13dn makes me wonder if there is cryptic potential to the phrase “in-flight magazine” – answers on a postcard? In any case thanks to the setter and happy new year to everyone!
Definitions underlined in italics, (ABC)* indicating anagram of ABC, {} deletions and [] other indicators.
Across
1 Buzzer initially put in behind drawer in pub (4,4)
BEER PUMP – BEE + P{ut} in RUMP
5 Host swallowing wine gum (6)
MASTIC – eMCee “swallowing” top crossword wine ASTI
9 Contend with cold at seaside (8)
CONFRONT – C ON FRONT
10 Everything jolly presumably in yearly foreign hotel (6)
POSADA – 0 SAD in P.A.
12 Quiet grudge I held in fearful anticipation (12)
PRESENTIMENT – P RESENTMENT holding in I
15 Straight line’s drawn in a fine green (5)
LEAFY – LEY drawing in A F
16 Drops perhaps after this ritual exercise (4,5)
RAIN DANCE – cryptic def
18 Son, naughty boy, left school a dunce (9)
SIMPLETON – S IMP L ETON
19 Get on the wrong side of mule, say (5)
CROSS – double def
20 Tall cavalry displacing small dockers (12)
LONGSHOREMEN – LONG HORSEMEN, with the S displaced
24 Commanding officer painting racing vehicle (2-4)
GO-CART – G.O.C. ART. Never seen this CO before but it “had to be”, yes?
25 Minor affair as pig squashes one dilapidated shed (8)
SIDESHOW – SOW “squashes” I (SHED*)
26 Sample of police kit Met finally accepted (6)
TASTER – TASER “accepting” {me}T
27 Moral primer replaced by satire (8)
BESTIARY – (BY SATIRE*)
Down
1 Resist responsibility often passed (4)
BUCK – double def. Buck the trend to pass the buck!
2 Ages of sailing ships halved (4)
EONS – {gall}EONS
3 Representation of power in speech gripping board (9)
PORTRAYAL – P ORAL “gripping” TRAY
4 In small way, limit care provision (12)
MINISTRATION – MINI ST. RATION
6 Oil processed into fine condiment (5)
AIOLI – (OIL*) in A1
7 Nothing to be gained by mixing untrained workers together (5,5)
TRADE UNION – 0 “gained” by (UNTRAINED*)
8 Recycling of map that monks produce (10)
CHARTREUSE – or CHART RE-USE
11 Old order from EEC remaining uncertain (6,6)
ANCIEN REGIME – (EEC REMAINING*)
13 In a journey, part of the eye that helps night vision (10)
FLASHLIGHT – in FLIGHT, LASH
14 No charisma needed to play these? (10)
HARMONICAS – (NO CHARISMA*), semi-&lit, a bit harsh
17 Activity during sleep contributes to fair amount lost (9)
DECREMENT – R.E.M. “contributing to” DECENT
21 South American native that’s on slippery slope (5)
SCREE – S CREE
22 Doctor comes to a halt (4)
WHOA – WHO + A
23 For example, accepting women’s influence (4)
SWAY – SAY “accepting” W
Thx setter and blogger and here’s to the start of a much better year for all of us.
After ten minutes, I had only four answers but sped up considerably after that.
Fortunately, I have stayed at a POSADA in both Madrid and Malaga, so had no doubt over the answer there.
Last in were FLASHLIGHT followed by LEAFY.
I was remembering Kennedy’s Latin Primer but doubted whether that could be clued by Primer.
Otherwise not too hard for a Friday.
David
I’m only posting today because it is the first time ever that I have known something our esteemed blogger did not! As a former RAF brat I’m fairly sure that GOC stands for General Officer Commanding. But it took me about an hour to finish the rest!
I found this a real struggle and never figured out POSADA. A careless ERAS at 2 messed me up as well. I never checked to make sure it parsed; a rookie error.
I do have a pedantic quibble over 13. A lash belongs to the eyelid, not the eye. Head office is an oculoplastic surgeon and she confirms the fact.
True enough. I did confess to being a rigorist when making the point. I did waste an embarrassingly long time trying to work iris, rod, cone etc into the answer to no avail.
Technical DNF as I needed aids for “Posada” — I study Spanish but this was a new word to me. I should still have got it from the wordplay.