Sorry for the late appearance of this analysis, I don’t know what has prevented the scheduled blogger from posting today. The usual very high quality from Klingsor with many excellent clues (too many to list individually, particularly as I should be out gardening).
My only brief hold-up was caused by confidently entering ‘cockspur’ at 1ac during my first pass through the clues which I later had to correct when I couldn’t think of an entry for 2dn. A most enjoyable solve so my thanks to Klingsor.
Across
1 Bird’s egg producing plant (8)
LARKSPUR – LARK (bird) SPUR (egg)
9 Close to broke and left overdrawn apparently? He wasn’t ready! (8)
ETHELRED – [brok]E (close to broke) plus L (left) in THE RED (overdrawn apparently)
10 Confronted journalist on expense account first (8)
ACCOSTED – AC (account) COST (expense) ED (journalist)
11 Service he performs with valour (8)
OVERHAUL – an anagram (performs) of HE VALOUR
12 Greek writer cut short another writer, being intolerant (10)
XENOPHOBIC – XENOPHO[n] (Greek writer cut short) BIC (another writer)
14 Husband’s captivated by pet rabbit (4)
CHAT – H (husband) in (‘s captivated by) CAT (pet)
15 Drunkenly wandering? Butt out here! (7)
ASHTRAY – how a drunk would pronounce ‘astray’ (wandering)
17 We hear innocent sort’s a victim and a sucker (7)
LAMPREY – LAM sounds like (we hear) ‘lamb’ (innocent sort) plus PREY (a victim)
21 Lied, perhaps, about cracking case of shoplifting (4)
SONG – ON (about) in (cracking) S[hopliftin]G (case of shoplifting)
22 Cut trees in a couple of seconds, showing lack of care (10)
SLOPPINESS – LOP (cut) PINES (trees) in S S (a couple of seconds)
23 Major changes after a month – an addition to season? (8)
MARJORAM – an anagram (changes) of MAJOR after MAR (a month)
25 Well-spoken European set about man heartlessly (8)
ELOQUENT – E (European) LOT (set) around (about) QU[e]EN (man heartlessly)
26 Sadly this extremely likeable inn has no hot tap (6,2)
LISTEN IN – an anagram (sadly) of T[h]IS L[ikeabl]E INN
27 Move schools, wanting one with further education? Right (8)
TRANSFER – TRA[i]NS (schools wanting one) FE (further education) R (right)
Down
2 Put two heads together, being cunning (8)
ARCHNESS – ARCH (head) NESS (head)
3 A stunner seen briefly in Breakout (8)
KNOCKOUT – its abbreviation (briefly) can be seen in ‘breaKOut’
4 Poll pear-tree periodically (4)
PATE – P[e]A[r]-T[r]E[e] (pear-tree periodically)
5 Seemingly have more qualms about fortification (7)
REDOUBT – RE-DOUBT (seemingly have more qualms about)
6 Caught (ahem!) well criminally parking? You could get this (5,5)
WHEEL CLAMP – an anagram (criminally) of C AHEM WELL plus P (parking)
7 Rest a bit, gathering energy, having bowled first (8)
BREATHER – B (bowled) RATHER (a bit) around (gathering) E (energy)
8 I attempt emphatically to restrain the Parisian’s adoration (8)
IDOLATRY – I DO TRY (I attempt emphatically) around (to restrain) LA (the Parisian)
13 The dogs ran off, being self-willed (10)
HEADSTRONG – an anagram (off) of THE DOGS RAN
15 Mass confusion about keeping fit? The opposite (8)
ASSEMBLE – MESS (confusion) reversed (about) in ABLE (fit)
16 Barbarian has a bit of a shock for Diana? (8)
HUNTRESS – HUN (barbarian) TRESS (a bit of a shock)
18 After drink, young boxers perhaps shouldn’t start fights (5-3)
PUNCH-UPS – PUNCH (drink) [p]UPS (young boxers perhaps shouldn’t start)
19 Being cold previously, settle comfortably (8)
ENSCONCE – ENS (being) C (cold) ONCE (previously)
20 Harry is wrong about me, note (7)
TORMENT – TORT (wrong) around (about) ME N (note)
24 Cheese is abandoned by scary female writer (4)
ZOLA – [gorgon]ZOLA (cheese is abandoned by scary female)
I got held up in the top left because I kept thinking 12ac must be HOMOPHOBIC. I was probably thinking of Homer as the Greek writer and influenced by a translation of Offenbach’s La Belle Helene I saw some years ago, which had the exchange:
“Why are there two kings called Ajax?”
“Haven’t you read the Iliad?”
“No, I’m quite Homerphobic.”
Thanks for stepping into the breach Gaufrid, Some elegant clueing here from Klingsor for eg: Ethelred, Ashtray, Listen in and Lamprey. Not so elegant clueing for Knockout. I could not believe that Klingsor would use breakout in the wordplay for knockout. A quick check for a pangram revealed that I only had a K missing so Knockout it had to be. Then on to my last one in: larkspur.
Very enjoyable. Spotting the pangram helped me get LARKSPUR, and knowing Klingsor’s interests made SONG a write-in. ETHELRED was my CoD
Thanks, Klingsor and Gaufrid
Good puzzle for a Saturday, with some quite difficult but not impossible clues and the pangram added to the enjoyment. I liked the wordplay for ETHELRED and ASSEMBLE, though didn’t get the ENS for ‘being’ bit of ENSCONCE. Ended on a high point, with 24d being a real 3d and my favourite of the day. Spent a while trying to think of a ‘scary female writer’ (G. Greer anyone?) before the proverbial dropped.
Thanks to Klingsor and Gaufrid.