Solving time: 38 minutes
I didn’t find this particularly difficult but there were a few challenges along the way and definitions I needed to check up on after the event.
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]. “Aural wordplay” is in quotation marks. I usually omit all reference to juxtaposition indicators unless there is a specific point that requires clarification.
 Across |
|
| 1 | Tradesman’s first to applaud as it’s put back into service (7) |
| ARTISAN | |
| A{pplaud} [first to…], then AS IT reversed [put back] contained by [into] RN (service – Royal Navy) | |
| 5 | County embraces introduction of treatment with universal medication (7) |
| LINCTUS | |
| LINCS (county – Lincolnshire) contains [embraces] T{reatment) [introduction of…] + U (universal – film classification) | |
| 9 | Rogue Conservative friend invested in stolen goods (9) |
| SCALLYWAG | |
| C (Conservative) + ALLY (friend) contained by [invested in] SWAG (stolen goods). Happy memories of cartoon strips featuring robbers in striped jerseys carrying bags marked ‘Swag’. | |
| 10 | Country’s head of agriculture got back around noon (5) |
| TONGA | |
| A{griculture} [head of…] + GOT reversed [back] containing [around] N (noon). At one time known to many as The Friendly Islands. Queen Salote famously attended the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953 and this was even celebrated in a popular song of the time. No Noël Coward anecdotes about this please! | |
| 11 | One sister has run away to get engaged (2,3) |
| IN USE | |
| I (one), NU{r}SE (sister} [run away] | |
| 12 | One arrives in good time — European travelling by rail and road (5,4) |
| EARLY BIRD | |
| E (European), anagram [travelling] BY RAIL, then RD (road) | |
| 14 | Things such as drama roles encapsulating revolutionary from Niger (10,4) |
| PERFORMING ARTS | |
| PARTS (roles) containing [encapsulating] anagram [revolutionary] of FROM NIGER | |
| 17 | On bed, I explored being kinky — she’s very fair (8,6) |
| PEROXIDE BLONDE | |
| Anagram [being kinky] of ON BED I EXPLORED. Famous examples were Marilyn Monroe, Mae West and Brigitte Bardot. | |
| 21 | Literary character’s motto central to storyline in book, right? (3,6) |
| TOM SAWYER | |
| SAW (motto) + {stor}Y{line} [central to…] contained by [in] TOME (book), then R (right) | |
| 23 | Sea foam close to outcrop, birds circling around (5) |
| SPUME | |
| EMUS (birds) reversed [circling] containing [around] outcro}P [close to…] | |
| 24 | Non-commissioned officer cut back tests (5) |
| EXAMS | |
| SM (non-commissioned officer – Sergeant-Major) + AXE (cut) reversed [back] | |
| 25 | Welshman tucked into good food — beef (9) |
| GRIEVANCE | |
| EVAN (Welshman) contained by [tucked] G (good) + RICE (food) | |
| 26 | Model had to accept university place (7) |
| SITUATE | |
| SIT (model) + ATE (had) containing [to accept] U (university) | |
| 27 | Pass artist cuddling sick animal (7) |
| GORILLA | |
| GO (pass), RA (artist) containing [cuddling] ILL (sick) | |
| Down |
|
| 1 | City like to restrict United, and can (6) |
| AUSTIN | |
| AS (like) containing [to restrict] U (United), then TIN (can) | |
| 2 | Malign suggestion conveys a bit less than expected (7) |
| TRADUCE | |
| TRACE (suggestion) contains [conveys] DU{e} (expected) [a bit less than…] | |
| 3 | Handsome older man lives for high times (6,3) |
| SILVER FOX | |
| Anagram [high] of LIVES FOR, then X (times) | |
| 4 | Yes, end war somehow, with a conclusion to hostility when resolutions come into effect? (3,5,3) |
| NEW YEARS DAY | |
| Anagram [somehow] of YES END WAR, then A, {hostilit}Y [conclusion to…] | |
| 5 | Violent robbery topped former convict (3) |
| LAG | |
| {b}LAG (violent robbery) [topped]. I’ve always thought of blag as a swindle rather than anything violent but I have now learned that it can mean both. | |
| 6 | Stylish tailcoat — nothing on the inside, no pockets (5) |
| NATTY | |
| NAY (no) contains [pockets] T{ailcoa}T [with nothing on the inside] | |
| 7 | Port is comparatively piquant (7) |
| TANGIER | |
| Two meanings | |
| 8 | Husband unhappy with friends turning up last-minute (8) |
| SLAPDASH | |
| H (husband) + SAD (unhappy) + PALS (with friends) reversed [turning up]. I know slapdash as careless and hurried so I looked twice at ‘last-minute’, but I think it does the job. | |
| 13 | Ignoring temperature, desperate to support engineers — I’m compensating (11) |
| REIMBURSING | |
| RE (Royal Engineers), I’M BURS{t}ING (desperate) [ignoring temperature] | |
| 15 | Ultimately, crushing defeat ended in whitewash (5,4) |
| GLOSS OVER | |
| {crushin}G [ultimately], LOSS (defeat), OVER (ended) | |
| 16 | Observe fewer things without flaws (8) |
| SPOTLESS | |
| SPOT (observe), LESS (fewer things) | |
| 18 | Unrestrained tirade about a person occupying seat (7) |
| RAMPANT | |
| RANT (tirade) containing [about] A + MP (person occupying seat – Member of Parliament) | |
| 19 | Operating during the day, vessel is brought in by radio control (7) |
| DIURNAL | |
| URN (vessel) contained by [is brought in by] DIAL (radio control) | |
| 20 | Climber eating hard, out-of-date bread (6) |
| PESETA | |
| PEA (climber) contained by [eating] SET (hard). Bread as in money, in this case a currency replaced by the Euro. | |
| 22 | A third of biscuit, absorbed by beverage, is lost (2,3) |
| AT SEA | |
| A, then {bi}S{cuit} [third of…] contained [absorbed] by TEA (beverage) | |
| 25 | My hotel’s out of butter (3) |
| GEE | |
| G{h}EE (Indian clarified butter) [hotel’s out of…] | |
“Blag” was a new one on me, but it had to be LAG
I’m not sure I would say “at sea” for lost; “all at sea” means something completely different.