It is clear from the various themes in his previous puzzles, and his comments on this site, where Hoskins interests lie and in this offering he seems to have included most, if not all, of them.
An enjoyable solve, with many smiles along the way, so thanks Hoskins.
Across
1 I love wearing rough pants up against it (2,1,4)
IN A SPOT – I plus O (love) in (wearing) an anagram (rough) of PANTS
5 My gas will hamper small booty-grabber! (7)
CORSAIR – COR (my) AIR (gas) around (will hamper) S (small)
9 Where one can see lots of you in motion (7)
AUCTION – U (you) in ACTION (motion)
10 What egotistical bald men might put on heads? (7)
BIGWIGS – cryptic def.
11 Drug company importing heroin and E? (4)
ECHO – E (drug) CO (company) around (importing) H (heroin)
12 Genitals injured gathering New England roses (10)
EGLANTINES – an anagram (injured) of GENITALS around (gathering) NE (New England)
14 Unit of distance? More like time, stupid! (9)
KILOMETRE – an anagram (stupid) of MORE LIKE T
15 After knocking it back, couple gets loose (5)
UNTIE – UNITE (couple) with IT reversed (after knocking it back)
17 Interior design staff reflected about city (5)
DÉCOR – ROD (staff) reversed (reflected) around (about) EC (city)
18 Retired male sadly blocks toilets in US town (3,6)
LOS ALAMOS – M (male) ALAS (sadly) reversed (retired) in (blocks) LOOS (toilets)
20 Direct a clergyman to inhale bit of dope (10)
ADMINISTER – A MINISTER (a clergyman) around (to inhale) D[ope] (bit of dope)
22 When Hoskins was essentially continent? (4)
ASIA – AS (when) I (Hoskins) [w]A[s] (was essentially)
25 Old man having one round for twosome? (7)
PAIRING – PA (old man) I (one) RING (round)
26 Horror writer about to punch fat cat (7)
LEOPARD – POE (horror writer) reversed (about) in (to punch) LARD (fat)
27 Entourage held back by vice unit erroneously (7)
RETINUE – hidden reversal in (held back by) ‘vicE UNIT ERroneously’
28 Claim Queen won’t appear with Chrissie Hynde? (7)
PRETEND – PRETEND[er] (Queen won’t appear with Chrissie Hynde) – Chrissie Hynde is a member of this group
Down
1 Hoskins is mature? That’s something to picture (5)
IMAGE – I’M (Hoskins is) AGE (mature)
2 One in local getting drunk with endless hock? (9)
ALCOHOLIC – I (one) in an anagram (getting drunk) of LOCAL HOC[k] – &lit
3 Bucket of drink brought up, I must tuck into it! (4)
PAIL – I in (must tuck into it) LAP (drink) reversed (brought up)
4 Miserly guards working between 6 and 12? (7)
TONIGHT – TIGHT (miserly) around (guards) ON (working)
5 Item of luggage in taxi close to the Savoy? (7)
CABBAGE – BAG (item of luggage) in CAB (taxi) [th]E (close to the)
6 Truly awful that leader has left hollow legacy (10)
RIGHTFULLY – [f]RIGHTFUL (awful that leader has left) L[egac]Y (hollow legacy)
7 Extraterrestrial area one like Armstrong climbs (5)
ALIEN – A (area) plus NEIL (one like Armstrong) reversed (climbs)
8 They fight against things concerning siblings (9)
RESISTERS – RE (concerning) SISTERS (siblings)
13 Wild ride in a man’s Pontiac? (10)
AMERINDIAN – an anagram (wild) of RIDE IN A MAN
14 Tease snoozer and he might take issue! (9)
KIDNAPPER – KID (tease) NAPPER (snoozer)
16 Sort of holiday home mates hire out (9)
TIMESHARE – an anagram (out) of MATES HIRE
18 Dish in sink being tackled by Lois? (7)
LASAGNE – SAG (sink) in (being tackled by) LANE (Lois) – this Lois
19 Drink all over spring and get fat fast (5,2)
SWELL UP – SUP drink) around (all over) WELL (spring)
21 Wettish opposition leader shrouded in fog … (5)
MOIST – O[pposition] (opposition leader) in (shrouded in) MIST (fog)
23 … helped a journalist to bring in papers (5)
AIDED – A ED (a journalist) around (to bring in) ID (papers)
24 Garden tools caught in stockings (4)
HOSE – sounds like (caught) ‘hoes’ (garden tools)
Fourth form puerile toilet humour.
I loved it.
Great clue for AMERINDIAN.
Thanks to H&G
Thanks Harry & Gaufrid. A ray of sunshine just when I needed it.
For once, took a flyer at 28, hampered by never having heard of Chrissie Hynde (or the group) but assumed That something like Charles Edward Stuart was losing the Queen.
Almost time for the day’s first libation, and I know to whom I will be drinking!
Very entertaining.
1ac especially was brilliant.
Non-stop LOL! Thanks,Hoskins and Gaufrid.
A fun puzzle at last. And I discover that Eglantines are roses. Who knew? Everyone but me probably.
Many thanks to Hoskins and Gaufrid.
Very enjoyable, with some really great clues. 6dn and 10ac were my last ones in as ‘truly awful’ convinced me that an anagram of ‘truly’ was involved and I couldn’t see how – intentional misdirection? And could 16dn be construed as &lit?
Thanks, Hoskins and Gaufrid.
Greetings from sunny (so far) Passo Tonale, Italy.
Congrats on a fun puzzle Hoskins, great stuff, and thanks Gaufrid for the review
Many thanks to Gaufrid for the fab blog and all who solved and especially those who commented.
I’m super-glad to have brought some fun to a gloomy Sunday and, although Gaufrid is correct about my primary interests, I should add I have cultural, cinematic, ornithological, literary and musical works in the Indy slush pile so it’s not just all sex, drugs and flatulance with me …
… now, where’s that fabled Fifteen Squared cocktail trolley got to for I fancy a slow comfortable screw and a painkiller followed by a flaming volcano and, dagnabbit, the drinks iz on me! 🙂
Thanks for the fun this evening Hoskins! Looking forward to seeing you in Nottingham.
Thanks also to Gaufrid.
Yes , this was indeed a very good crossword.
Lively surfaces, yet pretty (pretty!) Xim clueing with a lot of finesse.
15ac’s UNITE being a prime example.
Cheers mate [the drinks were on you, right?].
Like the previous speakers, looking forward to see you in three months time in the Midlands.
Thanks B&J and Sil, very much looking forward to the East Midlands do in May – info in the announcements section of this site in the left hand pain of the home page for anyone who has missed it. Having said that, I should qualify my earlier statement, ‘the drinks iz on me’, to Sil. I merely meant I’ve slopped them all over meself in the rush to get them down me gizzard and have been advised by my accountant that any inference that I’ll be buying everyone booze was purely coincidental and more likely a figment of everyone’s imagination. 🙂
*pane, not pain (Freudian slip reflecting me at 1a, obviously).
Now, open Crossword Compiler and create a puzzle having in it: pain, gizzard, accountant, interference, booze, coincidental, figment and Freudian slip.
Oh, and elbow tax!
Alternatively, just go to sleep.
🙂
I Go To Sleep.
Isn’t that The Pretenders?
Chrissie Hynde is The Pretenders, she once said.
Now she lives alone in London and she’s happy with it.
Ah, the infamous elbow tax of 1735 … definitely one for a theme, but I fear you are right, Sil, and so I shall take the alternative option and retire to Bedfordshire (after I’ve finished off these last elevnty beers, natch). Oh, and yes, I think CH is The Pretenders – good BBC4 TV doco on her the other day – and even better advice in the form of a song.
See you all on the morrow where, iirc, we’ll find a very nice Vigo puzzle waiting to kick off our Indy week. 🙂