Clues are in blue, with definitions underlined. Answers are in BOLD CAPS, then wordplay. (ABC*) means ‘anagram of ABC’, with the anagram indicator in bold italics. Deletions are in [square brackets].
Across
1 Irish lake Mike crossed by shallow vessel’s tiller (9)
PLOUGHMAN: LOUGH (Irish lake) / M (Mike, in the phonetic alphabet), “crossed by” PAN (shallow vessel). A nice juxtaposition of “tiller” with “vessel”, since the answer is a tiller of the soil, not a tiller on a vessel. I saw LOUGH quickly, but didn’t get further till I realised it might be followed by an M.
6 Wrap up tool making small holes in wrap (5)
SHAWL: SH (I think this is “wrap up”, as in “be quiet!”) / AWL (tool). Better suggestions welcome – I feel I may not have altogether got this clue.
9 Not the leader in tangerine-coloured product line (5)
RANGE: [o]RANGE.
10 Last piggy in toilet let out (6,3)
LITTLE TOE: (TOILET LET*). From the nursery rhyme, of course.
11 Good reception on a TV I fixed, first having substitute set off (8,7)
STANDING OVATION: STAND-IN (substitute) / GO (set off) / (ON A TV I*).
13 Letter replaces later one read aloud at opening of vegetable hamper (8)
ENCUMBER: replace “CU” (sounds like “Q”) with “EN” (sounds like “N”) in CUCUMBER.
On edit: thanks to Ulaca for pointing out “en” not only sounds like the letter N, it is the name of it according to the usual dictionaries. I must say I find that puzzling. Do all letters of the alphabet have names? How do you spell the name of the letter “a” for example? And does “z” have different names in UK and US? Apparently so, according to Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_alphabet. Learn something new every day!
14 Authoritarian, no saint, before a panel (6)
FASCIA: FASCI[st] / A.
16 Surly politician tucked into more than half of Swiss cheese (6)
GRUMPY: MP “tucked into” GRUY[ere].
18 Banks maybe partly backing Yeltsin at oblast (8)
BOTANIST: reverse hidden answer (“partly backing”). Sir Joseph Banks.
21 Threatened with crumbled Stilton coating, the man would rage (2,3,6,4)
ON THE DANGER LIST: (STILTON*) outside (“coating”) HE’D (the man would) / ANGER (rage).
23 Hugging brat (a jerk) is extremely pleasant (9)
SIMPATICO: SO (extremely) “hugging” IMP (brat) / A / TIC (jerk).
25 Grip bit of seafood softly (5)
CLAMP: CLAM / P.
26 Was “courting” old-fashioned? (5)
DATED: double definition.
27 Spooner’s optimal equipment for offer at pub? (5,4)
GUEST BEER: from BEST GEAR.
Down
1 Legendary prince’s abilities, missing the crossbar (5)
PARIS: take PARTS (as in “a man of many parts”), and don’t cross the T. Obvious from the definition, but a delight when I saw how it works.
2 Never working, good-for-nothing (2,2,7)
ON NO ACCOUNT: ON (working) / NO-ACCOUNT (good-for-nothing).
3 Upcoming fashion, say, including a thousand anoraks? (7)
GEEKDOM: MODE (fashion) / EG (say), all reversed (“upcoming”), and “including” K (a thousand).
4 Fake illness needs mother to stay around (8)
MALINGER: MA / LINGER.
5 Crazy career representing teachers’ interests? (6)
NUTJOB: NUT (teachers’ union) / JOB (career).
6 Slur lacking in gossip for ruler’s wife (7)
SULTANA: [in]SULT (slur) / ANA (gossip).
7 Prone or flat in compact form? (3)
APT: double definition: one is apt/ prone to, or apt. as a real-estate agent’s abbreviation (“compact”) for apartment/flat. I didn’t recognise the abbreviation until writing up the blog!
8 We initial changes to prepare an ambush (3,2,4)
LIE IN WAIT: (WE INITIAL*).
12 Careless, having DIs leave blame (11)
INCRIMINATE: IN[dis]CRIMINATE.
13 Sod’s green after treatment is absorbed (9)
ENGROSSED: (SODS GREEN*).
15 Trick with passion round back of bottling plant (8)
FOXGLOVE: FOX (trick) / LOVE (passion) “round” [bottlin]G. I took some time to see “trick” wasn’t CON.
17 Baked dish with no cover on top is unevenly coloured (7)
PIEBALD: PIE (baked dish) / BALD (no cover on top).
19 7 nabbing Spanish boy’s fruit (7)
APRICOT: APT “nabbing” RICO. Not obviously a Spanish name, I would have thought.
20 Difficult driving plane when one’s out of it? (6)
TAXING: TAX[i]-ING. Driving a plane on the tarmac, in this case.
22 Lush plant in new container looking up (5)
TOPER: REPOT (plant in new container) “looking up”.
24 Finalists in ballroom drama cut a rug (3)
MAT: last letters (“finalists”).
Edited at 2018-10-20 05:50 am (UTC)
Edited at 2018-10-20 06:12 am (UTC)
Edited at 2018-10-20 06:34 am (UTC)
FOI LITTLE TOE
LOI FASCIA
Like Bolton Wanderer, I enjoy Spoonerisms so “dew of the clay” goes to GUEST BEER, especially as it appeared during the J.D.Wetherspoon Beer Festival – all 30 guest beers were successfully and enjoyably sampled this time (over a 10 day period, and mostly in thirds of a pint !)
FOI 1a PLOUGHMAN, LOI 14a FASCIA, despite having recently read about the fasces after being intrigued by a reference in the Mussolini bit of The Shortest History of Europe
Liked 28a DATED, 22d TOPER; some nice surfaces all round.
In 1928 we discover Miss Moneypenny’s ill in Ian Fleming’s novels. Well, something like that.
COD. A tie. The clever PARIS and the delightful GUEST BEER of Reverend Spooner.
Edited at 2018-10-20 04:47 pm (UTC)
Not sure where the time went, but 28 minutes.
Paris -unparsed-was LOI. I was not sure about the spelling of Si/ympatico and I was bamboozled by Yeltsin and I chose between Moralist and Botanist. I thought Oblast (which I had seen before) might be something to do with priests so I went for Moralist. As ever when in extreme doubt look for an error or a hidden. Still learning. Liked Guest Beer. David
Edited at 2018-10-20 04:11 pm (UTC)
I think Collins on-line is sourced from more than one of their dictionaries, including an American version, and I have often found their classification as American or UK English to be somewhat arbtrary as you suggest.
Edited at 2018-10-20 05:25 pm (UTC)
I’ve noted it in the blog, but I must say I find it puzzling. Do all letters of the alphabet have names? How do you spell the name of the letter “a” for example? And does “z” have different names in UK and US?
“We initial changes to prepare an ambush”.
Initial?
To put the initials of one’s name to, esp when acknowledging or agreeing to something
It still does feel odd to me but I see your point.
Sorry that my name is ‘Anonymous’. I never posted here before and don’t know how how to make myself known to the folks here.
Coming back to “initialling”, it’s a common enough thing when you’re signing a legal document. “Just initial the changes, and sign at the end …”.