Good stuff from Jason…
…for the most part it was easy going. Each clue tells a coherent story and the cryptic bits fit in nicely. Especially liked CHAT SHOW, RANDOM, DRAW NEAR, NOUGAT, HOMEBREW, SENTENCE and SIT.
Thanks Jason for the gentle ride on a Tuesday morning.
Definitions in clues marked like this.
* anagram, + charade, – deletion, H hidden, DD double definition, <= reversal
ACROSS
1 Programme about bowlers say – welcome for Indians (4,4) CHAT SHOW [about=C + bowlers=HATS + welcome for Indians=HOW]
6 Miles away, // like Oxford’s spires? (6) DREAMY [DD]
9 Haphazard or damn disorganised (6) RANDOM [OR DAMN]*
10 Bent stature? Time to be positive (8) APTITUDE [stature=ATTITUDE with Positive for Time] which Time given there are three Ts?
11 Phone // inventor (4) BELL [DD]
12 Inside supporting places to drink (6,4) BEHIND BARS [supporting=BEHIND + places to drink=BARS]
14 Move towards “closed” notice (4,4) DRAW NEAR [closed=DRAWN like curtains + notice=EAR]
16 Volunteers I left behind (4) TAIL [volunteers=TA + I + Left]
18 Old dock is ready for business (4) OPEN [Old + dock=PEN]
19 Payment for extra period on ancient history (8) OVERTIME [ancient history=OVER + period=TIME] period on double duty?
21 Publicity-seeker is a decent chap following crowd (5,5) PRESS AGENT [crowd=PRESS + A + decent chap=GENT]
22 Test marks cut back (4) EXAM [Marks + cut=AXE]<=
24 English avoided sweet also known as Zorba’s dish (8) MOUSSAKA [sweet=MOUSSe + also known as=AKA]
26 Sweet where sugar’s inside not outside (6) NOUGAT [sUGAr inside NOT]
27 Shrub’s attempt to invade tree reviewed (6) MYRTLE [attempt=TRY inside tree=ELM]<=
28 Dainty container, grand for posting little messages (8) TWEETING [dainty=TWEE + container=TIN + Grand]
DOWN
2 Almost complete happiness in cast (5) HEAVE [complete happiness=HEAVEn]
3 A game of flipping small victories involving king (11) TIDDLYWINKS [small=TIDDLY victories=WINS outside King]
4 Where mob bottled cheap booze, perhaps (8) HOMEBREW [WHERE MOB]*
5 Do a few orchestrate Outlook? (7,8) WEATHER FORECAST [A FEW ORCHESTRATE]*
6 Seeing cash being pocketed by Ozzie geek (6) DATING [Ozzie geek=DAG outside cash=TIN]
7 Such scoff after Fellow’s bold achievement (3) EAT [bold achievement=fEAT]
8 Changing mid-sermon is an art form (9) MODERNISM [MID SERMON]*
13 Kick the brush or bucket! (4,3,4) BITE THE DUST [kick=BITE + THE + brush=DUST] kick on double duty?
15 Muddled peer right with true-blue theatre company (9) REPERTORY [PEER* + Right + true-blue=TORY]
17 Judge dispatched trafficker wanting fine (8) SENTENCE [dispatched=SENT + trafficker=fENCE]
20 Buddy’s wicked mansion (6) PALACE [buddy=PAL + wicked=ACE]
23 A profit once more (5) AGAIN [A + profit=GAIN]
25 Of necessity, take the weight off your feet (3) SIT [H]
Thanks Jason and Bhavan
19ac: I think you can take “Payment for extra” as a sufficient definition. Another possibility might be that OVER is clued by “ancient” and TIME by “history”: Chambers 2008 gives over adv at an end and time n past existence. I think I took it the second way when solving, but without much thought. On reflection, I prefer the shorter definition.
13dn: I think you can take the clue as effectively equivalent to “Kick the brush or kick the bucket”.
I parsed 19a as OVER (on) plus TIME (ancient history)
Thanks to Bhavan and Jason
ernie@2 re 19ac: Yes I like that. Thanks.
Thanks Jason and Bhavan
Found this a little tougher than the only other one I have done by this setter. Made a careless mistake with ATTITUDE instead of APTITUDE :(.
Could find Zorba the Greek … but couldn’t find any specific reference to his dish = MOUSSAKA (assume it is just indicating a Greek dish).
Nice example of MODERNISM Bhavan 🙂
You may scoff, I scarf.