One for beginners and those with very little time to spare. Having said that, it was still a pleasurable solve due to the generally good, and in places excellent, surfaces.
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Across
1 Trim, cool, attractive man is immature (8)
CHILDISH – CHIL[l] (trim, cool) DISH (attractive man)
5 Bachelor with trendy degree starting to get into black plastic item (3,3)
BIN BAG – B (bachelor) IN (trendy) BA (degree) G[et] (starting to get)
9 Lesser deity returns for potential victim (8)
UNDERDOG – UNDER (lesser) GOD (deity) reversed (returns)
10 Steal the Spanish coin (6)
NICKEL – NICK (steal) EL (the Spanish)
12 Twisted fluid covered in jelly (5)
KINKY – INK (fluid) in (covered in) KY (jelly)
13 Squeezes garden tool and musical instrument into ship (9)
SHOEHORNS – HOE (garden tool) HORN (musical instrument) in (into) SS (ship)
14 Redhead dancing in German clothing (6)
GINGER – hidden in (indicated by ‘clothing’) ‘dancinG IN GERman’
16 Famous and lacking talent (7)
NOTABLE – NOT ABLE (lacking talent)
19 Spy’s time in captivity (7)
BONDAGE – BOND (spy) AGE (time)
21 Intimidate lad who provides substandard workmanship (6)
COWBOY – COW (intimidate) BOY (lad)
23 Be out rioting around story time in dungeon (9)
OUBLIETTE – an anagram (rioting) of BE OUT around LIE (story) T (time)
25 Shrank length taking in something over a foot (5)
ANKLE – hidden in (taking in) ‘shrANK LEngth’
26 Wasted billion on game of chance (6)
BLOTTO – B (billion) LOTTO (game of chance)
27 Spurs rue playing those who took title (8)
USURPERS – an anagram (playing) of SPURS RUE
28 Leave middle out of pudding (6)
DESERT – DES[s]ERT (middle out of pudding)
29 Unravelling lace? Darn – its days are numbered (8)
CALENDAR – an anagram (unravelling) of LACE DARN
Down
1 Hack travelling across United Kingdom as part of equestrian event (6)
CHUKKA – an anagram (travelling) of HACK around (across) UK (United Kingdom)
2 Home study can include origin of outer space (9)
INDENTION – IN (home) DEN (study) TIN (can) around (include) O[uter] (origin of outer)
3 Race day Queen gets close to (5)
DERBY – D (day) ER (Queen) BY (close to)
4 Godfather senior buries mutilated snoop (7)
SPONSOR – SR (senior) around (buries) an anagram (mutilated) of SNOOP
6 Filling dish rises with cooking (5,4)
IRISH STEW – an anagram (cooking) of RISES WITH
7 British Institute supported by King, Queen and angel? (5)
BIKER – BI (British Institute) K (King) ER (Queen {again!}) – a Hells Angel
8 Look into cuts in protective wear (8)
GALOSHES – LO (look) in (into) GASHES (cuts)
11 Low pants essentially show bottom (4)
MOON – MOO (low) [pa]N[ts] (pants essentially)
15 Combatant is happy with one volunteer coming up with gold (9)
GLADIATOR – GLAD (happy) I (one) TA (volunteer) reversed (coming up) OR (gold)
17 Prevent chief becoming fool (9)
BLOCKHEAD – BLOCK (prevent) HEAD (chief)
18 Fascinated by ball covered in shattered beads (8)
ABSORBED – ORB (ball) in (covered in) an anagram (shattered) of BEADS
20 Regattas regularly providing food (4)
EATS – [r]E[g]A[t]T[a]S (regattas regularly)
21 Revolutionary left’s main London location (7)
CHELSEA – CHE (revolutionary) L (left) SEA (main)
22 Announced device to detect change is cut (6)
CENSOR – a homophone (announced) of ‘sensor’ (device to detect change)
24 Kicks ball over opposition to score headers (5)
BOOTS – initial letters (headers) of B[all] O[ver] O[pposition] T[o] S[core]
25 Steer game around, holding match (5)
AGREE – hidden (holding) reversal (around) in ‘stEER GAme’
Thanks for blogging, Gaufrid.
I agree with you – a good one for beginners, but enjoyable for more experienced solvers too. Some lovely clueing and a nice variety of devices.
OUBLIETTE was probably the only unusual word. It’s derived from the French verb ‘oublier’, to forget. Cos if you’re locked in a dungeon, then you’re likely to be forgotten about.
This type of puzzle would sit well in the ‘easy’ Monday slot, I think. Yesterday’s was taken up with the birthday boy’s puzzle, of course.
Brava, Vigo. Looking forward to some more of these.
Lovely puzzle Vigo, many thanks. Sponsored by Boots, eh?
Thanks Vigo and Gaufrid.
Yes, a lovely puzzle, and I was lucky to be a late beginner at solving cryptics, all is still fresh and new to me.
An oubliette is considerably nastier than an ordinary dungeon. The only access being by a trapdoor in the ceiling so there’s no way out.
Nice puzzle.
As K’s D says, a good one for beginners, but enjoyable for more experienced solvers. One or two pitfalls, however, for example BOOTS was my LOI as I was convinced it was BROWS (headers, sort of) even though ‘orb’ for ‘ball’ had already occurred in 18dn and I couldn’t make much sense of ‘ws’ as ‘opposition’ except in a bridge context. Not sure if KY is known to everybody. But I thought SHOEHORNS was brilliant!
Thanks, Vigo and Gaufrid
Nice puzzle and blog. Perhaps add that a chukka is part of a polo match.
Vigo, just in case you pop in – I make it 12 theme solutions plus the key answer + another?
Very well done indeed, it’s a really nice puzzle
allan_c @5, no, KY was not known to everybody and, after having checked, I thought baerchen’s comment @2 might have had an extra meaning.
Thanks Vigo & Gaufrid.
Trademark smooth surfaces made for an enjoyable solve. I think technically that TA signifies volunteers.
I liked IRISH STEW for the use of ‘with’ in the fodder, CHELSEA and MOON was funny.
ANKLE, BONDAGE, KY (JELLY), DUNGEON, KINKY … I think we might be missing Some Kind of Ghost Theme, as Winnie-the-Pooh might have said.
There’s an excellent example of an OUBLIETTE at Alnwick Castle, sidey. Not sure if you’ve seen it.
Yet another meaning to baerchen’s comment @2…
Hi K’s D @10
I wondered about that too, but I think baerchen is on the right track – 24d can be preceded by a number of other grid entries and, of course, 8n and 13ac are connected.
baerchen, “he” makes them himself! I also get 12.
I admit to having inside knowledge, but footwear is indeed the ghost theme.
He would know, he also makes them, but with an unknown at the end of his name…
baerchen, you are quite right 12 if you include kinky. Thank you to Gaufrid for the blog and to everyone for their kind words.
I made it 13 in the end, I wonder what Baerchen’s other was? Thank you again Vigo.
Thanks, Gaufrid, I wholly agree. Very pure and very simple. With the lovely theme, this is definitely one to hook the newcomers!
Thought MOON was a smasher.
Well done, that Vigo!