It makes a change to know in advance that I am going to cover a particular puzzle, rather than having to write a post at the last minute, and this is a temporary return to what used to be my regular Wednesday FT slot.
Having solved 1ac and 9dn, I did wonder if there was going to be a theme centered around signs of the zodiac but there isn’t. However, these two, along with 11ac, 16ac, 19dn 22dn and 23dn, can all be associated with the month of April.
I thought for a while that there might also be a Nina in the central row and column which appear to contain real words or acronyms but if there is I cannot make any sense of it.
Across
1 He’s been removed from dictionary, the beast (6)
TAURUS – T[hes]AURUS (he’s been removed from dictionary)
4 Flower water put in sticky paste (5,3)
SWEET PEA – WEE (water) in anagram (sticky) of PASTE
10 Injure retreating salesman: run for it (7)
SCARPER – SCAR (injury) REP (salesman) reversed (retreating)
11 Washes over groups of slovenly people (7)
SHOWERS – double def.
12 About to request a container (4)
CASK – C (about) ASK (to request)
13 King George is back in Aberdeen perhaps, finding somewhere to drink (4,6)
BEER GARDEN – GR (King George) reversed (back) in anagram (perhaps) of ABERDEEN
16 Bound to start at the beginning (6)
SPRING – triple def.
17 Bravery shown when drunken plastic surgeon removes splints (7)
COURAGE – anagram (drunken) of [pl]A[sti]C [s]URGEO[n]
20 Small type of stone (7)
DIAMOND – double def.
21 Movement that saw some take work in (3,3)
POP ART – OP (work) in PART (some)
24 Irregularity Lincoln’s helping to hide, right? (10)
ABERRATION – R (right) in ABE (Lincoln) RATION (helping)
25 Yes, Percy’s first; first on duty (4)
PAYE – P[ercy] AYE (yes)
27 Attempt a fitting trick (3,2,2)
TRY IT ON – double def.
29 More crazy about the Opel Rio! (7)
LOOPIER – anagram (about) of OPEL RIO
30 Taken to be unforthcoming (8)
RESERVED – double def.
31 Take it when you’re committed (6)
PLUNGE – cryptic def.
Down
1 Precedent established over EEC stats (4,4)
TEST CASE – anagram (over) of EEC STATS
2 Modest girl’s rest I’ve disturbed (11)
UNASSERTIVE – UNA’S (girl’s) anagram (disturbed) of REST I’VE
3 How Mr Lyttleton contained his doubt (4)
UMPH – [h]UMPH[rey] (Lyttleton)
5 Clean up place where dust fills a wide area (8)
WASHROOM – ASH (dust) in W (wide) ROOM (area)
6 Environmentalist fight for 2016 Olympics run by Coe – not well – initially (3-7)
ECO WARRIOR – anagram (not well) of COE WAR (fight) RIO (2016 Olympics) R (run)
7 Tart is oddly pricey (3)
PIE – P[r]I[c]E[y]
8 Agree to how it was issued (6)
ASSENT – AS (how) SENT (it was issued)
9 Birds leaving Canada behind; it’s a sign (5)
ARIES – [can]ARIES
14 Dog-tired, Anna, having lost Pole, suffered humiliation (11)
DEGRADATION – anagram (suffered) of DOG-TIRED AN[n]A
15 Counter that Eastern Union needs time to start referendum (10)
ENUMERATOR – E (Eastern) NUM (Union {National Union of Mineworkers}) ERA (time) TO R[eferendum]
18 Example of fashionable point of view (8)
INSTANCE – IN (fashionable) STANCE (point of view)
19 This hero takes the road followed by six Kings (2,6)
ST GEORGE – ST (road) GEORGE (six Kings)
22 Premier English flower festival (6)
EASTER – E[nglish) ASTER (flower)
23 Tricks SFO under pressure to hold old lecturer (5)
FOOLS – O (old) L (lecturer) in anagram (under pressure) of SFO
26 Introducing mobster’s overtly lovely lady! (4)
MOLL – M[obster’s] O[vertly] L[ovely] L[ady]
28 Certainly polyester contains it (3)
YES – hidden in ‘polYESter’