I am again having to stand in at the last moment and so another post prepared in a hurry with the consequential possibility of errors (though I hope not).
In the interest of avoiding further delay, I have only included limited explanations in addition to the parsing. If anything needs further clarification please say.
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Across
1 Hypocrisy of twins given flag to hold (6,9)
DOUBLE STANDARDS – def. & cryptic indicator DOUBLES (twins) around (given … to hold) STANDARD (flag) : Thanks Grant @2
9 Want seaman to talk about judgment (7)
ABSENCE – AB (seaman) plus a homophone (talk about) of ‘sense’ (judgement)
10 For starters, never get huffy in game that turns with easy delivery (4,3)
LONG HOP – N[ever] G[et] H[uffy] (for starters, never get huffy) in POOL (game) reversed (that turns) – a cricket term
11 Parts of trunk road lead to city (5)
TRURO – TRU[nk] RO[ad] (parts of trunk road)
12 He had a point to make in World War 1 (9)
KITCHENER – cryptic def. – see here
13 The law allowing international to join Arsenal (9)
ORDINANCE – I (international) in (to join) ORDNANCE (arsenal)
15 Depression makes graduate misbehave (5)
BASIN – BA (graduate) SIN (misbehave)
16 Blundered, having adjourned without defendant (5)
ERRED – [def]ERRED (adjourned without defendant)
18 Got a clue – a devious one – for listing (9)
CATALOGUE – an anagram (devious) of GOT A CLUE A
20 Archivist sees Cornish pasties are off without specs! (9)
HISTORIAN – an anagram (are off) of [c]ORNI[s]H [p]A[s]TI[e]S – Edit: ‘without specs’ indicating the removal of five letters to give the anagram fodder
23 Celebrated musical note (5)
FAMED – FAME (musical) D (note)
24 Bird leaves girl, who takes instead a little air (7)
ARIETTA – [hen]RIETTA (bird leaves girl) with A replacing the bird (who takes instead a)
25 Master to resume shortly, on the main road north (7)
CONTAIN – CONT (to resume shortly) A1 (main road) N (north)
26 What hope betters that of becoming the authority? (3,6,4,2)
THE POWERS THAT BE – an anagram (that of becoming) WHAT HOPE BETTERS
Down
1 A cut in sugar drink is of great interest (4,2,4,5)
DEAR TO ONES HEART – ONE (a) SHEAR (cut) in DEAR (sugar) TOT (drink)
2 A Parisian channel is not reliable (7)
UNSOUND – UN (a Parisian) SOUND (channel)
3 Place to get approval? In your dreams! (4,2,3)
LAND OF NOD – LAND OF (place to get) NOD (approval)
4 Second town in Staffordshire rated prosperous (5)
SLEEK – S (second) LEEK (town in Staffordshire)
5 Share / some land (9)
ALLOTMENT – double def.
6 Washington singer discovered in a hostelry (5)
DINAH – hidden in ‘discovereD IN A Hostelry’ – there’s no containment indicator unless ‘discovered in’ is doing double duty – this singer
7 Puts up once more when his heartless anger erupts (7)
REHANGS – an anagram (when … erupts) of H[i]S (his heartless) ANGER
8 Administration for under ten pence is preposterous (15)
SUPERINTENDENCE – an anagram (preposterous) of UNDER TEN PENCE IS
14 Wink at songbird after opening time in French resort (9)
NICTITATE – TIT (songbird) A[fter] (after opening) T (time) in NICE (French resort)
15 Nonsense, Flipper is champion passerine (9)
BULLFINCH – BULL (nonsense) FIN (flipper) CH (champion)
17 Moratorium on hatred (7)
RESPITE – RE (on) SPITE (hatred)
19 Sportsperson who’ll do a turn on the floor (7)
GYMNAST – (not so) cryptic def.
21 Overcome being dismissed at work (5)
OUTDO – OUT (dismissed) DO (work)
22 Knocks off / coolers? (5)
NICKS – double def.
Thanks to Hamilton and Gaufrid. I needed help parsing BULLFINCH and did not know the iconic KITCHENER image but only the US Uncle Sam version. Isn’t the ORDINANCE-ordnance connection a chestnut by now? In 20ac “specs” is left out of the explanation.
Fair puzzle, with some of Hamilton’s trademark long anagrams.
Odd about Dinah, I agree. Did think it might be D[iscovered] IN A H[otel], but can find no such standard abbreviation for the D.
I think in 1a, DOUBLES (‘twins’) surrounds (‘is given to hold’) STANDARD (flag), not that it makes a huge difference.
Thanks to both.
ACD @1
I thought the removal of ‘specs’ from ‘Cornish pasties’ was self-evident from the way I displayed the anagram fodder but I have now added a note to that effect.
Grant @2
Thanks, your parsing of 1ac is obviously the correct one and I have edited the blog accordingly.
It’s only a week ago that I blogged the previous Hamilton crossword [which didn’t impress me that much] and here he is again!
Did I like it a bit more this time? Well, I started this puzzle this morning during breakfast, found about five answers (including the handy one at 1ac), then pushed it aside to have a go at Tramp. I was probably too annoyed about the lack of a proper hidden indicator in 6d – some may see this as a typical double duty thing, some may find it clever but, as I see it, it is just rather poor cluing.
And what about the anagram indicators in both 18ac and 26ac? In the former it is surely ‘devious’ but what about ‘one’ then? Is the definition perhaps ‘one for listing’? Or does Hamilton make ‘one’ part of the indicator? Perhaps, it is my English that is letting me down but I don’t get ‘that of becoming’ in 26ac? [I am happy to lose gracefully, as they say]
15d (BULLFINCH) is clearly a charade of ‘bull’, ‘fin’ and ‘ch’. But what about ‘is’ then? It’s right in the middle of the fodder. Surely not a link word.
Of course, there were a few nice clues too like 24ac (my last one in), 3d and 8d but I’m afraid 19d (GYMNAST) was not one of them.
A pity that something that’s needed for the answer in 14d, A[fter] T, is already there in the clue (the word ‘at’ just before ‘songbird’). It’s not wrong, just a bit unfortunate.
So, all in all, a real curate’s egg for me from a setter that I haven’t tried very often in the past but now met twice in a short time.
My penultimate one in was the long 1d which I actually couldn’t parse. And I didn’t make an effort either as I lacked focus. Hamilton’s style is just not polished enough for me.
Nevertheless, thanks to Hamilton for the effort (and Gaufrid for the blog (and another annoying experience? [by which I don’t mean the puzzle!]).
I liked 6d which I also parsed as a homophone for diner (hostelry)
Thanks Hamilton and Gaufrid
A rather challenging puzzle that took a couple of sessions to get out. Certainly don’t mind the ‘looseness’ of clueing as much as Sil – think of it more as a daily amusement for 30-60 minutes, rather than an exercise in the precision use of words for each clue – but we are all different – hedgehoppy was at the extreme right in this regard all those months ago ! I think the clever depth of the DINAH clue as pointed out by Cornish@5 more than makes up for the lack of ‘exactness’ in clueing grammar!
Anyway, I enjoyed it for what it was and another hour of my life dedicated to the cause of filling in a blank grid.