Ringo is snowed under with work today so I’m sorry but you will have to put up with me instead. I found this very straightforward with 75% of the answers entered during my first pass through the clues and the rest following quickly afterwards. I rather liked the &lit at 4dn and 9dn made me smile as it is something I regularly accuse myself of being.
Across
1 Family money upfront needed for suede leather? (8)
BUCKSKIN – BUCKS (money) KIN (family)
5 Fit of shivering after spin in city (6)
PRAGUE – PR (spin) AGUE (fit of shivering)
10 Gloomy as newspaper’s been taken? (7)
SUNLESS – def. & cryptic indicator
11 Unrestrained bombast about a politician (7)
RAMPANT – RANT (bombast) around (about) A MP (a politician)
12 Remove article in Celtic language (5)
ERASE – A (article) in ERSE (Celtic language)
13 I’m obliged to probe way of expressing commands (9)
DICTATION – TA (I’m obliged) in (to probe) DICTION (way of expressing)
14 Lawn had rails adapted to provide barrier (8,4)
HADRIAN’S WALL – anagram (adapted) of LAWN HAD RAILS
18 Making too much effort, wander beginning to end, tire oxen out (12)
OVEREXERTION – ROVE (wander) with the first letter moved to the end anagram (out) of TIRE OXEN
21 Girl having information about work, getting state payment (new) (9)
GWENDOLEN – GEN (information) around (about) W (work) DOLE (state payment) N (new)
23 Room – special one (5)
SPACE – SP (special) ACE (one)
24 Not quite half century that’s happy and peaceful (7)
HALCYON – HAL[f] (not quite half) C (century) YON (that)
25 Quartet in experiment of little importance (7)
TRIVIAL – IV (quartet) in TRIAL (experiment)
26 Seat a lot of people, getting energy in the end (6)
THRONE – THRONg (a lot of people) with E (energy) replacing the final letter
27 What might be represented as ne’er grey? (8)
GREENERY – anagram (represented as) of NE’ER GREY
Down
1 Hound, British, something worth having (6)
BASSET – B (British) ASSET (something worth having)
2 Unfinished survey material (6)
CANVAS – CANVAS[s] (unfinished survey)
3 Flat in raised area in Herts town (9)
STEVENAGE – EVEN (flat) in STAGE (raised area)
4 Daring sideline that’s criminal? (7,7)
INSIDER DEALING – anagram (that’s criminal) of DARING SIDELINE – &lit
6 Unusual graduate makes one dance? (5)
RUMBA – RUM (unusual) BA (graduate)
7 Importance of a vast rig at sea (8)
GRAVITAS – anagram (at sea) of A VAST RIG
8 Confuse adjacent angles? Not entirely (8)
ENTANGLE – hidden in (not entirely) ‘adjacENT ANGLEs’
9 Inept artisan engaged by college man – he causes delay (14)
PROCRASTINATOR – anagram (inept) of ARTISAN in (engaged by) PROCTOR (college man)
15 Improving appearance at floor level? (9)
SHOESHINE – cryptic def.
16 Attempt at goal from half-way line? It has little chance of success (4,4)
LONG SHOT – double def.
17 Tradesman making rude remark about source of supply (8)
JEWELLER – JEER (rude remark) around (about) WELL (source of supply)
19 Wrongful intention guy includes in charge (6)
MALICE – MALE (guy) around (includes) IC (in charge)
20 Race in sea going over line (6)
MEDLEY – MED (sea) LEY (line)
22 Senior member to provide foreign currency (5)
DOYEN – DO (to provide) YEN (foreign currency)
Straightforward and enjoyable especially as Gaufrid says 4d and 9d too.
Thanks to blogger and setter
Re 15d
SHOESHINE is noun. It could be the act of polishing or the polished appearance. I don’t think we use ‘shoeshine’ as a verb.
One who carries out the activity is a shoeshiner, perhaps, but I have not come across it in my reading.
Now to my question: should it have been “Improved appearance at the floor level?”
This is not by way of criticism but in trying to understand usage.
Hi Rishi
I’ve not seen SHOESHINE as a verb either, but I think the noun works with both the original clue and your variant.
‘Improving appearance …’ would relate to the first definition in Chambers – “(the act of) polishing shoes” and ‘Improved appearance …’ can be connected with the second – “the shiny appearance of polished shoes”.
Thanks, Gaufrid, for the blog and also to commenters. Re SHOESHINE, Collins has this definition of the word (as a noun) “the act or an instance of polishing a pair of shoes”
Well 15d is tagged with a QM. Medley for race caught me for a bit thinking only of a mixture, not races as such.
Very nice puzzle for the after work calm down. Thanks G&G