TImes 27,707: Moanimalism

I didn’t manage to go off to the races, Monday-style, on this one, but only because, if anything, there was too little to get my head around, not too much – dull words straightforwardly clued, which is a complaint I prefer to have about Jumbos than Friday puzzles. 9ac is I guess an interesting word, but the clue veers dangerously close to “foreign obscurity clued by anagram” territory, not that there’s much chance of getting the letters in the wrong squares for this one.

COD to 19d, which while simple, did make me smile with its definition “proud words”, as in ones that stand out from the page. Very nice, thank you, setter!

ACROSS
1 Reserve bank works here (9)
BOOKSHELF – BOOK [reserve] + SHELF [bank], resulting in a place where you’d find “works”.

6 Add space for printer’s family emblem (5)
TOTEM – TOT [add] + EM [space for printer]

9 Company accepting blame replaced instrument (7)
CEMBALO – CO “accepting” (BLAME*). Who’d heard of a cembalo before? Apparently it’s a harpsichord, not something you clash together.

10 Troops short of time prescribed treatment (7)
REGIMEN – REGIMEN{t}

11 NHS uses tin complex as service accommodation (6,4)
NISSEN HUTS – (NHS USES TIN*). A word I was familiar with, but probably only through crosswords.

12 Dog that always investigates leather leads (4)
TAIL – T{hat} A{lways} I{nvestigates} L{eather}, F{irst} O{ne} I{n}.

14 View street through fences (5)
VISTA – ST “fenced” by VIA [through]

15 Not entertaining girl, American, when visiting China (9)
UNAMUSING – UNA, plus US “visiting” MING

16 Planned route I go around in time (9)
ITINERARY – I + TRY [go] “around” IN ERA

18 Grand book stolen from dope? (5)
NOBLE – NOB{b}LE

20 Queen avoids sickly piece of cake (4)
EASY – {qu}EASY

21 Saxophonist’s first recently to hide fitting round mouthpiece? (4,6)
SOFT PALATE – S{axophonist} + OF LATE “hiding” reversed APT [fitting]. Mouthpiece as in, “part of the mouth”.

25 Church member mislays clubs belonging to ancient invaders? (7)
ANGLIAN – ANGLI{c}AN

26 Top soprano initially improvises (7)
NOODLES – NOODLE = head = top of the body? Plus S{oprano}. I hope I’ve missed something though because this feels like a really lacklustre clue if that’s it.

27 Many adopting universal yoga position (5)
LOTUS – LOTS “adopting” U

28 Remove housing officer, revealing clothing (9)
DECOLLETE – DELETE “housing” COL(onel}

DOWN
1 Stop eating firm meat (5)
BACON – BAN “eating” CO(mpany)

2 Slow absorption I found in very big Scottish bog (7)
OSMOSIS – I, found in O.S. MOSS, which is allegedly a word for a bog in Scotland

3 Sheepish journalist follows fake eatery up (10)
SHAMEFACED – ED follows SHAM + reversed CAFE

4 It takes ages to manage rearing horse (5)
EPOCH – reversed COPE + H(orse)

5 Eve welcoming half-cut Adam in for starters (5,4)
FIRST LADY – FIRSTLY [for starters] “welcomes” AD{am}. Slightly winceworthy definition…

6 One-piece garment not new in Friendly Islands (4)
TOGA – TO{n}GA

7 They get beaten up in a mine skirting motorway (7)
TIMPANI – reversed all of IN A PIT, “skirting” M

8 In Paris, my old box contains top-class speech (9)
MONOLOGUE – MON [in Paris, “my”] + O(ld) + LOGE [box] “contains” U

13 Bird flu wigeon spread around area (6,4)
GUINEA FOWL – (FLU WIGEON*) “around” A(rea)

14 Call recorder perhaps active man picked up (5,4)
VOICE MAIL – VOICE [perhaps: active] + homophone of MALE

15 Blue Berets loved defending northern plain (9)
UNADORNED – U.N. ADORED “defending” N

17 Understanding paper conservationists import pine (7)
INSIGHT – i [paper] + N(ational) T(rust) “import” SIGH [pine]

19 Proud words misled Liberal (7)
BRAILLE – (LIBERAL*)

22 Unionists embracing Northern Irish outfit (5)
TUNIC – T(rades) U(nion) C(ongress) “embracing” N.I.

23 Follow guarantee, ignoring Republican (5)
ENSUE – ENSU{r}E

24 Gentle touch of some gracious Sikh in retirement (4)
KISS – hidden reversed in {graciou}S SIK{h}

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