I wasn’t expecting to be covering this one but the scheduled blogger was unable to access the puzzle before departing for the airport.
A pleasant solve, though with one or two minor niggles along the way but not sufficient to detract from the overall enjoyment.
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Across
1 Had an effect? One politician did (8)
IMPACTED – I (one) MP (politician) ACTED (did)
5 Composer using Chinese key (6)
HANDEL – HAN (Chinese) DEL (key)
10 Withdraw / cash (7)
SCRATCH – double def.
11 Furthest forward in an exam (7)
PERTEST – PER (an) TEST (exam) – for me, pertest would be ‘most forward’ rather than ‘furthest forward’
12 Merchant with real problems after trade disruption (3,6)
ART DEALER – an anagram (problems) of REAL after an anagram (disruption) of TRADE
13 Second Irish nurse’s sound warning (5)
SIREN – S (second) IR (Irish) EN (nurse)
15 Prickly characters perform in Jersey? (5)
CACTI – ACT (perform) in CI (Jersey)
16 Apply curfew, cutting short Metallica’s turn (4,4)
CALL TIME – an anagram (turn) of METALLIC[a]
19 As an example, Sir Tim Berners-Lee gets gold at popular outlet (8)
INVENTOR – IN (popular) VENT (outlet) OR (gold)
20 Fighting to finish in knockout (5)
KENDO – END (finish) in KO (knockout)
21 Put a flower back with nutcracker (5)
MACAW – A CAM (a flower {river}) reversed (put … back) W (with) – the nutcracker is a bird (genus Nucifraga) of the crow family whereas a macaw is a large, long-tailed, brightly-coloured tropical American parrot of the genus Ara or Anodorhynchus, so Chalmie must be referring the the fact that nuts form part of a macaw’s diet.
23 What chickens once did to second car (9)
HATCHBACK – HATCH (what chickens once did) BACK (second)
25 Princess’s lab Spot (7)
DISCERN – DI’S (princess’s) CERN (lab)
27 Praise in 2 parts held back by sanctimonious Troy (7)
PLAUDIT – DUAL (in 2 parts) reversed in (held back by) PI (sanctimonious) T (troy)
28 Weakly hit, see (6)
LAMELY – LAM (hit) ELY (see)
29 Praise probably unmerited for cook swallowing drink (8)
FLATTERY – FRY (cook) around (swallowing) LATTE (drink)
Down
1 Example of tin cans broken by European (8)
INSTANCE – an anagram (broken) of TIN CANS followed by E (European)
2 Policeman arresting Crooked Charlie, in theory for causing explosions (11)
PYROTECHNIC – PC (policeman) around (arresting) an anagram (crooked) of C IN THEORY
3, 22 Concocting lie when teacher discovers 2 device (9,5)
CATHERINE WHEEL – an anagram (concocting) of LIE WHEN TEACHER
4 Woman’s name The Lady conceals (5)
ETHEL – contained in (conceals) ‘namE THE Lady’
6 Large area one hilltop short (5)
ACRES – A (one) CRES[t] (hilltop short)
7 Expected shortening in piece for 2 (3)
DUE – DUE[t] (shortening in piece for 2)
8 Admit risible Tintin is not all there (3,2)
LET IN – part of (is not all there) ‘risibLE TINtin’
9 Fight King Lear without a 2 device (8)
SPARKLER – SPAR (fight) K (king) LE[a]R (Lear without a)
14 Story about land devastated by 2 device (5,6)
ROMAN CANDLE – ROMANCE (story) around an anagram (devastated) of LAND
16 Animal with good feature before getting disease (8)
CATCHING – CAT (animal) CHIN (feature) G (good)
17 Be encouraged by Spooner’s fish pie (4,5)
TAKE HEART – a Spoonerism of ‘hake tart’ (fish pie)
18 Scientific study finishing experiment in garden (8)
ROCKETRY – [experimen]T (finishing experiment) in ROCKERY (garden)
21 In simulation, Farah was first up (5)
MODEL – MO (Farah) LED (was first) reversed (up)
24 Possibly saw piano being brought in for Israeli actor (5)
TOPOL – P (piano) in TOOL (possibly saw)
26 Nearly identical to Peckinpah? (3)
SAM – SAM[e] (nearly identical)
This was a bit like Spot, the princess’s lab – nice and benign, even loveable. Well I don’t know about the last bit but it was very pleasant company for 3/4 of an hour or so, even if I was worried about the effect all those noisy fireworks would have on my placid doggy companion.
I’m sure Spot would love ‘Fiddler On The Roof’ but despite the name, I don’t think ‘Straw Dogs’ would really be suitable for a well brought up canine creature, especially one belonging to a Princess.
Thanks to Chalmie and Grant, woops, sorry, Gaufrid.
Thanks to Chalmie and Gaufrid. I enjoyed this puzzle but took a long time working out ACRES and PERTEST.
Thanks to Gaufrid for the parsing — I had a good number of answers without fully understanding the clues. I never did get ACRES and PERTEST. Appreciative of this challenge by Chalmie.
Thanks Chalmie and Gaufrid
An enjoyable crossword without too many holdups. Saying that, I didn’t work out the DUE[T] ‘piece’ at 7.
Did like the unexpected definition of PERTEST and groaned at what the ‘nutcracker’ was at 21.. i had to look up who TOPOL was, but once I’d read it, remembered him.
Chuckled at HATCHBACK.
Finished down the bottom with the clever DISCERN, FLATTERY and TOPOL.