Times 27231 – TCC Final, puzzle 1. Knocked out on Boxing Day.

Well, what a fine test, even if it required some obscure general knowledge or inspired guesswork if that knowledge was lacking; in my case, it was, at 12a. I knocked out the left hand side in a half-respectable twenty minutes or so, but floundered to a finish in something nearer fifty. I then had to check 12a to see if it was a word and also go to Wiki to bone up on the tax-resenters at 21a. I’d heard of these people – the term has arisen again in the context of the gilets jaunes carry-on currently besieging our roundabouts here – but I needed to be sure.
I see that on the day 17 of 24 clever people finished this correctly; impressive, and clearly this wasn’t going to be the hardest offering in the final. Well done to all who polished it off. I suffered a technical knockout by using an aid for 12a.
Some great clues here, I think 25a gets my CoD vote. Or maybe 15d. Happy St. Stephen’s Day!

Across
1	Book a restaurant within reach (3-2-4)
	GET-AT-ABLE – when you book a resto, you GET A TABLE.
6	Gets less energy to contribute to enthusiasms (5)
	FADES – FADS are enthusiasms, insert E.
9	Lighter verse included after a discussion (7)
	PALAVER – PALER = lighter, introduce A V(erse). I thought a palaver was just a fuss, but the dictionary says “prolonged and tedious fuss or discussion.”
10	Man had to welcome relative that’s regularly visited (7)
	HAUNTED – HE’D = man had, introduce your AUNT.
11	Con man’s very fine, getting rid of policeman (5)
	DUPER – Very fine would be super duper, kill off the Super(intendent).
12	A feature on plain canopy (9)
	BALDACHIN – BALD = plain, A CHIN = a feature. The sort of ornate canopy apparently that sits over a Papal throne or an altar, unknown territory to a chap like me.
13	Dictionaries include papyrus here, at a premium (5,3)
	ABOVE PAR – I biffed then stared at this for too long before seeing the obvious parsing. Dictionaries are alphabetical and papyrus comes just before par. Doh!
14	Russian family always is accommodating (4)
	ILYA – Name for a Russian chap, hidden in FAM(ILY A)LWAYS. Made famous in the sixties by the character ILYA KURYAKIN, the sidekick to Robert Vaughn played by David McCallum in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. In the day, around 1968, I was said to closely resemble this Ilya, who was also a babe magnet. Signed photos on request.
17	For audience interpret oboe part (4)
	REED – Sounds like READ = interpret.
18	Dad and when he’s remunerated: not a charitable occasion (5,3)
	POPPY DAY – I like these clues where the definition is actually the opposite of what the surface suggests. POP = Dad, then PAY DAY loses its A (when he’s remunerated, not A).
21	Resenter of taxes paid nothing, just furious (9)
	POUJADIST – I realised this was an anagram, (PAID O JUST)* when I saw ‘furious’. The term surfaced again recently in the context of the current protest movement sweeping through France, so was easier to hit upon; I’m not going to explain it but can direct you here if you’re curious.
22	Sounding affected by cold, maybe left a clinic from the back (5)
	NASAL – Reverse all of: L A SAN.
24	Tried to influence lout, one not up yet? (7)
	LOBBIED – LOB is an archaic word for a lazy lout. Then I is in BED so not up yet.
25	Nothing but a drop of the hard stuff that may greet one (3,4)
	ALL HAIL – No rain, only the harder stuff i.e. hail. Very droll.
26	Peacock’s extremely short mating period (5)
	STRUT – ST = extremes of ShorT, RUT = mating period.
27	Notice about temperature in ship dangerous to hands? (9)
	SPLINTERY – A double wrap-around job. T goes into LINER then LINTER goes into SPY = notice.

Down
1	Looked stunned as thong finally taken off (5)
	GAPED – G = thong finally, APED = imitated, taken off.
2	A personal detail another used to get you to pick up? (9,6)
	TELEPHONE NUMBER – Seems to me this is just a cryptic definition, although it took me a while to accept there wasn’t something else going on. Perhaps there is.
3	Landlord about to declare payment going up (8)
	TAVERNER – Payment = RENT, going up = TNER, insert AVER = declare.
4	Robber’s group imprisoned? (8)
	BARABBAS – I thought Barabbas was more guilty of murder and insurrection than robbery, and sources suggest probably a parable figure invented by Mark when writing his Gospel, as it seems unlikely Pilate would have released such an infamous anti-Roman criminal on the crowd’s whim without risking his own skin. However; the clue has ABBA the Swedish group inserted into BARS hence imprisoned.
5	Puff perhaps, now apparently unhealthy? (6)
	EXHALE – HALE = healthy, so if you’re EX HALE you might now be unhealthy.
6	Like some of Bach’s music including runs, no way extravagant (6)
	FRUGAL – As I write this I’m listening to JSB’s Musical Offering, much of which is FUGAL, so include R for runs to get the answer.
7	Killer of wife smiled wickedly in repose (5,3,7)
	DUTCH ELM DISEASE – This took me an age to see until I had all the checkers for the third word and DISEASE came to mind; DUTCH = wife, (SMILED)* then EASE = in repose. I kept trying anagrams of W SMILED to insert into a longer word for repose.
8	A little light covering garden may in the end become inactive (9)
	SEDENTARY – STAR = a little light, Y = end of MAY, insert the garden of EDEN.
13	Car pool is relocated in classical site (9)
	ACROPOLIS – (CAR POOL IS)*. My FOI, and I think seen before somewhere.
15	Skyline against one lake (8)
	CONTRAIL – CONTRA = against, one = I, L(ake). Nice definition.
16	Sort of prison, basic, not one without walls (4-4)
	OPEN-PLAN – OPEN is a sort of prison; PLAIN would be basic, loses its I = not one.
19	Cowcatcher in car, not the front, in the flipping rear! (6)
	LARIAT – (C)AR goes inside TAIL reversed.
20	Curly marks, first piece of decoration in mosaic (6)
	TILDES – TILES = mosaic, insert D(ecoration). The curly line placed over an N in Spanish.
23	Composer tending to relax you? (5)
	LULLY – Could be a new entry into the ISIHAC Uxbridge Dictionary. Tending to lull you = lully. Jean-Baptiste Lully was a 17C Italian-born French composer who hung around the court of Louis XIV for a long time; his music isn’t bad at all.