Quixote’s usual very satisfactory and sound crossword, a good replacement when there is no Dac on a Wednesday.
Definitions (apart from in 1ac, which I’m not sure about) underlined. [I wasn’t sure about it, but I am now, so the definition is underlined]
Across
1 Transfer of power that might suggest a stable situation now? (10)
CHANGEOVER
A changeover (not apparently given as one word in Chambers but in the COD) is a transfer of power, and if change is over it’s a thing of the past and now we have calm
9 The French doctor attached to hospital department is brilliant (7)
LAMBENT
La [the in French] MB [doctor] ENT [hospital department, Ear, Nose and Throat]
10 Spirited tennis played with energy (7)
INTENSE
(tennis)* e
11 Noise of pig not good — weak animal (4)
RUNT
{g}runt
12 One of former generation given cane when naughty, leading to anxiety (10)
ANCESTRESS
(cane)* stress
13 Lust revealed by rude sir excessively (6)
DESIRE
Hidden in ruDE SIR Excessively — not the smoothest surface Quixote has ever produced
15 Particular little house that’s comfy inside? The opposite (6)
CHOOSY
c(ho)osy — ‘The opposite’ means that ho is in cosy rather than cosy in ho
18 Cardinal is proper gangster (6)
PRIMAL
prim Al [Capone]
19 Car‘s condition at back of garage (6)
ESTATE
{garag}e state
21 The curves of Ms Blanchett, name seen with the stars (10)
CATENARIES
Cate [Cate Blanchett] n Aries — catenaries are curves such as the one you get when a loose piece of rope is held at both ends
22 God of old confronting Babel (4)
ODIN
o din
24 Body-builder inept or stupid (7)
PROTEIN
(inept or)* — not pointer as first seemed to be the case
25 Show one component at back of old hospital (7)
EXHIBIT
(ex h) 1 bit
26 Special piece of paper one such as I will be given by Principal (10)
LETTERHEAD
letter Head — the letter is ‘one such as I’ (or J, or K, …), nothing to do with setter, as I thought at first — Chambers tells us that a letterhead is amongst other things a piece of writing-paper with a letter-heading
Down
1 State officer leading men — trouble ensues (8)
COLORADO
Col. OR ado
2 Management isn’t unfortunately overwhelmed by a feeling of esteem (14)
ADMINISTRATION
(isn’t)* in admiration
3 Information about lake in valley (4)
GLEN
g(l)en
4 Pleasure trip‘s a revelation (6)
OUTING
2 defs
5 Girl in garden going to church to give testimony (8)
EVIDENCE
E(Vi)den CE — for no good reason the parsing of this seemed impenetrable and I was all ready to ask for help, before it became clear — I was fixated on the girl being Eve
6 Victoria and others love being into drugs (8)
STATIONS
stati(0)ns — Victoria is an example of a Station, as is Birmingham New Street
7 Wicked Satan blundered, that’s clear (14)
UNDERSTANDABLE
(Satan blundered)*
8 Insects in B & B and suchlike (4)
BEES
‘B & B’ can be read as ‘B’s’ — bit vague about the ‘and suchlike’
14 Note to self maybe about someone to look after the kids? (8)
REMINDER
re minder
16 Foreign city barrier — look, river penetrates it! (8)
FLORENCE
f(lo, r)ence
17 In a meeting again? Endure it with difficulty (8)
REUNITED
(Endure it)* — nicely misleading definition
20 Command from chief bringing ambassador in (6)
BEHEST
be(HE)st
21 Cold animal gets garment (4)
CAPE
c ape
23 Home worker displays endless glamour (4)
CHAR
char{m}
*anagram
I enjoyed this puzzle, as I usually do when the Don is the setter. My only unknown/forgotten was CATENARIES but it was clear enough from the wordplay, and REUNITED was my LOI after EXHIBIT.
I also much enjoyed this.
9 and 21 were both new words to me as indeed was SETTERHEAD before I realised what was going on!
Thanks to John and Don!
21ac was my first one in. As soon as I saw Blanchett and curves together, the answer popped straight into my head.
Just right for me, after yesterday’s aberration.
All pretty straightforward (something of a relief after Anax and Enigmatist). CHAR was last in after LETTERHEAD.
Thanks to John and Quixote