Times 28,169: ‘Twas The Solve Before Christmas

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An enjoyable holiday Friday solve with lots of fun literary/GK-type content which always floats my boat. I think my favourites were the fun reverse cryptic clues at 20ac and my COD 7dn but it was all very congenial.

Hope you’ve all got your stockings hung up and find what you want in them on Christmas morning – it’ll be coal again for me, this year as every year. Merry Xmas to one and all and see you on the other side!

Definitions underlined, (ABC)* indicating anagram of ABC, {} deletions and [] other indicators.

Across
1 Due to merge bizarrely with Legal & General (2,6)
DE GAULLE – (DUE + LEGAL*) to find a famous general
9 Knock down leader of legion roughly on march (8)
DEMOLISH – L{egion), ISH on DEMO
10 Noise you heard: communications with one rowing (6)
UPROAR – U + P.R. + OAR [one that rows]
11 Rubbish on-line about cruel figure in Labour (6,4)
NEMEAN LION – (ON-LINE*) “about” MEAN. Heracles’ first labour
12 Predator caught fabulous bird (4)
CROC – C + ROC
13 Obscure allusion picked up, getting harder to pick up (10)
DIMINUENDO – DIM + homophone of INNUENDO. Quieter and quieter
16 Writer has month to pen a work half-heartedly (7)
NABOKOV – NOV “penning” A BO{o}K
17 Rush to box quietly with learner in bout (7)
SPLURGE – SURGE “boxing” (P + L)
20 Sign of eating too much toast suggested by this? (6,4)
DOUBLE CHIN – suggests “CHIN CHIN!”
22 Politician dropping round, engaging a cup-bearer, say (4)
TRAY – T{o}RY “engaging” A
23 European skill behind film — it enhances sounds (3,7)
EAR TRUMPET – E ART RUMP E.T.
25 River keeping cool for convenience (6)
URINAL – URAL “keeping” IN
26 Free from charge after inconclusive unfair accusation (8)
LIBERATE – RATE [charge] after LIBE{l}
27 Queen’s partner’s stored knowledge is a minimal sham (8)
TOKENISM – TOM [male cat, hence a queen’s partner] “storing” KEN IS. A bit of a strange literal for TOKENISM but I guess it’s a fair description
Down
2 Being high, high up, I hear, without oxygen (8)
EUPHORIA – (UP I HEAR*) “without” O
3 Answer to go down badly after Mike’s explosive threat (6,4)
ATOMIC BOMB – A TO + BOMB [go down badly] after MIC
4 Poet’s wretched trouble with a single romance yarn (5,5)
LORNA DOONE – LORN + ADO + ONE
5 Cheese put on a crossword setter’s Japanese dish (7)
EDAMAME – EDAM on top of A ME
6 Novel English magazine’s contents cut back (4)
EMMA – E + reversed AMM{o}
7 Follower, what lady showing a lot of leg may have? (6)
MINION – a lady showing leg may have a MINI ON
8 Part of pin’s head turned up covered in glitter (8)
SHINBONE – reversed NOB “covered in” SHINE. Pin as in leg
14 Drink accompanying food with nothing in it (3,3,4)
NIP AND TUCK – NIP [drink] AND [accompanying] TUCK [food]
15 Jittery neurotic around a time for gas explosion (10)
ERUCTATION – (NEUROTIC*) “around” A T
16 Grace perhaps follows bad end for outlaw (3,5)
NED KELLY – (Grace) KELLY following (END*)
18 Boy right to crack jokes in finery (4,4)
GLAD RAGS – LAD R “cracking” GAGS
19 Dog‘s way to get in trouble with the RSPCA? (7)
WHIPPET – if you WHIP your PET you will be in trouble with animal lovers
21 Strip and rip off a French female’s clothing (6)
UNROBE – ROB [rip off] “clothed” by UNE [a, French, female]
24 State what usually keeps being reflected (4)
UTAH – hidden reversed in {w}HAT U{sually}