Some tricky cluing today leading to a slow start, but once I got going the grid was very helpful. Favourites were 9ac, 27ac, 6dn, 8dn, and 23dn. Thanks to Nutmeg for the fun puzzle.
| Across | ||
| 1 | PRIMARY COLOURS | Standard applied to first US election, of which there are three (7,7) |
| “Standard” as a in a flag = COLOURS; added after PRIMARY=”first [round of a] US election” | ||
| 9 | BREAK FREE | Escape in one piece? (5,4) |
| ‘break-free’=free from having any breaks=”in one piece?” | ||
| 10 | BATCH | Particular delivery, necessity for cricket, voided catch (5) |
| BAT=”necessity for cricket” + CatcH “voided” i.e. with its insides removed | ||
| 11 | ISTLE | Fibre for carpet tiles recycled (5) |
| =a Mexican plant fibre (tiles)* |
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| 12 | OVERTHROW | Best or worst contribution to innings? (9) |
| =”Best” as a verb meaning to get the better of, overcome also =a bad contribution to a cricket innings, where the fielding team gives away extra runs due to a poor throw |
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| 13 | SLYBOOTS | Fox repelled by digging into waste matter (8) |
| =a cunning or tricky person BY inside STOOLS=”waste matter”; all reversed/”repelled” |
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| 14 | GETS ON | Manages boards (4,2) |
| double definition | ||
| 17 | E-BOOKS | Recurrent award shows approval of eco-friendly publishing (1-5) |
| OBE=Order of the British Empire=”award” reversed/”recurrent”; plus OKS=gives the OK=”shows approval” | ||
| 19 | JUMBO JET | Flyer rejected assignment in space during project (5,3) |
| JOB=”assignment” in EM=a unit of “space” in printing; all reversed/”rejected” and inside JUT=”project” | ||
| 22 | KEEP STILL | Order to freeze work on fortifications (4,5) |
| TILL the soil=”work” after KEEPS=”fortifications” | ||
| 24 | LATTE | Hot drink, second of two almost finished (5) |
| LATTEr=”second of two” without its finishing letter | ||
| 25 | NAIRN | Port on the Moray Firth making appearance in news (5) |
| AIR=a person’s manner or “appearance” in two “new-s” N and N | ||
| 26 | KNOW-IT-ALL | Wise guy currently packing gear for both sides (4-2-3) |
| NOW=”currently” inside KIT=”gear” + ALL as in ‘the football score is one all’=”for both sides” | ||
| 27 | BEWARE OF THE DOG | Barking ‘woof’, eg, breathed apt warning (6,2,3,3) |
| (woof eg breathed)* | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | PUBLIC SPEAKING | Ordinary folk are reaching the top, something MPs must get used to? (6,8) |
| PUBLIC’S PEAKING=”Ordinary folk are reaching the top” | ||
| 2 | INERTLY | Cross try line, giving no reaction (7) |
| (try line)* | ||
| 3 | ANKLE SOCK | Lose knack winding short bit of hose (5,4) |
| (Lose knack)* | ||
| 4 | YARMOUTH | Lad collaring member for IOW town (8) |
| =a town on the Isle of Wight YOUTH=”Lad” around ARM=”member” |
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| 5 | OPENER | Utensil for cook with less guile? (6) |
| OPEN-ER as in ‘more open’=”with less guile?” | ||
| 6 | ORBIT | Brief biography covering the start of Russian Revolution (5) |
| OBITuary=”biography”, shortened/”Brief” and around the starting letter of Russian | ||
| 7 | RETORTS | Answers used by chemists? (7) |
| double definition, the second referring to vessels used for the heating and distillation of chemicals | ||
| 8 | SHOWING THE FLAG | What Blue Peter presenter is presumably doing patriotically? (7,3,4) |
| the “Blue Peter” is a flag, someone presenting it would be SHOWING THE FLAG | ||
| 15 | EMBELLISH | Deck me up rather like a Brontë sister? (9) |
| ME reversed/”up” + BELL-ISH=”rather like a Brontë sister”, who wrote under male pseudonyms with the surname Bell | ||
| 16 | BULLY OFF | Tough side on field for start of match (5,3) |
| =a way of starting play in hockey BULLY=”Tough” + OFF=the bat-hand side for a cricket field |
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| 18 | ONE-TIME | Former England 5 comes in promptly (3-4) |
| E=”England OPENER” using the solution to 5dn; inside ON TIME=”promptly” | ||
| 20 | JUTLAND | Son’s left recently to settle WWI conflict (7) |
| =a naval battle in WWI s (Son) leaving JUsT=”recently” + LAND=”settle” |
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| 21 | TICKLE | It’s said parasitic insect will irritate the skin (6) |
| Sounds like/”It’s said”: tick’ll=tick will=”parasitic insect will” [though a tick isn’t an insect…] |
||
| 23 | SENNA | Lady’s laid up? This should get her going (5) |
| =a plant used for its laxative effects ANNE’S=”Lady’s” reversed/”laid up” |
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