Independent on Sunday 1608 Poins

Thank you to Poins. Definitions are underlined in the clues.

Across

1. Likable general speaking after pressure to confess (8)

PLEASING : [Homophone of(… speaking) “Lee”(Robert E., Confederate general during the American Civil War) placed after(after) P(symbol for “pressure” in physics)] plus(to) SING(slang for “to confess”).

5. Boss at satellite TV production company (6)

STUDIO : STUD(a boss/a raised piece on the centre of a shield) + IO(a moon/satellite of Jupiter).

9. Native American back in factory showing peevish impatience (8)

PETULANT : Reversal of(… back) UTE(a member of a Native American people) contained in(in) PLANT(a factory/an industrial works).

10. Culmination of attempt to pursue secretary brought about by drugs (6)

APOGEE : Reversal of(… brought about) [GO(an attempt/a try) plus(to pursue/to chase in a right to left direction) PA(abbrev. for “personal assistant”/a secretary)] plus(by) EE(2 x abbrev. for “Ecstasy”, the drug).

Defn: …/a climax.

12. Less widely known rule on poison copper ignored (5)

RARER : R(abbrev. for “rule”) placed after(on) “curare”(a poison derived from some South American plants) minus(… ignored) “Cu”(symbol for the chemical element, copper).

13. Strongly criticise erotica produced by former partner (9)

EXCORIATE : Anagram of(… produced) EROTICA placed after(by) EX(former partner).

14. Two bodies of water both short of fish (6)

TARPON : Last letters, respectively, deleted from(Two … both short) [“tarn”(body of water/a small mountain lake) and “pond”(a small body of still water)]

16. Tug at boot with wife cracking up (7)

TOWBOAT : Anagram of(… cracking up) [AT BOOT plus(with) W(abbrev. for “wife”)].

19. Check company books with Rob endlessly (7)

CONTROL : CO(abbrev. for “company”/a commercial concern) + NT(abbrev. for the New Testament, collection of books in the Bible) plus(with) “roll”(to rob someone, typically when they’re drunk or asleep) minus its last letter(endlessly).

21. Bronwen regularly invading my secret place (6)

CORNER : 2nd, 4th and 6th letters of(… regularly) “Bronwen” contained in(invading) COR!(like “my!”, an expression of surprise).

23. A random charge on port (9)

ANCHORAGE : A + anagram of(random) CHARGE ON.

Defn: … in Alaska.

25. Told to go in conversation with guide (5)

SCENT : Homophone of(… in conversation with) “sent”(told to go, as in “he was sent there”).

Defn: That which can be used as a guide/trail in a search for something.

26. Exhaust horse during show (6)

BEGGAR : GG(or gee-gee/a horse in children’s or colloquial speech) contained in(during) BEAR(to show/to display, as in “to bear the team’s colours”.

Defn: …/deplete, say, the resources of someone until he/she becomes as impoverished as a beggar.

27. Brilliant odds against Close wearing a hat (8)

SPLENDID : SP(abbrev. for “starting prices”, the latest odds offered by books at the start of a horse race) plus(against) [END(close/finish) contained in(wearing) LID(informal term for a hat).

Defn: …/excellent!

28. Not as strict when that’s accepted by Her Maj (6)

EASIER : [AS(when, as in “as you enter, look around”) + IE(abbrev. for “id est”/that is)] contained in(accepted by) ER(“Elizabeth Regina”, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth).

29. Extremely stylish suit (2,6)

IN SPADES : IN(stylish/fashionable) + SPADES(one of the 4 suits in a deck of playing cards).

Defn: …/having very much or many, as in “they won at the races, in spades”.

Down

1. Lichtenstein espoused it as an interest outside work (3,3)

POP ART : PART(an interest or involvement in, as in “to be part and parcel of the leftist movement”.

Defn: …, Roy Lichtenstein, American pop artist, that is.

2. Start with money to maintain Anglesey’s principal harbour (9)

ENTERTAIN : ENTER(to start in/to join in, as in “he entered the work force as a temp” plus(with) TIN(slang for money) containing(to maintain) 1st letter of(…’s principal) “Anglesey“.

Defn: …/to keep/have in mind, as in “to entertain grudges from long ago”.

3. Schoolboy possibly rejecting award from The Sun (5)

SOLAR : “scholar”(an example of which/possibly, is a schoolboy) minus(rejecting) “CH”(post-nominal letters for one who has been awarded the “Order of the Companions of Honour”)

4. Grandma eager to find a hard-wearing fabric (7)

NANKEEN : NAN(an informal term for one’s grandma) + KEEN(eager/enthusiastic).

6. Kitty turned up with an artist of the highest standing (3-6)

TOP-DRAWER : Reversal of(… turned up, in a down clue) POT(the kitty/pool to be won in a gambling game like poker) plus(with)DRAWER(an artist/a producer of a drawing or design).

7. Follow most of Chinese revolutionary’s code of principles (5)

DOGMA : DOG(to follow/to tail) + “Mao”(Zedong, once Chairman of the PRC/Chinese revolutionary) minus its last letter(most of …).

8. Cast to repeat light-hearted theatrical production (8)

OPERETTA : Anagram of(Cast) TO REPEAT.

11. Second bed tax (4)

SCOT : S(abbrev. for “second” in time notation) + COT(a small bed, usually for children).

15. Managed to replace filter (9)

PERCOLATE : Anagram of(Managed) TO REPLACE.

Defn: …, as with (not instant) coffee.

17. Began to admit part in allowing free expressions of opinion (4-5)

OPEN-ENDED : OPENED(began/started, say, a business) containing(to admit) END(either extreme part of, say, a rope).

Defn: … as with, say, unrestricted and broad discussions.

18. Scratch from game (8)

SCRABBLE : Double defn: 2nd: The board word game.

20. Helping to make Bale analogy unproductive (4)

LEAN : Hidden in(Helping to make) “Bale analogy“.

Defn: …/yielding nothing or little.

21. Lower the reputation of revolutionary American writer (7)

CHEAPEN : CHE(Guevara, Argentinian revolutionary) + A(abbrev. for “American”) + PEN(something to write with/a writer).

22. On bad terms with Dorothy over splitting bills (2,4)

AT ODDS : Reversal of(… over, in a down clue) DOT(diminutive for the name, Dorothy) contained in(splitting) ADS(short for “advertisements”/promotional posters/bills).

24. Imprisons Catholic girl heartlessly (5)

CAGES : C(abbrev. for “Catholic”) + “Agnes”(a girl’s name) minus its middle letter(heartlessly).

25. Difficult actress runs away (5)

STEEP : “Streep”(Meryl, American actress) minus(… away) “r”(abbrev. for “runs” in cricket scores).

Defn: Descriptive of a difficult, say, climb.