The puzzle may be found at http://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/26259.
I thought this a splendid puzzle, with misdirection in all directions, and definitions that required much thought to see their appropriateness.
| Across | |||
| 1. | “Sun” follows this year’s compulsive bed-hopper (5) | ||
| SATYR | A charade of SAT[urday] (‘Sun[day] follows this’) plus YR (‘year’). | ||
| 4. | Break down without cover for Skoda vehicle? Correct! (8) | ||
| DISABUSE | An envelope (‘without’) of SA (‘cover for SkodA‘) plus BUS (‘vehicle’) in DIE (‘break down’, of a car engine, for example). | ||
| 8. | Listen, Picaroon needs treating like a caring person (2,4,8) | ||
| IN LOCO PARENTIS | An anagram (‘needs to be treated’) of ‘listen Picaroon’. | ||
| 10. | Ballsier, free progressives (8) | ||
| LIBERALS | An anagram (‘free’) of ‘ballsier’. | ||
| 11. | Polish rejecting English entertainment (6) | ||
| IMPROV | A subtraction: IMPROV[e] (‘polish’) without the E (‘English’). | ||
| 12. | Two items of clothing for person in field (9) | ||
| SHORTSTOP | A charade of SHORTS plus TOP (‘two articles of clothing’). | ||
| 15. | Italian footballers spend cold months without women (5) | ||
| INTER | [w]INTER (‘cold months’) without W (‘women’), the reference being to the soccer club Inter Milan. | ||
| 17. | Tennis champ’s trophy (5) | ||
| ASHES | Two sports for the price of one: ASHE’S (‘tennis champ’s’), and the cricket series between England and Australia. | ||
| 18. | Nirvana‘s rock, blaring, has kicking intro (7-2) | ||
| SHANGRI-LA | An anagram (‘rock’) of ‘[b]laring has’ without the first letter ‘(kicking intro’). | ||
| 19. | Doctors put elementary wrapping around breaks (3-3) | ||
| LET-UPS | Reversed (‘around’) hidden (‘wrapping’) in ‘doctorS PUT ELementary’. | ||
| 21. | Pan what a drug supplier may do (8) | ||
| STOCKPOT | Definition and literal interpretation. | ||
| 24. | Cheeky sort of paparazzo pursuing person tanning (14) | ||
| WHIPPERSNAPPER | A charade of whipper (‘person tanning’ i.e. beating) plus SNAPPER (‘paparazzo’). The word was clued very similarly in Nutmeg’s Quiptic on Monday. |
||
| 25. | Carpeted with soft design over boring crimson (8) | ||
| REPROVED | An envelope (‘boring’) of P (‘soft’) plus ROVE, an anagram (‘design’) of ‘over’ in RED (‘crimson’). | ||
| 26. | Member of religious sect can prove who he is (5) | ||
| HASID | A charade of HAS ID (‘can prove who he is’). | ||
Down |
|||
| 1. | Falter with asinine witticism when drunk? (6-6) | ||
| SHILLY-SHALLY | A pronunciation of SILLY SALLY (‘asinine witticism’) ‘when drunk’. | ||
| 2. | Half-cut, Tony Blair’s wife hides £50 where payment is due (9) | ||
| TOLLBOOTH | An envelope (‘hides’) of L (‘£’) plus L (’50’) in ‘to[ny]’ ‘half-cut’ plus BOOTH (Cherie, Tony ‘Blair’s wife’, uses her maiden name of Booth as a barrister). | ||
| 3. | Bishop holds good service, one that flies by (5) | ||
| RACER | An envelope (‘holds’) of ACE (‘good service’ in tennis) in RR (Right Reverend, the formal style of a ‘Bishop’). | ||
| 4. | Strips down and regularly does gentle exercise (9) | ||
| DEPILATES | A charade of DE (‘regularly DoEs’) plus PILATES (‘gentle exercise‘). ‘Down’ here is in the sense of bumfluff. |
||
| 5. | We’re told the coast is clear (4) | ||
| SURE | A homophone (‘we’re told’) of SHORE (‘coast’). | ||
| 6. | Man, lousy bum, gin’s making insensitive (9) | ||
| BENUMBING | A charade of BEN (‘man’) plus UMBING, an anagram (‘lousy’) of ‘bum gin’. | ||
| 7. | More self-conscious person having a fling? (5) | ||
| SHIER | Double definition. | ||
| 9. | Subdued Balls and Miliband welcoming upright head of state (12) | ||
| OVERMASTERED | An envelope (‘welcoming’) of MAST (‘upright’) plus ER (‘head of state’) in OVER (‘balls’ in cricket, with deceptive capital) plus ED (‘Miliband’). | ||
| 13. | Rubbish penned by cryptic setter — it should make you think (4,5) | ||
| TEST PAPER | An envelope (‘penned by’) of PAP (‘rubbish’) in TESTER, an anagram (‘cryptic’) of ‘setter’. | ||
| 14. | Forced to admit routine is rehearsed (9) | ||
| PRACTISED | An envelope (‘to admit’) of ACT (‘routine’) in PRISED (‘forced’). | ||
| 16. | Dogs consuming bit of fruit — beginning to eat, they expel gas in America (9) | ||
| TAILPIPES | An envelope (‘consuming’) of PIP (‘bit of fruit’) plus E (‘beginning to Eat’) in TAILS (‘dogs’). | ||
| 20. | It’s said tea garden borders a US lake (5) | ||
| TAHOE | An envelope (‘borders’) of ‘a’ in T (‘it’s said tea’) plus HOE (‘garden’). | ||
| 22. | Don’t go with change, defending Latin (5) | ||
| CLASH | An envelope (‘defending’) of L (‘Latin’) in CASH (‘change’). | ||
| 23. | Fuel very Marxist uprising (4) | ||
| DERV | A reversal(‘uprising’) of V (‘very’) plus RED (‘Marxist’). | ||
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