I think it is fair to assume that the scheduled blogger is not going to turn up today (after all, it is 4pm) so here is an analysis of the clues, with no commentary because there are other things that I should be doing right now (plus the fact that I cannot remember my thoughts when I solved this one a week ago).
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Across
1 Nervous about insect in hut (6)
SHANTY – SHY (nervous) around (about) ANT (insect)
4 Flowering plants reptile shortly consumes (8)
CROCUSES – CROC (reptile shortly) USES (consumes)
10 Group of stars plus artist holding revolutionary protest (9)
ANDROMEDA – AND (plus) RA (artist) around (holding) DEMO (protest) reversed (revolutionary)
11 Band‘s work after stardom devoid of odd pieces (5)
TROOP – OP (work) after [s]T[a]R[d]O[m] (stardom devoid of odd pieces)
12 Equipment in belt (7)
CLOBBER – double def.
13 Restart of play using fine round racket (5-2)
THROW-IN – THIN (fine) around (round) ROW (racket)
14 Backing instrument and others were distorted in mystery series (6,3,5)
MURDER SHE WROTE – DRUM (instrument) reversed (backing) plus an anagram of (distorted) OTHERS WERE
17 Application referring to good, absorbing time with craft in training period (14)
APPRENTICESHIP – APP (application) RE (referring to) NICE (good) around (absorbing) T (time) followed by SHIP (craft)
21 State clear answer after fiasco with power off (7)
FLORIDA – RID (clear) A (answer) after FLO[p] (fiasco with power off)
22 Composition featuring animal in a bed, turning (7)
TOCCATA – CAT (animal) in A COT (a bed) reversed (turning)
24 Point after last pair in tower, united, break out (5)
ERUPT – PT (point) after [tow]ER (last pair in tower) U (united)
25 One can rant wildly, energy personified (9)
INCARNATE – I (one) plus an anagram of (wildly) CAN RANT followed by E (energy)
26 Doctor, before losing heart, getting gloomier (8)
DREARIER – DR (doctor) EAR[l]IER (before losing heart)
27 Not moving from theatre stalls (2,4)
AT REST – contained in (from) ‘theATRE STalls’
Down
1 Variety of cashmere I don’t know (6,2)
SEARCH ME – an anagram of (variety of) CASHMERE
2 Sound area, artist’s workroom, not street (5)
AUDIO – A (area) [st]UDIO (artist’s workroom, not street)
3 Worry that’s beginning with Russian currency (7)
TROUBLE – T[hat] (that’s beginning) ROUBLE (Russian currency)
5 Hear editor, struggling with sensitivity, give severe warning (4,3,4,3)
READ THE RIOT ACT – an anagram (struggling) of HEAR EDITOR followed by TACT (sensitivity)
6 One providing refreshments in that place, not hot, in saloon? (7)
CATERER – T[h]ERE (in that place, not hot) in CAR (saloon)
7 Timing device showing best in sample (9)
STOPWATCH – TOP (best) in SWATCH (sample)
8 Curls up in enclosure, partly docile (6)
SUPINE – contained in (partly) ‘curlS UP IN Enclosure’
9 Delegate, always up, receiving gift at start of investiture (14)
REPRESENTATIVE – EVER (always) reversed (up) around (receiving) PRESENT (gift) AT I[nvestiture] (start of investiture)
15 Imitate professional, in trim (9)
REPRODUCE – PRO (professional) in REDUCE (trim)
16 Obvious dismay, endlessly torn (8)
APPARENT – APPA[l] (dismay, endlessly) RENT (torn)
18 Revel in resistance, stirred to rise (7)
ROISTER – R (resistance) plus an anagram of (stirred) TO RISE
19 Run into bar in passage (7)
EXCERPT – R (run) in EXCEPT (bar)
20 Away goal? Shock (6)
OFFEND – OFF (away) END (goal)
23 Marble and silver put away (5)
AGATE – AG (silver) ATE (put away)
Thanks Gaufrid for stepping in. I appreciate the parsing for 12a and 13a. I had the answers but didn’t know clobber was a piece of equipment (British usage?) and entirely missed fine = thin as well as row = racket. But I felt the puzzle was first-rate.
Calm Tom @1
“… clobber was a piece of equipment (British usage?) …”
Yes, my references give it as British slang/informal.
Thank you Everyman for a pleasant Sunday puzzle and Gaufrid for blogging at this relatively late hour.
I was rather confused by AGATE, I think the ‘Marble’ referred to is the child’s toy?
Nice and straightforward this week. Last in the SE corner with a new to me 22ac. Thanks Gaufrid for stepping into the breach. 🙂
A very enjoyable Sunday puzzle as always!
My favourites were 9d, 17a, 14a, 19a (loi)
Thank you Everyman and Pierre.
Nice. Much easier than last week, which I found hard going.
Cookie @3 Agate is a type of marble that fancy bench tops are wont to be made of. It puts a touch of kitch in your kitchen, assuming you like that look. Me, I prefer plain.
Just at the right level for me this week. Very enjoyable. My favourite was 1 d.
I think I saw Agate on the pillars and walls of a room in one of the stately homes Phil Spencer visited in his programme which I watched last week. It was a bit overpowering.
Another relatively straight forward outing. Didn’t take long to solve. Can’t say there were any standout clues.
Can someone advise which crossword would be considered a step up from Everyman?
I thought that clobber was an Australian slang for clothes. Toccata wss a new word for me, otherwise an enjoyable 2 hours
My, we are all very different aren’t we! I raced through all but 4 of these clues in double quick time. I then managed to get 4a and 5d after much angst but got completely stumped with 22a and 19d. Even the dictionary didn’t help with those two on this occasion. First time for ages I haven’t finished but there you go. After all that I do have to applaud the consistent quality of the clues these days; and the level of difficulty suits me just fine. Thanks to all.
Rats, try Chifonie and Nutmeg in the Guardian.
Or the FT https://www.ft.com/crossword