Apologies for the comparative lack of commentary – I’m a bit pushed for time today. Great puzzle, as always from Nestor.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | CH(I,N)ASE,A |
| 6 | alternate letters of sPaRsElY |
| 11 | A(DO)PTER |
| 12 | NAME,NIL (reversed) |
| 13 | ALL IN (WAYS DO)* ARK – ALL IN A DAYS WORK |
| 14 | COMMONN LAW – a cryptic def I think, with a play on the word “just”. |
| 16 | MA,EVE |
| 18 | SH,IRR – new word to me but the wordplay was reasonably straightforward. It means gathering in the sense of puckering or drawing in. |
| 20 | LA(S RUBS)ID (all reversed) – DISBURSAL. |
| 22 | TH(PEER<),(INTO)*,T,URN – THREE POINT TURN. A tough one to unravel. I got it from the def and crossing letters, then worked out the wordplay later. The last bit to mentally fall in place was THT, which I think must be Terence Higgins Trust, an HIV/AIDS charity. |
| 25 | WOLFR(I)A[-m] (reversed) – AIRFLOW. Was struggling with this until I remembered, from somewhere or other, that wolfram is tungsten. |
| 26 | GRIM,ACE – clever clue, using synonyms for bitter (GRIM) and sweet (ACE) |
| 27 | alternate letters of GrEaT, Z – I think this could be considered an &lit because, as a saxophonist, Stan GETZ would have stood as the (fore)front of the stage when performing. |
| 28 | (TO PRIDES)* – RIPOSTED. |
| Down | |
| 2 | HOOD,LUM – LUM is a Scottish (hence “Borderer’s”) word for chimney. |
| 3 | N,(OUT ONLY RELY ON)* – NOT ON YOUR NELLY. Well-hidden definition. |
| 4 | S,DARTS (going up)’D,LED – STRADDLED. |
| 5 | ALL,EY[-e] |
| 7 | [-t]REMORS,E |
| 8 | YA(N)K |
| 9 | DAM,A S,CUS[-s] |
| 10 | (ANONYMOUS TWINS)* – SNOWY MOUNTAINS. |
| 15 | WAS H,(GUN)*,IP – WASHING UP. “Showed fashion sense perhaps” is WAS HIP. |
| 17 | (LEARN)*,GEN – ERLANGEN |
| 19 | IN,HER,IT |
| 21 | SA,USAGE |
| 24 | FAN,G |