Thanks to Tees. (Looks like I’m locked in to Tees on my blogging Sundays, but no complaints.) Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
1. Rich cake found back in imperial Ceylon (6)
ECLAIR : Hidden in(found … in) reversal of(back) “imperial Ceylon“.
5. Knowing quality, island invested in SA currency (8)
SAPIENCE : I(abbrev. for “island”) contained in(invested in) [SA + PENCE(British currency unit)].
Defn: The quality of being wise/knowing.
9. Knock back drink in old church and head for bishop’s office (10)
EPISCOPATE : Reversal of(Knock back) {[SIP(to drink with small mouthfuls) contained in(in) [O(abbrev. for “old”) + CE(abbrev. for the Church of England)]} plus(and) PATE(a person’s head).
10. Value reflected in welcoming a wronged brother (4)
ESAU : Reversal of(… reflected) USE(value/advantage of something, as in “what’s the use of pretending?”) containing(welcoming) A.
Defn: …/one in the Bible betrayed/wronged by his brother, Jacob.
11. Gadget used in steamship to make furniture (6)
STOOLS : TOOL(a gadget/a device) contained in(used in) SS(abbrev. for “steamship”).
12. Spray with greater frequency to cover rumpled suit (8)
MOISTURE : MORE(with greater frequently/more often, as in “with each day, he visited her more”) containing(to cover) anagram of(rumpled) SUIT.
13. In seed case find large bluebottle (4)
PLOD : POD(seed case, as in a “pea pod”) containing(In … find) L(abbrev. for “large”).
Defn: …/informal term for a police officer in the UK.
14. Oily substance from tree put in ground with nitrogen (10)
TURPENTINE : Anagram of(… ground) [TREE PUT IN plus(with) N(symbol for the chemical element, nitrogen)].
16. Thrown together, German joins the Italian in bar (5-5)
JERRY-BUILT : JERRY(a derogatory term for a German, especially in military contexts) plus(joins) [IL(Italian for “the”) contained in(in) BUT(bar/except for, as in “he recognised all but one”)].
Defn: …/hastily put together.
19/5D. Dreadful mistake: error banning old Labour leader (4,7)
KEIR STARMER : Anagram of(Dreadful) [“mistake: error” minus(banning) “o”(abbrev. for “old”)].
Defn: Leader of the British Labour Party.
21. Gutter spout from glory age renovated (8)
GARGOYLE : Anagram of(… renovated) GLORY AGE.
23. Give aid to guitar player having missed intro (6)
ASSIST : “bassist”(a player of the bass guitar) minus its 1st letter(having missed intro).
24. Black marketeer dignitaries turned around (4)
SPIV : Reversal of(… turned around) VIPS(abbrev. for “very important persons”/dignitaries).
25. Radical junior in charge too high to catch? (10)
ULTRASONIC : ULTRA(a radical/an extremist) + SON(general term for a young person/a junior) + IC(abbrev. for “in charge”).
Defn: …/describing a sound wave whose frequency is above/too high for the human ear to perceive/catch.
26. Itching to see Indian city with unlimited enchantments (8)
PELLAGRA : AGRA(the Indian city where the Taj Mahal is) placed after(with) “spells”(enchantments/magic charms) minus its 1st and last letters(unlimited …).
Defn: A disease, one of whose symptoms is an itching skin.
27. Archipelago or island around north (6)
ORKNEY : OR + KEY(a low-lying island) containing(around) N(abbrev. for “north”).
Defn: … off the north-eastern coast of Scotland.
Down
2/4. Endless trash with politico orchestrating unrest Stateside (7,5)
CAPITOL RIOTS : Anagram of(… orchestrating) [“trash” minus its last letter(Endless …) plus(with) POLITICO].
A topical and clever surface.
3. Sailors trick the German one doing runner (9)
ABSCONDER : ABS(abbrev. for “able-bodied seamen”/sailors) + CON(to trick/to swindle) + DER(German for “the”).
4. See 2
5. See 19 Across
6/7. Perhaps let in respected person coming to office (9-5)
PRESIDENT-ELECT : Anagram of(Perhaps) LET IN RESPECTED. More of the same – cf. 2/4 down.
8. Smile after tea shows anything but delight (7)
CHAGRIN : GRIN(a wide smile) placed below(after, in a down clue) CHA(tea).
14. Toy-boy with gun splattered right-wing commentator (4,5)
TOBY YOUNG : Anagram of(… splattered) [TOY-BOY plus(with) GUN].
Defn: … in the British media.
15. Develops liking for Calvin Klein? Assess situation (4,5)
TAKE STOCK : [TAKES TO](develops a liking for someone or something, branded apparel, say) + CK(abbrev. for “Calvin Klein”, as seen on his former logo).
17. Test regularly applied for instance (7)
EXAMPLE : EXAM(short for “examination”/a test) + 2nd, 4th and 6th letters of(regularly) “applied“.
18. Sloth and one near it on the move (7)
INERTIA : I(Roman numeral for “one”) + anagram of(… on the move) NEAR IT.
20. Saint removed from evil church feature in fire (7)
INSPIRE : “s”(abbrev. for “saint”) deleted from(removed from) “sin”(evil/wrongdoing) + SPIRE(a church feature, specifically its tower).
Defn: …/to stimulate and excite someone.
22. Supplied Liberal with hammer (5)
GAVEL : GAVE(supplied/provided with) + L(abbrev. for “Liberal”, a member of a Liberal Party).
… unrest at the White House?
23. Recalling battlefield doctor for mission? (5)
ALAMO : [À LA](in the manner of/recalling or resembling the way a particular person would have done it) MO(abbrev. for “medical officer”, a doctor in the military, who may be found in a battlefield).
A few held me up here, including being unsure if the ‘Labour leader’ was an “i before e” or the reverse, not knowing the ‘right-wing commentator’ and taking a while to see SAPIENCE; fooled good and proper by the wordplay and fruitlessly tried to fit “rand” in.
An MO is usually thought of as a doctor in the military, but it’s still used here for a civilian doctor (though perhaps less so than before) as in LMO = local medical officer = GP.
I liked JERRY-BUILT and PELLAGRA (the Wikipedia article is v. interesting if you have time to read it), but I couldn’t go past the excellent (and topical) CAPITOL RIOTS and PRESIDENT-ELECT as clues of the day.
Thanks to Tees and scchua
After my nightmare yesterday I was glad to be back on firmer ground today, even using “tea=cha” that I learned from yesterday’s blog to good effect. I find Tees always gives me a way into the puzzle and is one of the names I’m pleased to read at the top!
Clearly need to learn my Biblical names and right-wing commentators , and like Wordplodder @1 I couldn’t get past ‘Rand’
TAKESTOCK and ABSCONDER my favourites
Thanks to Tees and scchua
Anybody else spot episcopaTE ESau?
Nice to see GARGOYLE not being confused with “grotesque”. Had a little chuckle over TAKE STOCK. Thanks all.
Thanks to Tees for another fine Sunday crossword – and yes, Hovis, I did notice him hiding in the grid
Thanks also to schua
Once again, what crypticsue said – and I agree with WordPlodder re clues of the day.
Just right for my second puzzle of the day, having warmed up with Everyman. Although defeated by PELLAGRA which is dnk and became fixated on Delhi fitting in at the beginning rather than Agra at the end (annoyingly, I even wondered early on whether a shortened ‘spells’ might play a part but at the end not the beginning!!!). Like WordPlodder, I couldn’t recall Keir or Kier but allowed myself to look that one up without penalty. I liked TAKE STOCK and JERRY BUILT but would nominate ORKNEY as my COTD for its lovely relevant surface.
I have no idea how folk like Hovis and crypticsue spot these hidden messages. I can fail to see an entire circumference nina and yet others see a four letter combo of significance!
Thanks Tees and scchua
On the spelling of KEIR – the “i before e” business is almost completely reversed when it comes to names -think of Sheila, Greig, Neil and of course Eileen.
Thanks to Tees and scchua
PostMark @6. tbh I suspect the hidden TEES wasn’t deliberate. DuncT @7, I thought this was an interesting observation. Leslie doesn’t fit but it surprised me how many do.
What Eileen said.
It’s odd what holds you up, isn’t it? I was with those who found it hard to give up on the idea that the rand must feature in 5a, and I had episco written in at 9a for quite a while before remembering a word for head is not always ness (just usually). Enjoyed the topical clues and yes, the lovely Orkney one. Thanks to Tees – always a treat – and to scchua.
I loved this, and found most of it around my skill level. Some holdups especially PELLAGRA which was new to me, but overall a good challenge. Many good clues, including EPISCOPATE and PRESIDENT ELECT, but CAPITOL RIOTS was my clue of the week.
Lovely puzzle with some amusing nods to ‘what’s been going on’. I think our faves today were the Trump riots one, and the reference to Starmer’s efforts to silence the Labour left.
Thanks to Tees and scchua.