p,+T)ierce, a clever letter-substitution clue. | |
| 11 | Cooking roles changed in housing (11) |
| CASSEROLING – CAS(anagram of ROLES)ING. | |
| 15 | Rejecting lead, French school supports campaign for lead-free air? That’s stuff glossed over (9) |
| CLEARCOLE – CLEAR + [e]COLE – yes, CLEAR is in Chambers. | |
| 16 | Special fastenings to stop vessel that’s large? Actually largest (8) |
| VASTIEST – VA(S, TIES)T. | |
| 19 | Wicked spirit shown in one hour overseeing main suspect (7) |
| AHRIMAN – A + HR + anagram of MAIN. | |
| 20 | Again gold for French actor (6) |
| MOREAU – MORE + AU, not the fellow with the island in the Wells novel. | |
| 21 | Devotee holds tip of rose bud (6) |
| FRIEND – F(R[ose]IEND. | |
| 23 | Sort of transfer club agreed upon (6) |
| IRON-ON – IRON + ON. When I first got this from the cryptic, I didn’t see it for a moment. | |
| 26 | Old Jack arrests one that’s bad up north (4) |
| PUIR – PU(I)R. Pur is a jack in some obscure card game. | |
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