BOBCAT kicks off the week…
An enjoyable challenge with the expected feline Nina.
Thanks BOBCAT!
ACROSS
9. Desperately importunate Pole’s interminable action (9,6)
PERPETUAL MOTION
(IMPORTUNATE POLE)* (*desperately)
10. Belief in revolution does perhaps lead to conspiracy (5)
CREED
(DEER (does, perhaps) + C[onspiracy] (lead to))< (<in revolution)
11. Demolish gloomy housing National Trust essentially neglected (9)
DISMANTLE
DISMAL (gloomy) housing NT (National Trust) + [negl]E[cted] (essentially)
12. US laboratory’s mission to spread destruction (3,6)
LOS ALAMOS
ALAMO (mission) to spread LOSS (destruction)
14. The cardinal points about current power source (5)
SINEW
S N E W (the cardinal points, South, North, East, and West) about I (current)
16. One may cut a blunt writer to make a point (6,9)
PENCIL SHARPENER
19. Force denied presence of women in crew (5)
EIGHT
[w]EIGHT (force, denied presence of W (women))
21. Troubled Republican in suit misleads in all prime respects (9)
EXERCISED
(R (Republican) in EXEC (suit)) + [m]IS[l]E[a]D[s] (in all prime respects, i.e. 2, 3, 5, and 7)
23. Tense sort of geek fined (5-4)
KNIFE-EDGE
25. Gutted Aston Villa over halfway to getting a hammering here? (5)
ANVIL
A[sto]N (gutted) + VIL[la] (over halfway)
26. Landslide hasn’t spoilt special archipelago (8,7)
SHETLAND ISLANDS
(LANDSLIDE HASNT)* (*spoilt) + S (special)
DOWN
1. Observe US policeman driven back by a conflagration (10)
APOCALYPSE
(ESPY (observe) + LA COP (US policeman))< (<driven back) by A
2. They may advocate screening for privates (6)
BRIEFS
Double (cryptic) definition
3. Recently established location for Oracle lacking introduction of prime capital (3,5)
NEW DELHI
NEW (recently established) + DEL[p]HI (location for Oracle, lacking P[rime] (introduction of))
4. Pleasure dome initially makes money (4)
FUND
FUN (pleasure) + D[ome] (initially)
5. Hairy situation? Yes, and no (5,5)
CLOSE SHAVE
Sort of double definition – Yes, a hairy situation is a close shave. No, a close shave would not result in a hairy situation.
6. Men admitted to service bog (6)
MORASS
OR (men) admitted to MASS (service)
7. Monitor first Revolutionary Guards (6,2)
LISTEN IN
IST (first), LENIN (revolutionary) guards
8. Poet releases capital payment (4)
ANTE
[d]ANTE (poet, releases capital)
13. Invalid interpretation of note being circulated in Penny’s absence (10)
MISREADING
MI (note) + S[p]READING (being circulated, in P’s (penny’s) absence)
15. Damaged old scars will regularly crack (5-5)
WORLD CLASS
(OLD SCARS + W[i]L[l] (regularly))* (*damaged)
17. Almost get leg in tight eastern garment (8)
NEGLIGEE
(GE[t] (almost) LEG IN)* (*tight) + E (eastern)
18. Despite shortage of time, board to sustain troop may be arranged… in case (8)
PACKABLE
[t]ABLE (board, despite shortage of T (time)) to sustain PACK (troop)
20. Bet uncrowned former prince makes comeback before decade’s end (6)
TREBLE
([a]LBERT (former prince, uncrowned))< (<makes comeback) before [decad]E (end)
22. One in the know drives a van to stores (6)
SAVANT
[drive]S A VAN T[o] (stores)
23. Runners moving down south make contact (4)
KISS
SKIS (runners, moving down S (south))
24. Withdraw from relations backing first wife? (4)
EXIT
IT (relations) backing EX (first wife)