Pretty straightforward, although 25 across still puzzles me.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | UNRECOGNISABLE *(LOG CABIN ENSURE) |
| 10 | HAWKS dd |
| 11 | COVER SLIP From COVERS LIP (what a moustache does). A cover slip is the bit of glass you put on top of a smear of blood before looking at it through a microscope |
| 12 | REPLETE LET (allowed) in *(PEER). The “is” is a little awkward in the cryptic reading |
| 13 | SHMOOZE SH (quiet) MOO (low) ZE (empty ZonE) |
| 14 | BLINI B (start of breakfast) + I NIL (I love) reversed |
| 16 | TASTELESS dd |
| 19 | CYTOPLASM *(MOSTLY CAP). I initially read “mostly cap” to mean the answer would be CA-something. |
| 20 | SHOES S (for south) on either side of HOE (bladed implement). They are worn AFOOT (answer to 28). |
| 22 | IRKSOME I (one) + *(SMOKER) |
| 25 | BEGUILE At least I believe this is the answer, with the definition being “lure.” But the wordplay eludes me. Gaufrid points out that it is GUI (graphical user interface and therefore “Windows, for example”) L (left) inside BEE (insect). |
| 27 | WORKPLACE *(LACK POWER) |
| 28 | AFOOT A FOOT (a measurement) |
| 29 | GIVE UP THE GHOST GIVE UP (surrender) THE (article) G (grand) HOST (army) |
| Down | |
| 2 | NEWSPRINT NEW (cutting edge) SPRINT (tear, as in run quickly) |
| 3 | ENSUE E, N, S, E (directions) around U (bend) |
| 4 | ORCHESTRA ORC (monster) + ST (saint) in HERA (god) |
| 5 | NAVES KNAVES minus K |
| 6 | STRUMPETS TRUMPET (instrument) in S.S. (aboard ship) |
| 7 | BILBO Initial letters of Became Invisible Long Before Oeuvre. A semi-&lit, since Bilbo did carry the ring (in The Hobbit) long before the timeframe of Lord of The Rings. |
| 8 | EXPRESS EX (former) PRESS (newspaper) |
| 9 | CHERUB HER (a woman’s) in CUB (perhaps baby lion) |
| 15 | IMPROMPTU I’M PROMPT (what early bird says) U (you aloud). |
| 17 | SEMIBREVE Reversed in rEVERB I’M EStablishing |
| 18 | EMOTICONS TOME (book) reversed + ICONS (pictures). |
| 19 | CHINWAG CHIN (attack) WAG (footballer’s wife; acronym of “wives and girlfriends”) |
| 21 | SLEUTH *(HUSTLE) |
| 23 | KIROV KIR (cocktail) OV (OVer half) |
| 24 | EXALT ALT (key on computer) after EX (“dictating,” i.e., spoken, letter) |
| 26 | GNASH GN (empty Greco-romaN) ASH (remains) |
Hi Agentzero
25a is GUI (Windows, for example) L (left) in BEE (insect)
GUI = Graphical User Interface
Thanks, Gaufrid, I knew I could count on you. I’ve updated above.