Apologies for the lateness of posting, but some intravenous drugs managed to lay me low for a little while longer than expected today.

 Solving time: 19 minutes.

Always a joy to solve Dac’s puzzles that contain amusing topical references or nice twists on old clues.  26 across made me smile a lot, 10 down a nice anagram. 9 across was another great clue.

ACROSS  (*) = Anagram  (CD) = Cryptic definition  (R)= Reversed

1 RATE CAPS     AS CARPET*

5 STICKY   Double def. 

 9  PRICE REDUCTIONS      RICE in PRE  +  DISCOUNT*  Well worked clue.

11  SALESWOMAN  She sells (def)  ALES inside S W OMAN  (S W State)

12  JUNE   Nice take on the film and (CD)

14  ERASMUS    SUMS +    A R.E.  (REV)

16 TAHITI    TA (Territorial Army) + HIT  (reached)  + I (Island)

18  GRATIS   GR  + (D)AT(E) + IS.  Date is clued as “no frills vacation”.  Nice!

19  CHIMERA   I’M inside CH + ERA  -   new def of CHIMERA to me.

21  ITCH    How a Cockney might pronounce “hitch”.

22  AIR PASSAGE  Double def.

25  MOONLIGHT SONATA     Does extra hours = MOONLIGHTS + ON (working) + AT +A (Introduction to Atonal)

26  AUSTEN   My favourite clue!

27  ADHESIVE    HE’S inside A DIVE

DOWN

1  RIPOSTED     R (Final part of letter) + I POSTED

2  TRIAL   First letters

3  CHEESE MITE   SEE THE MICE*   Nice clue with a clever image

4 PREPOSSESSING  POSSE inside PRESSING

6  TATI    TAHITI  minus HI

7  CROQUETTE    CROQUET + TE(A) [Drink shortly)

8  YES MEN    ENEMY’S*

10  UNANTICIPATED     UNITED CAPTAIN*

13  CHAIN STORE   CHAIN (Measure) +  STORE(Y)  (”Most of” floor)

15 ATROCIOUS     OU inside of  ACTOR IS*

17  LACERATE    One to make me smile  LACE RATE (The cost of delicate fabric)

20 MIA MIA   MIAMI +  A

23 AMATI  Hidden answer

24  FLEE   FLEET minus T

 And I have just opened a parcel containing a book I purchased on E-bay.  The Pan Crossword Solver’s Dictionary by Mike Hutchinson.  A bargain at 99p.  What became of the author? !

Quite straightforward, with a pleasing lack of green dolphins (see yesterday’s puzzle)

ACROSS

1 PERI-PAT(h)ETIC : “peri” is a new one on me, but wiki has a good entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peri

9 E-ROSIV-E : (VISOR) reversed in two E(ast)s

10 CORS-AIR : nice - sounds like “coarse air”

11 TA-RANTULA : TA +(NATURAL)*

12 SAT-IN

13 EASE - don’t get it - anyone ?

14 RED ADMIRAL - (MARRIED LAD)* - the Red Admiral butterfly is Vanessa Atalanta

16 B-RIGHTNESS

19 SNOT - gross ! It’s TONS backwards.

20 AVA(I)L - LAVA reversed with an I

21 BOUND OVER

23 Omitted on purpose

25 NIGH-TING(A)LE

DOWN

1 PROCR(A ST IN)(e)ATION

2 RE(s)IGN

3 Omitted on purpose.

4 TOC(CAT)A

5 TI(RE-SO)ME : I’m hazy on the wordplay here

6 CHAPTER AND VERSE - (SERVANT PREACHED)*

8 T(RAN-SLIT-ER)ATE

15 S(HILL)ING

17 Omitted on purpose

18 SOUP-CON

22 DELT-A : is it meant to be DEALT with “A” at the end ?