Please accept my apologies for being a little bit behind with this one. A full blog post will replace this once I get back from helping 75+ kids run around a park and get some coffee inside me.
Admin: I don’t know what has prevented Simon from returning. I have added an analysis of the clues but will leave it up to others to comment on them.
Across
1 Order toast and get no end of it (6)
CHARGE – CHAR (toast) GE[t] (get no end of it)
4 Famous ostrich I trained (8)
HISTORIC – an anagram (trained) of OSTRICH I
9 Recently allowed back in bed (6)
LATELY – LET (allowed) reversed (back) in LAY (bed)
10 Rugs get woven – around 50 fray (8)
STRUGGLE – an anagram (woven) of RUGS GET around L (50)
12 Clear up wine after a change of heart (5)
SOLVE – SOaVE (wine) with the middle letter replaced (after a change of heart)
13 Call box almost unreal! (9)
TELEPHONE – TELE (box) PHONE[y] (almost unreal)
14 Post letter? (11)
APPLICATION – cryptic def. alluding to applying for a job
18 Gussets go in pants, creating whiffs (11)
SUGGESTIONS – an anagram (pants) of GUSSETS GO IN
21 Fake article possessed by Nitsy upset Conservative (9)
SYNTHETIC – THE (article) in (possessed by) an anagram (upset) of NITSY followed by C (Conservative)
23 Country‘s two rivers (5)
RURAL – R (river) URAL (river)
24 Worry about heartless queen’s visit (8)
FREQUENT – FRET (worry) around (about) QU[e]EN (heartless queen)
25 Easy to get hospital department to follow infection (6)
FLUENT – ENT (hospital department) after (to follow) FLU (infection)
26 Freedom to celebrate catching birdie by its tail (8)
LATITUDE – LAUD (to celebrate) around (catching) TIT (birdie) plus [birdi]E (its tail)
27 Shutter that’s closed at night? (6)
EYELID – cryptic def.
Down
1 Heads of coven secretly do plan evil, bitter spell (4,4)
COLD SNAP – an anagram (evil) of C[oven] S[ecretly] DO PLAN
2 Animal‘s inclination to toss head and run away (8)
ANTELOPE – [c]ANT (inclination to toss head) ELOPE (run away)
3 Good assortment of art (mostly) I’ll see here? (9)
GALLERIES – G (good) plus an anagram of (assortment of) AR[t] I’LL SEE with an extended def.
5 Mind telling niece off? (12)
INTELLIGENCE – an anagram (off) of TELLING NIECE
6 Truths half-hidden by politician? This could create a stink (5)
TRUMP – TRU[ths) (truths half-hidden) MP (politician)
7 African country’s uprising checking over district (6)
REGION – NIGER (African country) reversed (uprising) around (checking) O (over)
8 Unite after revolutionary gives ground (6)
CHEWED – WED (unite) after CHE (revolutionary)
11 Stood up distressed when caught (12)
STRAIGHTENED – sounds like (when caught) ‘straitened’ (distressed)
15 Nudist removing bottom half in front of gathering, as might be expected (9)
NATURALLY – NATU[rist] (nudist removing bottom half) RALLY (gathering)
16 One’s pressed for a face-to-face meeting (8)
DOORBELL – cryptic def.
17 Individual one harshly criticised, without love (8)
ISOLATED – I (one) SLATED (harshly criticised) around (without) O (love)
19 Effective American fuel raising energy (6)
USEFUL – US (American) EFUL (fuel raising energy)
20 Where camper might be fixed (6)
INTENT – IN TENT (where camper might be)
22 Regularly visit hospital with relative (5)
HAUNT – H (hospital) AUNT (relative)
Feel I have to ask – is a blog going to appear?
Don’t want to tread on anyone’s toes but if a substitute blog is needed I can supply if someone can let me know how to submit it.
allan_c
Thanks for the offer but I will add an analysis of the clues just as soon as I can type it up (if Simon hasn’t returned by then).
A bit more challenging than some Sunday solves but enjoyable all the same.
Re 6dn: ‘Trump’ in this sense is to break wind. Any implied comment on the current White House occupant I will leave to others.
Thanks, Nitsy and Gaufrid, and hope Simon’s OK.
I like a bit of rudery in crosswords – sit down at the back, Hoskins! – but the surface for SUGGESTIONS was a bit too unpleasant for me. Clever wordplay, though.
A pity this kind of fell through the net, because it was a good one. Even though they are straight anagram constructions, I really liked HISTORIC and INTELLIGENCE.