Guardian Quiptic 1027 Pan

Thanks Pan for an enjoyable Quiptic. Definitions are underlined in the clues.

Across

1 Public school boy boxing second European (8)

ESTONIAN : ETONIAN(a boy studying at Eton, the English public school) containing(boxing) S(abbrev. for “second” in time notation).

5 Extremely funny joke for southern elite? (6)

SCREAM : S(abbrev. for “southern”) + CREAM(the elite/the best of a group).

9 Dispatch rider to take Tibetan leader to member of the royal household (8)

COURTIER : COURIER(dispatch rider/one conveying a message) containing(to take) 1st letter of(… leader) “Tibetan“.

10 Setter’s dog facing new attack (6)

IMPUGN : I’M(contraction of “I am”/”setter is”/setter’s, using the self-referential pronoun) + PUG(a breed of dog) plus(facing) N(abbrev. for “new”).

Defn: …/to challenge/to question.

11 Shed meeting wicked, wicked woman (3-5)

SHE-DEVIL : SHED plus(meeting) EVIL(wicked).

12 Cable carried by rickshaw service (6)

HAWSER : Hidden in(carried by) “rickshaw service“.

14 Preparation of crushed ginger’s last to go into pot for cooking (10)

GROUNDWORK : GROUND(crushed into minute pieces) + [ last letter of(…’s last) “ginger” contained in(to go into) WOK(a pot/a bowl-shaped frying pan, typically used in Chinese cooking) ].

18 RAF squadron‘s cleaners seen accepting a degree (3,7)

DAM BUSTERS : DUSTERS(cleaners/implements for cleaning off, well, dust) containingI(seen accepting) [A + MB(abbrev. for “Bachelor of Medicine”, a medical degree).

Defn: … responsible for bombing German dams in WW2.

22 Old variety of fruit (6)

ORANGE : O(abbrev. for “old”) + RANGE(variety/the different things of the same general type).

23 Cruel article found in Bury (8)

INHUMANE : AN(an article in grammar) contained in(found in) INHUME(to bury, the antonym of “exhume”).

24 Fearful African given assistance (6)

AFRAID : AFR(abbrev. for “African”) plus(given) AID(assistance/help).

25 Schedule time to get to grips with one source of food poisoning (8)

LISTERIA : LIST(a written or printed number of items in some sort of order/a schedule) + ERA(a long period of time) containing(to get to grips with) I(Roman numeral for “one”).

Defn: A kind of bacterium.

26 Commitments interrupted by inspector’s orders (6)

TIDIES : TIES(things that restrict freedom of action/commitments) containing(interrupted by) DI(abbrev. for “detective inspector”).

Defn: …/puts in order.

27 Guardian editor returned with electric guitar (8)

DEFENDER : Reversal of(… returned) ED(abbrev. for “editor”) plus(with) FENDER(short for an electric guitar made by Fender, an American manufacturer of stringed instruments and amplifiers).

Defn: …/one who has been assigned to guard something.

Down

1 Queen excused from drill duty (6)

EXCISE : “ER”(abbrev. for Elizabeth Regina, the Queen) deleted from(excused from) “exercise”(drill/training exercise in the military).

Defn: … levied on certain goods.

2 Publishers in support of hairpiece (6)

TOUPEE : OUP(abbrev. for the Oxford University Press, publishing department of Oxford University) contained in(in) TEE(support for a golf ball when a golfer tees off the tee).

3 Number after number that’s lower? (6)

NETHER : ETHER(a compound used as an anaesthetic/agent for causing numbness/a numb-er) placed below(after, in a down clue) N(in mathematics, symbol for an indefinite number).

Defn: … in position.

4 Make better meal, or I eat junk! (10)

AMELIORATE : Anagram of(… junk) MEAL, OR I EAT.

6 Committee chap at party for a military unit (8)

COMMANDO : COM(abbrev. for “committee”) + MAN(a chap/a fellow) plus(at) DO(a party/a social function)

7 Mule is skidding on oily mixture (8)

EMULSION : Anagram of(… skidding) MULE IS + ON.

8 Fellow introducing duck to plant (8)

MANDRAKE : MAN(a fellow/a chap) +DRAKE(a male duck).

13 Ran into antique damaged by a period of isolation (10)

QUARANTINE : RAN contained in(into) anagram of(… damaged) ANTIQUE.

15 Lawyer mostly drinking American liqueur (8)

ADVOCAAT : “advocate”(a lawyer) minus its last letter(mostly) containing(drinking) A(abbrev. for “American”).

Defn:  … made from eggs, sugar and brandy.

16 Injured goblin getting a bumpy ride (8)

IMPAIRED : IMP(a goblin/a small mischievous creature) plus(getting) A + anagram of(bumpy) RIDE.

17 Dangerous situation created by papers about yearly meeting (8)

QUAGMIRE : QUIRE(a quantity of sheets of paper) containing(about) AGM(abbrev. for “annual general meeting”, a yearly meeting of, say, shareholders).

Defn: … from the literal meaning of an area of soft boggy land that gives way under you.

19 Fuss with undergarment (6)

BUSTLE : Double defn: 2nd: … worn by females.

20 Denied access to somewhere to drink claret? (6)

BARRED : BAR(somewhere to drink/an establishment where drinks, mainly alcoholic ones are served) + RED(claret/a deep purplish-red colour derived from the colour of claret, a red wine from Bordeaux)

21 Note match fix! (6)

REPAIR : RE(a note on the musical scale) + PAIR(to match/to form a pair of matching items).