An enjoyable puzzle and a good level of difficulty for the FT. You could fill the grid in a lunch break but with some trickier parsings to keep the eggheads happy. Thank you Aardvark.

Across | ||
1 | BURLIEST | Brush back soiled tiles, most sturdy (8) |
RUB (brush) reversed (back) then anagram (soiled) of TILES | ||
5 | INKPOT | Writer might use this current fund, when banking royalty? (6) |
IN (current) and POT (fund) contains K (king, royalty) | ||
9 | FOR A TIME | Old marketplaces give out rejects temporarily (3,1,4) |
FORA (old marketplaces) then EMIT (give out) reversed (rejects) | ||
10 | ONESIE | Full-body garment from store is enormous – it must be returned (6) |
found inside storE IS ENOrmous reversed (it must be returned) | ||
11 | IN TANDEM | Dignity, regularly with writer, retired together (2,6) |
dIgNiTy (regularly) AND (with) ME (the writer) reversed (retired) | ||
12 | EASIER | Comparatively simple puzzle, with time to spend, one cracks (6) |
tEASER (puzzle) missing (with…to spend) T (time) containing (craked by) I (one) | ||
14 | EDITORSHIP | Post of journalist in this period varies (10) |
anagram (varies) of THIS PERIOD | ||
18 | BLUE HAWAII | Film of the King in sad state (4,6) |
BLUE (sad) and HAWAII (state) – the King is Elvis Presly | ||
22 | IMPROV | Spontaneous performance mostly better (6) |
IMPROVe (better, mostly) | ||
23 | AGRICOLA | General once overturned places in Indian city (8) |
LOCI (places) reversed (overturned) in AGRA (Indian city) – a Roman general | ||
24 | TUNDRA | Chilling territory ‘oodlum recalled? (6) |
‘ARD NUT (‘oodlum) reversed (recalled) | ||
25 | TEASPOON | Jasmine maybe stirred by such a top one’s knitted (8) |
anagram (knitted) of A TOP ONE’S | ||
26 | Go from work unit into English city (6) | |
27 | AT A PINCH | An easy putt can be shown alongside clubhouse, if really necessary (2,1,5) |
A TAP IN (an easy putt) with CH (clubhouse) | ||
Down | ||
1 | BOFFIN | Poorly in chest? Expert’s needed (6) |
OFF (poorly) in BIN (chest) | ||
2 | RARITY | Artist trains to obtain that special quality, making masterpiece? (6) |
RA (Royal Academician, artist) and RY (railway, trains) containing IT (that special quality) | ||
3 | INTENT | Design stylish portable shelter (6) |
IN (stylish) and TENT (portable shelter) | ||
4 | SIMMER DOWN | Fish, with whale initially disappearing below, become calmer (6,4) |
SwIMMER (fish) missing (with…disappearing) Whale (first letter, initially) then DOWN (below) | ||
6 | NON-DAIRY | Type of diet that’s fine in alcoholic surroundings? (3-5) |
AI (A1, fine) inside (surrounded by) NON-DRY (alcoholic) | ||
7 | PASTICHE | Jumble by hospital put in reserve (8) |
PAST (by) then H (hospital) put inside ICE (reserve) | ||
8 | THE GRAPE | Gareth excitedly drained prune wine (3,5) |
anagram (exciteldy) of GARETH then PrunE (drained, no insides) | ||
13 | STRING VEST | Street band leader in Southall wears check undergarment (6,4) |
ST (street) RING (band) Southall (first, leading letter of) inside (wearing) VET (check) | ||
15 | ABSINTHE | Six-pack perhaps taken home, and they endlessly booze (8) |
ABS (six-pack perhaps) with (taken) IN (home) and THEy (endless) | ||
16 | SUSPENSE | Half-sure Elizabethan writer curtailed feature of plot? (8) |
SUre (half of) and SPENSEr (English writer, curtailed) | ||
17 | THROW RUG | Worth playing sport on good floor covering (5,3) |
anagram (playing) of THROW on RU (Rugby Union, sport) and G (good) | ||
19 | FITS UP | Supplies suit sample (4,2) |
FIT (suit) and SUP (drink, sample) | ||
20 | COCOON | Two businesses operating secure site (6) |
CO CO (company twice, two businesses) with ON (operating) | ||
21 | HAUNCH | Ate midday meal? Daughter left out piece of meat (6) |
HAd LUNCH (ate midday meal) missing D (daughter) |
definitions are underlined
I write these posts to help people get started with cryptic crosswords. If there is something here you do not understand ask a question; there are probably others wondering the same thing.
For 26ac, ENERGY “go” = E plus ERG in NY?
Nice puzzle. I failed to parse 6dn..
Thanks aardvark and peedee
Also had ENERGY for 26a as peterj@1. Did think emerge at first but had a rethink. Even with all the crossers, I couldn’t think of a word that fit into 7d so used a find-the-word cheat. Grrr. On the plus side, I also learned there is a word postiche as well. A good challenge all-in-all.
ENERGY – of course. Thanks peterj and Hovis, I will fix the blog asap.
For 6 I had “by”=PAST (go by something=go past_ and IC(H)E
Very nice puzzle. Havent spotted any theme as yet
thanks all.
hi compus
Re your explanation of PASTICHE – isn’t that exactly what I have written in the blog? At 7dn rather than 6 of course 🙂
Apologies Pee Dee @ 5 I was ahead of myself replying to someone else, but wrong clue, Thanks again.Dyslexia strikes again.(it could also be the Shepherd Neame)
For 19D, by considering suit as a noun, one can get the answer KITS UP which seems more appropriate. But maybe slang from another country though
Thanks Aardvark and PeeDee
Another enjoyable puzzle from a setter that is fast becoming a favourite. Like Hovis@2, I had to use a word finder to get PASTICHE but the rest went in smoothly enough across a number of short sessions through the day.
Liked HAUNCH the best and finished with SUSPENSE and TUNDRA (hadn’t heard of the term HARD NUT as a hoodlum before).
There seems to be rather a high percentage of reversals in the across clues and I’m not sure about the cryptic grammar in 14a: wouldn’t at least “varied” be preferable to “varies”? (Probably there are more idiomatic anaginds available.)
Still an enjoyable solve, though. Thanks to Aardvark and PeeDee.
gofirstmate @9 – out of curiosity what is wrong with the grammar in 14dn? Varied is changed form in the past, varies is changing form in the present. Would not either of these do?