Duncan’s away on holiday for a month so I’m standing in back in my old slot for 4 weeks.
Phi generally has some sort of obscure ghost theme in his grids but if there is today I’ve completely missed it.
Perhaps more awake solvers can see more.
Across
1 Revelling heading North from Brazil? (7)
RIOTOUS
You could be going RIO TO U.S. heading north
5 Claim associated with scoundrel remains (7)
CADAVER
CAD – scoundrel & AVER – claim
9 Sleeping partner‘s aggrieved response about Fed getting involved (9)
BEDFELLOW
An involved FED* inside BELLOW
10 Repairs pieces and shards at last (5)
MENDS
MEN – chess pieces & last letters of (an)D (shard)S
11 Stops time? Makes a comment about that (5)
STAYS
T(ime) inside SAYS
12 Where you queue to pay also involving lines taking hours (9)
TOLLBOOTH
TO BOOT – also with two L(ines) inserted & H(ours)
14 Completely finished, he’s initially happy amongst best, having no idea where he’s headed? (3,4,3,4)
ALL OVER THE SHOP
ALL OVER – completed & HE’S & initially H(appy) inside TOP- best
17 Position of sun? Quite often I’m confused about area, with nothing further to add in (8,2,4)
EQUATION OF TIME
[O – nothing and A(rea)] inside a confused [QUITE OFTEN IM]*
21 Flirt casually addressing ruling couple? (9)
PHILANDER
The ruling couple could be PHIL the greek AND E.R. Philip has retired from Royal duties now so the clue is now even iffier.
23 Old King, in past, threatening action (5)
AGGRO
George Rex = old king in AGO – past
24 Contents of house and home mostly having money invested (5)
ROOMS
M(oney) inside most of ROOS(t)
25 Copy salesman, having story about pet (9)
REPLICATE
REP – salesman & CAT in LIE – story
26 Use of artillery sees grand religious building losing facade (7)
GUNNERY
G(rand) & a faceless (n)UNNERY
27 Russian leader still wrong about Left (7)
YELTSIN
L(eft) in YET – still & SIN – wrong
Down
1 Strong vehicle covered in decay (6)
ROBUST
A BUS inside ROT
2 Old and bald, maladjusted and eccentric (7)
ODDBALL
A maladjusted [OLD BALD]*
3 Open about cry of deterrence? That’s to go too far (9)
OVERSHOOT
SHOO inside OVERT
4 Unusually extended action has economy heading for doldrums in an instant (5,6)
SPLIT SECOND
This took a second or three to get the parsing. The SPLITS as done by dancers & ECON(omy) & the heading for D(oldrums)
5 Runs from bird or animal (3)
COW
R(uns) removed from C(r)OW
6 Protest British post-war activity? (5)
DEMOB
Well the troops were de-mobbed. DEMO – protest & B(ritish)
7 Very excited to acquire new hot artist (3,4)
VAN GOGH
V(ery) & N(ew) in AGOG – excited & H(ot)
8 Fruit came up – chap’s bringing in first of plums (8)
ROSEHIPS
ROSE- came up & first of P(lums) in HIS – chap’s
13 Mixed hypo alright for print-making (11)
LITHOGRAPHY
A mixed [HYPO ALRIGHT]*
15 Arrangement for lutes involving work for singer covering the mouth (9)
ESTUARIAL
ARIA – song inside an arranged LUTES*
16 Not quite par? Golfer unexpectedly to jump forward (8)
LEAPFROG
An unexpected [PA(r) GOLFER]*
18 Place to study bad jokes, the point of which has never been perceived (7)
UNICORN
Cryptic def in that we have never seen unicorns. UNI(versity) & CORNy jokes
19 Europeans picked up 25 down in publications (7)
MAGYARS
Hungarians mostly – 25 is RAY reversed in MAGS – publications
20 Whiskey in container on the old still (6)
POTEEN
Illegal Irish spirit – POT – container on E’EN archaic for EVEN or still
22 A key part of the theatre (5)
AISLE
A & ISLE – a key as in the Florida Keys
25 Very wet, not in a bit of sun (3)
RAY
IN removed from RA(in)Y
Thanks flashling – interesting coincidence that this one has a solution that also occurs in today’s Qaos, in almost the same position. And I can’t Spot the Theme in either.
Thank you, flashling.
I liked this theme-free Friday offering from our Antipodean setter. PHILANDER I had seen before, but not for a while, so like an old joke that you’ve half-forgotten it brought a smile. And I was pleased to find out about EQUATION OF TIME.
Thanks to Phi and good weekend to all.
Easy for a Phi I thought. Had to google ‘Equation of time’ to see to what it referred. When I entered TOLLBOOTH at 12a, it brought to mind the book ‘The Phantom Tollbooth’ which I read about 50 years ago. I remember that the main character visited the Doldrums which is mentioned in 4d. Don’t remember much else though and I doubt it is thematic.
Thanks to Phi and flashling.
Yes, we enjoyed this and finished fairly quickly. Theme-wise we couldn’t see anything either unless EQUATION OF TIME giving the position of the sun is a nod to today being the equinox.
A lot of good clues, with RIOTOUS and UNICORN vying for CoD.
Thanks, Phi and flashling.