I completed all but 14dn and 20ac in 26 minutes, but when I hadn’t solved them within my 30 minute target I decided to set the puzzle aside and return to it later. This tactic paid off because on resumption I saw the missing answers almost immediately.
As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]. I usually omit all reference to positional indicators unless there is a specific point that requires clarification.
| Across | |
| 1 | Spice: feature of Christmas morning, second to be consumed (8) |
| CARDAMOM : CARD (feature of Christmas), then MO (second – wait a mo) contained (consumed) by AM (morning) | |
| 5 | Provide more of drink, holding favourite item back (4,2) |
| STEP UP : SUP (drink) containing [holding) PET (favourite) reversed [back]. ‘Step up’ in the sense of increase, production for example. | |
| 10 | Choice to keep iodine by sick American around California? It’s deceptive (7,8) |
| OPTICAL ILLUSION : OPTION (choice) containing [to keep] I (iodine) + ILL (sick) + US (American) containing [around] CAL (California). If that’s not clear, try this: OPT(I (CAL) ILL US)ION. | |
| 11 | Beginnings of cool line in some computer images (4,3) |
| CLIP ART : C{ool} + L(ine}+ I{n} [beginnings], PART (some) | |
| 12 | Journey permitted making a few notes (7) |
| TRIPLET : TRIP (journey), LET (permitted). In music a triplet is a group of three notes played in the time of two. | |
| 13 | Peril American writer recalled in shock — diary’s contents erased (8) |
| JEOPARDY : POE (American writer) reversed [recalled] contained by [in] JAR (shock), then D{iar}Y [contents erased] | |
| 15 | Coffee and brief conversation with doctor (5) |
| MOCHA : MO (doctor), CHA{t} (conversation) [brief] | |
| 18 | Inclination to include finale from Berlioz, a composer (5) |
| LISZT : LIST (inclination) containing [to include[ {Berlio}Z [finale] | |
| 20 | Whirling energy presented by artist in the same expressive image (8) |
| IDEOGRAM : GO (energy) reversed [whirling] + RA (artist) contained by [in] IDEM (the same – a cross-reference used within a text to indicate the same author, work, etc) | |
| 23 | Article mostly supporting meteorological report (7) |
| THUNDER : TH{e} (article) [mostly], UNDER (supporting). ‘Report’ as in a loud noise. | |
| 25 | Seek to secure hotel in N European country (7) |
| FINNISH : FISH (seek), containing [to secure] INN (hotel). I was thrown for a moment because the clue also contains INN by other means. | |
| 26 | State funeral? Participation in it is no longer required (8,7) |
| NATIONAL SERVICE : A cryptic definition followed by a straight one with reference to conscription having been abolished in the UK since the mid 1950’s | |
| 27 | Additional line encapsulating singular piece (6) |
| MORSEL : MORE (additional) + L (line) containing [encapsulating] S (singular). | |
| 28 | Beautiful people in centre of storm encountering limits of celebrity (3,5) |
| EYE CANDY : EYE (centre of storm), C AND Y (C{elebrit}Y) [limits] | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Exclusive food, but not with cold dessert (6) |
| CHOICE : CHO{w} (food) [but not with – w], ICE (cold dessert) | |
| 2 | They sell author’s latest and earliest works (9) |
| RETAILERS : {autho}R [latest], anagram [works] of EARLIEST | |
| 3 | A lot of skill to fix light (3-4) |
| ARC-LAMP : AR{t} (skill) [a lot of…], CLAMP (fix) | |
| 4 | A small bird that hurts tails of all mice, right? (5) |
| OWLET : OW (that hurts!), {al}L +{mic}E + {righ}T [tails] | |
| 6 | Trademark securing maybe the Queen’s island in the travel industry (7) |
| TOURISM : TM (trademark} containing [securing], OUR (maybe the Queen’s) + IS (island). The royal ‘We’ yet again, this time in the possessive, makes three outings for this sort of thing in very recent puzzles. | |
| 7 | Friend suppressing greeting shows little bottle (5) |
| PHIAL : PAL (friend) containing [suppressing] HI (greeting) | |
| 8 | Timely joke reflecting real life with leader being deposed (8) |
| PUNCTUAL : PUN (joke), {a}CTUAL (reflecting real life) [with leader being deposed] | |
| 9 | Fine coffee will take get around your motoring inconvenience (4,4) |
| FLAT TYRE : F (fine – pencil ‘lead’), LATTE (coffee) containing [get around] YR (your). I’m not sure what ‘take’ is doing here but if it’s intended to make for a smoother surface reading it fails to do so. | |
| 14 | Force bar staff to accept article (8) |
| RAILROAD : RAIL (bar), ROD (staff) containing [to accept] A (article) | |
| 16 | Multiple parties? Firm came down on holding one (9) |
| COALITION : CO (firm), ALIT (came down) + ON containing [holding] I (one) | |
| 17 | Clear limits to uranium, involving temperature — here’s another metal (8) |
| PLATINUM : PLAIN (clear) + U{raniu}M [limits], containing [involving] T (temperature) | |
| 19 | Tiny swimmer: little perch? (7) |
| TADPOLE : TAD (little), POLE (perch – measurement) | |
| 21 | Information on American’s heart is not specific (7) |
| GENERIC : GEN (information), {Am}ERIC{an} [heart] | |
| 22 | Religious area set up in church yard? That’s rather corny (6) |
| CHEESY : SEE (religious area – diocese) reversed [set up] contained by [in] CH (church) + Y (yard) | |
| 24 | Absolute flattery eschewed by Bishop (5) |
| UTTER : {b}UTTER (flattery) [eschewed by Bishop] | |
| 25 | Old-fashioned foxtrot — out of practice, missing lead (5) |
| FUSTY : F (foxtrot – NATO alphabet), {r}USTY (out of practice) [missing lead] | |
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