Independent 10,168 / Serpent

Serpent has set today’s crossword for our mid-week delectation.

I found this a hard puzzle to make inroads into and had an almost empty grid for a good while. Once I got started, however, it gradually revealed itself to me, affording me a great deal of entertainment along the way.

Nevertheless, I need input from other solvers to understand the use of “peripheral” in 16A and 22A, and to confirm (or otherwise) my parsing of 16D, where I feel that I am missing something.

My favourite clues today were 26, for originality; 5A for smoothness of surface (and sauciness!); and, above all, the & lit. at 12. Incidentally, 1A as an adjective was new to me.

*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues

Across

01	ECHOIC	Most vocal group in city being heard over and over again CHOI<r> (=vocal group; “most” means last letter is dropped) in EC (=city, i.e. City of London)

05	POPULAR	Liked naked troupe lap dancing (<t>ROUP*<e> + LAP); “naked” means first and last letter are dropped from the anagram, indicated by “dancing”

10	ASSET	Something that’s worth having when ready AS (=when, as a conjunction) + SET (=ready, prepared)

11	TICKED OFF	Cross // marked completed items? Double definition: TICKED OFF means “cross”, annoyed AND marked off on a list as (having been) completed

12	PRESCIENT	Having a gift – endowed with clairvoyant insight primarily [C<lairvoyant> I<nsight>] in PRESENT (=a gift); “primarily” means first letters only are used; & lit.

13	ABYSS	Trump’s behind walls close to Gulf BY (=close to) in ASS (=Trump’s behind, i.e. a US word for someone’s bottom, behind)

14	SECULAR	Resistance introduced by Clause 18 associated with those who are 21 *(CLAUSE) + R (=resistance, in electricity); “shocked (=entry at 18)” is anagram indicator; “secular” means “associated with laymen (=entry at 21)”

16	JULIET	Peripheral figure to remain in project LIE (=to remain) in JUT (=project, stick out)

17	VESSEL	Container ship swallowed by very long fish SS (=ship, i.e. steamship) in [V (=very) + EEL (=fish)]

19	MARITAL	Damage European country wanting conclusion of union MAR (=damage) + ITAL<y> (=European country; “wanting (=lacking) conclusion” means last letter is dropped)

22	ROMEO	Peripheral figure right next to author wearing glasses R (=right) + [ME (=author, i.e. Serpent) in OO (=spectacles, i.e. pictorially)]

23	TRIBUTARY	River boat caught by breeze overturned in trial RIBUTA (TUB (=boat) in AIR (=breeze); “overturned” indicates reversal) in TRY (=trial, effort)

25	CLOCKWISE	Notice learned with movement of hand over face CLOCK (=notice, see) + WISE (=learned)

26	DEUCE	40 – 40 = 2? Double definition: DEUCE is a score of 40-40 in tennis AND the two in cards and dice

27	PLAUDIT	Praise learner driver after parking car at end of test P (=parking) + L (=learner driver) + AUDI (=car) + <tes>T (“at end of” means last letter only)

28	SUNDER	Split second error leads to British lives being lost S (=second) + <bl>UNDER (=error; “leads to B<ritish> L<ives> being lost” means letters “bl” are dropped)

Down

02	CASTE	Keep left to leave station CAST<l>E (=keep); “left (=L) to leave” means letter “l” is dropped; one’s caste describes one’s station, status in Indian society

03	OPTICAL	Drink dispenser on case of alcohol is connected to light OPTIC (=drink dispenser) + A<lcoho>L (“case of” means first and last letters only)

04	CATHEDRAL	See building where Queen perhaps and doctor get better nurses CAT (=queen perhaps) + [DR (=doctor) in HEAL (=get better)]; the “see” of the definition is a bishopric

05	PICOT	Airman’s line becomes caught in sequence of loops C (=caught, on cricket scorecard) replaces L (=line) in PILOT (=airman); (in embroidery) a picot is ornamental edging made up of loops

06	PREVAIL	Succeed ultimately after writing off debts from earlier trouble PREV<ious> (=earlier; “after writing off debts (=IOUs)” means letters “ious” are dropped) + AIL (=trouble, pain, as verb)

07	LOONY LEFT	Felt justified by this political faction … The solution is a cryptic clue to “FELT”, i.e. an anagram – indicated by “loony” – of “left”

08	RIFTS	… being first to resolve differences *(FIRST); “to resolve” is anagram indicator

09	CAMPUS	… about us supporting politician for educational grounds CA (=about, circa) + MP (=politician, i.e. Member of Parliament) + US; the campus in the area (“grounds”) on which university (“educational”) buildings are located

15	CREAM SODA	Drink beginning to affect comrades adversely *(A<ffect> + COMRADES); “beginning to” means first letter only is used in anagram, indicated by “adversely”

16	JUMPINESS	Winner of the Grand National presumably displays this agitation Cryptically, the winner of the Grand National must have successfully negotiated the jumps along the course, hence have shown “jumpiness”

18	SHOCKED	Surprised husband hit out H (=husband) in SOCKED (=hit, struck)

20	ROUND ON	Ring number about attack ROUND (=ring, i.e. pictorially) + ON (NO=number; “about” indicates reversal)

21	LAYMEN	People with little expertise: namely, characters requiring some training *(NAMELY); “characters requiring some training” is (a rather lengthy!) anagram indicator

22	RECAP	Provide summary review of leader in field PACER (=leader in field, e.g. in running race); “review of” indicates reversal

23	TWIST	Unexpected development // in dance Double definition: TWIST is an unexpected development in a book’s plot AND a popular 1960’s dance

24	AZURE	Ezra Pound essentially developed a lofty tone perhaps *(EZRA + <po>U<nd>); “essentially” means middle letter only is used in anagram, indicated by “developed”; cryptically, azure, as the colour of the sky, could be described as a “lofty tone”