Definitely a trickier puzzle than we’ve become used to for a Monday!
Plenty of fun to be had with misleading clues, interesting anagrams and a few double (and even triple) definitions. Some worth mentioning are OLD ROPE, EDWARD, DICTION, VOICE. Thank you Crux!
Across
1 Repeat call before admitting sergeant (6)
ENCORE
ERE (before) admitting NCO (sergeant)
4 Bob and Romeo really impress (4,4)
BOWL OVER
BOW (bob) + LOVER (Romeo)
10 End of quarrel could prove fatal (9)
ARROWHEAD
Cryptic definition
A quarrel can mean a crossbow bolt
11 Unaware of cover-up (5)
BLIND
Double definition
12 Little drinks for little people (4)
TOTS
Double definition
13 Bull easy to madden? Yes, indeed! (10)
ABSOLUTELY
(BULL EASY TO)*(*madden)
15 Police finally unable to reveal where stars are born (7)
NEBULAE
([polic]E UNABLE)* (*to reveal)
16 Bring back sketch of French kings (6)
EDWARD
(DRAW (sketch) + DE (of, French))< (<bring back)
19, 21 It allows you to try again in court (6,7)
SECOND SERVICE
Cryptic definition, tennis
23 Does cannon explode in an instant? (10)
NANOSECOND
(DOES CANNON)* (*explode)
25 Send after a job (4)
POST
Triple definition
27 A long time to muse (5)
ERATO
ERA (a long time) + TO
28 Amerindian ruler shows scorn for what conspirators are (2,7)
IN CAHOOTS
INCA (Amerindian ruler) + HOOTS (shows scorn for)
29 It couldn’t describe Henry VIII’s judgment (8)
THINKING
THIN + KING (it couldn’t describe Henry VIII)
30 The Gulf starts to captivate almost anyone (6)
CANYON
C[aptivate] (starts) + ANYON[e] (almost)
Down
1 It’s hard being no longer in reserve (8)
EXACTING
EX + ACTING (no longer in reserve)
2 Guy guarding a road junction wanted also for bridge (4,5)
CARD TABLE
CABLE (guy) guarding A + RD (road) + T (junction)
3 Rackets run openly, without shame, initially (4)
ROWS
R[un] O[penly] W[ithou] S[hame] (initially)
5 Oakum supplied for easy money? (3,4)
OLD ROPE
Double definition
6 Where the left predominate in hospitals? (6,4)
LABOUR WARD
Cryptic definition
7 It’s a sin to conceal love, say (5)
VOICE
VICE (it’s a sin) to conceal O (love)
8 Cheap whisky avoided by careful photographers (3,3)
RED EYE
Double definition
9 Extra support wanted by English (3-3)
LEG BYE
LEG (support) + BY + E (English)
Cricketing term
14 Vital fluid supplies for pedigree horses (10)
BLOODSTOCK
BLOOD (vital fluid) + STOCK (supplies)
17 ENT centre’s specialism (9)
RHINOLOGY
Cryptic definition, Specialism of [e]N[t] (centre of)
18 Engine is not broken up for scrap (8)
JETTISON
JET (engine) +(IS NOT)* (*broken up)
20 Speech features largely in Johnson’s work (7)
DICTION
DICTION[ary] (largely, referring to Samuel Johnson)
21 Senior one raised as a stoical philosopher (6)
SENECA
SEN (senior) + (ACE<) (<raised, one)
22 Lay out in one’s underwear (6)
INVEST
IN + VEST (one’s underwear)
24 Canteen furnished by Cocina, a fitter (5)
NAAFI
[coci]NA A FI[tter]
26 He interrupts the gunners being a non-flyer (4)
RHEA
HE interrupts the RA (gunners, Royal Artillery)
Hmmm Damian Lewis was none too tubby (or shabby) in Wolf Hall.
Nice puzzle,
RED EYE for ‘Cheap whisky’ was a new term for me and I couldn’t parse EXACTING, thinking it was something to do with ‘existing’ for ‘being’.
Otherwise not too difficult, though I took a while to get my last in, VOICE, which incidentally has also appeared at St. Elsewhere’s today.
I liked the THIN KING and the “simple” triple def at 25a.
Thanks to Crux and Teacow.
Thanks Crux and Teacow
A puzzle deserving of more than two comments. A lot of interesting variation in the clues and was glad to eventually get to do it.
Did have 6d as more a double definition where the first one was a clever reference to the political ward.
Finished in the NE corner with that LABOUR WARD and BLIND as the last couple in.