ACROSS
1 Leaves a tip — which they all have each in their own way (8)
ICEBERGS – Iceberg lettuces are salad leaves, and all icebergs have a tip
6 Ornament to raise to one’s ear (6)
BROOCH – homophone of BROACH [to raise]
9 Respected source, all the same to female (4-7-2)
WELL-THOUGHT-OF – WELL, THOUGH TO F. FOI, largely from enumeration
10 Like the beach? Go out on it maybe in journey regularly (6)
PEBBLY – EBB [go out, on the beach] in PLY [journey regularly]
11 Check on spare glove (8)
GAUNTLET – LET [check, as in hindrance] on GAUNT [spare, as in thin]
13 Watch actor in church: good on-line clip! (7,3)
CLOTHES-PEG – LO! THESP in CE + G. A clip found on a washing line
15 One prepared for posting to West Country, ultimately amenable (4)
EASY – S.A.E. [one prepared for posting] (written from east to) west, + {countr}Y
16 Top police officers advancing caught mobster (4)
CAPO – take the A.C.P.O. [Association of Chief Police Officers] and move C(aught) to the start. LOI
18 Curse founder’s lack of vision with these (10)
BLINDFOLDS – BLIND [curse, as in “eff and blind”] + FOLD [founder, as in go out of business] ‘S
21 Looks on in wonderment, as kids in playground did? (8)
SEESAWED – SEES [looks on] + AWED [in wonderment]
22 Row of motorists following as escorts (6)
FRACAS – the R.A.C., “escorted” by F(ollowing) AS
23 Tea, then bed: that would have done for James (9,4)
GUNPOWDER PLOT – GUNPOWDER [tea] + PLOT [bed]. That’s James VI
25 Corruption in Strasbourg politician reversed for now (3,3)
PRO TEM – ROT in reversed M.E.P.
26 With abandoning dubious ideals, war not waged? (8)
SALARIED – (IDEALS {w}AR*). Not that I really know the difference between
“salaried” and “waged”
DOWN
2 Jelly maker to go round with others? (7)
COWHEEL – or CO-WHEEL. I hope people don’t still make jelly for e.g. children’s parties by boiling up an actual ox’s foot
3 Measure of cloth weaver’s placed under black bags (4-7)
BELL-BOTTOMS – ELL [measure of cloth] + BOTTOM’S [(Shakespearean) weaver’s], under B(lack). Bags as in trousers
4 Hint: about 12 short (5)
RATTY – RAY [hint] about T(ee)T(otaller). Short as in short-tempered
5 Substitute having lifted silver trophy’s heading for pub (7)
STOPGAP – reverse AG POT’S [silver | trophy’s] + P{ub}
6 Resented, but moved to accept as right (9)
BEGRUDGED – BUDGED [moved] “accepting” E.G. R [as | right]
7 Ring daily? That would be …? (3)
OFT – O [ring] + FT [daily paper The Financial Times]. If you are ringing someone daily, you are doing it oft(en)
8 Charlie holds out for funds (7)
COFFERS – C(harlie) OFFERS
12 Kind of cross summer’s a dry one (11)
TEETOTALLER – a TEE or T is a kind of cross, a TOTALLER is one who sums or a summer
14 Barge to tie up, finding space to move in (9)
ELBOWROOM – ELBOW [barge] + reversed MOOR [tie]. Not even a hyphenated enumeration, really?
17 One getting back around half five seeing red (7)
AVENGER – ANGER [seeing red] “around” {fi}VE
19 Salts appearing in ten days — March 15th? (7)
IODIDES – 10 D(ays) + (the) IDES (of March)
20 Conscript close to firefight feared being shot (7)
DRAFTEE – ({firefigh}T FEARED*)
22 Savage bits of detail are flagged up (5)
FERAL – hidden reversed in {detai}L ARE F{lagged}
24 Egg noodle (3)
NIT – double def, as in headlice and twit respectively
What is the point of a crossword that only half a dozen people are going to be able to solve without resorting to aids (which I did)?
Life is too short.
I had the same MERs at ratty / iceberg even after I’d got them. Could not though see Capo Easy or Cowheel.
54 minutes with aids for those 3.
Thanks V and setter.
Thanks, V, and setter for a good puzzle. GW.
No — it makes no sense whatsoever!
Edited at 2021-03-12 05:39 pm (UTC)
The choice between NIT and NUT was tough, but at least I plumped for the right one there.
Like last Friday I found this difficult – read through virtually all the clues with nothing until I came to 25ac, then gradually, very gradually compared to most, I worked my way to the top NW. it’s fascinating how It seems so often to be the first across and down clues that really give me grief.
Like others I understood ICEBERGS as leaves, and that they had tips, but the rest of the clue seemed to be superfluous, but I put it in and was pleased to be all correct. Loved the “groan moment” when CLOTHES PEG clicked, finally. Like Verlaine (don’t say that very often) there were a number of clues where I thought of a word and then tried to work out why it might be right – SCABARDS for 1ac I fortunately rejected.
I’ve never come across COWHEEL before, and am curious what part of the leg it actually is. Anatomically the ‘heel’ of a cow is the reverse-knee bit halfway up what looks like their leg, but I suspect the term refers to the bit below this, which is (by anatomical analogy with humans) their foot. This would be consistent with meat cuts that I am more familiar with: shin of beef, or stinco di agnello.