Independent 11,265 by Serpent

Hi everyone.  Serpent never fails to delight and this got my day off to a very good start indeed.  Thanks Serpent!

I thought that the hidden clues were nicely done, and have to applaud the clever ROSEBOWL in 4d.  In fact, many of the down clues made it onto my shortlist for special mention: 8, 16, 20, and more.

Serpent likes to include some extra feature of interest in the grid for solvers to find, but I am found wanting today as I can’t see a thing.  Over to you! …

… and Hovis @1 has it: down answers contain FEATHERED FRIENDS.

 

Definitions are underlined in the clues below.  In the explanations, quoted indicators are in italics, explicit [deletions] are in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER.  For clarity, I omit most link words and some juxtaposition indicators.

 

Across

1a & 1d    Those who tweet probably exploit deaths after that woman fired at random (9,7)
FEATHERED FRIENDS
FEAT (exploit), then ENDS (deaths) after HER (that woman) and an anagram of (… at random) FIRED

6a    Job limits I assume to be valid (5)
POSIT
POST (job) goes around (limits) I

9a    Threatens lives, including writer screened by doctor (7)
IMPENDS
IS (lives) containing (including) PEN (writer), which is in turn inside (screened by) MD (doctor)

10a   Snake found round central Africa that’s hit with sticks (7)
MARIMBA
MAMBA (snake) found round the middle part of (central) AfRIca

11a   Part of revolutionary masterpiece inspired the role of Sonya in Uncle Vanya? (5)
NIECE
She is hidden in part of the reversal of (revolutionary) masterpiECE INspired

12a   Airline carried out check on boarding passengers? (9)
BARRICADE
BA (airline) + an anagram of (… out) CARRIED

13a   Withdraw favourites experiencing setback and at a disadvantage (4,4)
STEP DOWN
PETS (favourites) reversed (experiencing setback) + DOWN (at a disadvantage)

15a   Go mad about absolutely nothing, requiring return fare from Asia (6)
PILAFF
FLIP (go mad) around (about) FA (absolutely nothing), all needing to be reversed (requiring return)

18a   Difficult American singer welcomes publicity (6)
BADASS
BASS (singer) surrounds (welcomes) AD (publicity)

19a   Reporter’s losing consciousness performing deceptive move (8)
FEINTING
Spoken aloud this sounds like (reporter’s) FAINTING (losing consciousness)

22a   Assembling people finally to join essential syndicate (9)
MUSTERING
The last letter of (… finally) peoplE is to go next to (to join) MUST (essential), then we have RING (syndicate)

24a   Country making substantial contribution to Afghan army (5)
GHANA
The answer is inside (making substantial contribution to) AfGHAN Army

25a   Fruit you said female insect eats (4,3)
SHEA NUT
U (you said), which SHE (female) ANT (insect) swallows or eats

26a   Evasive performer greeting entertaining double-act returning home (7)
HOUDINI
HI (greeting) surrounding (entertaining) DUO (double-act) reversed (returning) + IN (home)

27a   Greens unfortunately brought about start of devolution (5)
SALAD
ALAS (unfortunately) reversed (brought about) + the first letter of (start of) Devolution

28a   Earmark handler for stolen jewellery? (4-5)
RING-FENCE
A RING-FENCE could be used to mean a fence for rings!

 

Down

1d    See 1 Across

2d    Understand what result underpins program run (9)
APPREHEND
The combination of EH (what) and END (result) goes under (underpins) APP (program) and R (run)

3d    New religious establishment supports empty hermitage from now on (5)
HENCE
N (new) and CE (religious establishment) is beneath (supports) the outer letters only of (empty) HermitagE

4d    What might contain arrangement of unopened flowers possessing strong smell? (8)
ROSEBOWL
An anagram (arrangement) of fLOWERS without the first letter (… unopened) containing BO (strong smell)

5d    Modest dissent over committee’s conclusion (6)
DEMURE
DEMUR (dissent) preceding (over, in a down entry) committeE’s last letter (conclusion)

6d    Screen role not originally included is recast (9)
PARTITION
PART (role) + an anagram of (… recast) NOT with the initial letters of (originally) Included Is

7d    Country in South America close to Mexico and America (5)
SAMOA
S (south) + AM (America) + the last letter of (close to) MexicO + A (America)

8d    Eastender who takes small part in reviving production? (3,4)
TEA LEAF
Two definitions.  Tea leaf is Cockney Rhyming Slang for thief

14d   Made out nothing is missing from considered broadcast (9)
DISCERNED
O (nothing) is missing from an anagram of (… broadcast) C[o]NSIDERED

16d   Article writer’s submitted to Country Life (9)
ANIMATION
A (article) + I’M (writer’s) inserted into (submitted to) NATION (country)

17d   Increase number entering stage immediately (8)
LENGTHEN
N (number) going into (entering) LEG (stage) + THEN (immediately)

18d   Collaborative meeting involving problem about last of maths puzzles (7)
BEMUSES
BEE (collaborative meeting) including (involving) SUM (problem) reversed (about) + the final letter of (last of) mathS

20d   Hard Rock Cafe’s last rating needs to be changed (7)
GRANITE
CafE‘s last letter and RATING needs to be anagrammed (changed)

21d   Laugh about leaders of The Third International trying to make a comeback (6)
TITTER
RE (about) and the first letters of (leaders of) The Third International Trying, all backwards (to make a comeback)

23d   Appropriate strength of character shown by speaker (5)
STEAL
STEEL (strength of character), homophone (shown by speaker)

24d   Surly Republican spreads nonsense (5)
GRUFF
R (Republican) goes inside and hence spreads GUFF (nonsense)