Thanks to Armonie for the Monday morning workout.
Both GOOD REPAIR and MEERSCHAUM were quite impressive anagrams. Admittedly, MEERSCHAUM is a new one for us. Mostly quite a straightforward puzzle this morning with quite a few easy write-ins. Some of the more challenging clues include HILARITY, BILLPOSTER, KNEE DEEP, VENDETTA and STEVEDORE. Thanks again Armonie!
Across
1 Arrange a poor dirge for one not kept in this (4,6)
GOOD REPAIR
(A POOR DIRGE)* (*arrange) &lit
7 Splinter dead wood (4)
DASH
D (dead) + ASH (wood)
9 Star found in an active galaxy (4)
VEGA
[act]VE GA[laxy] (found in)
10 Publicist gets boy appointment with the queen (10)
BILLPOSTER
BILL (boy) + POST (appointment) with ER (the queen)
11 Scholar keeps a place in the country (6)
PANAMA
PA (scholar, Physician Assistant) keeps A + ‘NAM (a place)
12 Veteran reservists brought about about conclusion of feud (8)
VENDETTA
VET (veteran) + TA (reservists) brought about about END (conclusion)
13 Staff curse clothing (8)
MENSWEAR
MEN (staff) + SWEAR (curse)
15 Container holds rare wine (4)
PORT
POT (container) holds R (rare)
17 Kreisler holds the key (4)
ISLE
[kre]ISLE[r] (holds)
19 A girl eats it for amusement (8)
HILARITY
HILARY (a girl) eats IT
22 Require to be in castle when very involved (4-4)
KNEE DEEP
NEED (require) to be in KEEP (castle)
23 Use drug money with trick (6)
EMPLOY
E (drug) + M (money) with PLOY (trick)
25 Angry about many a fashion being over the top (10)
IMMODERATE
IRATE (angry) about M (many) + MODE (fashion)
26 Some poker tournament put back to March (4)
TREK
[po]KER T[ournament] (some, <put back)
27 Queen removed cross from extension (4)
ANNE
ANNE[x] (extension, removed cross (X))
28 Pipe disintegrates each summer (10)
MEERSCHAUM
(EACH SUMMER)* (*disintegrates)
Down
2 Ring TV detective with energy to frighten (7)
OVERAWE
O (ring) + VERA (TV detective) + W (with) + E (energy)
3 Shot a scene (5)
DRAMA
Double definition
4 One clasping English maiden needs a stiff drink (8)
EMBRACER
E (English) + M (maiden) needs BRACER (a stiff drink)
5 Finished article on location in disarray (3,4,3,5)
ALL OVER THE PLACE
ALL OVER (finished) + THE (article) + PLACE (location)
6 Engineers imprisoned feel remorse (6)
REPENT
RE (engineers) + PENT (imprisoned)
7 Pluto’s mood causing complaint (9)
DISTEMPER
DIS (pluto’s) + TEMPER (mood)
8 Queen supports fish processing works (7)
SMELTER
ER (queen) supports SMELT (fish)
14 Workman’s first wife died in shop (9)
STEVEDORE
EVE (first wife) + D (died) in STORE (shop)
16 Kippers on the railway (8)
SLEEPERS
Double definition
18 He induces sleep with morphine, initially in the sanatorium (7)
SANDMAN
AND (with) + M[orphine] (initially) in the SAN (sanatorium)
20 Foreign god of thunder gets water for US writer (7)
THOREAU
THOR (foreign god) gets EAU (water)
21 Sappers consider rescue (6)
REDEEM
RE (sappers) + DEEM (consider)
24 The way to capture Conservative area (5)
PATCH
PATH (the way) to capture C (Conservative)
For 11ac I had MALAYA ie. ma (scholar) around a lay (a place).
Thansks setter and blogger.
Steven @1: Yes, I think your parsing is probably what the setter had intended. Of course “Malaya” has not existed as a country since 1963, but in comparison my version is probably a bit of a stretch.
I too had MALAYA.
Thanks both. I parsed 3d as DRAM+A = scene. I could not parse 7d as I do not get Di’s = Pluto”s; please enlighten me!
John @4. Yes, that works for 3d! The apostrophe was a typo, sorry. DIS is the Roman god of the underworld also called DIS PATER. Pluto being an equivalent.
Thanks Teacow.
Re 11a: Canada? Panama? Malaya? Bahama?
I guessed Bahama.Couldn’t really see why any were correct but thought Ham was an old name for village and a common suffix.
FOI SLEEPERS, LOI SMELTER. Quite easy this one with no GK or obscurities.
Surely must be Malaya. Clue should perhaps say “… country once.”
Thanks Armonie & Teacow.
Why is about repeated in 12 across?
Thanks Armonie and Teacow
A quick solve and was another with MALAYA and DRAM A. Don’t know if I was all that convinced with 20d – thought it would be more like ‘god of thunder gets foreign water’.
Nothing else of note … and finished with EMBRACER (and a term for a drink that I hadn’t seen before) and that MALAYA as the last one in, with an eye half-cocked!
I thought DISTEMPER was derived that Pluto is a Disney dog and therefore the double definition of bad temper with a dog’s disease.