Independent 10086 by Serpent

A windy February morning and Serpent comes along to further blow away the winter cobwebs.

Serpent puzzles have quickly become a favourite of mine – not just because of the likelihood of finding something extra in the final grid, but also the neat and tidy clues with lovely misdirection. It’s rare that “setter” leads to Gel for instance or “corrupt act” is not an anagram of act or indeed “gum and eat bananas” is not an anagram of ‘gum and eat’.

I think 1ac would be my favourite of the day but it is among good company with 26ac amusing.

And then there is the message hidden in the unchecked letters in the square two in from the edge.

LIBERTE, EGALITE, FRATERNITE

Vive la revolution – as they said once

Thanks Serpent for an excellent puzzle.

Key * anagram; DD Double definition; Rev. Reverse; underline – definition

Across
1 Catch-22’s cover recalled earlier novel (7)
Rev. Lid (cover) + Emma (earlier novel) = DILEMMA
5 Worships priest omitting Latin from passages in church? (7)
Pr (priest) + aisles (passages in church) – l (latin) = PRAISES
9 Applies pressure to produce broadcast without director (5,4)
bear (to produce) + sown (broadcast) around d (director) = BEARS DOWN
10 Setter catching right bus having lost case for cheap fare (5)
gel (setter) around r + u (bus having lost case) = GRUEL
11 Hoard stone and wood (5)
st (stone) + ash (wood) = STASH
12 Pleaded with soldiers wanting leader dealt with (9)
men (soldiers) – m (leader) + treated (dealt with) = ENTREATED
13 Pass on acknowledgement according to audience’s size (9)
Homonym of die (pass on) + mention (acknowledgement) = DIMENSION
16 Start to abandon issue and come together (5)
emerge (issue) – e (start) = MERGE
17 See United beaten in the end in shock result (5)
(see + u + n (beaten in the end))* = ENSUE
18 Went to belt around here? Probably not! (5,4)
peed (went) in strap (belt) = SPEED TRAP
20 Instructions hinge essentially on wearing pants (9)
ing (hinge essentially) in briefs (pants) = BRIEFINGS
23 Labour leader entering into deal upset one in 10? (5)
l (labour leader) in (deal)* = LADLE
25 Respond badly to care when deprived of oxygen (5)
(to care – o(oxygen))* = REACT
26 Giant mice poisoned with mysterious substance (9)
(giant mice)* = ENIGMATIC
27 Be on top of story following coverage released from prison (7)
over (coverage – cage (prison) + lie (story) = OVERLIE
28 Insubstantial tune composed by Sousa discovered (7)
(tune)* + sousa – sa (discovered) = TENUOUS

Down
1 Corrupt act involving short singer (7)
deed (act) around bass (singer) – s (short) = DEBASED
2 Animal everyone reared to eat in the morning (5)
Rev. all (everyone) around am (in teh morning) = LLAMA
3 Unfortunate business with fluid mechanics (9)
(mechanics)* = MISCHANCE
4 Overhauled interior of mud dwelling (5)
adobe (mud) change the interior (i.e dob) = ABODE
5 Regret writer keeping number in reserve (9)
pen (write) + ten (number) in ice (reserve) = PENITENCE
6 Dispute source of apparently irrational urge (5)
(a (source of apparently) + urge)* = ARGUE
7 Silence speaker being prone to repetition (9)
st (silence) + utterer (speaker) = STUTTERER
8 Odds on place for hunter making a big splash (7)
sp (odds on) + lodge(place for hunter) = SPLODGE
14 Chew gum and eat bananas (9)
mastic (gum) + (eat)* = MASTICATE
15 Hollow grains in cereal bars (9)
hidden graINS IN CEReal = INSINCERE
16 Intermediaries suggesting preliminary role for King and Queen? (9)
chess reference to king and queen = MIDDLEMEN
17 Trading restriction consequently limits degree of business (7)
ergo (consequently) around mba (degree of business) = EMBARGO
19 Gets right to the heart of constituent parts? (7)
r (Right) in pieces (constituent parts) = PIERCES
21 Thick porter perhaps finishes early, making one late (5)
Fat (thick) + ale (porter) – e (finishes early) = FATAL
22 Dress is raised over top of head with feet (5)
Rev. is around h (top of head) + ft (feet) = SHIFT
24 Effusive author had brought up the same thing (5)
Rev. Ott (effusive) + i’d (author had) = DITTO