Not a lot of wasted space in today’s grid – a snakey puzzle from Serpent beckons.
Some excellent clues to fill the space too.
I liked 1ac for its brevity and 22ac for its formulaic surface
On the subject of smooth surfaces 6ac, 13ac, 21ac, 23ac, 26ac, 27ac, 28ac, 2dn, 3dn, 5dn, 7dn, 16dn and 22dn all feel like real statements.
A lot of long answers too – the shortest being 5 letters. So why was that?
To enable a double pangram to occupy the grid.
Thanks Serpent
Key:
* Anagram; Rev. Reverse; DD Double definition; Underline – definition
Across
1 Executive client’s luggage (9)
Suit (executive) + case’s (client’s) = SUITCASES
6 Rock regularly puncturing jeep wheels (5)
JeEp WhEeLs = JEWEL
9 Rain flowing into lead-free sink connected to waterworks
Bury (sink) – b around (rain)* = URINARY
10 Guzzle wine in the van like white trash (7)
Neck (guzzle) after Red (wine) = REDNECK
11 Period before penalties increased sentence? (5,4)
DD EXTRA TIME
12 Exercise authority having taken lead on project (5)
Expert (authority) – p = EXERT
13 Heavy burden for ceremonial guards (8)
Hidden burdEN FOR CERemonial = ENFORCER
15 Ordinary Joe is entertaining informally because of witty character (6)
Joe around cos (informally because) = JOCOSE
18 Cave in part of green belt? (6)
DD BUCKLE
19 Departure of vessel put back during slump (8)
Fall (slump) around Rev. ewer (vessel) = FAREWELL
21 “Green” brand of mineral water is withdrawn (5)
Rev. Evian (brand of mineral water) = NAIVE
23 Spinner‘s average is hard to beat (6,3)
Par (average) + is + h (hard) + top (to beat) = PARISH TOP
25 University dons this writer had to mock (7)
MIT (university) in I (this writer) + ate (had) = IMITATE
26 Social gathering includes sort of quiz and game of cards (7)
Bee (social gathering) around (quiz)* = BEZIQUE
27 Process to obtain iron perhaps gave off foul fumes (5)
DD SMELT
28 Dire signs could be characteristic of dead body? (9)
(dire signs)* = RIGIDNESS
Down
1 Opportunistic spongers in outskirts of Enfield see squat being wrecked (8,7)
(ed (outskirts of Enfield) + see squat being)* = SQUEEGEE BANDITS
2 Recurrence of mastoiditis renders one senseless (5)
Rev. hidden masTOIDItis = IDIOT
3 Man runs into sea that’s polluted densely wooded area (9)
Chap (man) + r (runs) in aral (sea that’s polluted) = CHAPARRAL
4 Last two letters in listed novel written in non-naturalistic way (8)
(yz (last two letters) + listed)* = STYLIZED
5 Questionnaire makes us very confused (6)
(us very)* = SURVEY
6 Gently push head out from under jay’s beak (5)
J(jay’s beak) + nudge(push) – n (head out) = JUDGE
7 Without oxygen we go blue (9)
We around o (oxygen) + begone (go) = WOEBEGONE
8 Quick to appreciate those who appreciate performance (4,3,8)
Cryptic definition = LIKE THE CLAPPERS
14 Current phone hardware blocks file copy (9)
AC (Current) + SIM (phone hardware) in file = FACSIMILE
16 Abnormally large deliveries sealed with adhesive (9)
Over (deliveries) + sized (sealed with adhesive – size is a glue) = OVERSIZED
17 Wellington’s “cockroach joke” comes between China’s leader and Uganda’s first couple (5,3)
Rib (joke) after Mao (China’s leader) + ug (Uganda’s first couple) = MAORI BUG
20 Show listener’s support for program (6)
Ear (listener) after App (program) = APPEAR
22 Energy multiplied by work equals force (5)
E(energy) + x (multiplied) + act (work) = EXACT
24 Kick around question that goes over one’s head (5)
Toe (kick) about qu (question) = TOQUE
What’s the “Ordinary” doing in 15A?
What’s the “green” doing in 18A?
My views on those 2 words – a belt can be green (as per the ? at the end) and whilst Ordinary Joe is an expression it can also be construed as a direction to Joe.
Both make the surface reading better and I would say both are enhanced by their addition.
Hopefully I have not lit the blue touchpaper
Thanks Serpent and twenceslas for an excellent puzzle and blog.
In 6D, I think J is simply ‘J’ as spoken (2nd definition in eChambers), otherwise ‘beak’ is doing double duty, which isn’t something generally associated with Serpent.
Nice challenging puzzle. I’m 100% with Twenceslas on the explanation for BUCKLE, but in 15 I can’t help wondering if something like “ordinary bloke” was intended and JOE crept into the clue by mistake.
The hidden word in 13 is beautifully concealed.
Thanks for the blog though I am with those who found ordinary and green odd, and don’t see how they help the surface. Parish top had to be but is extraordinarily hard to find mentioned on the Internet for those of us for whom it is new! And farewell for departure is not quite right for me but I am sure you’ll tell me it’s a common device. We failed on Maori bug, a new one on us.
Fun but tough – no extra marks for double pangrams – can’t be bothered with that sort of stuff – but full marks anyway.
I read “ordinary” (against Joe) as indicating that “informally”, which was applied to “because” to give COS, was not to be applied to “Joe” – not essential, but helpful – and thus not at all spare in the cryptic reading.
18a whilst the clue would certainly work without “green” – so what? Adding “green” not only makes the surface better but it throws the solver into the wrong area of thought – countryside rather than clothing. You were fooled? Don’t whinge – pay up.
Without “green” we’d be in Rufusville – here we most definitely ain’t.
Thanks both.
Many thanks for the excellent blog and to everyone who commented. cruciverbophile @5 is right: it was intended to be ‘Ordinary guy’, ‘ordinary’ being intended to reduce the number of guys that needed to be considered. It looks like I supplied an incorrect version of the clue to the editor – apologies!
Jason
Too late for this but I’m surprised nobody mentioned that Mao isn’t China’s leader any more. It was Xi Jinping last time Ilooked.