Guardian Quiptic 1013 Anto

Thanks Anto for a, or more than, fair Quiptic. Knowing the history between commenters and this setter, I wonder what he/she was thinking when writing 2 down and 25 across? Definitions are underlined in the clues.

Across

1 Man at home is excited getting it (3,6)

AHA MOMENT : Anagram of(… is excited) MAN AT HOME.

Defn: …, as when getting the solution to a cryptic crossword clue, say.

6 Central area owners vowed to make fresh again (5)

RENEW : Middle 1 or 2 letters, respectively, of(Central) “area owners vowed“.

9 Didn’t remember to retain act after delaying play (7,3,5)

WAITING FOR GODOT : [ FORGOT(didn’t remember) containing(to retain) DO(to act/to take action) ] placed after(after) WAITING(delaying/holding back before taking action).

Defn:  … by Samuel Beckett.

10 Supports I invested in troubled financial institution, initially (4)

RIBS : I contained in(invested in) RBS(abbrev./initially for the Royal Bank of Scotland, the banking institution which has been suffering all kinds of troubles, including financial ones)

11 Tube-like shape is artful? (8)

FISTULAR : Anagram of(shape) IS ARTFUL.

Defn:  From “fistula”, an abnormal tube-like connection between 2 body parts.

14 Good luck to player from a supporter on holiday (5,1,3)

BREAK A LEG! : [ A + LEG(one of the supporters, of a piano, say) ] placed after(on) BREAK(a period of being away from work/a holiday).

Defn: An expression from one who wishes good luck to an actor/player before the latter goes onstage.

15 Give up position of a Brexiter? (5)

FORGO : [ FOR GO ](how one could describe the position/attitude of a Brexiter in contrast to a Remainer who’s for staying).

16 Spain’s answer to pasta bake? (5)

TAPAS : Anagram of(… bake) PASTA. A WIWD (wordplay intertwined with definition) clue.

An example of the Spanish, and the Italian:

18 Cover fool returned, saying it’s completely knackered (9)

TARPAULIN : Reversal of(… returned) PRAT(a fool) + homophone of(saying it’s) “all in”(completely knackered/exhausted/tired out).

20 Centre with flat, where pupils are situated (3,5)

EYE LEVEL : EYE(the calm region at the centre of a storm or hurricane) plus(with) LEVEL(flat/even).

21 Class make simplistic gender choice (4)

FORM : [ F OR M ](abbrev. for /simplistic “Female or Male”, as one might see when filling in a form).

Defn: … of students.

25 Potty clue? (9,2,2,2)

SOMETHING TO GO ON : Double defn: 1st: A bowl used as a toilet by small children when they have to go/urinate or defecate; and 2nd: A lead/a pointer towards revealing something or solving a problem.

26 One who perhaps leads as cast take over rehearsals (5)

ACTOR : 1st letters, respectively, of(leads) “as cast take over rehearsals“. Another WIWD clue.

27 Inexperienced defender makes money in the States (9)

GREENBACK : GREEN(inexperienced/raw) + BACK(a defending player in, say, a rugby team).

Defn: Slang for the US dollar.

Down

1 A sailor grips top of weapon when fighting (2,3)

AT WAR : A + TAR(informal term for a sailor) containing(grips) 1st letter of(top of, in a down clue) “weapon“.

2 Friendly question about setter’s competence? (7)

AMIABLE : [ AM I ABLE?](a question a setter might ask of himself/herself about his/her ability/competence).

3 Old poet repulsed male singer (4)

OVID : Reversal of(repulsed) DIVO(a distinguished male singer).

4 Investment insurance lacking hard limit (4)

EDGE : “hedge”(investment insurance/an action to reduce the potential loss exposure of one’s financial investment) minus(lacking) “h”(abbrev. for “hard”).

5 Whisky measure is an insult (3,7)

TWO FINGERS : Double defn: 1st: A measure of the amount of whisky in a glass corresponding to the breadth of 2 fingers; and 2nd: A gesture of abuse or contempt, to be interpreted as “Up Yours!”

Turn it round and you get “V for Victory!” or “Peace!”

… and if you’re American, you’re liable to get the latter wrong.

6 It’s OK following procedure that guarantees passage (5,2,3)

RIGHT OF WAY : RIGHTO!(an exclamation of agreement/OK!) + F(abbrev. for “following”) + WAY(a procedure to be followed, as in “this is the way to do it”).

Defn: A legal right that grants/guarantees passage to one, along a specific route through another’s property.

7 Unload bananas with burst centre getting lumpy (7)

NODULAR : Anagram of(… bananas) UNLOAD plus(with) middle letter of(… centre) “burst“.

8 Moderate report on reservoir after drought? (5,4)

WATER DOWN : Cryptic defn: How one might describe/report on the state of a reservoir after drought.

Defn: …/to dilute.

12 Weak sister exercised to get warmer on the slopes (3,7)

SKI SWEATER : Anagram of(… exercised) WEAK SISTER.

Defn: …, the ski slopes, that is.

13 Carefree group talking nonsense (10)

BLITHERING : BLITHE(carefree/happy) + RING(a group, especially one involved in illegal activities).

14 Club Med, for example, found in south London (9)

BATTERSEA : BATTER(to club/to hit with, say, a bat or some similar blunt instrument) + SEA(for example, the Med, short for the Mediterranean).

Defn: A district of south west London.

17 Anticipate temper cracking under pressure (3-4)

PRE-EMPT : Anagram of(… cracking) TEMPER placed below(under, in a down clue) P(symbol for “pressure” in physics).

19 She contributes to article on Orangism (7)

LEONORA : Hidden in(contributes to) “article on Orangism“.

22 City where furry animals have their tails up! (5)

MINSK : “minks”(animals formerly hunted but now farmed for their fur) with its last letter(their tails) moved up from its last position(have … up, in a down clue).

Defn: …, the capital of Belarus.

23 Look hard at long clue that’s oddly deficient (4)

OGLE : “long clue” minus its 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th letters(that’s oddly deficient).

24 Henchman boarded without ticket stub (4)

GOON : “got on”(boarded, say, a train or plane) minus(without) either 1st or last letter of(… stub/end of) “ticket“.

Defn: An unquestioning faithful follower, especially one prepared to be violent/a thug for his/her leader.