Considering the number of clues I read before an answer sprang to mind I was rather surprised to run through this in only 22 minutes. I also had a minor delay at the end with 19dn putting up a lot of resistance.
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 | Very backward family with name right round Croatian port (9) |
| DUBROVNIK | |
| DUB (name), R (right), O (round), V (very), KIN (family) reversed [backward]. Each element of wordplay is easy but the placement required some thinking through with ’round’ used deviously to mislead. | |
| 6 | Woman keeping record in regimental HQ (5) |
| DEPOT | |
| DOT (woman – Dorothy), containing [keeping] EP (record). I wasn’t sure about depot as ‘regimental HQ’ but SOED has it covered: 2 A military establishment at which stores are deposited, recruits or other troops assembled, or, formerly, prisoners of war confined; esp. a regimental headquarters. L18. | |
| 9 | Turning up readily at first, struggle with range (7) |
| PURVIEW | |
| UP (reversed) [turning], R{eadily} [at first], VIE (struggle), W (with) | |
| 10 | Winged sandals identified in short story and song (7) |
| TALARIA | |
| TAL{e} (story) [short], ARIA (song). Deduced from wordplay. It appeared once before in March last year but I didn’t remember it. | |
| 11 | Wee drink leading to a humiliating scene? (5) |
| DRAMA | |
| DRAM (wee drink), A. ‘A wee dram’ is common in Scottish dialect. | |
| 12 | Excitedly greet clan figure (9) |
| RECTANGLE | |
| Anagram [excitedly] of GREET CLAN | |
| 13 | Entertainer primarily concentrating on person in box (8) |
| CONJUROR | |
| C{oncentrating} [primarily], ON, JUROR (person in box). In English courts juries sit in jury boxes. | |
| 14 | Female judge visiting islands in Pacific state (4) |
| FIJI | |
| F (female) then J (judge) contained by [visiting] I + I (islands) | |
| 17 | Well-groomed old farm animals (4) |
| NEAT | |
| Two meanings. ‘Old’ in the second one refers to the rarity of the word these days rather than the age of cattle. | |
| 18 | Early seventeenth century woman astride a sturdy horse (8) |
| JACOBEAN | |
| JEAN (woman) containing [astride] A + COB (sturdy horse) | |
| 21 | Unrefined modern worker taking in the Spanish, say (9) |
| INELEGANT | |
| IN (modern – fashionable) + ANT (worker) containing [taking in] EL (‘the’ Spanish) + EG (say) | |
| 22 | Dangerous reptile artist found in equipment (5) |
| KRAIT | |
| RA (artist) contained by [found in] KIT (equipment). A non-aggressive but highly venomous snake, apparently. This has come up once or twice before but I hadn’t remembered it. | |
| 24 | Mournful English member getting first clue (7) |
| ELEGIAC | |
| E (English), LEG (member), 1AC (first clue – but not in a portcullis grid!) | |
| 25 | Current head I cite briefly (7) |
| TOPICAL | |
| TOP (head), I, CAL{l} (cite – summon in law ) [briefly] | |
| 26 | Upper-class scholar primarily associated with bird book (5) |
| TITUS | |
| TIT (bird), U (upper-class), S{cholar} [primarily]. It’s a book of the Bible. | |
| 27 | Parodist’s poem Lorna revised (9) |
| LAMPOONER | |
| Anagram [revised] of POEM LORNA | |
| Down |
|
| 1 | Journalist supporting political party, taken for a ride (5) |
| DUPED | |
| DUP (political party), ED (journalist). The Northern Ireland Democratic Unionist Party sends MPs to Westminster, and was much in the news during Mrs May’s regime when she relied on them to prop up her government. | |
| 2 | Pub profit dishonourable blokes finally spent in sales area (7,8) |
| BARGAIN BASEMENT | |
| BAR (pub), GAIN (profit), BASE (dishonourable), MEN (blokes), {spen}T [finally] | |
| 3 | Herb old miners planted outside Baltic port (8) |
| ORIGANUM | |
| O (old) + NUM (National Union of Miners) containing [planted outside] RIGA (Baltic port). I didn’t know this herb, or rather group of herbs that includes marjoram and the more familiar oregano. It has previously appeared in a handful of puzzles, but only one where I contributed to the discussion, in 2011. | |
| 4 | Source of information recalled uplands and city (8) |
| NEWSROOM | |
| MOORS (uplands) + WEN (city) reversed [recalled]. A ‘wen’ is a large and congested city. ‘The Great Wen’ is London. | |
| 5 | King longing to restrict son’s trashy material (6) |
| KITSCH | |
| K (king), ITCH (longing) containing [to restrict] S (son) | |
| 6 | Young chap upset girl over scene of assassination (6) |
| DALLAS | |
| LAD (young chap) reversed [upset], SAL (girl) | |
| 7 | Bird of prey foreign cleaner disturbed after parking (9,6) |
| PEREGRINE FALCON | |
| P (parking), anagram [disturbed] of FOREIGN CLEANER | |
| 8 | Extremely tender, ancient man, one playing Lear perhaps (9) |
| TRAGEDIAN | |
| T{ende}R [extremely], AGED (ancient), IAN (man) | |
| 13 | Eg Spice Girl engaged by male fraudsters on time (9) |
| CONDIMENT | |
| DI (girl) contained [engaged] by CONMEN (male fraudsters), T (time) | |
| 15 | Dogsbody’s deed interrupting turning up of corporation (8) |
| FACTOTUM | |
| ACT (deed) contained by [interrupting] OF reversed [turning up], then TUM (corporation – stomach) | |
| 16 | Noisy bird with crest finally replaced by quiet dog (8) |
| COCKAPOO | |
| COCKAtOO (noisy bird)becomes COCKAPOO when {cres}t [finally] is replaced by P (quiet) | |
| 19 | Mastermind in part of family touring India (6) |
| GENIUS | |
| GENUS (part of family) containing [touring] I (India – NATO) | |
| 20 | Ragamuffin, rather a scallywag at heart (6) |
| RASCAL | |
| Hidden in [at heart] {rathe}R A SCAL{lywag} | |
| 23 | Roofing contractor, say left in middle of row (5) |
| TILER | |
| L (left) contained by [in middle of] TIER (row) | |
Solved late this afternoon. My shameful knowledge gap regarding history meant I failed to think of JACOBEAN. After trying, like someone above, to justify Napoleon as a horse, before remembering he was a pig, I resorted to aids for this last one in, which was a bit disappointing. TALARIA was familiar, but I wouldn’t have remembered it without the wordplay, and I wasn’t familiar with either PURVIEW or KRAIT. I also missed the clever definition for ELEGIAC, though the first part of the clue made it obvious, so thanks for the blog, Jackkt, and setter for an enjoyable test.
DNF. Rattled through this but couldn’t get “Newsroom” because I had entered “Conjurer” and was thus trying to make sense of “Newsreel”. Shame.
27:40 which is good for me and Mrs T. NHO TALARIA which was put in from wordplay. Didn’t understand the WEN part of NEWSROOM without the blog but pleased to say that NEAT as Farm animals and TUM as corporation are now familiar from many previous blog posts. Enjoyable puzzle. Thanks to the setter and Jack.
32:26 – a fairly soft one for the start of the year and I was hoping for a sub 30 minute time. TALARIA and ORIGANUM were new to me but fairly clear from the wordplay. I had heard of KRAIT which I think appeared in the Jungle Book story of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi possibly – a small but very nasty snake.
Puzzle completed over two days (so no idea of time) due to medical appointments, but thoroughly enjoyed. First in DUBROVNIK, once I followed the cryptic and ditched Split; then biffed BARGAIN BASEMENT and was handed some nice checkers. NHO TALARIA (but again should have followed the generous wordplay) , nor KRAIT – but got that one guessed right. Couldn’t get ‘shire’ out of my head for the “sturdy horse”, so did not get JACOBEAN, and lazily never followed the cryptic for mis-remembered DALLAS. But a satisfactory workout and good way to spend my ever-decreasing leisure time.