Well, I hardly expected to see Dante on a Tuesday and wondered if I had got my days mixed up. However, it couldn’t be Monday because it wasn’t a prize puzzle.
A very quick solve for me with the only slight delay being the SE corner where I had to pause to think about 21dn. The usual plethora of double/cryptic definitions meant that there was little wordplay to parse.
Across
1 Missing sailors – ten adrift (6)
ABSENT – ABS (sailors) plus an anagram (adrift) of TEN
4 Nuts go well with cheese (8)
CRACKERS – def. plus cryptic indicator
10 Flattery works with Eastenders, say (4,5)
SOAP OPERA – SOAP (flattery) OPERA (works)
11 Stylish outfit seen in New York (5)
NIFTY – an anagram (out) of FIT in NY (New York)
12 Simply / unique (4)
ONLY – double def.
13 Feel / people should learn from it (10)
EXPERIENCE – def. plus cryptic def.
15 They’re employed to clean up / the papers (7)
DAILIES – double def.
16 The bishop’s concern observed in the playground (6)
SEESAW – SEE (the bishop’s concern) SAW (observed)
19 Elder in sore distress (6)
SENIOR – an anagram (distress) of IN SORE
21 Bill will be paid for this (7)
RECEIPT – cryptic def.
23 Uncertain to request a loan with advance (5,3,2)
TOUCH AND GO – TOUCH (request a loan) AND (with) GO (advance)
25 Fail to keep up a legend (4)
SAGA – SAG (fail to keep up) A
27 One may happily walk here during broadcast (2,3)
ON AIR – cryptic def. plus def.
28 Produce I turn into a balanced diet (9)
NUTRITION – an anagram (produce) of I TURN INTO
29 Stick to the point, perhaps, showing common sense (8)
GUMPTION – GUM (stick) plus an anagram (perhaps) of POINT
30 Mended with audible annoyance (6)
DARNED – def. plus cryptic indicator
Down
1 Goes without saying? (8)
ABSCONDS – cryptic def.
2 Insignificant and minute (5-4)
SMALL-TIME – def. plus cryptic indicator
3 Refusal to give the go-ahead for retreat (4)
NOOK – NO (refusal) OK (give the go-ahead)
5 A newspaper’s success depends more on these than its writers! (7)
READERS – cryptic def.
6 The secret is boldness (10)
CONFIDENCE – double def.
7 Mischievous student in fine form (5)
ELFIN – L (student) in an anagram (form) of FINE
8 Fashionably named? (6)
STYLED – cryptic def.
9 Persian king upset over sex change (6)
XERXES – REX (king) reversed (upset) plus an anagram (change) of SEX – if you don’t like ‘king’ doing double duty then the definition could be simply ‘Persian’
14 Cut off in this dire resort (10)
DISINHERIT – an anagram (resort) of IN THIS DIRE
17 I’m in a race for life (9)
ANIMATION – I’M in A NATION (a race)
18 Worked hard and cleared the grounds (8)
STRAINED – double def., the second referring to the likes of coffee grounds
20 Meet and collide (3,4)
RUN INTO – double def.
21 Sails, ropes etc hard to put together – OK? (6)
RIGHTO – RIG (sails, ropes etc) H (hard) TO
22 Severe, in a way, on offence – not the first (6)
STRONG – ST (a way) [w]RONG (offence – not the first)
24 Take away weapon from a French member (5)
UNARM – UN (a French) ARM (member)
26 Location of well-known listed building (4)
PISA – cryptic def.
My reaction was similar to Gaufrid’s — and I did feel there were spots of blandness (e.g. 10ac, 13ac). A good start to the day, though. Thanks Gaufrid and Dante.
Thanks Geoff and Dante for a pleasant challenge.
My favorite clues were 11ac, 9dn and 21dn.
Thanks Dante and Gaufrid
Similar comments apply again … a vanilla serving with this one! Enjoyable enough all the same.