[New comment layout] - details here
My commitments to a girlfriend in California and a Test Match in India mean that I’m either up late or up early, depending on your perspective. In any event, I’m here and blogging before the real-life pink ‘uns have even hit the news-stands.
Jason is a new setter for me, I think. I can’t say this puzzle drove me wild with excitement – a few too many hoary old chestnuts, thoughtlessly deployed – but several nice touches and, aside from the one or two clues I struggled to parse, no real complaints.
ACROSS
1. SEAWATER Anagram of wet areas
5. SMACKS M [Monsieur] within sacks [fires]
9. AMPHIBIA Cryptic definition, I suppose? The Latin translates as by sea, by land, and some members of the order amphibia croak…
10. ESTEEM Es [French – and therefore Parisian – for are] + teem [burst at the seams]
12. PERSEVERE Per [a, as in tuppence a bag] + severe [stern]
13. YOKEL Yoke [yolk, what’s inside egg – I don’t see how the non-standard spelling is justified] + l(ust)
14. CHAT C [circa, about] + hat [bowler]
16. PRESENT P [pawn] + resent [object to]
19. INFERNO N [indefinite number] within anagram of on fire
21. RASP (G)rasp [get]
24. EMEND Men [(chess) pieces] within ed [editor]
25. ARMISTICE Reversal of its within anagram of Crimea
27. CADDIE Cad [rat] + die [go west] – ‘help’ seems a rather broad definition
28. MANIFEST Man [bloke] + I + Fe [chemical symbol of iron] + st [stumped, in cricket]
29. DIRGES Reversal of s [society] + e.g. [for example] + rid [free]
30. RECENTLY Cent [brass, money] within rely [bank]
DOWN
1. SNAPPY Nap [down, soft fur] within spy [secret agent]
2. ASPIRE A + p [page] within sire [master]
3. AGILE GI [soldier] within ale [booze]
4. EMINENT Mine [source of wealth] within ENT [Ear, Nose and Throat, hospital department]
6. MUSHY PEAS Shy [timid] + anagram of ape within reversal of sum [tot]
7. CHEEKIER Double definition
8. SIMULATE I [one] + mu [Greek character] within slate [abuse]
11. KEEP Double definition (though only barely)
15. HARD DRIVE Hard [tough] + Dr [doctor] + I + v [see??] + E [musical key]
17. SILENCED Anagram of licensed
18. OFFENDER End [finish] within offer [tender]
20. OPAL Op [opus, work] + a + l [large]
21. RAMPAGE R [right] + amp [ampére, measure of current] + age [season]
22. DIVERT Diver [grebe, diving bird] + (boa)t
23. GENTRY G [grand] + entry [number of entrants in a race]
26. SLICE S [small] + lice [parasites]
Ringo
Re 15d
v is an abbreviation for vide (Latin for ‘see’)