If you are hoping for a new take on a puzzle set by Dac from someone who seldom blogs the Indy then I’m afraid you are going to be disappointed. I can only repeat what has been said many times before: smooth surfaces, impeccable wordplay and not a quibble in sight.
Across
1 Service book is nothing special (8)
ORDINARY – double def.
5 Recalled more than one schoolboy howler? (4-2)
SLIP-UP – PUPILS (more than one schoolboy) reversed (recalled)
9 Remarkably kind sort, squeezing first of fruit juice? (4,5)
SOFT DRINK – an anagram (remarkably) of KIND SORT around (squeezing) F[ruit] (first of fruit)
11 Sunbeam making comeback? One’s a Toyota (5)
YARIS – RAY (sunbeam) reversed (making comeback) I’S (one’s)
12 Cultivation of land in small community, after change of leader (7)
TILLAGE – vILLAGE (small community) with the v changed to T (after a change of leader)
13 Bill given before course finally disappears? Such sauce (7)
TABASCO – TAB (bill) ASCO[t] (course finally disappears)
14 Cayenne here spilt by ‘Ungarian chef (6,6)
FRENCH GUIANA – an anagram (spilt by) of UNGARIAN CHEF
18 Be serious, giving description of Scrooge’s enterprise? (4,8)
MEAN BUSINESS – double def.
21 Copy of old vinyl list half-retained by record company (7)
REPLICA – EP (old vinyl) LI[st] (list half) in (retained by) RCA (record company)
22 State a lecturer should have a first degree, then further one (7)
ALABAMA – A L (a lecturer) A BA (a first degree) MA (further one {degree})
24 The Spanish island expels single British woman (5)
ELIZA – EL (the Spanish) [ib]IZA (island expels single British)
25 Bed cover: I wondered, should it be changed? (9)
EIDERDOWN – an anagram (should it be changed) of I WONDERED
26 Laugh when wife’s excluded from social media site (6)
TITTER – T[w]ITTER (wife’s excluded from social media site)
27 Old family member dances to recorded tapes (8)
ANCESTOR – hidden in (tapes) ‘dANCES TO Recorded’
Down
1 Attacks working groups (6)
ONSETS – ON (working) SETS (groups)
2 Spoil / steep-sided passage (6)
DEFILE – double def.
3 Russian lady having saint’s name? The reverse (5)
NADIA – AIDAN (saint’s name) reversed
4 I see manager so resolved to make greater effort (5,4,4)
RAISE ONES GAME – an anagram (resolved) of I SEE MANAGER SO
6 Bet a fight’s … involving these? (9)
LAYABOUTS – LAY (bet) A BOUT’S (fight’s)
7 French person, one taken in by corrupt Spaniard no end (8)
PARISIAN – I (one) in (taken in by) an anagram (corrupt) of SPANIAR[d] (Spaniard no end)
8 Poem in former time not written down (8)
PASTORAL – PAST (former time) ORAL (not written down)
10 Christopher can initially get tough about English plot (7,6)
KITCHEN GARDEN – KIT (Christopher) C[an] (can initially) HARDEN (get tough) around (about) ENG (English)
15 Water-soaked books worried religious teachers (9)
RABBINATE – BB (books) in RAIN (water-soaked) ATE (worried)
16 Succeeded taking pre-Easter exam, being cleverer than anyone else (8)
SMARTEST – S (succeeded) MAR{ch} (pre-Easter) TEST (exam)
17 With part in a play, you’ll need make-up (3,5)
WAR PAINT – W (with) plus an anagram (play) of PART IN A
19 Unconventional rebel has captivated Independent reader (3-3)
WAY-OUT – WAT (rebel {Wat Tyler}) around (has captivated) YOU (Independent reader)
20 Aldermaston marcher‘s flag (6)
BANNER – double def.
23 Where a golfer might be failing to finish match? (5)
AGREE – A GREE[n] (where a golfer might be failing to finish)
Yes, another excellent Dac puzzle. I really liked the clue for PARISIAN, while ANCESTOR was my LOI.
Lovely puzzle. Hadn’t heard of St Aidan but thought it couldn’t be anything else.
If you are hoping for a new take on a puzzle set by Dac from someone who solves his puzzles every week, then I’m afraid you are going to be disappointed.
Excellent stuff as always. Couldn’t quite parse NADIA, so thanks for that explanation to Gaufrid. And thanks to the setter as well.
What I really liked about this was that it was fair. No German words backwards, no obscure English words or meanings, and no themes or ninas requiring contortions. As you may have guessed, I completed this without resorting to aids, and my LOI was 23D. Progress to there was not, unfortunately, linear as I am not the 16D. Thanks for the blog, and explaining 15D which I couldn’t parse, but which could be nothing else.
Also, my local Catholic school, when I were but a lad, was St Aidan’s, so that was a bit of a gimme for me.
And a big thank you to Dac.
Well, I found 11ac a bit obscure. In fact, when I first read the clue, I guessed the answer, thought that was too silly to be a car name and dismissed it. It was only when I had all three crossing letters I considered it again.
St. Aidan, on the other hand, there was a St. Aidan’s Walk near where I lived when growing up.
Thanks Gaufrid & Dac.
Could somebody please elucidate on the definition in 6. I don’t get this.
Billyk @6: I think the idea is that layabouts, being idle folk, may have nothing better to do than get into fights – probably for the most trivial reason, if any.
Lovely.
Thanks Gaufrid. We have only just completed the puzzle – we were so tired last night that we only had a few answers inked in before we decided to leave it for the morning.
Ditto to everything you said……
Thanks Dac – we liked 19d in particular!
Thanks to Dac for the first puzzle I’ve solved unaided in ages!