Independent on Sunday 1600 Hoskins

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Thank you to Hoskins for an amusing puzzle. Definitions are underlined in the clues.

Across

1. I am one to tolerate drug-taking naked king (6)

BEARER : E(abbrev. for the drug, Ecstasy) contained in(…-taking) [BARE(naked/unclothed) + R(abbrev. for “Rex”/king)].

Defn: …/to bear.

4. Hoskins must wear contraceptive covering, being hot stuff! (8)

CAPSICUM : I(the setter of this puzzle, using the self-referential pronoun) contained in(must wear) [CAP(contraceptive device/a diaphragm for the female, aka the Dutch cap, as opposed to the French variety) + SCUM(a layer of dirty or unpleasant-looking material covering/on the surface of a liquid)].

Is the setter bragging here?!  (Just kidding!)

Defn: …, in the culinary sense.

There’s capsicum:

… and then there’s capsicum:

10. In Paris, bed group of soldiers in unit (5)

LITRE : LIT(French, as spoken in Paris, for “bed”/piece of furniture you would, normally, sleep in) + RE(abbrev. for “Royal Engineers”, soldiers in the engineering branch of the British Army).

Defn: … of volumetric measurement.

11. Song and dance singer recalled chart success in Love (9)

ADORATION : ADO(a song and dance/an unnecessary fuss) + RAT(an informant/a singer betraying his/her associates) + reversal of(recalled) [NO.I](abbrev. for Number One, the most successful number in the popular music chart, with the Roman numeral substitution)].

12. Possibly treaties meet with anger, rioting and touch of sadness (10)

AGREEMENTS : Anagram of(…, rioting) [MEET plus(with) ANGER] plus(and) 1st letter of(touch of) “sadness“.

13. One little doggy running around island (4)

BALI : Reversal of(… running around) [I(Roman numeral for “one”) + LAB(short/little for “Labrador”, a doggy breed).

Defn: … in Indonesia.

15. Sailor seen with Her Maj grabbing posh bloke giving the fingers? (7)

SALUTER : SALT(an informal term for a sailor, for obvious reasons) plus(seen with) ER(abbrev. for “Elizabeth Regina”, Her Majesty the Queen/Her Maj) containing(grabbing) U(letter denoting “upper-class”/posh).

Defn: What you might, politely, call one who gives the 2-finger salute/V-sign, the rude gesture.

16. Van Gogh was halfway to being this brave, having lost head (7)

EARLESS : “fearless”(brave) minus its 1st letter(having lost head).

Defn: …, after having cut off one ear.

18. Turn on debtor that’s ready for it after bit of petting (5,2)

POWER UP : [OWER(a debtor/one who owes somebody else) + UP(ready for it, as in “are you up to it”, whatever “it” is)] placed after(after) 1st letter of(bit of) “petting“.

Defn: … an electrical device, say, a computer.

20. Daily forced to ditch front cover in farcical event (7)

CHARADE : CHAR(short for “charwoman/a daily/a woman who is employed to clean in a house of office) + “made”(forced to/compelled to) minus its 1st letter(to ditch front cover).

Defn: …/a pretence.

22. Ultimately defines actor as one acting other than they are (4)

SHAM : Last letter of(Ultimately) “defines” + HAM(not a good/an awkward stage actor).

Should that be “he is” rather than “they are”?

24. Dander gets up with game woman who’s really dominant (6,4)

GRANDE DAME : Anagram of(… gets up) [DANDER plus(with) GAME].

Defn: … in a particular field of activity.

26. Bad face lift gets foremost of doctors distressed (9)

AFFLICTED : Anagram of(Bad) FACE LIFT plus(gets) 1st letter of(foremost of) “doctors“.

27. Flatulent? In the end, booze can give you wind (5)

TWINE : Last letter of(…? In the end) “Flatulent” + WINE(booze/alcoholic drink).

Defn: The verb not the noun!

28. A couple of lines with Large Earl in motor and things are ok! (3,5)

ALL CLEAR : A + L,L(a couple of abbrev. for “line”) plus(with) {[L(abbrev. for “large”) + E(abbrev. for “Earl”)] contained in(in) CAR(an automobile/a motor, informally)}.

29. Fighter, perhaps with bit of tan and heavenly body (6)

PLANET : PLANE(an example of which/perhaps is the fighter aircraft) plus(with) 1st letter of(bit of) “tan“.

Down

1. Airs shown by a daughter during posh formal dances (7)

BALLADS : [A + D(abbrev. for “daughter”)] contained in(during) BALLS(posh/grand formal dances).

Defn: …/songs.

2. German dons behind blue atmospheric phenomenon (9)

AFTERGLOW : G(abbrev. for “German”) contained in(dons) [AFTER(behind/coming later than) + LOW(blue/feeling sad/down).

There’s afterglow:

… and then there’s afterglow:

3. He is one not lacking bit of nous, but simple (10)

ELEMENTARY : ELEMENT(helium, whose chemical symbol is “He” is one such) + “nary”(not, as in “nary a word was said”) minus 1st letter of(lacking bit of) “nous“.

5. Missionary position is used in Antilles regularly (7)

APOSTLE : POS(abbrev. for “position”) contained in(is used in) 1st, 3rd and 5th letters of(… regularly) “Antilles“.

6. Lose your rag as rubbish son needs to get up (4)

SNAP : Reversal of(… needs to get up, in a down clue) [PAN(to rubbish/to criticise severely) + S(abbrev. for “son”)].

Defn: …/temper/cool.

7. One heading to nightclub to tuck into brew or a Bud (5)

CHINA : [I(Roman numeral for “one”) + 1st letter of(heading to) “nightclub“] contained in(to tuck into) CHA(a brew/cuppa tea).

Defn: …/buddy/mate/”china plate” in rhyming slang. Not Budweiser.

8. Hills soldiers and devout duke climbed close to Leeds (7)

MENDIPS : MEN(soldiers, specifically ordinary members in the military as distinct from the officers) plus(and) reversal of(… climbed, in a down clue) [PI(short for “pious”/religiously devout) + D(abbrev. for “duke”)] + last letter of(close to) “Leeds“.

Defn: Range of limestone … in Somerset, England.

9. Line of speed (6)

CAREER : Double defn: 1st: A branch of activity/one’s occupation, as in “line of work”; and 2nd: To move at speed and in an uncontrolled way.

14. Man on Later playing purely to show off? (10)

ORNAMENTAL : Anagram of(… playing) MAN ON LATER.

17. Discharge English soldier that’s hit volunteers from the south (9)

EMANATION : E(abbrev. for “English”) + MAN(a soldier, cf. 8 down) + reversal of(… from the south, in a down clue) [NOI(No.1/chart success/a hit, cf. 11 across) + TA(abbrev. for the “Territorial Army”, consisting of volunteers)].

18. Saucy sort of advance leads to absolutely torrid affair (7)

PASSATA : PASS(an amorous or sexual advance/overture made to somebody who has some body, say) + 1st letters, respectively, of(leads to) “absolutely torrid affair“. A meaningful surface.

Defn: …/sort of sauce used in Italian cuisine.

19. Artist involved in track by America or Bread (7)

PARATHA : RA(abbrev. for “Royal Academician”, a member of the Royal Academy of Arts/an artist) contained in(involved in) [PATH(a track/a trail) + A(abbrev. for “America”)].

And of course, America and Bread were 2 pop groups who cut many music tracks in their time.

There’s paratha:

… and then there’s paratha: 

20. Is it possible that a half-cut European is a state? (6)

CANADA : CAN?(is it possible?/can be done?) + A + “Dane”(one from Denmark, Europe) minus its last 2 letters(half-cut …).

21. Peak time’s ending! Vacation at front with English break? (7)

EVEREST : Last letter of(…’s ending) “time” + 1st letter of(… at front) “Vacation” plus(with) E(abbrev. for “English”) + REST(a break from/a pause in an activity).

Defn: … in the Himalayas.

23. Okay by the cops to bump off leading liberal? That’s terrible! (5)

AWFUL : “lawful”(okay by the cops/not having to involve them) minus 1st letter of(to bump off leading) “liberal“.

25. Palliative primarily given to sick? (4)

PILL : 1st letter of(… primarily) “Palliative” plus(given to) ILL(sick).

Defn: Something given to the sick, which could be a palliative in the form of a pill.

A WIWD (wordplay intertwined with definition) clue.