Time: 48 minutes. Very enjoyable. A good mix of complex clues and easy ones.
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 now use a Caret sign ⁁ to indicate an insertion point in containment clues. I usually omit all reference to juxtaposition indicators unless there is a specific point that requires clarification.
 Across |
|
|---|---|
| 1 | Old soldier volunteers to guard object in long conflict (8) |
| VENDETTA – V⁁ET (old soldier) + TA (volunteers – Territorial Army) containing [to guard] END (object) | |
| 6 | Notice a mechanism emitting energy (6) |
| ADVICE – A, D{e}VICE (mechanism) [emitting energy] | |
| 9 | Tattoos hearts amid fruits — these give a wavy edging (7,6) |
| PINKING SHEARS – INKINGS (tattoos) + H (hearts) contained by [amid] P⁁EARS (fruits) | |
| 10 | Spirit of divine vengeance enveloping island (6) |
| WRAITH – WRA⁁TH (divine vengeance) containing [enveloping] I (island). As in ‘the wrath of God’. | |
| 11 | A uniform half-dozen balls returned one run or bye (2,6) |
| AU REVOIR – A, U (uniform – NATO), then OVER (half-dozen balls – cricket) reversed [returned], I (one), R (run) | |
| 13 | What depends on current movement when India overwrites European court’s verdict? (10) |
| CONVICTION – CONVeCTION (what depends on current movement) becomes CONVICTION (court’s verdict) when India (I – NATO) overwrites European (E) | |
| 15 | Change egg supplier when the first is off (4) |
| VARY – {o}VARY (egg supplier) [when the first is off] | |
| 16 | Sailor’s back in working port in Scotland (4) |
| OBAN – AB (sailor) reversed [back] contained by [in] O⁁N (working) | |
| 18 | Monsieur remains to fire fashionable people in society (10) |
| MEMBERSHIP – M (monsieur), EMBERS (remains to fire), HIP (fashionable) | |
| 21 | Admit one is drunk in control (8) |
| DOMINATE – Anagram [drunk] of ADMIT ONE | |
| 22 | Reserve power in bodybuilder’s exhausted muscle (6) |
| BICEPS – ICE (reserve) + P (power) contained by [in] B{odybuilder’}S [exhausted] | |
| 23 | I am quiet over story about a pharaoh’s fate? (13) |
| MUMMIFICATION – I’M (I am) + MUM (quiet) reversed [over] FIC⁁TION (story) containing [about] A | |
| 25 | Cross groom initially interrupting his partner (6) |
| BRIDGE – G{room} [initially] contained by [interrupting] BRID⁁E (his partner) | |
| 26 | Man captures sea eagle around South Island (8) |
| GUERNSEY – GU⁁Y (man) contains [captures] ERN⁁E (sea eagle) itself containing [around] S (South) | |
| Down |
|
|---|---|
| 2 | Seaport winding ropes are made from this (7) |
| ESPARTO – Anagram [winding] of SEAPORT. A coarse type of grass. | |
| 3 | Opera put on originally in Avignon bombed (3,8) |
| DON GIOVANNI – DON (put on), then anagram [bombed] of I{n} [originally] +AVIGNON | |
| 4 | Piece of chicken slightly tainted, under temperature (5) |
| THIGH – T (temperature), HIGH (slightly tainted – e.g. meat) | |
| 5 | Ah, Fagin is out for foreign currency (7) |
| AFGHANI – Anagram [out] of AH FAGIN | |
| 6 | Close attachment present in whirling dance (9) |
| ADHERENCE – HERE (present) contained by [in] anagram [whirling] of DANCE | |
| 7 | Through exam, having avoided third (3) |
| VIA – VI{v}A (exam) [having avoided third]. Oral rather than written and short for viva voce. | |
| 8 | Money handler hiding shillings in notebook (7) |
| CASHIER – CA⁁HIER (notebook) containing [hiding] S (shillings). NHO of ‘cahier’ being used in English but fortunately I remembered it from French lessons at school. Anyway, all the usual sources list it. | |
| 12 | What shows inner workings of six over six division (11) |
| VIVISECTION – VI (six), VI (six), SECTION (division). The practice of performing operations on live animals for the purpose of experimentation or scientific research. | |
| 14 | What’s used to ring hill fort above a river (9) |
| CAMPANILE – CAMP (hill fort), A, NILE (a river). A bell tower, usually standing free. | |
| 17 | Loaf of bread rose? (7) |
| BLOOMER – Two meanings, a type of loaf / any plant such as a rose that blooms. | |
| 19 | Assembly of certain vase broken by overturning support (7) |
| MEETING – M⁁ING (certain vase) containing [broken by] TEE (support) reversed [overturning] | |
| 20 | I’m nearly sent electronic message to have an effect (7) |
| IMPINGE – I’M, PINGE{d} (sent electronic message) [nearly] | |
| 22 | Poet billions associated with Windermere? (5) |
| BLAKE – B (billions), LAKE (Windermere). William, who wrote the words of the hymn Jerusalem. | |
| 24 | Update government ministry (3) |
| MOD – Two meanings, A mod (modification) is a change e.g. to computer game or computer / Ministry of Defence. | |
Another pretty friendly offering to follow on from Monday’s. Luckily, I knew of PINKING SHEARS otherwise I think I would have found the parsing difficult. I assumed the opera at 3d would have ‘PO’ as part of the anagrist (put on originally) and wondered where the ‘d’ was from before seeing the light. Bit of a mer at IMPINGE as I was under the impression a ping was a single sound rather than a message, but I suppose you could ping an IP address and receive a message back. NHO cahier for notebook, but CASHIER it had to be. Very enjoyable and COD to GUERNSEY.
Thanks Jack and setter.