I have just heard that Agentzero is down with the dreaded lurgy so I will post an analysis of the clues just as soon as I can type one up. Edit: Analysis now added.
Across
1 RETIRING RE (soldier) TIRING (arduous) – RE is the abbreviation for Royal Engineers yet it seems that more and more setters are using the incorrect, singular ‘soldier’ in wordplay.
5 ODESSA ODE (lay) ASS (fool) reversed
9 BEARSKIN BEARS (supports) KIN (family) – I doubt that a guardsman would consider this to be an asset on a hot summer’s day.
10 SPLASH P (parking) in SLASH (rent)
12 FISHY F (fellow) I (one) SHY (self-concious)
13 EXORCISER OR (gold) in EXCISER (cutter)
14 MIGHTY MIG (plane) HT (height) Y (unknown)
16 TRICEPS CE (church) in TRIPS (stumbles)
19 TREASON *(AREN’T SO)
21 MINUTE dd
23 PEGGED OUT dd
25 MOUSE MO (doctor) USE (practice)
26 AUNTIE A UNTIE (loose)
27 UNDREAMT *(TURN MADE)
28 ELAPSE EL (the Spanish) APSE (church’s feature)
29 MENSWEAR MEN (people) SWEAR (promise)
Down
1 REBUFF RE (in the matter of) BUFF (colour)
2 TRANSPIRE dd
3 RISKY RI (scripture {Religious Instruction}) SKY (heavens)
4 NAIVELY *(ALIVE) in NY (New York)
6 DEPICTION EP (record) in DICTION (delivery)
7 STAYS d&cd – ‘stays’ as in corset.
8 APHORISM *(HIM AS PRO)
11 LOST S (son) in LOT (fate)
15 HYSTERICS *(YET CHRIS’S)
17 ENTOURAGE EN (measure {printing}) TOUR (journey) AGE (time)
18 STOPPAGE STOP (hindrance) PAGE (servant)
20 NOON N O (not out {cricket}) ON (working)
21 MATINEE IN (popular) in MATE (couple {verb}) E (drug)
22 HECTOR dd
24 GENOA ONE reversed in GA (Georgia)
25 MORES MORE (additional) S (society)
LHS fully completed but RHS sadly lacking. Geeting 6d & 29a would have helped. It is not the first time that I’ve been caught out by “en” (17d).
Quite enjoyable but don’t clues like 5a. If you know Ukranian ports, you write the answer in, if you don’t , as ode=lay (not obvious to me), you google it.
Thanks for stepping in, Gaufrid.
This was fairly easy today, but I stumbled at 13ac. I often panic when an agent-noun crops up.
With two of them in the same clue, this should’ve been straightforward. Trying to hurry though,
I bungled it and went for -OR instead of -ER.
I’ve read Fowler’s Modern English Usage on the subject – but I still seem to make mistakes.
I’d be interested to know how others cope with this!
I found this harder than usual. Did not solve 8 of them. Had no idea about pegged out. What game?
Got Odessa but it took a while because I was hung up on “LAY” backwards being part of “YALTA”.
Thanks Gaufrid.
Straightforward stuff from Armonie with APHORISM being the pick for me.
Tony @3 – Croquet http://www.sportsdefinitions.com/croquet/Peg-out.html
Tony Welsh,
The game is croquet.
you also peg out to win at the card game crib(bage)