Independent on Sunday 1564 Skinny

Thanks Skinny for an enjoyable puzzle.  Definitions are underlined in the clues.

Across

9 Rocking robin, huge one seen next door (9)

NEIGHBOUR :  Anagram of(Rocking) ROBIN, HUGE.

10 Crown represented in a coat of arms? (5)

CREST :  Double defn:  1st:  …/top of a mountain or hill; and 2nd:  A design at the top of a coat of arms, distinctive of a family or corporation.

11 Scoff vegetables, no good on reflection (5)

SNEER :  Reversal of(… on reflection) “greens”(vegetables that are, well, green in colour) minus(no) “g”(abbrev. for “good).

12 Lager drunk after spirit, drinker’s penultimate drink (6,3)

GINGER  ALE :  [Anagram of(… drunk) LAGER placed after(after) GIN(a spirit/a strongly alcoholic drink)] + last but 1 letter of(…’s penultimate) “drinker“.

13 Mastic’s moulded, not in the right part (7)

MISCAST :  Anagram of(… moulded) MASTIC’S.

Defn:  Said of, say, an actor who is playing a part/role not suited to him/her.

14 Noblewoman‘s party venture (7)

DOWAGER :  DO(a party/a social function) + WAGER(a bet/a venture/a risky undertaking).

Defn:  … with a title derived from her late husband.

17 Carry out purchase picked up in city (5)

DUBAI :  Homophone of(… picked up) “do buy”(to carry out/to effect a purchase).

19 27D notebook (3)

PAD :  Double defn:  1st:  Solution to 27 down/where one is staying.

20 Inception filmed here? (5)

ONSET :  [ON SET](at the place with stage scenery, furniture and other articles where a movie is filmed).

21 Girl‘s not much wearing fancy hat (7)

TABITHA :  [A BIT](not much/just a little) contained in(wearing) anagram of(fancy) HAT.

22 Scheme involves close to twenty exercises in which small children can lark about (7)

PLAYPEN :  PLAN(a scheme/a plot) containing(involves) last letter of(close to) “twenty“ + PE(abbrev. for “physical education”/physical exercises).

24 Advocate a couple of drinks (9)

SUPPORTER :  [SUP(to drink) + PORTER(a dark brown bitter beer)](a couple of drinks).

26 Wheels on a New York taxi may be so worn out (5)

TIRED :  Double defn:  1st:  Describing the wheels on a NY taxi, fitted with tyres, or tires as spelled in America.

28 In France, he’s swallowed by lake of purplish hue (5)

LILAC :  IL(in French “he”) contained in(…’s swallowed by) LAC(in French, a lake).

29 It’s rude to have house-warming without one (9)

INSULTING :  “insulating”(to have a house interior warmed/protected against the cold) minus(without) “a”(the article for “one” in number).

Down

1 We are responsible for this load (4)

ONUS :  [ON US](we are responsible/we take responsibility for something, as in “the damage is on us”).

2 Various rivals of Tom Daley (6)

DIVERS :  Double defn:  2nd:  …, the champion diver.

3 Livestock here help, so it’s said, to supply a drug dealer (10)

PHARMACIST :  Homophone of(…, so it’s said) [“farm”(where livestock are/found here) + “assist”(to help)].

Defn:  One who could be whimsically (or cruelly) called a drug dealer.

4 Have no recollection of counterfeit tobacco’s origin (6)

FORGET :  FORGE(to counterfeit/to copy illegally) + 1st letter of(…’s origin) “tobacco“.

5 A relation of K-Pop? (8)

GRANDDAD :  GRAND(a 1000 dollars or pounds/abbreviated to 1K dollars or pounds) + DAD(like “pop”, an informal term for one’s father).

No relation to granddad … nor grandma for that matter:

6 Spots one charged with arson at last (4)

ACNE :  ACE(“one”, as in the number of pips on an ace playing card) containing(charged with) last letter of(… at last) “arson“.

Defn:  … on one’s skin, especially on the face.

7 Makes unstable grenades explode (8)

DERANGES :  Anagram of(… explode) GRENADES.

Defn:  … mentally.

8 Lacking nucleus, fermenting yeast is swelling (4)

STYE :  Anagram of(fermenting) [“yeast” minus its middle letter(Lacking nucleus …)].

Defn:  … on the edge of an eyelid.

13 Core component of racism I’d studied (5)

MIDST :  Hidden in(component of) “racism I’d studied“.

Defn:  …/the middle of.

15 No one knows a terrible place for tropical birds, according to Spooner (3,3,4)

WHO CAN TELL :  Spoonerism of(…, according to Spooner) [“toucan”(a species of tropical birds) + “hell”(a terrible place of great suffering)].

16 Betray public official, almost retired (3,2)

RAT ON :  Reversal of(… retired, in a down clue) [“notary”(a public official authorised to perform certain legal formalities) minus its last letter(…, almost)].

18 Party game in which a well-known Christian hides very quietly under container that doesn’t close (3-5)

BOB-APPLE :  [BALE(Christian, a well-known award-winning actor) containing(hides) PP(abbrev. for “pianissimo”, musical direction to play very quietly)] placed below(under, in a down clue) “box”(a container) minus its last letter(that doesn’t close).

19 Insect burrowing into unvariegated banana (8)

PLANTAIN :  ANT(an insect) contained in(burrowing into) PLAIN(unvariegated/uniform/bland).

There are bananas … and there are bananas:

22 Expression wears thin when spoken (6)

PHRASE :  Homophone of(… when spoken) “frays”(wears thin, as with, say, fabric).

23 Some lepers I abandoned in ancient land (6)

PERSIA :  Hidden in(Some) “lepers I abandoned“.

24 Very keen on being spoiled regularly (4)

SOLD :  1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th letters of(… regularly) “spoiled“.

Defn:  …/having been persuaded to be enthusiastic  about something).

25 Stroke, not the first that hurts (4)

OUCH :  “touch”(to stroke/to move one’s hand across a surface) minus its 1st letter(not the first).

Defn:  Exclamation expressing “…!”

27 Very much approves of excavations (4)

DIGS :  Double defn:  1st:  …/appreciates very much; and 2nd:  …, at an archaeological site, say.