Bradman has been appearing regularly on a Friday in recent months so it didn’t come as a surprise to see him today. As is generally the norm with this setter, there was nothing controversial in this puzzle though it did lack his customary obscure (to some) word or two in the grid.
I rather appreciate the first definition in 8ac but I’m not sure that, in 9ac, it is only pedants that would not want to boldly go.
Across
1 Yell, losing heart – depressed, being wound up? (4,4)
SHUT DOWN – SH[o]UT (yell, losing heart) DOWN (depressed)
5 Animal disease involving bird is puzzle (6)
BEMUSE – BSE (animal disease) around (involving) EMU (bird)
8 What passes for modern music gets criticism (3)
RAP – double def.
9 Four in vast form that pedant may not want to split (10)
INFINITIVE – IV (four) in INFINITE (vast)
10 Vehicles in the hills behind another one overturned (8)
TRACTORS – CART (another one) reversed (overturned) TORS (hills)
11 Soldiers frolic about, hiding nothing (6)
TROOPS – SPORT (frolic) reversed (about) around (hiding) O (nothing)
12 Wardrobe stuff (4)
GEAR – cryptic def.
14 Fools engaging commercial cleaners (10)
CHARLADIES – CHARLIES (fools) around (engaging) AD (commercial)
17 Mischievous person getting mad on food (6,4)
MONKEY NUTS – MONKEY (mischievous person) NUTS (mad)
20 In the afternoon men will return for sport (4)
ROMP – PM (afternoon) OR (men) reversed (will return)
23 Alcoholic identifiable from this pong exuded (6)
SPONGE – hidden in (identifiable from) ‘thiS PONG Exuded’
24 Italian meal in unusually prosperous UK region? (8)
MILANESE – an anagram (unusually) of MEAL IN plus SE (prosperous UK region)
25 Machine put in a heap overlooking Thames, say (4,6)
PILE DRIVER – PILED (put in a heap) RIVER (Thames, say)
26 Line put out by unrefined person making one weep (3)
SOB – S[l]OB (line put out by unrefined person)
27 Titian paintings possibly brought back for someone to sell (6)
TRADER – RED (Titian) ART (paintings possibly) reversed (brought back)
28 Welcome signal / without any ambiguity (3-5)
ALL-CLEAR – double def.
Down
1 Trick to get huge bits of food turned over (9)
STRATAGEM – MEGA (huge) TARTS (bits of food) reversed (turned over)
2 Swedish location that could be given endless applause (7)
UPPSALA – an anagram (that could be given) of APPLAUS[e] (endless applause)
3 Time to keep at home, time for a bit of food (6)
DAINTY – DAY (time) around (to keep) IN (at home) T (time)
4 Father fantastic in victory, anything but thick (5-4)
WAFER-THIN – an anagram (fantastic) of FATHER in WIN (victory)
5 Many Irish and British set up in city (7)
BRISTOL – LOTS (many) IR (Irish) B (British) reversed (set up)
6 Group of monks said to be in a commercial operation (4,5)
MAIL ORDER – a homophone (said) of ‘male order’ (group of monks)
7 Something going over congregation’s heads? One must get to the point (7)
STEEPLE – cryptic def.
13 Embarrassed about relations, was first to get roused again (9)
REKINDLED – RED (embarrassed) around (about) KIN (relations) plus LED (was first)
15 Getting back, arrive late having missed a change (9)
RETRIEVAL – an anagram (change) of ARRIVE L[a]TE (arrive late having missed a)
16 Rank me best rep, getting 9 out of 12 (9)
SEPTEMBER – an anagram (rank) of ME BEST REP
18 Type may make an impression here / in theory (2,5)
ON PAPER – double def.
19 Tragedy finally comes to one on tree, one that gives way (7)
YIELDER – [traged]Y (tragedy finally) I (one) ELDER (tree)
21 Manage to produce poetry in old English (7)
OVERSEE – VERSE (poetry) in O (old) E (English)
22 Stuff of a brick not all right on the outside (6)
FABRIC – [o]F A BRIC[k] (of a brick not all right {OK} on the outside)
No comments? Bradman’s famous duck!
Unashamedly I now use this space to promote the fifth edition of Chambers Crossword Manual, published on 31 October
Thanks Bradman and Gaufrid
A late comment to get you off the mark, Don ! Still don’t understand why there are not more people who comment on them – certainly hope that it’s not indicative of the numbers who actually do these high quality puzzles.
Anyway, this one was right up to standard and only had UPPSALA and CHARLIES (in this context) as the only obscurities. Finished in the NE with MAIL ORDER, INFINITIVE and DAINTY as the last few in.
Smiled at the Don’s apparent non-appreciation of RAP and the implicit definition of the ‘split infinitive’. Clever misdirection with MILANESE. Did think that STEEPLE was probably the weakest of the clues.