This was a similar experience to the last Commoner I blogged – there was one answer which took me quite some time to parse. Thanks to Commoner for a puzzle that was a bit towards the harder end of the IoS range, I thought. Definitions are underlined in the clues. [[The pictures at the bottom have unidentified links to the puzzle. Please enclose any comments on them in double brackets. Thank you.]]
Across
1 Moving letters: Dear Elle, where’s Del? (7-6)
WHEELER-DEALER : Anagram of(Moving letters) DEAR ELLE, WHERE .
Answer: Description of Derek Trotter, aka “Del Boy” in the TV series “Only Fools and Horses”.
8 Vintage clothing to begin with is rubbish (7)
GARBAGE : AGE(vintage, as of wine, say) placed after(… to begin with) GARB(clothing).
9 A French man bottling universal ointment (7)
UNGUENT : [ UN(“a” in French) + GENT(a man in English) ] containing(bottling) U(abbrev. for “universal”, as used by the British Board of Film Classification).
11 Gun – rifle – pointing the wrong way (4)
TOOL : Reversal of(pointing the wrong way) LOOT(to rifle;to steal and carry off).
Answer: British underworld slang for a gun.
12 More than one hoarding banknotes, getting fed up I hear (10)
BILLBOARDS : BILLS(in North America, pieces of paper money;notes) containing(getting) homophone of(I hear) “bored”(getting fed up with).
14 Chlorine in Italian river and air around island, in whatever proportion (6,3)
POISON GAS : [ PO(major Italian river) + SONG(an air;a musical piece for voice) ] containing(around) I(abbrev. for “island”) + AS(in whatever proportion, as used in similes – I’m not sure of this, but I think that’s an apt example of “as” = “in whatever proportion”).
Answer: Description of chlorine, an early chemical weapon.
15 Wild animal without name is heavy set? Not very (5)
HYENA : N(abbrev. for “name”) contained in(without … is …) anagram of(set) “heavy ” minus(Not) “v”(abbrev. for “very”).
17 A W-H-E-A-T? (5)
SPELT : Cryptic defn: The answer is a hardy species of “wheat”, and it also describes how the definition is presented in the clue itself.
18 Correct to embrace nobleman – retrospectively this is illuminating (4,5)
REAR LIGHT : RIGHT(correct;proper) containing(to embrace) EARL(a nobleman).
Answer: A light directed backward;retrospectively.
20 Bespoke leotard I am altering (6-4)
TAILOR-MADE : Anagram of(altering) LEOTARD I AM.
Defn: Describing clothes made according to the customer’s specifications.
22 Fixed stake in volcano, facing west (4)
ANTE : Reversal of(facing west, in an across clue) ETNA(the active volcano in Sicily).
Answer: In poker, the fixed amount each player puts into the pool before each hand.
24 Textbook on old, old card game (7)
PRIMERO : PRIMER(an introductory textbook) plus(on) O(abbrev. for “old”).
Answer: A card game played in Elizabethan England.
25 Plan to wander around Germany with a priest (4,3)
ROAD MAP : ROAM(to wander;to rove) containing(around) D(the International Vehicle Registration code for “Germany”) plus(with) A + P(abbrev. for “priest”).
26 Shocked to be beneath small lorry on Thursday (13)
THUNDERSTRUCK : UNDER(beneath;at a lower level, literally or figuratively) S(abbrev. for “small”) TRUCK(a lorry) placed after(on, in an across clue) TH(abbrev. for “Thursday”).
Down
2 Match injury unsettled, about to become terminally gangrenous (9)
HARMONISE : HARM(injury;damage) + “on ice”(unsettled;pending) with “c”(abbrev. for “circa”;about, when used with dates) replaced by(to become …) the last letter of(terminally) “gangrenous “.
3 A hairy man‘s slice of veggie sausage (4)
ESAU : Hidden in(slice of) “veggie sausage “.
Answer: The Biblical hairy man, and Hebrew for “hairy”.
4 One Pole following straightforward German writing about border flower (7,8)
EVENING PRIMROSE : I(Roman numeral for “one”) N(abbrev. for “north”, one of the geographic poles) placed under(following …, in a down clue) EVEN(straightforward;straight;even, as in a straight;even;fair fight) + G(abbrev. for “German”) + PROSE(ordinary writing, not in verse) containing(about) RIM(the border;the edge).
5 Blue Peter and Jolly Roger may express conflicting principles (6,9)
DOUBLE STANDARDS : Two;double flags;standards which the Blue Peter and the Jolly Roger are.
6 I help along foreign admirer of English (10)
ANGLOPHILE : Anagram of(foreign) I HELP ALONG.
Defn: … and, in addition, one such would normally be a foreigner to the English.
7 Prince always tours Maine (5)
EMEER : E’ER(ever;always, as in ever and ever) containing(tours) ME(abbrev. for the US state of Maine).
Answer: Also spelled “emir”, a prince in some Islamic countries.
8 Clothes stand (3,2)
GET UP : Double defn.
10 Inventor set up US city (5)
TESLA : Reversal of(up, in a down clue) + LA(abbrev. for the US city, Los Angeles).
Answer: Nikola, inventor, engineer and futurist.
13 Perhaps ironic and self-referential leader crossing Old Street, on about communist uprising (10)
POSTMODERN : [ PM(abbrev. for “Prime Minister”, government leader in some countries) containing(crossing) O(abbrev. for “old”) ST(abbrev. for “street”) ] + ON containing(about) reversal of(uprising) RED(a communist).
Answer: Describing the style in art, architecture, literature, etc. that rejects modern thought and practice, featuring elements from previous periods, and with ironic ornamentation and critiqued as contradicting itself through self-reference.
16 Well-designed, or coming unstuck after initial experimentation? (9)
ERGONOMIC : Anagram of(unstuck) OR COMING placed below(after, in a down clue) the 1st letter of(initial) “experimentation “.
Answer: Designed to minimise physical fatigue and discomfort, thus allowing maximum efficiency, eg. office furniture.
17 It is, in short, an exercise! (3-2)
SIT-UP : A reverse clue (the answer could be a wordplay for the wordplay in the clue): Reversal of(… UP) SIT = ‘TIS(in short;contraction of, “it is”).
19 Idiot heads to town when everyone remains put (5)
TWERP : The respective 1st letters of (heads to) “town when everyone remains put “.
21 Watch Sirius somewhat to the north of Hibernia (5)
IRISH : Hidden in(somewhat) reversal of(to the north, in a down clue) “Watch Sirius“.
Answer: Of Ireland, named Hibernia in Latin and also poetically.
23 Fine tune and clean (4)
FAIR : F(abbrev. for “fine”) AIR(a short tune).
Answer: Honest, as in “a clean;fair fight”.
===============================================================================
For answer to Pic2 please click here, Pic5 here, Pic6 here (a link by contrast).
I thought this was an enjoyable solve, and I agree that there have certainly been easier IoS puzzles.
I agree with your parsing of 14ac. HARMONISE was my LOI after BILLBOARDS and POSTMODERN, all of which were excellent clues.
I often don’t really get on with IoS puzzles, quite possibly because I do Azed first but I rather liked this one.
[[Apart from the third and the last which would seem to be Tesla (or uncharitably 19d) linked, I can’t see the links to Simon and Garfunkel, some US coins or Marriage Italian Style, no idea about the rugger ball or who the young lady is either.]]
[[sidey, yes, those are the experimental Tesla Tower, and car made by Tesla Motors. He may have been eccentric and far out, but he was responsible for some significant inventions.]]
[[The bullion coins must represent DOUBLE STANDARDS (gold and silver), and Simon and Garfunkel sand Scarbourough FAIR. No idea either as to the ball, girl or Marriage Italian Style.]]
[is the young lady a Miss Tailor? ]]
[[Right, Ian SW3, about FAIR and the DOUBLE STANDARDS of some currencies. sidey, young lady’s name does sound like “tailor”. I’ve added links to the answers beneath the pics.]]