A quick and easy puzzle today. No complaints though; I thought the clues were generally clean and concise, with good surfaces.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | DESPOT S (head of security) in DEPOT (store) |
| 5 | TACKLING TACK (appraoch) LING (heather) |
| 9 | LITIGATE LIT (set fire to) I (institute) GATE (entrance) |
| 10 | VERITY IT (Italian) in VERY (simple) |
| 11 | MASCOT MA’S (graduate’s) COT (bed) |
| 12 | BALMORAL BALM (something soothing) ORAL (uttered) |
| 14 | PERFECT PITCH dd. |
| 18 | WHEEL AND DEAL *(WALLAH NEEDED) |
| 22 | WEREWOLF WE (you and I) + FLOWER reversed (mature, in retrospect) |
| 25 | CAMERA CAME (advanced) RA (artist) |
| 26 | ADAGIO ADO (fuss) around A GI (a soldier) |
| 27 | ADAM BEDE DAM (restrict) BED (space to sleep) in A and E. George Eliot’s first novel. |
| 28 | PRURIENT *(INTERRUP[t]) |
| 29 | TO DATE DO (party) reversed in TATE (gallery) |
| Down | |
| 2 | ELIJAH *(JAIL HE) |
| 3 | PRINCIPLE I (one) PL (place) in PRINCE |
| 4 | TRATTORIA *(TRAITOR) in TA (Territorial Army = reservists) |
| 5 | TREMBLE M (mark) in TREBLE (singer) |
| 6 | CIVIL hidden in mediCI VILla |
| 7 | LARGO L (large) ARGO (legendary boat) |
| 8 | NUTHATCH N (new) U (fashionable) THATCH (hairstyle) |
| 13 | MAP Initial letters of Make A Point |
| 15 | TRENCHANT TRENCH (ditch) ANT (worker) |
| 16 | ISLAMABAD I SLAM (denounce) A BAD (criminal) |
| 17 | SHREDDER SH (mum) REDDER (more embarrassed) |
| 19 | LOW dd |
| 20 | DEFIANT DEFT (expert) around IAN (Scot) |
| 21 | CREDIT CR (King Charles) EDIT (correct) |
| 23 | ELGAR *(LAGER). I hadn’t seen “note writer” for composer before |
| 24 | OZONE O (love) ZONE (area) |