The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/cryptic/29946.
Paul riffing on Cornwall. I found it easier than many of his offerings, with only the SW holding out to the end, but with so many delightful clues, who can cavil?
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | PANTHER |
Feline, wild being on the moor, only tail glimpsed (7)
|
| A charade of PAN (Greek god of nature, ‘wild being’) plus (‘on’) ‘the’ plus R (‘mooR, only tail glimpsed’). | ||
| 5 | PACIFIC |
Serene icon punched by a cleaner (7)
|
| An envelope (‘punched by’) of A CIF (‘a cleaner’, trade name) in PIC (‘icon’). | ||
| 9 | LOOSE |
Debauched son in Cornish town (5)
|
| An envelope (‘in’) of S (‘son’) in LOOE (‘Cornish town’). | ||
| 10 | BEATITUDE |
Joy sees what to do with 8 down, say, in Cornish town (9)
|
| An envlope (‘in’) of EAT IT (‘what to do with 8 down’ – CREAM TEA) in BUDE (‘Cornish town’). | ||
| 11 | SULTANSHIP |
Mischievous pals shut in leader’s office (10)
|
| An anagram (‘mischievous’) of ‘pals shut in’. | ||
| 12 | ATOM |
Tiny amount, nothing to plug hole in the wall (4)
|
| An envelope (‘to plug’) of O (‘nothing’) in ATM (automated teller machine, ‘hole in the wall’) | ||
| 14 | DESSERT WINE |
Gone west, westernised drink! (7,4)
|
| An anagram (‘gone west’) of ‘westernised’. | ||
| 18 | RHINOPLASTY |
Operation where end of scalpel slices through Afro/Cornish meat dish? (11)
|
| An envelope (‘slices through’) of L (‘end of scalpeL‘) in RHINO PASTY (‘Afro/Cornish meat dish?’). | ||
| 21 | GOON |
Gorilla somewhere in Cornwall, where hilly? (4)
|
| The ‘somewhere in Cornwall’ is Goonhilly Downs, the site of the Goonhillly Satellite Earth Station. GOON and ‘gorilla’ both refer to a thug. | ||
| 22 | DIGESTIVES |
What lover of Cornwall might do, scoffing English biscuits (10)
|
| An envelope (‘scoffing’) of E (‘English’) in DIG ST. IVES (‘what lover of Cornwall might do’; St.Ives being a Cornish town). | ||
| 25 | NOT NEARLY |
Less emphatically, train finally coming in late? (3,6)
|
| An envelope (‘coming in’) of N (the second one, ‘traiN finally’) in NOT EARLY (‘late’). ‘Emphatically’ as a stronger statement of ‘less’. | ||
| 26 | OUNCE |
Feline with shaved ball? (5)
|
| A subtraction: [b]OUNCE[r] (‘ball’) minus its outer letters (‘shaved’). | ||
| 27 | SET DOWN |
Group experiencing the blues record (3,4)
|
| A charade of SET (‘group’) plus DOWN (‘experiencing the blues’). | ||
| 28 | THEREIN |
Article with check so enclosed? (7)
|
| A charade of THE (definite ‘article’) plus REIN (‘check’). | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | POLISH |
Coming from Europe – like staff? (6)
|
| POLE-ISH | ||
| 2 | NOODLE |
Around Land’s End, lack of Spanish enthusiasm it seems for pasta (6)
|
| An envelope (‘around’) of D (‘lanD‘s end’) in NO OLÉ (‘lack of Spanish enthusiasm it seems’). | ||
| 3 | HEEL-AND-TOE |
Performance of the ode encapsulates style of fast-paced walk (4-3-3)
|
| An envelope (‘encapsulates’) of ELAN (‘style’) in HEDTOE, an anagram (‘performance of’) ‘the ode’. | ||
| 4 | REBUS |
Very uplifting southern puzzle (5)
|
| A charade of REBU, a reversal (‘uplifting’ in a down light) of UBER (‘very’); plus S (‘southern’). | ||
| 5 | PHARISEES |
Remarkably sharp jackets I detect for ancient sect (9)
|
| An envelope (‘jackets’) of I SEE (‘I detect’) in PHARS, an anagram (‘remarkably’) of ‘sharp’. | ||
| 6 | CAIN |
Murderer in good book residing in Jamaica Inn (4)
|
| A hidden answer (‘residing in’) in ‘JanaiCA INn’, with the ‘good book’ being the Bible, specifically Genesis. In the surface, the ‘good book’ is Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier, in which a murderous gang convenes at the Inn (a real one, which still exists on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall). | ||
| 7 | FOUNTAIN |
Nut and oaf dancing in spring (8)
|
| A charade of FOUNTA, an anagram (‘dancing’) of ‘nut’ plus ‘oaf’; plus ‘in’. | ||
| 8 | CREAM TEA |
Put together with jam ultimately covered, a Cornish treat (5,3)
|
| A charade of CREAMTE, an envelope (‘covered’) of M (‘jaM ultimately’) in CREATE (‘put together’); plus ‘a’. | ||
| 13 | STAY-AT-HOME |
So, may hate going out, time taken inside? (4-2-4)
|
| An envelope (‘take inside’) if T (‘time’) in STAYAHOME, an anagram (‘going out’) of ‘so may hate’, with an &lit definition. | ||
| 15 | SOLDIER ON |
Having bagged last of garbage, dumped metal stick with it (7,2)
|
| An envelope (‘having bagged’) of E (‘last of garbagE‘) in SOLD (‘dumped’) plus IRON (‘metal’). | ||
| 16 | BRIGANDS |
Robbers in briny leaving New York, Penzance pirates people? (8)
|
| A charade of ‘bri[ny]’ minus NY (‘leaving New York’) plus G AND S (Gilbert and Sullivan, creators of comic operas, including The Pirates of Penzance, ‘Penzance pirates people’). | ||
| 17 | HIT OUT AT |
Criticise one tipster dressed for Royal Ascot? (3,3,2)
|
| An implied envelope: I (‘one’) plus TOUT (‘tipster’) IN HAT (‘dressed for Royal Ascot’). | ||
| 19 | AVENUE |
‘arbour used regularly as street (6)
|
| A charade of ‘AVEN (‘ ‘arbour’, with the initial H dropped in both cases) plus UE (‘UsEd regularly’). | ||
| 20 | ASTERN |
Towards the back, seat adjusted before service (6)
|
| A charade of ASTE, an anagram (‘adjusted’) of ‘seat’; plus RN (‘Royal Navy, ‘service’). | ||
| 23 | EGYPT |
Country where Eden Project failed, say: ultimately foolhardy exercise (5)
|
| A charade of E.G. (exempli gratia, ‘say’) plus Y (‘ultimately foolhardY‘) plus PT (‘exercise’). The (extended) definition refers to the 1956 Suez Crisis, with UK involvement under the leadership of Prime Minister Anthony Eden. | ||
| 24 | MEMO |
Reminder, a few seconds for myself? (4)
|
| A charade of ME (‘myself’) plus MO (‘a few seconds’). |
Excellent, Paul, thanks.
I needed explanations for BOUNCER and BRIGANDS, thanks PeterO.
DIGESTIVES and then AVENUE LOIs. I thought I would never get the biscuits, but at my second sitting both popped out. DIGESTIVES my favourite clue
Nice puzzle, featuring a number of Paulisms.
Fave was BRIGANDS. I was a little unsure about equating bOUNCEr with ball, since the latter is defined more by shape than, well, springiness, but the question-mark can probably permit the LOOSEness.