The usual well constructed Everyman.
Not sure if 19d is correct – I hate Rufus like double defs like this when so many words could fit.
Thanks Everyman
Across
1 Sorceress with vagueness left to get lotion (5,5)
WITCH HAZEL
WITCH & HAZE & L(eft)
6 Stubborn type in middle of discussion (4)
CUSS
Hidden in disCUSSion
10 Cry of triumph about record showing first-class mark (5)
ALPHA
L.P. inside AHA!
11 Leader in retreat with old trend returning (9)
EDITORIAL
LAIR – retreat & O(ld) & TIDE (trend) all reversed
12 Rush in attempt to make delicate pattern (7)
TRACERY
RACE – rush – inside TRY
13 Inscribe name, solemn after conclusion of service (7)
ENGRAVE
End of (servic)E & N(ame) & GRAVE – solemn
14 Band‘s mood, we felt, misrepresented by account (9,3)
FLEETWOOD MAC
[MOOD WE FELT]* misrepresented & AC(count). Saw them at Wembly arena many years ago and very good they were too.
18 Agitator, gloomier, accepting end of dream after dreadful rout (12)
TROUBLEMAKER
ROUT* dreadfully & end of (drea)M in BLEAKER
21 Revised in the morning, wound up (7)
AMENDED
A.M. & ENDED
23 Fancy publication popular in Italy and Spain (7)
IMAGINE
MAG(azine) & IN (popular) both inside I(taly) and E – Spain
24 Criminal turning curious about psychic power with time (9)
DESPERADO
E.S.P. & ERA – time) all insde a reversed ODD – curious
25 Useless sign we spot with odd bits missing (5)
INEPT
Alternate letters of sIgN wE sPoT
26 Information, a small amount, going around (4)
DATA
A & TAD reversed
27 Generator of current reform met by security alliance with resistance (10)
ALTERNATOR
ALTER – reform – & NATO & R(esistance). Most often encountered when for some reason its failed and the car won’t now start in the middle of nowhere. Again.
Down
1 Artist enters accompanied by ghost (6)
WRAITH
R.A. inside WITH (by)
2 Hot tap dancing in musical film (3,3)
TOP HAT
[HOT TAP]* dancing. A very simple clue but beautifully self referential word play to answer
3 Stars? Bad ones behave idly (8,6)
HEAVENLY BODIES
[ONES BEHAVE IDLY]* badly
4 Great design, first off, with neon gas (9)
ACETYLENE
ACE – great & (s)TYLE & NE(on)
5 Banish team, dividing it? Not half (5)
EXILE
XI – eleven size of a lot of teams – inside half of ELE(ven)
7 Protesting vigorously, I spur man to change (2,2,4)
UP IN ARMS
[I SPUR MAN]* changed
8 Unfamiliar clubs in south-east coming to prominence (8)
SALIENCE
ALIEN – unfamiliar & C(lubs) all in S.E.
9 Collection, large, in country with people retaining proportion (14)
CONGLOMERATION
L(arge) inside the CONGO & RATIO inside MEN
15 Boring sport, one followed by a few? (9)
WEARISOME
WEAR – to sport & 1 & SOME
16 Element editor abandoned (8)
STRANDED
STRAND – an element of something & ED(itor)
17 County very ready to conserve most of lake (8)
SOMERSET
SO (very) & most of MER(e) inside SET
19 Personal aim (6)
DIRECT
A double defintion, my last in because even now I wonder if there’s a better answer.
20 Dry hill area (6)
SECTOR
SEC – a description of dry wines – & TOR – hill
22 Slow way of speaking line at end of extract (5)
DRAWL
DRAW – extract like teeth – & L(ine)
My favourites were troublemaker & Somerset.
I was fine with DIRECT as a dd.
Thank you Everyman and flashling
Thank you Everyman and flashling.
I, too, wondered about 19d – I suppose a ‘personal’ meeting would be face-to-face, i.e. DIRECT?
I have not met WITCH HAZEL since schooldays, but can smell it now!
As for michelle, my favourites were TROUBLEMAKER and SOMERSET, plus TOP HAT.
I found most of this pretty straightforward, but then spent twice the time again struggling with 8d, 11ac and 19d, making it the trickiest Everyman in quite a while. Or perhaps I just ran out of steam at that point?
Like Jon_S, I struggled with the same three clues. DIRECT was my last and one I wasn’t convinced by. I have never heard the word SALIENCE used in speech but the phrase ‘salient point’ is quite common. I wouldn’t have associated salience with prominence either but it is there in the dictionary. Nevertheless, an enjoyable puzzle as ever. Thanks to flashling and Everyman.
This was quite easily solvable for me, but thanks to Flashling for explaining the parsing . I wasn’t convinced by direct either. Liked ‘sector’ and ‘desperado’ and was surprised to find Top Hat here as this was an old Fred Astaire musical, I think.
Now off to watch the cricket. Can we beat England today?
Didn’t like 5D much, the It referring to the previous team is asking a bit much imho.
15 and 17 D were good
Editorial was LOI and took a ridiculous amount of time
Other thoughts same as others, especially Direct although I see no one has yet thought of a better answer
Further to my comment above @5. I have just googled Top Hat, the musical, and found that the original 1935 film was rewritten as a stage musical and staged in the West End in 2011, so it’s not so old after all.
ha amusing I found the exact same ones as others too difficult But unlike others, I gave up, and never got 6ac, 11ac or 8d and like others, took far too much time could be spent doing something else so failed on that part. Thought after starting with 1ac and thought I was in with a chance but then it got progressively harder
Yes, having got 1ac at first glance I thought ‘bingo’ but it did get quite a bit more difficult after that. Funnily enough I liked ‘exile’ once I got it. Good fun overall though, better than the cricket and the basketball tonight thats for sure. Thanks to all.
I gave up with 1ac left. Got the WITCH part but couldn’t get the HAZE for VAGUE. Overall a touch crossie. I spent a considerable amount of time trying to figure the clues out. Favourite was ACETYLENE.
@Mark, it was Williamson’s fault. He batted for his ton and not a win.