I’m not sure what to say about this one. There were a number of clues that appeared baffling when first read but later seemed obvious once the entry was in, but then this often happens.
I can’t even realistically judge the degree of difficulty because normally I finish the puzzle in one uninterrupted sitting but on this occasion I had numerous distractions and solved it on and off during the course of a morning.
Only a couple of new words for me today because I had met most of the more obscure entries in previous puzzles.
Across
1 Burn up marker put by renegade in ground once (11)
CONFLAGRATE – FLAG (marker) RAT (renegade) in an anagram (ground) of ONCE
10 Note offender, old and therefore plaintive (9)
LACRIMOSO – LA (note) CRIM (offender) O (old) SO (therefore)
11 Gas formerly turned out? (5)
NITON – a reversal (turned) of NOT IN (out)
12 Quietly put away new plate (5)
PATEN – P (quietly) ATE (put away) N (new)
14 Sisterhood’s rule followed by novice, after reflection, stopping sauce (8)
SORORITY – R (rule) TIRO (novice) reversed (after reflection) in (stopping) SOY (sauce)
16 Racing team that is backing nation without ado (6)
ÉCURIE – ECU[ado]R (nation without ado) IE (that is)
18 Resistance results in dropping current charges (7)
RENTALS – R (resistance) ENTA[i]LS (results in dropping current)
19 Love zestful skill in self-expression (5)
ORACY – O (love) RACY (zestful)
20 Poet’s almost in tune throughout (5)
UNETH – hidden in ‘tUNE THroughout’
22 Compares end of marriage with a quest abandoned (7)
EQUATES – [marriag]E (end of marriage) plus an anagram (abandoned) of A QUEST
24 Cactus complicated rescue (6)
CEREUS – an anagram (complicated) of RESCUE
27 Clear stone enclosure protecting hydrant beside farmhouse (8)
PHENGITE – PEN (enclosure) around (protecting) H (hydrant) plus GITE (farmhouse)
28 One so occupied by acting of goddess (5)
ISIAC – I (one) SIC (so) around (occupied by) A (acting)
29 Bit of money in marketplace (5)
AGORA – double def.
30 Climber keeping cool about governor’s wife (9)
VICEREINE – VINE (climber) around (keeping) ICE (cool) RE (about)
31 Sergeant finally conducted research into crazy uniform (11)
BATTLEDRESS – [sergean]T (sergeant finally) LED (conducted) RES (research) in (into) BATS (crazy)
Down
1 Useful dupes right around court, I see (12)
CONSTRUCTIVE – CONS (dupes) TRUE (right) around CT (court) I V (see)
2 Ease in treatment of soot is seen (10)
OTIOSENESS – an anagram (treatment of) of SOOT IS SEEN
3 Northern customer parting with pence for salt (6)
NATRON – N (northern) [p]ATRON (customer parting with pence)
4 Defeat fine king, seizing throne (5)
FLOOR – F (fine) R (king) around (seizing) LOO (throne)
5 Weak point in shelter, up under tree, plugged with cold earth (8,4)
ACHILLES HEEL – LEE (shelter) reversed (up) after (under) ASH (tree) around (plugged with) CHILL (cold) E (earth)
6 Tenor consumed by monstrous ego requires fantastic quality (12)
GROTESQUERIE – T (tenor) in (consumed by) an anagram (monstrous) of EGO REQUIRES
7 Nurse needing thigh area raised (4)
AMAH – HAM (thigh) A (area) reversed (raised)
8 Endlessly consummate artist, evergreen (6)
TOTARA – TOTA[l] (endlessly consummate) RA (artist)
9 Make approaches, skirting islands unknown for a long time (7,5)
DONKEY’S YEARS – DO (make) NEARS (approaches) around (skirting) KEYS (islands) Y (unknown)
13 Resent changes below impressive focal points (10)
EPICENTRES – an anagram (changes) of RECENT after (below) EPIC (impressive)
15 Reach out, ignoring every other character, for demon (4)
RAHU – R[e]A[c]H [o]U[t] (reach out, ignoring every other character)
17 Murmur softly in hearing – clever stratagem (4)
COUP – a homophone (in hearing) of ‘coo’ (murmur softly)
21 Symphony lifting a heart? I must go into that (6)
EROICA – I in (must go into that) A CORE (a heart) reversed (lifting)
23 Editor arranged to get electronic device (6)
TRIODE – an anagram (arranged) of EDITOR
25 Shock after removal of stone mound (5)
AGGER – [st]AGGER (shock after removal of stone)
26 Part of route ahead, going north for a bit in Scotland (4)
HAET – hidden (part of) reversal (gong north) in ‘rouTE AHead’
I’m on holiday at the moment, so I don’t have last week’s puzzle to hand to check, but I recall it did take me a while to get started on this, but finished it eventually.
But I do remember I had a problem with 20ac. I couldn’t find that definition in Chambers, only the definition “difficult” (or something like that – I din’t bring my copy of Chambers on holiday with me).
Dormouse
It is in chambers, but not as a separate word. It is the plethora of ‘un’ words.
It’ll have to wait a couple of weeks before I can check that. 🙂