Hi all. A little twistier that we are used to on a Monday, but very enjoyable. I liked the triple definition (12a), but my favourite clue is probably 15a, THRASH. Thanks Wurm!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, I generally italicise indicators unless it seems clearer not to. Where the removed letter is specified, [deletions] are in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER. I sometimes omit link words and juxtaposition indicators if it doesn’t feel necessary to explain them. If you have any questions, please ask in the comments section.
| Across | |
| 1a | American stopping to endanger sovereign (8) |
| IMPERIAL — A (American) going into (stopping) IMPERIL (to endanger) | |
| 6a | Johann Sebastian’s address in Gwynedd? (4) |
| BACH — Two definitions | |
| 8a | Mark second vehicle (4) |
| SCAR — S (second) + CAR (vehicle) | |
| 9a | Exceptional mind? One mug in Berlin! (8) |
| EINSTEIN — German for (… in Berlin) EIN (one) STEIN (mug) | |
| 10a | Capital family keeps in South Africa (8) |
| KINSHASA — KIN (family) + HAS (keeps) in SA (South Africa) | |
| 12a | Give factory worker some bananas? (4) |
| HAND — A triple definition | |
| 13a | Iron Lady in hat (6) |
| FEDORA — FE (iron) + DORA (lady) | |
| 15a | Flog junk outside hotel (6) |
| THRASH — TRASH (junk) around (outside) H (hotel) | |
| 17a | Cook first to become disheartened (4) |
| CHEF — CHiEF (first) is to lose its middle letter (to become disheartened) | |
| 19a | Train tours are reorganised (8) |
| EUROSTAR — TOURS ARE anagrammed (reorganised) | |
| 21a | Report of girl deceived by a snake (8) |
| ANACONDA — ANA COND, which sounds like (report of) ANNA (girl) CONNED (deceived), by A | |
| 23a | Inspired Darwish pens literary collection (4) |
| EDDA — InspirED DArwish holds (pens) the answer: Edda | |
| 24a | Tolerate boozer swallowing ecstasy (4) |
| BEAR — BAR (boozer) taking in (swallowing) E (ecstasy) | |
| 25a | Open loan restructured for Mister Solo? (8) |
| NAPOLEON — OPEN LOAN anagrammed (restructured). Napoleon Solo was a character from The Man from U.N.C.L.E. | |
| Down | |
| 2d | Contrivance in Cheam exploded (7) |
| MACHINE — IN CHEAM anagrammed (exploded) | |
| 3d | Nobles: 50 among listeners (5) |
| EARLS — L (50) inside (among) EARS (listeners) | |
| 4d | See plenty of this in Antarctic expedition? (3) |
| ICE — The answer is found in AntarctIC Expedition | |
| 5d | House and shed in road on right (9) |
| LANCASTER — CAST (shed) in LANE (road) on R (right) | |
| 6d | Killer toyed with headless Schubert (7) |
| BUTCHER — An anagram of (toyed with) sCHUBERT without the first letter (headless …) | |
| 7d | Prison holding Irish terrier (5) |
| CAIRN — CAN (prison) holding IR (Irish) | |
| 11d | Greek leader soon boxing brave male (9) |
| AGAMEMNON — ANON (soon) containing (boxing) GAME (brave) and M (male) | |
| 14d | Commodore say in charge aboard tender (7) |
| OFFICER — IC (in charge) in (aboard) OFFER (tender) | |
| 16d | Indifferent hanging round with that person (2-3-2) |
| SO-AND-SO — SO–SO (indifferent) surrounding (hanging round) AND (with) | |
| 18d | Joint complaint killing wife (5) |
| HINGE — [w]HINGE (complaint) removing (killing) W (wife) | |
| 20d | Sense maiden entering market (5) |
| SMELL — M (maiden) going inside (entering) SELL (market) | |
| 22d | Poisonous creature like viper at heart (3) |
| ASP — AS (like) + the middle of (… at heart) viPer | |
QUICK cryptic my foot!
And, to continue in this passive aggressive vein, nobody calls a stein a stein in Berlin.
The word is “Maß” as in “measure” and outside the Oktoberfest in Munich or its various imitations in British pubs it is not a common serving of beer.
Speaking of Oktoberfest, search on YouTube for the late Ian Nairn’s opinion “… this disgusts me and I probably get through more alcohol in a week than most of those bastards get through in a year …”