It appears scheduled blogger has gone AWOL today so here is a simple analysis of the clues. I will leave it to others to comment on the crossword in general or in detail.
Across
7 Artist in copper (9)
CONSTABLE – double def.
8 Charge made on collection (5)
ONSET – ON SET (collection)
9 Rod, pole, but plainly not perch (9)
PIKESTAFF – PIKE (rod) POLE (staff) and a play on the fact that, though rod, pole and perch are all terms for an old unit of measurement equal to ¼ chain, you wouldn’t want to perch on the point of a spear.
10 He leads many to sin (5)
DEVIL – D (many {500}) EVIL (sin) &lit
12 Not the way to walk or speak, surely? (6)
FALTER – cryptic def.
13 Mother queueing for InterCity travel? (8)
MAINLINE – MA (mother) IN LINE (queueing)
14 Naturally good leg-spinners (7)
SPIDERS – cryptic def.
17 Jailbird before the bench has to toe the line (7)
CONFORM – CON (jailbird) FORM (bench)
20 Dance involving sailors — one form of exercise (8)
HORNPIPE – HOP (dance) around (involving) RN (sailors) I (one) PE (form of exercise) &lit
22 Fool it’s silly to help (6)
ASSIST – ASS (fool) anagram (silly) of IT’S
24 Catch a right during a fight (5)
SPRAT – R (right) in SPAT (fight)
25 Animal in company with suspicious bird (9)
CASSOWARY – ASS (animal) in CO (company) WARY (suspicious)
26 A gift for dishonesty? (5)
BRIBE – cryptic def.
27 No friendly blaze to give soldiers a warm welcome (5,4)
ENEMY FIRE – cryptic def.
Down
1 She’s barely remembered as being against oppressive taxes (6)
GODIVA – cryptic def. referring to “the noblewoman who, according to a legend dating back at least to the 13th century, rode naked through the streets of Coventry in order to gain a remission of the oppressive taxation imposed by her husband on his tenants” (quote courtesy of Wikipedia).
2 Agreed sea tends to be rough (8)
ASSENTED – anagram (to be rough) of SEA TENDS
3 Agent works without end (6)
FACTOR – FACTOR[y] (works without end)
4 Reputation for enjoying poor health? (3,4)
ILL FAME – def./cryptic def.
5 Girl has the French rising temper (6)
ANNEAL – ANNE (girl) LA (the French) reversed (rising)
6 Couturier resigned in a tantrum (8)
DESIGNER – anagram (in a temper) of RESIGNED
11 Duck takes cover on the beach (4)
LIDO – LID (cover) O (duck)
15 Shakespearean magician’s ring vanishes with flourishes (8)
PROSPERS – PROSPER[o]’S (Shakespearean magician’s ring vanishes)
16 Bird run over by a train (4)
RAIL – double def.
18 Loud-mouthed female union member to use the rod first (8)
FISHWIFE – FISH (use the rod) WIFE (union member)
19 Keeps breaking down in tears (7)
RETAINS – anagram (breaking down) of IN TEARS
21 Awful barney not far away (6)
NEARBY – anagram (awful) of BARNEY
22 Put it on without being told? (6)
ASSUME – double/cryptic def.
23 Wrongly arrest French intellectual (6)
SARTRE – anagram (wrongly) of ARREST
Thanks for standing in, Gaufrid
ONSET was my last. I loved MAINLINE.
Thanks, Gaufrid.
Unusually,I found this hard to start and finish, the in-betweens being straightforward.
Don’t mention the grid, yet again! Nor the extraneous words in 1a (in), in 24a (a) and possibly others.
I quite liked 9a PIKESTAFF – a fishy pun on PERCH along with PIKE, too
Thanks Everyman and Gaufrid.
I particularly liked 13a, 25a, 4d and my favourite was 1d GODIVA (last in).
I couldn’t parse 20a.
Usual enjoyable Rufus.
Thanks Gaufrid; allusion to ‘plain as a pikestaff’ in 9, I think.
I did like GODIVA.
Thanks, Gaufrid and Rufus.
9ac is aso a play on the saying, ‘Plain as a pikestaff’.
Snap, Robi! 😉
Thanks all
Usual Monday fare.Last in designer after I finally rejected ‘helot’ for 10 ac.
P.S. The Quiptic is worth a go today as it’s not very ‘Quiptic.’
Thanks Gaufrid and Rufus
I only got to this this afternoon and found it a bit harder than some Rufus puzzles, especially in the upper half.
I liked 18a particularly.
Thanks Gaufrid. I got to, and finished, this puzzle much earlier than usual and have been hanging on for the blog!
FALTER bemused me, but otherwise found this fairly straightforward. Many almost hackneyed anagrams plus I seemed to be on his wavelength for the cryptic/double definitions for a change. Enjoyed ANNEAL particularly; remarkable how often ‘the French’ is LE and not LA.
The top half definitely had some clues that were harder than the usual Rufus, and I got one wrong at 12ac where I entered FASTER on the basis that if someone is walking too fast they may not be walking too steadily, and that if someone is talking too fast they may not be understood. Ho hum, but it kind of made sense at the time and the checkers weren’t that helpful. When I clicked the check button and saw that only one letter was wrong the answer became obvious.
When the blog hadn’t arrived I was nervously wondering whether it was actually my turn as I don’t have access to our blogging calendar at work despite Gaufrid assuring me a few weeks back I next have double duty in december.
Falter was my last in rather tentatively too. I do find rufus’s style harder due to the lack of more formulaic wordplay others use.
Thanks G for the blog and R for the puzzle.
Thanks Gaufrid. I thought this was tricky in places too.
Nice to see you back, RCW.
Thanks to Gaufrid for filling the gap.
I am like several others – I found this one quite a bit harder than the usual Rufus.
Hardish but easier than the Telegraph’s Rufus.Lots of favourites especially Constable and spiderand cassowary.Thanks to Gaufrid and Rufus.
One wrong. I opted for patter on the weak basis that to patter is not the best way to walk, and exponents of patter songs (ala Modern Major General) have to speak surely. I know, but I was getting desperate, and falter never occurred to me. Better fortune tomorrow (again).
George @17 – don’t worry, I pattered too. Otherwise this was one of my quickest solves ever.