Thanks Armonie for a pleasant solve!
An easy start to the week – straightforward but neatly clued. We originally had BLAZER for 8d but soon realised that was unfeasible. LOI was LONGITUDE but overall we managed to work coherently from NW to SE. Enjoyable clues for us were EYESTRAIN, AFFORDABLE and UNDERVALUE.
Note: have amended the answer to 26d but not in the grid below.
Across
1 Mark has yen for strong drink (6)
BRANDY
BRAND (mark) + Y (Yen)
4 Entertainer succeeded with holidaymaker (8)
STRIPPER
S (succeeded) + TRIPPER (holidaymaker)
10 Earl agreed public transport gives visual distress (9)
EYESTRAIN
E[arl] + YES (agreed) + TRAIN (public transport)
11 A row about one’s bill (5)
NOISE
NOSE (bill) about I (one)
12 Naughty schoolmarm goes topless (4)
RUDE
[p]RUDE (schoolmarm, topless)
13 Think little of foreign articles Glen holds superior (10)
UNDERVALUE
UN + DER (foreign articles) + VALE (glen) holds U (superior)
15 Academician in defamation of politician (7)
LIBERAL
RA (academician) in LIBEL (defamation)
16 Anecdote about abstainer is gossip (6)
TATTLE
TALE (anecdote) about TT (teetotaller, abstainer)
19 Social worker given meals complained (6)
BEEFED
BEE (social worker) + FED (given meals)
21 Individual tucks into cheese and chocolate cake (7)
BROWNIE
OWN (individual) tucks into BRIE (cheese)
23 A car in fabrication is inexpensive (10)
AFFORDABLE
A + FORD (car) in FABLE (fabrication)
25 String, binding pole or spike (4)
TINE
TIE (string) binding N (pole (North)), as a tine on a fork
27 Noticed a number in a number (5)
SEVEN
V (5, a number) in SEEN (noticed)
28 Dog scattered young herd (9)
GREYHOUND
(YOUNG HERD)* (*scattered)
29 Fabulous resort on Italian coast (8)
SORRENTO
(RESORT ON)* (*fabulous)
30 A soft fruit is to develop (6)
APPEAR
A + P (soft) + PEAR (fruit)
Down
1 Moved reliably in a sleepy manner (8)
BLEARILY
(RELIABLY)* (*moved)
2 Willing to accept daughter can be changed (9)
AMENDABLE
AMENABLE (willing) to accept D (daughter)
3 Penny upset boyfriend (4)
DATE
D (penny) + ATE (upset)
5 Beat the fellow for touching (7)
TANGENT
TAN (beat) + GENT (the fellow)
6 Novelty pub gets plaudits (10)
INNOVATION
INN (pub) gets OVATION (plaudits)
7 Greek character getting a large or small bottle (5)
PHIAL
PHI (Greek character) + A + L (large)
8 Jacket for a smoker (6)
REEFER
Double definition
9 Lecherous Romeo pushed into watercourse (6)
CARNAL
R (Romeo) pushed into CANAL (watercourse)
14 Pick president’s testimonial (10)
PREFERENCE
P (president’s) + REFERENCE (testimonial)
17 Doctor led outing originating in Greenwich (9)
LONGITUDE
(LED OUTING)* (*doctor)
18 Advocate is to concede, having accepted conclusion (8)
DEFENDER
DEFER (to concede) having accepted END (conclusion)
20 Man could be bitter (7)
DRAUGHT
Double definition (man/piece on draughts board, bitter ale)
21 Opinion about everyone in dance (6)
BALLET
BET (opinion) about ALL (everyone)
22 Father takes advantage of breaks (6)
PAUSES
PA (father) + USES (takes advantage of)
24 Fellow always showing excitement (5)
FEVER
F (fellow) + EVER (always)
26 Fellow makes a nasty crack (4)
WHIP CHAP
Double definition (thanks to illippu @1 and brucew@aus @2)
Thanks Teacow and Armonie.
Quite neat. I had CHAP for 26d..
Thanks Armonie and Teacow
Think that this would have been my fastest ever FT puzzle solve with nearly every clue being answerable on the first reading of it. Still enjoyable because of the pinpoint accuracy of them. I however finished in the SW corner with PREFERENCE, SEVEN and PAUSES as the last few in.
Like ilippu@1, I also had CHAP at 29d.
Thanks ilippu @1 and brucew@aus @2 – have amended the answer (though not the grid). We agree that CHAP makes more sense.
Thanks both. Unlike ilippu and bruce, I had CHIP for 29d – chip being a male nickname in the US.
Thanks to Armonie and Teacow. I’m another who opted for CHAP (though I wasn’t certain about “a nasty crack”). I don’t know the game draughts so missed the second meaning of 20d, and TINE was my LOI.
Not a bad effort from Armonie, apart from 20dn & 30ac.