A lovely sunny morning, and the usual excellent offering from Redshank. Hurrah. Some excellent definitions here (though 20dn fell a little flat with me), and much splendidly inventive clueing. Thank-you, Redshank.
| Across | ||
| 1 | CASBAH | Graduate chops bread in Arab quarter (6) |
| BA [Bachelor of Arts, graduate] within cash [bread] | ||
| 5 | GARROTTE | Apply throttle, change gear, keeping right over the top (8) |
| R [right] OTT [over the top] within anagram of gear | ||
| 9 | INTACT | It’s not broken so it can’t hurt (6) |
| Anagram of it can’t | ||
| 10 | APPROACH | What happens before landing a very soft fish (8) |
| A pp [pianissimo, very quiet] roach [fish] | ||
| 11 | BEHEMOTH | Big corporation fliers capture hearts (8) |
| H [hearts] within bee moth [fliers] | ||
| 12 | RUDDER | Main director’s looking healthier with one on board (6) |
| Ruddier [healthier] minus I [one] | ||
| 13 | OPAH | She runs a 15, ignoring recipe for fish (4) |
| Oprah [chat show host – see 15ac] minus r [recipe] | ||
| 15 | CHAT SHOW | In which to watch host interminably rambling? (4,4) |
| Anagram of watch hos(t) | ||
| 18 | HONEYBEE | He controls unit by backing English comb-maker (8) |
| One [unit] reversal of by E [English] within he; lovely definition | ||
| 19 | LIFT | Officer provided that parting encouragement (4) |
| If [provided that] within Lt [lieutenant, officer] | ||
| 21 | BOWLER | He flexes elbow and runs (6) |
| Anagram of elbowr [runs]; a nice &lit | ||
| 23 | INEXPERT | Amateur still retains former power (8) |
| Ex [former] p [power] within inert [still] | ||
| 25 | SINN FEIN | Party vice grips iron bar first (4,4) |
| Inn [bar] Fe [iron] within sin [vice] | ||
| 26 | MUTATE | Change amount cattle regularly cropped (6) |
| Alternate letters from aMoUnT cAtTlE | ||
| 27 | ONLOOKER | Witness seeking relief with royal couple? (8) |
| On [seeking] loo [toilet, relief] K [king] ER [Elizabeth Regina, queen] [royal couple] | ||
| 28 | TREMOR | Quake in Turkey followed by more elsewhere (6) |
| TR [Turkey] anagram of more | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | ANNIE | Musical’s sharper with no intro or finale (5) |
| (C)annie(r) [sharper] | ||
| 3 | BRAKE SHOE | British garden tools make you slower? (5,4) |
| B [British] + rakes + hoe [garden tools] | ||
| 4 | HATBOX | Botham mostly bats No 10 for 21’s protection |
| Anagram of botha(m) X [10] | ||
| 5 | GRAPHIC DESIGNER | Greek chap I trained foolishly resigned as illustrator (7,8) |
| Gr [Greek] anagram of chap I anagram of resigned | ||
| 6 | RIPARIAN | Pair set out in rain, jogging along river bank (8) |
| Anagram of pair within anagram of rain | ||
| 7 | OVOID | Old poet describes duck egg, say (5) |
| O [zero, duck] within Ovid [old poet] | ||
| 8 | TICKED OFF | Roughly tie dock leaves, roasted (6,3) |
| Anagram of tie dock ff [pages, leaves] | ||
| 14 | PROMOTION | Campaign in favour of movement (9) |
| Pro [in favour of] motion [movement] | ||
| 16 | SALTPETRE | Old tar, favourite engineers’ explosive (9) |
| Salt [old tar] pet [favourite] RE [(Royal) Engineers] | ||
| 17 | UBERGEEK | Nerdy student of eg beer brewed in Britain (8) |
| Anagram of eg beer within UK [Britain] | ||
| 20 | HELMET | Man bumped into front of Lexus covered in Top Gear (6) |
| L(exus) within he [man] met [bumped into] | ||
| 22 | LINGO | Some can spell in Gordonstoun and some can’t, ignoring punctuation (5) |
| Hidden in spelL IN GOrdonstoun; the definition is “cant” | ||
| 24 | RETRO | Old-fashioned style before trouser presses (5) |
| Hidden in befoRE TROuser | ||
Thanks, Ringo. I agree wholeheartedly with your preamble, except your disappointment with 20dn.
I read 27ac very slightly differently: ON LOO = ‘seeking relief’. 😉
Many thanks, Redshank, for another lovely puzzle.
I agree with Eileen — except that I found 14dn a bit tame. Thanks as usual, Redshank, and of course Ringo.
First in was 27a -helped by the same clue being in yesterday’s Daily Mail. Failed on 6d,12a 18a and 25a despite having all the crossers.