loonapick is stuck in a Belfast studio without Wi-Fi and I have to go out shortly so this will, of necessity, be just a quick analysis of the clues. Having said that, I did notice that there were rather a lot of enclosure clues (not noticed at the time of solving but when I was repeatedly typing ‘around’) and one (28ac) that is now factually incorrect.
.
Across
1 Unintentionally reveal note about stopping support at the end of May (6)
BETRAY – TE (note) reversed (about) in (stopping) BRA (support) [ma]Y (end of May)
4 Departs leaving poet with room key (5,3)
SPACE BAR – SPACE (room) BAR[d] (departs leaving poet)
10 In agreement with worker after company takes on new lad (9)
CONSONANT – CO (company) ANT (worker) around (takes on) N (new) SON (lad)
11 Like to knit anything useful (5)
ASSET – AS (like) SET (to knit {eg a broken bone})
12 Fictional club not having best fuel supplier (4)
WICK – [pick]WICK (fictional club not having best)
13 About to catch erratic teenager in form again (10)
REGENERATE – RE (about) around (to catch) an anagram (erratic) of TEENAGER
15 It was heard by the unruly girl outside Ohio’s principal court (4,3)
RIOT ACT – RITA (girl) around (outside) O[hio] (Ohio’s principal) plus CT (court)
16 British boy finally boxing with spirit (6)
BRANDY – BR (British) [bo]Y (boy finally) around (boxing) AND (with)
19 Extremely ambivalent about head backing agreement (6)
ASSENT – A[mbivalen]T (extremely ambivalent) around (about) NESS (head) reversed (backing)
21 Objects to a couple of Etonians with attitude (4-3)
MIND-SET – MINDS (objects to) ET[onians] (a couple of Etonians)
23 A bullet’s flight path produces one if rifle’s defective (4,2,4)
LINE OF FIRE – an anagram (defective) of ONE IF RIFLE’S
25 Even island folk regard it as a creature of legend (4)
YETI – Yet (even) I (island)
27 Put forward for discussion by panel (5)
TABLE – double def.
28 European politician keeping essentially perky after former partner becomes hateful (9)
EXECRABLE – E (European) CABLE (politician {Vince of that ilk}) around (keeping) [pe]R[ky] (essentially perky) after EX (former partner) – this puzzle must have been compiled at least 12 months ago as it should now read ‘former politician’
29 Customary for a prince to consume a fairly large amount you say (8)
HABITUAL – HAL (a prince) around (to consume) A BIT (a fairly large amount) U (you say)
30 Optimistic over going on strike (6)
UPBEAT – UP (over) BEAT (strike)
Down
1 Reluctant to support conflict with Germany (8)
BACKWARD – BACK (to support) WAR (conflict) D (Germany)
2 Determined canoeist manoeuvred around bend (9)
TENACIOUS – an anagram (manoeuvred) of CANOEIST around U (bend)
3 Clergyman not starting immediately (4)
ANON – [c]ANON (clergyman not starting)
5 Alternate in lead with Rosemary for instance (7)
POTHERB – OTHER (alternative) in PB ({chemical symbol for} lead)
6 Girl seen after talk by house mistress some time ago (10)
CHATELAINE – CHAT (talk) ELAINE (girl)
7 Horse getting up to grab second place in Iraq (5)
BASRA – ARAB (horse) reversed (getting up ) around (to grab) S (second)
8 Quite the artist before onset of rheumatism (6)
RATHER – RA (artist) THE R[heumatism] (onset of rheumatism)
9 Caution shown by Tom crossing road (6)
CAVEAT – CAT (tom) around (crossing) AVE (road)
14 Chap, very old, fast becomes spiteful (10)
MALEVOLENT – MALE (chap) V (very) O (old) LENT (fast)
17 I’d turned up to collect missing piece of African mask (9)
DISSEMBLE – I’D reversed (turned up) [a]SSEMBLE (to collect missing piece of African)
18 Unpleasantly loud weapons ultimately seen at the front (8)
STRIDENT – TRIDENTS (weapons) with the S move to the beginning (ultimately seen at the front)
20 Material evidence eventually found by volunteers close to river (7)
TAFFETA – TAFF (river) [evidenc]E (evidence eventually) TA (volunteers)
21 Hands over painting of animal (6)
MARTEN – MEN (hands) around (over) ART (painting)
22 Seize and execute Lollard leader inside church (6)
CLUTCH – L[ollard] (Lollard leader) inside CUT (execute ???) CH (church)
24 Loaded fellow’s catch onto buggy at first (5)
NABOB – NAB (catch) O[nto] B[uggy] (onto buggy at first)
26 Cease to associate with doctor at work (4)
DROP – DR (doctor) OP (work)
Well done, Gaufrid. There are some I still can’t parse but it was a great puzzle (some spectacular surfaces). Thanks to Peto.
Hi Hornbeam
I didn’t have time to write very much before I had to go out earlier but I agree with you about the surfaces and would have mentioned them in my preamble had I not been rushing. My only significant reservation (as indicated by the ???) was 22dn.
I think it’s still perfectly legitimate to describe Cable as a politician, despite his not currently being an MP.
Thanks Peto and Gaufrid
Got to this one on Sunday morning and found it a pleasant solve over breakfast on a bleak stormy day over here. Started off with the Iraqi city and progressed anticlockwise from their around the grid with the only real stumbling block coming by writing in CATEYE at 9 initially.
Strangely didn’t notice the surfaces until looking after the comments here – must have woken up in full analytic mode and had just looked at the clues from a purely word play and definition perspective.
Finished in the SE corner with STRIDENT (in which I didn’t notice the end to start instruction and was wondering why this sort of missile would be used at a war front), YETI (even though I think that I’ve seen this clueing of it before) and EXECRABLE (where the ex-polly held me up in the parsing for a while).
Thanks Gaufrid and Peto.
Silky smooth surfaces and a good clean solve. I parsed 22dn in the same way as you Gaufrid – CUT = Execute with “Lollard leader inside” = CLUT + Church (CH).
Just back from holiday so nearly 2 weeks of catching up so please excuse the late post.