This took me longer than perhaps it should have done, and I suspected it was hard, but I was distracted by visitors and a streaming cold. When I came to parse it and write the blog, I thought, not that hard really, even if a few times I was looking for the definition at the wrong end of the clue. For example, at 18a. I liked 28a for its simple and relevant surface.
Definitions underlined in bold, (ABC)* indicating anagram of ABC, anagrinds in italics
| Across | |
| 1 | Nothing good is postponed (2,3) |
| ON ICE – O (nothing) NICE (good). | |
| 4 | Car — blue — drawing in constant power from only one source? (9) |
| AUTOCRACY – AUTO (car) RACY (blue) insert C the constant speed of light in a vacuum. | |
| 9 | Officer requires years just to get protection for work (9) |
| COPYRIGHT – COP (officer) Y(ears) RIGHT = just. | |
| 10 | Partygoer close to dancefloor, say (5) |
| RAVER – R (end of dancefloor) AVER = say. | |
| 11 | Shelter covered with light, rocky earth and shiny material (6,7) |
| PATENT LEATHER – TENT (shelter) inside PALE (light) (EARTH)*. | |
| 14 | Book publishers should send my royalties here! (4) |
| TOME – I’d want royalties paid TO ME! | |
| 15 | Singular limits restricting key attack victims (10) |
| SCAPEGOATS – S (singular) CAPS (limits) with E (key) GO AT (attack) all inserted. | |
| 18 | Broken bone somehow compressing extremely tough joint (2,3,5) |
| ON THE BLINK – (BONE)* with T[oug]H inserted then LINK = joint. | |
| 19 | One advising young woman to drop married name (4) |
| AIDE – MAIDEN drops its M and N. | |
| 21 | Desperate hunters battle to reverse fortunes (4,3,6) |
| TURN THE TABLES – (HUNTERS BATTLE)*. | |
| 24 | Try to block some pain (5) |
| AGONY -GO (try) inside ANY (some). | |
| 25 | King and others worried about current counterattack (9) |
| RETALIATE – R (king) ET AL (others, Latin), I (current), ATE (worried). | |
| 27 | Perseverance shown by foolish individual — one I put into service (9) |
| ASSIDUITY – ASS (foolish chap) I (one) DUTY (service) with I put in. | |
| 28 | Sheep finally allowed outside a fold (5) |
| PLEAT – P (sheep finally) LET (allowed) insert A. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Company from the south — one charged to hold up employment (10) |
| OCCUPATION – OC (company reversed) CATION (one charged, a positive ion) insert UP. | |
| 2 | Little mischief? One’s played quietly (3) |
| IMP – I’M (one’s) P (played quietly). | |
| 3 | Aim to secure right artist for commission (6) |
| ERRAND – END (aim) with R, RA (artist) inserted. | |
| 4 | Lovely candy decoration on top of lebkuchen (9) |
| ANGELICAL – ANGELICA being a candy decoration, L being the top of lebkuchen. The latter being a German gingerbread type of thing. | |
| 5 | Otter that regularly eats river fish (5) |
| TETRA – Insert R into alternate letters; o T t E r T h A t. Small tropical fish often kept in tanks. | |
| 6 | Hours in transit leading to former trading hub (8) |
| CARTHAGE – insert H (hours) into CARTAGE (transit). | |
| 7 | A lad arrives furiously combative (11) |
| ADVERSARIAL – (A LAD ARRIVES)*. | |
| 8 | Not large, really flipping basic dwelling (4) |
| YURT – TRULY = really, remove the L (not large) and reverse it. | |
| 12 | Invitations gathered up at points to be dished out (11) |
| TEMPTATIONS – MET (gathered) reversed then (AT POINTS)*. | |
| 13 | Old male German paramilitaries overwhelmed by strength test (10) |
| ASSESSMENT – ASSET = strength, insert SS MEN those old German paramilitaries. | |
| 16 | Use moderate wordplay with sarcasm (9) |
| PUNGENTLY – well, if you PUN GENTLY you can be said to be using moderate wordplay. It’s in Collins to mean with caustic wit or satire. | |
| 17 | Settled dispute outlined by contract (8) |
| DEFRAYED – FRAY (dispute) inside DEED (contract). | |
| 20 | Everyone featuring in the Republican party race (6) |
| GALLOP -ALL (everyone) inside G.O.P. the “Grand Old Party” so-called. | |
| 22 | Collector’s items including many human sculptures? (5) |
| TORSI – hidden as above, being the plural of TORSO. | |
| 23 | Somewhat elevated numbers in a spreadsheet? (4) |
| DATA – A TAD (somewhat) reversed (elevated). | |
| 26 | Excellent commando principally involved in each uprising (3) |
| ACE -C (commando principally) inside EA (each) reversed. | |
I found this tough, got there finally in well over the hour. Nice puzzle.
Gave up on this – e.g. couldn’t do 4ac because I’d AERY at 8dn (anag. ‘really’ minus both Ls) = and many other clues had no idea how to parse.
Gave up with about 4 to go – just not on my wavelength. Mr Ego had a look and put WIFE for 19A. As in ‘One advising young woman – MIDWIFE, minus M for married and ID for name. I was quite happy to accept this without the definition! He also got DATA, ASSIDUITY and TORSI (I said I wasn’t on the wavelength!) However, we were both stumped on 16D – I tried all the vowels except U! Liked ON THE BLINK most – it was one of my first in.
DNF I had biffed ANGELHAIR at 4d, and this left me with ON THE BRINK and a puzzle at 15a. Otherwise all others parsed and correct.
A tough one
As others have said, generally a tough puzzle interspersed with some gentler ones. Thought I was off to a good start with ON ICE and OCCUPATION, then slowed down dramatically. Trusted the wordplay for ON THE BLINK ( my COD along with PUNGENTLY and TOME. Not such a great outcome for me, with having to look up seven!