I don’t know what has happened to today’s scheduled blogger but something has obviously prevented him from turning up. My apologies for the late appearance of this post which, in the interest of minimising further delay, only gives a parsing of the clues and no commentary.
Across
1 Assemble in Irish region barring nationalist (6)
MUSTER – MU[n]STER (Irish region barring nationalist)
4 Like one close to departure? (8)
MORIBUND – cryptic (or not so!) def.
9 Bad-tempered lot left within confines of gallery (6)
GRUMPY – RUMP (lot left) in (within) G[aller]Y (confines of gallery)
10 Question I cast for treacherous type (8)
QUISLING – QU (question) I SLING (cast)
12 Reflect on cut occupying person in field? (4,4)
CHEW OVER – HEW (cut) in (occupying) COVER (person in field {cricket})
13 A Republican in end getting conditional release (6)
PAROLE – A R (Republican) in POLE (end {eg of a magnet})
15 Dry section of cellar identified (4)
ARID – hidden in (section of) ‘cellAR IDentified’
16 Awkward place in middle of aisles for medical instrument (7)
SCALPEL – an anagram (awkward) of PLACE in [ai]SL[es] (middle of aisles)
20 False accusation about smoker naturally disheartened (7)
CALUMNY – CA (about) LUM (smoker {chimney}) N[aturall]Y (naturally disheartened)
21 Take back off card? It could be practical (4)
JOKE – JOKE[r] (take back off card)
25 Old president stood hiding age poorly (6)
REAGAN – RAN (stood) around (hiding) an anagram (poorly) of AGE
26 Bother largely over tax in ground (8)
VEXATION – an anagram (ground) of OVE[r] TAX IN
28 Clear / list of passengers (8)
MANIFEST – double def.
29 Safe place in the East End found with short about-turn in wide road (6)
AVENUE – [h]AVEN (safe place in the East End) UE[y] (short about-turn)
30 Noted figure in army upset after first signs of looting undertaken (8)
LUMINARY – L[ooting] U[ndertaken] (first signs of looting undertaken) plus an anagram (upset) of IN ARMY
31 Dining area reportedly in a set of bars? (6)
GRILLE – a homophone (reportedly) of ‘grill’ (dining area)
Down
1 One working in spells? (8)
MAGICIAN – cryptic (or again not so) def.
2 Wandering over in US, one might get such? (8)
SOUVENIR – an anagram (wandering) of OVER IN US and an extended def.
3 Use English politician locally (wanting visit) (6)
EMPLOY – E (English) MP (politician) LO[call]Y (locally (wanting visit))
5 Burden carried by Americans? (4)
ONUS – ON (carried by) US (Americans)
6 A huge lot sporting a black suit? (2,6)
IN SPADES – IN (sporting {wearing}) SPADES (a black suit)
7 Complete agreement among retired Latinos in uproar (6)
UNISON – hidden (among) reversal (retired) in ‘latiNOS IN Uproar’
8 Perhaps, a third / part of a revolution (6)
DEGREE – double def. the first relating to the third degree
11 Sauce consumed originally in resort of Phuket (7)
KETCHUP – C[onsumed] (consumed originally) in an anagram (resort of) of PHUKET
14 Menial sort nearly thrown opening device (7)
FLUNKEY – FLUN[g] (nearly thrown) KEY (opening device)
17 Soldier with arm carrying fine combustible material (8)
PARAFFIN – PARA (soldier) FIN (arm) around (carrying) F (fine)
18 Fanciful Brit, say, with love for acting (8)
NOTIONAL – NaTIONAL (Brit, say) with O (love) replacing a (acting)
19 How fish can be done, ie number cooked (not bass) close to barbecue (8)
MEUNIERE – an anagram (cooked) of IE NUM[b]ER plus [barbecu]E (close to barbecue)
22 China retaining edge, as some fear? (6)
PRIMAL – PAL (china) around (retaining) RIM (edge)
23 Mug man broke – and bottle (6)
MAGNUM – an anagram (broke) of MUG MAN
24 Hesitate in hearing to get written statement (6)
WAIVER – a homophone (in hearing) of ‘waver’ (hesitate)
27 Official authority oddly found in test awry (4)
TSAR – alternate letters (oddly found in) of T[e]S[t] A[w]R[y]
Mostly rather straightforward – though I got bogged down in the SE corner for no good reason that I can now recall.
Thanks to Sleuth and Gaufrid for the last minute replacement blogging
Yes, well done Gaufrid. I too met my Waterloo in the SE corner. But absorbing, although I thought some clues were a bit wooden (e.g. Magician). Thanks, Sleuth, for a good lunch break.
Thanks Sleuth and Gaufrid
Think that this was my first cryptic by this setter (had done a couple of his Polymath ones). Found it reasonably straightforward with a couple of easy ones and a couple of old chestnuts (ONUS and TSAR). Some other interesting clues such as GRUMPY which used a definition of RUMP that was new to me, couldn’t work out why ALUM was a smoker … until I transferred the A to CA and QUISLING (hadn’t realised that he had been morphed into a common noun for a traitor / collaborator).