Not quite sure how many points I’d award this on the degree of difficulty scale. There were enough to get you going, certainly; but a few proved tricky for this solver.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagram = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) missing
definitions are underlined
Across
1 Don’t tell anyone I demolish unfinished wine
SHIRAZ
A charade of SH for ‘don’t tell anyone’, I and RAZ[E]
5 To co-operate intercepting wallaby, alpacas going west
PLAY BALL
Possibly one of the most bizarre surfaces of 2017 so far, but it’s hidden reversed in waLLABY ALPlpacas. ‘Going west’ is the reversal indicator.
9 Lime’s cooked with duck three times – Neapolitan composition
O SOLE MIO
(LIMES OOO)* with ‘duck’ for the cricket O thrice and ‘cooked’ as the anagrind. It was originally composed in the Neapolitan dialect and is roughly equivalent
to ‘my own sun’. Don’t let this put ice cream into your head.
10 I can’t wait for chocolate containing large mango at centre
ROLL ON
I’m not convinced by this. It’s ROLO for the ‘chocolate’ containing L for ‘large’ and N for the central letter of ‘mango’. But ROLL ON and ‘I can’t wait’ aren’t
really synonyms for me, although they express the same sentiment.
11 Helped around home – started with brass
COIN-OPERATED
An insertion of IN for ‘home’ in CO-OPERATED. ‘Brass’ is a slang word for ‘money’, so if you had to use a COIN-OPERATED machine, then you’d need ‘brass’ to start it.
13 Animated princess polished off starter of divine food
ANNA
[M]ANNA gives you the princess from the Disney animation Frozen. What do you mean, you never knew that? Her sister (allegedly) is ELSA, so keep that in mind and thank me when it next comes up in a cryptic.
14 No cost in going round lakeside location
CONISTON
(NO COST IN)*
CONISTON is the village in the Lake District next to Coniston Water, hence ‘lakeside location’.
17 Summits mostly secretive in arrangement
VERTICES
(SECRETIV[E])*
18 Regularly sacrificing pieces, as chess masters
ACES
The setter is asking you to take out the even letters of ASCHESS.
20 Gang member dealt drug for criminal
ARTFUL DODGER
(DEALT DRUG FOR)* gives you the character from Oliver!
23 A thing that doesn’t start is woeful
ABJECT
A charade of A and [O]BJECT.
24 1000 soldiers in one eastern county ousted by southern clan
KINSFOLK
Bit convoluted, but I think it’s a charade of K, I NORFOLK with the OR for Other Ranks or ‘soldiers’ replaced with S for ‘southern’.
25 Weapon theoretically destroyed Earth within 24 hours
DEATH RAY
An insertion of (EARTH)* in DAY.
26 Oz state overwhelmed by a Royal Family member’s return
AUSTER
I think it must be this, because nothing else sensible fits. But I can’t parse it.
Edit: the reason I couldn’t parse it is that AUSTER is not the answer, but ANSWER is. Thanks to baerchen and Graham for explaining it at comments 1 & 2.
Down
2 American vessel south of landing point getting fish
HUSS
A charade of H for a helicopter ‘landing point’ and USS for the designation of an American ship (United States Ship).
3 Hybrid cattle run backward
RELUCTANT
(CATTLE RUN)*
4 Unknown replacing head on Disney film primarily about African nation
ZAMBIA
You need to replace the first letter of BAMBI, the ‘Disney film’ with Z for one of the mathematical ‘unknowns’ and then add A for the first letter of ‘about’. I always well up slightly when BAMBI’s father is killed in the animation, and ZAMBIA used to be called North Rhodesia. The two things are not connected, but I just needed to share them with you.
5 Money, crisps and book found by this noisy creature rifling around
PROBOSCIS MONKEY
This is a reverse anagram thingy, I think: (MONEY CRISPS BOOK)* gives you the ‘noisy creature’ and ‘rifling around’ is the anagrind.
6 Getting on, carrying on in unison
AGREEING
I think this works as a double definition, but am happy to be corrected.
7 Brick up a plant
BALSA
A reversal of SLAB followed by A. I’m not sure that I’d equate a SLAB with a ‘brick’.
8 Gents, maybe, cut up when brought in to view new TV show
LOOSE WOMEN
I’m a fan of concision in clues personally, but this is perfectly fair: a charade of LOO and MOW reversed in SEE followed by N. The fact that I’d never heard of the show didn’t help with the solve; having flirted with the internet to make sure it was a ‘TV show’ I have to say that I’m not tempted to give it a go.
12 Agitated EU warn island that’s turned – it’s not good to assume
UNWEARABLE
(EU WARN)* plus ELBA reversed.
15 They’d help in fast races at sea
SEACRAFTS
(FAST RACES)* with ‘at sea’ as the anagrind. I think I’m on safe ground to say that this is &lit.
16 Artist lifting mould and gripping cast at first
SCULPTOR
A reversal (‘lifting’) of ROT and C for the first letter of ‘cast’ in PLUS for ‘and’.
19 Country having unlimited sugar and bananas
UGANDA
A charade of UGA for the middle letters of ‘sugar’ and (AND)*
21 Quick learner divides imperial units
FLEET
An insertion of L in FEET.
22 Type of cheese that’s fruity
BLUE
A dd. BLUE is ‘fruity’ in the ‘blue movie’ sense, I guess.
Many thanks to eXternal for this morning’s puzzle.
26A ANSWER = NSW (New South Wales) surrounded by A ER. Congratulations to Her Majesty on her Sapphire jubilee today.
Thanks to eXternal and to Pierre, especially for the parsing of ROLL ON (where I had fogotten the choccie).
For 26 across, I believe the, er, answer is ANSWER (New South Wales in a+ ER)
Thanks, both. One of those where you get an idea in your head and can’t get rid of it.
6D is RE (on) in AGEING (getting on), with definition ‘in unison’.
I think the definition in 10a is “I can’t wait for”, as in “Roll on spring”/”I can’t wait for spring”.
Of course, Andrew, thank you. I’m not being much help to everyone this morning.
Yes, I was stuck on ‘auster’ for 26 until the penny dropped. Missed the parsing of KINSFOLK which I had to bung in from the def. Anyone heard of a TV series called ‘Loose Poles’? The parsing works, only problem is the answer doesn’t. For me, not such a gentle introduction to the week but a good way to spend an hour post-work.
Thanks to Pierre and eXternal
This one fell into place pretty easily for me apart from my LTI 10a & 24a. I biffed the latter and put RELY ON in for the former, kicking myself when I saw the answer and remembered Rolos (haven’t eaten them since nineteen-hundred-and-frozen-to-death). Many thanks to Pierre for the amusing blogage and to eXternal for the enjoyable puzzlage, especially 9,20 and 23a which were me CODs.
@7 WP, ‘Loose Poles’ sounds like something Alan Partridge would come up with to add to his ideas for potential TV shows like ‘Monkey Tennis’ and ‘Inner City Sumo’.
Nice puzzle. I’m not convinced that seacraft can be pluralised as it is akin to statecraft and stagecraft rather than hovercraft and aircraft (not that they need an ess on the end to be plural). Probably nitpicking though.
Google tells me that I can buy a Sea Craft or Seacraft boat if I wish to. Not being a yatchswoman I cannot elaborate. Therefore Sidey I think the plural is admissible .
I was doubtful about SEACRAFTS as a plural as well. ‘The craft in the harbour were bobbing up and down on the incoming tide.’ But it is given in online dictionaries.