10/10, but I’m in Denver airport and my flight is boarding so let me rave about it more in the comments later!
ACROSS
1 Furious driver called out Gaitskell’s initial and forename (4)
JEHU – homophone of G, HUGH. Jehu the son of Nimshi makes an appearance in the Biblical Book of Kings, where his chariot can be identified from a distance because he “drives furiously”. It’d be nice to claim to be familiar with that story from primary sources, but actually there’s a Californian post-hardcode band from the 90s called Drive Like Jehu with whom I am passingly acquainted.
3 Bouquet’s “triple essence” in mineral water for syrup producer (10)
PERRUQUIER – {bo}UQU{et} in PERRIER [mineral water]. To fully “get” this clue, you have to understand that a “syrup” is a London wig, as in “syrup of figs”; and a perruquier is of course a fancy word for a wigmaker.
10 Supposedly superior part of Ginger Baker’s kit (4-3)
HIGH-HAT – Just a double def. The late (as of only a couple of months ago) drummer of Cream, who played drums like Jehu.
11 Within range, land one type of whitefish (7)
GWINIAD – Within GAD [range, as in rove, wander], WIN I [land | one]. You might think this looks a bit Welsh and you’d be right. Apparently they are found in Bala Lake which my family drove past on our way to our hols on the Lleyn Peninsula every summer in the 80s.
12 Book date for dancing in Torchwood captain’s embrace (5,2,8)
HEART OF DARKNESS – (DATE FOR*) [“dancing”] in the embrace of HARKNESS [Captain Jack Harkness, from the BBC’s saucy Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood]. I cannot lie, I almost fell off my chair when I realised fairly in-depth Whoniverse knowledge (which I can in all modesty claim to possess) was going to be required in a Times crossword; but I suppose he does fill the criterion of “dead people only” in spades, as part of his schtick is dying over and over and coming back to life again. Torchwood is often a bit rubbish by the way so don’t rush off to watch it, but the Children of Earth mini-season was actually pretty good if you really need to.
13 From Scotland, a little deer trophy is brought back (6)
PUCKLE – reversed ELK CUP [deer | trophy]. The opposite of a muckle it seems, strangely. Many a puckle makes a pickle?
14 Briefly visit crow and parrot (8)
POPINJAY – POP IN + JAY [briefly visit | crow]. A popinjay may be more familiar as a fashion victim who dresses gaudily as a parrot, but originally it meant the bird itself.
17 Time to follow brilliant Arabian man, the first man in Middle Eastern religion (8)
GAYOMART – T [time] to follow GAY OMAR [brilliant | Arabian man]. Gayomart, Keyumars, spell it how you like really, is the mythological first human being in the world in the Zoroastrian Avesta.
18 Turns out stone cold, the writer’s recalled (6)
EVICTS – reverse all of ST C I’VE [stone | cold | the writer’s. 15×15 strength clue!
21 Lay out morning hard copy with mixed sex features (15)
GYNANDROMORPHIC – (MORNING HARD COPY*) [“laid out”]
23 Madame’s shattered record at university, it’s clear to me (7)
EPUISEE – EP + U + I SEE [record | university | it’s clear to me]. The feminine form of the French word for “exhausted”, not to mention “shagged out”.
24 Bad applications with disadvantages, making all poles the same (7)
MISUSES – the disadvantages are MINUSES; make all its “poles” uniformly into South poles rather than having one North. Creative cluing!
25 Too funny, in Beadle’s name, having head replaced by stone mason’s art (10)
STEREOTOMY – (TOO*) [“funny”], in {J}EREMY [Beadle], after replacing its head with ST. Watch out, Beadle’s about!
26 Some of Plato’s characters, steeped in solipsism (4)
PSIS – Greek characters hidden in {soli}PSI{sm}. Normal strength clue!
DOWN
1 Australian bluebottle bound to be under dunny? (4,3)
JOHN HOP – HOP [bound] to be under dunny [JOHN]. A bluebottle is a copper, and a John Hop is an Aussie version of that law-enforcing breed. Though research suggests to me that in actual Australia a “bluebottle” might mean a jellyfish rather than a buzzy fly!
2 Holy order’s private teasing in Powys town (9)
HAGIARCHY – G.I. ARCH [private | teasing] in HAY [literary Powys town]
4 Drink or drugs nearly filling each Madeira maturation chamber (6)
ESTUFA – STUF{f} [drink or drugs, “nearly”] filling EA. I think this is Portuguese for a greenhouse, as opposed to the Spanish for a cooker or stove!
5 Gunners called up approve final battle (8)
RAGNAROK – R.A. [gunners] + reversed RANG [called up] + OK [approve]. Another normally strengthed clue.
6 Like mercury and potassium, metallic element is found in most of savoury tart (14)
QUICKSILVERISH – K SILVER IS [potassium | metallic element | is] found in QUICH{e} [“most of” savoury tart]. Nothing to scare the horses here, again.
7 Compound that complements you and yours? (5)
IMINE – you and yours, I and MINE. And now I’ve got a late-period Beatles earworm!
8 Small type protecting French from the person who’s uncivil to the Bard (7)
RUDESBY – RUBY [small type (5.5 points apparently!) “protecting” DES [French from the]. In the Taming of the Shrew Katherina calls Petruchio “a mad-brain rudesby, full of spleen”.
9 Glow of reddish-purple around radioactive ring basically knocking out nurse (14)
PHOTOLUMINESCE – PLUM [reddish-purple] “around” HOT O [radioactive | ring] + IN ES{sen}CE [basically, minus SEN = nurse]
15 Monkeys with Judge and impeaches, involving leader of House (9)
JACCHUSES – J + ACCUSES [judge | impeaches], “involving” H{ouse}. An even cooler word for marmosets.
16 Nothing for Gainsbourg in piano groove for Kind of Blue? (8)
PRURIENT – RIEN [nothing for Gainsbourg] in P RUT [piano | groove]. More earworms ahoy!
17 Water coolers with stemmed cups for ventriloquists? (7)
GOGLETS – if a ventriloquist says Gottle o’ Geer for Bottle o’ Beer, they might also says GOGLETS for Goblets [stemmed cups]. Another superbly creative clue!
19 Possible effect of barber’s rash evacuation of Scilly (and one of Dodecanese) Isles (7)
SYCOSIS – S{cill}Y + COS [one of Dodecanese] + IS [isles]. The MCS wouldn’t be the MCS without at least one unpleasant medical condition.
20 Ginger’s family has Em, I’m excluded from vocal set (6)
AMOMUM – the vocal set is Am, Em, I’m, Om, Um! And this is a taxonomic-type word for ginger.
22 Small lump, not the last on Edmund Spenser’s pate (5)
NOULE – NO{d}ULE [small lump, minus {edmun}D]. An old word for the pate or head, as in “that jobbernowl Magoo, he’s gone and beaten us all again”!
MCS doubter
Beautifully blogged, sir!
Edited at 2020-01-01 02:43 pm (UTC)