A very sound and enjoyable puzzle from Italicus.
I was impressed by the intricacy of 12A and liked the surface plus hidden definition in 10A.

| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | NIBBLE |
Snack sprightly bachelor brought in for maiden (6)
|
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Nimble(=sprightly) with b{achelor} replacing m{aiden} |
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| 4 | DESPOTIC |
Posted wrong information initially about authoritarian (8)
|
|
Posted* + i[nformation] + c(=about) |
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| 9 | GLOBAL |
German graduate entertained by highly amusing international (6)
|
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G{erman} + (BA(=bachelor of arts) in LOL(=internet abbrev for lots of laughs)) |
||
| 10 | PROCURER |
One who gets runs after treatment by professional (8)
|
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(R{uns} after cure(=treatment)) after pro{fessional} |
||
| 12 | TAKE HEED |
Uneven track wends around East Herefordshire’s borders? Pay attention! (4,4)
|
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(Odd letters of track wends) around E{ast} H[erefordshir]e |
||
| 13 | EMBOSS |
Decorate rear of cab in some backward society (6)
|
|
([Ca]b in some<) + s{ociety} |
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| 15 | RUDE |
Ignorant schoolmarm is penniless (4)
|
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[P]rude. Schoolmarm can be used as a general term for a prudish or old-fashioned woman. |
||
| 16 | QUIVERS |
Queen is pressing clergyman about missile carriers (7)
|
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(Qu{een} is) around(=pressing) Rev<(=clergyman with about as the reversal indicator). Quivers are used to carry arrows, so type of missile container. |
||
| 20 | POTTERS |
Stirring up protest, they throw objects! (7)
|
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Protest*. Def refers to throwing in pottery making. |
||
| 21 | RENO |
Gambling Mecca in Grenoble (4)
|
|
Hidden in Grenoble |
||
| 25 | INHALE |
Inquisitive navigators originally discovered cetaceans respire (6)
|
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I[nquisitive] n[avigators] + [w]hale[s](=cetaceans) |
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| 26 | SCRAMBLE |
Mix up stuff bishop left in storage on vacation (8)
|
|
(Cram(=stuff) + b{ishop} l{eft}) in s[torag]e |
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| 28 | AIRBORNE |
Successor pronounced most of island free of earth? (8)
|
|
Hom of heir + Borne[o] |
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| 29 | PIRATE |
Illegally record detective meeting informant beside base (6)
|
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PI(=private investigator) + rat(=informant) + [besid]e |
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| 30 | DEBUTANT |
Day worker on westbound underground is first-timer (8)
|
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D{ay} + (ant(=worker ant) on tube<(=underground)) |
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| 31 | ASCEND |
A post about Celsius scale (6)
|
|
(A send(=post)) around C{elsius} |
||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | NUGATORY |
Invalid turned firearm on a Conservative (8)
|
|
Gun<(=firearm) + a + tory(=Conservative) |
||
| 2 | BLOCKADE |
Erect barriers around security device in poor quarter (8)
|
|
Lock(=security device in (bad(=poor) + E{ast}(=quarter)) |
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| 3 | LOATHE |
Find execrable, old articles supporting Liberal (6)
|
|
(O{ld} + a + the(=linguistic articles)) after l{iberal} |
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| 5 | EARL |
Almost stripped man of nobility (4)
|
|
[N]earl[y](=almost "stripped") |
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| 6 | POCKMARK |
Blemish Spooner’s artificial gardens (8)
|
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Spoonerism of "mock park" |
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| 7 | TERROR |
Model put on slip in panic (6)
|
|
T(=model, as in Model T Ford) + error(=slip in the sense of a slip-up) |
||
| 8 | CURTSY |
Partial apology struck revolutionary as show of respect (6)
|
|
Hidden, rev in "apology struck" |
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| 11 | JESUITS |
Italicus is in Paris defending Thailand’s religious society (7)
|
|
(Je suis)(=I am in French) around T{hailand} |
||
| 14 | AVARICE |
Expert claims referee’s assistant essentially committed sin (7)
|
|
Ace(=expert) around (VAR(=video assistant referee) + [comm]i[tted]) |
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| 17 | GOALPOST |
Upright piano kept inside also got damaged (8)
|
|
P{iano} in (also got)* |
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| 18 | MEMBRANE |
Mr. Bean crashed into middle of cement barrier (8)
|
|
(Mr Bean)* in [ce]me[nt] |
||
| 19 | FOREHEAD |
Brow of elevated promontory topped by bare tree (8)
|
|
Of<(reversal indicated by elevated) + (head(=promotory) with [t]re[e] on top). |
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| 22 | WIZARD |
Necromancer is reportedly captivated by protégé (6)
|
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Iz(=hom of is) in ward(=protégé). Necromancer is listed as a synonym for wizard, although I would personally say it's a type of wizard, so you could maybe say there is a bit of definition by example. |
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| 23 | CHERUB |
Angel fish circling bottom of wide river (6)
|
|
Chub(=type of fish) around (wid[e] [rive]r) |
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| 24 | MAXIMS |
Proverbs 11 divides mother and son (6)
|
|
(XI(=11 in Roman numerals)) in (Mam(=slang in some areas for mother) + s{on}) |
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| 27 | IN ON |
Having acquired knowledge about home working (2,2)
|
|
In(=home) + on(=working) |
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This pangram was nicely challenging and great fun with TAKE HEED my favourite of many ticked clues.
Many thanks to Italicus and to Neal.
Nice work. I hade the final “e” in PIRATE as the log base e, but it works either way.
The parsing of FOREHEAD, 19(d), defeated me, so thanks, NH.
Petert @2, I concur, “base = E”, in the maths context, seems to be what setters go for.
A very well-clued puzzle, good variety of devices and solutions, just the right difficulty level for me, to be challenging, but enjoyable.
Big thumbs up, Italicus & NH