(Please click here for this same blog but with a picture quiz added. Please do NOT post hereinbelow any comment relating to the picture quiz. Thank you.) I found this a bit hard for a Sunday, having had to come back to it later in the week to finish it. Thanks to eXternal. Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
1 Setter’s to work on parking that’s not smooth (6)
PIMPLY : [ I’M(“setter’s”;”setter is”;”I am”, with the setter using the self-referential pronoun) + PLY(to work regularly) ] placed after(on, in an across clue) P(abbrev. for “parking”).
4 Steel transducer backfired in musical instrument (8)
SCIMITAR : Reversal of(… backfired) MIC(short for “microphone”, an example of a transducer, a device that converts one form of energy to another, in this case, sound waves to electric currents) contained in(in) SITAR(the Indian string instrument).
Defn: Something made of steel, in this case, a type of sword.
9 After ignoring her absolutely, Italian woman’s pulled back skirt (6)
SARONG : Reversal of(pulled back) [ SI(Italian for “herself”;pronoun to emphasise “her” absolutely) deleted from(After ignoring …) “signora”(a married Italian woman)‘S ].
10 Recalled one sailor with a vessel that’s spouted exotic language (8)
GUJARATI : Reversal of(Recalled) [ I(Roman numeral for “one”) + TAR(a nickname for a sailor) plus(with) A + JUG(a vessel;a container, usually for liquids) ].
Defn: … of the people from the state in western India.
11 Greek character halts on trip that’s difficult – he’s good to us (14)
PHILANTHROPIST : PHI(the 21st letter of the Greek alphabet) + anagram of(… that’s difficult) HALTS ON TRIP.
13 Exert pressure towards mass of hair that hurts soon after scratching head (4,4,2)
BEAR DOWN ON : BEARD(a mass of hair) + OW!(exclamation expressing “That hurts!”) + “anon”(soon;in a short time) minus its 1st letter(after scratching head) .
14 Dieter respectfully addressed that woman with posterior twice the norm (4)
HERR : HER(pronoun for “that woman”) with its last letter(with posterior) repeated(twice the norm).
Defn: How one might respectfully address the German gentleman named Dieter.
16 How belated message might be given for native Africans? (4)
ASPS : [ AS P.S.](a belated message;an afterthought might be given as a p.s.;a postscript).
Defn: … of the reptilian kind, which name was used to refer to various venomous snakes found in the Nile region.
18 Craft alien once abandoned by river (5,5)
OCEAN LINER : Anagram of(… abandoned) ALIEN ONCE plus(by) R(abbrev. for “river”).
21 Operating system working with half of resources, as browser is doing (6-8)
WINDOW-SHOPPING : WINDOWS(the computer operating system from Microsoft) + HOPPING(literally, to move about using one out of 2 legs;with half of resources, and, cryptically and figuratively, in relation to work, as in “job-hopping”? Not altogether convincing to me, and I have probably missed something).
Defn: Before IE, Chrome, Safari and the like, to browse round the shops without actually intending to buy, or, perhaps buying only later.
23 Secret places SS put beside sports field (8)
RECESSES : ESSES(plural for the letter, S) placed after(put beside, in an across clue) REC(short for a recreation ground;a sports field).
24 Almost yielding to accept a beauty treatment (6)
FACIAL : “facile”(moving easily or smoothly;yielding) minus its last letter(Almost …) containing(to accept) A.
25 Fish trapped in lock pines with others missing (8)
TREELESS : EEL(a slippery snake-like fish) contained in(trapped in) TRESS(a long lock or ringlet of hair).
Defn: Description of what’s devoid of pine and other trees.
26 Island on which one travels by trap (6)
RHODES : Homophone of( … by trap, slang for mouth;by word of mouth) “roads”(on which one travels).
Defn: …, part of Greece.
Down
1 Heartless gang showing attitude (4)
POSE : “posse”(gang assembled together to assist law officers) minus its central letter(Heartless …).
2 Transform Ibiza after removing business for hypnotic drug (7)
MORPHIA : MORPH(to transform appearance or character, from “metamorphise”) + “Ibiza” minus(after removing) “biz”(short for “business”).
Defn: Hypnotic in the sense of inducing sleep.
3 First of twin boys penning New Year’s letter (8)
LANDLADY : [ LAD,LAD(a pair of twin boys) with the first containing(First of … penning) N(abbrev. for “new”) ] + Y(abbrev. for “year”).
Defn: One who lets out her property.
5 One with eyes only for the TV? (5,6)
COUCH POTATO : Cryptic defn: Like the metaphorical vegetable, the real one has eyes too.
6 Mowed a tricky area of grassland (6)
MEADOW : Anagram of(… tricky) MOWED A.
7 A lame youngster needs support around and provisions at this point (7)
TEATIME : [ A + TIM(Tiny, nickname for crippled Timothy Cratchit in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol) ] contained in(needs … around) TEE(a support for your golf ball).
Defn: … of the day.
8 Party animal retires or crashes (9)
ROISTERER : Anagram of(… crashes) RETIRES OR.
12 Items to fix office chair broken by ultimately careless presenters (11)
NEWSCASTERS : [NEW CASTERS](items to fix an office chair that’s fallen off its wheels) containing(broken by) the last letter of(ultimately) “careless “.
13 One informing wife to tuck into exploded sausage (9)
BRATWURST : [ RAT(an informer;a betrayer) + W(abbrev. for “wife”) ] contained in(to tuck into) BURST(exploded).
15 Cowboy‘s hit and run (8)
SLAPDASH : SLAP(hit with an open hand or flat object) plus(and) DASH(run;rush).
Defn: …, describing one who is irresponsible, careless or unscrupulous in business, eg. a builder.
17 Dial-a-motorcyclist provides stylish carriage (7)
PANACHE : PAN(like “dial”, slang for the face) + -A-+ CHE(Guevara, the motorcyclist who rode across South America, and became a revolutionary).
Defn: A dashing manner.
19 Mollycoddled orphan in case of need (7)
NANNIED : ANNIE(Little Orphan, of the comic strip, later of the stage and screen versions) contained in(in) the 1st and last letters of(case of) “need “.
20 Only one pound in dollars exchanged back (6)
DORSAL : Anagram of(… exchanged) “dollars ” minus one of its “l”(in upper case, standing in for the symbol £ for pound sterling)( Only one pound in …).
Defn: Relating to the back or spinal part of the body of an organism.
22 What might be delivered by pumps in industrial estate (4)
ALES : Hidden in(in) “industrial estate “.
Defn: … in a pub or bar.
(Please do NOT post hereinbelow any comment relating to the picture quiz. Thank you.)
Can hardly recall a more testing IoS. Some quite ingenious clues, liked BRATWURST, amusing wordplay, also HERR, ASPS, PANACHE all of which had me head-scratching for quite a while.
Thanks to eXternal and scchua.
Finished and thoroughly enjoyed it!!