Solving time: 25 minutes.

 Quite devious from young Nimrod today with a couple of ambiguous solutions until you get the intersecting answers.  Very enjoyable with a couple of forehead slapping moments.

 ACROSS  (*) = Anagram   (CD) = Cryptic def   (R) = Reversal

8  MIGNONNE   MIG (Russian Fighter Plane) +  NONE (love, as in tennis) around N (new).

9  OPEN UP   O U P  (Oxford Uni Press) with PEN inside

10 JEJUNE    (CD)  How a stammerer might pronounce the seasonal time!

11  THE STARS  Double def.

12  WENT OVER THE EDGE   I had GONE instead of WENT at first.  THE EDGE is bassist with U2.

13  PERSONA NON GRATA  PER = A (as in miles per hour) ANON in SONG + RAT + A.

16  TURNED A BLIND EYE   EYED NIL BAD E.N. RUT  (All reversed) & lit.  Very clever. 

19  CELLARET  EL +  EARL* inside CT

20 HEARTS     A in HERTS

21  MIMOSA   MO inside AIMS*

22  EINSTEIN     (CD)  Nice clue.

 DOWN

1  RIB-EYE     I BE in RYE

2  IN QUOTES   Anag of QUESTION   -  nice deceptive clue!

3  UNLEAVENED BREAD     BANDLEADER VENUE*

4  BETTER AND BETTER    (CD)

5 SOMETHING IN HAND  (cd)  ref Bridge and other card games.

6  SEETHE  SEE (Date)   on THE

7 OUTRIGHT   OUT + RIGHT

14  EAU DE VIE  ODOUR (Homophone) +  VIE (Contend)

15  REDRAFTS    RED +  RAFTS

17  NELSON   As in wrestling hold and history

18  YTTRIC  TT + I CRY*

The usual pleasing puzzle from Quixote. Quite easy, I found, solving time, 14 mins. Would recommend these puzzles to beginners, clues self-contained with little cultural knowledge required (either classical or modern) to solve.

Notes on some clues below - happy to explain others, if asked.

* = anagram

ACROSS

1 MIS (CON DUC) T

9 DIOPTRE p (small page i.e. abbrevation for it) in (editor)*

19 ROUNDERS A pleasing, not too obvious, ‘hidden’

DOWN

5 CITRIC ACID Cryptic definition misleadingly presented to look like it might be an anagram. Good

11 NO (LI ME) TANG ERE

17 PERU SAL

… the Hispanic Welshman who would have been insulted by both 9a and 4d.

The only bad thing about Shed crosswords are that they don’t come along often enough for my liking. Clever, cheeky and you always learn something from them.
ACROSS

1 P(O-LENT)A

5 SCHEMES - (CHESSMEn)*

9 A-SPIC - apologies to Hispanic people everywhere

10 FLU-ORES-CE

11 BAREFACED CHEEK - two of these make a full “moon”

13 RAG-A

14 G-A(Z)PACH(e)-O

17 TROUSERS - reference to the phrase “she wears the trousers in that relationship”

18 Didn’t get it - ran out of time

21 A-C(COUNT-ABIL)ITY - ABIL is an anagram of BAIL

23 TRO(SSAC)HS - Mama Cass was a singer, stick her into SHORT and reverse for a Scottish glen (”valley” to non-Scots)

24 DUMMY - Reference to the game of Bridge where the Dummy hand is exposed

25 REGRETS - Frank (Sinatra) had a few regrets in “My Way”, Edith (Piaf) had absolutely none in “Moi, Je Ne Regrette Rien”

26 D(ER)ANGE(r)

DOWN

1 P-HAT - if you speak Hip-Hop, “phat” means very good indeed, homeboy.

2 LAP-SANG S(OUCH)ONG - Lap Dancer sang song. The “ouch” is a response to puns - especially this one. The whole thing is a type of “Tea”. Geddit ? Well crafted clue, Shed.

3 Omitted on purpose

4 (t)AFF(RA)Y - Apologies to Welsh people everywhere for the use of the word “TAFFY” to describe them. It’s a reference to the river Taff, I believe.

5 SAU(CEP)AN - A CEP is an edible mushroom and it’s used in crosswords more than it is cookery. The rest is almost the word “SAUNA”, but not quite

6 HAR(DCO)PY

7 MA(STER CRAFTS)MAN - In French “Maman” is “Mother”, the remainder is an anagram of FRCS TREAT. An FRCS is a Chartered Surveyor, so the surface is really pleasing.

8 S(TEAK-H)OUSE

13 PRO(TRA)CTOR - A “Proctor” is a legal official, the rest is an anagram of “Art”. Always thought “Art” and “Craft” were different things, but I’ll let it go.

15 ES(QUIS)SE - Had to look this one up. It is a sketch, and uses the French for “who” (”qui”) and the crossword setter’s friend “ESSE” (the state of “being” as opposed to “non-being” or “potentially being”)

16 Omitted on purpose - simple anagram

19 Omitted on purpose

20 G-LI(e)DER

22 BYTE - sounds like “bite”. I tried for too long to make “Meme” fit here - my punishment for being a smart-alec.

An easier-than-usual Mudd this week.

Across
1. SHELLAC - HELL (very hot) in SAC (bag)
5. MINARET - ERA (time) reversed in MINT (perfect)
9. GRUFF - [ribbin]G + RUFF (frill)
10. REPUGNANT - UP backwards in REGNANT (ruling)
11. AMPERSAND - [h]AMPERS + AND
12. TOTAL - TOT (little one) + AL[l]
13. REAR-VIEW MIRROR - REAR (bring up) + VIEW (opinion) + MIRROR (newspaper)
18. OUT OF ONES DEPTH - double definition
20. ORDER - double definition
22. SHORTHORN - THOR (God) in SHORN (no wool)
24. STAINLESS - anagram of SALTINESS
25. READY - READ (US major) + [arm]Y
26. LOTTERY - OTTER (swimmer) in LY (limits of lucky)
27. NOWHERE - double definition

Down
1. SIGNAL - anagram of ALIGNS
2. EQUIPMENT - QUIP (joke) in [c]EMENT (Bond with top blown)
3. LIFER - [jai]L + IF (providing) + ER (Her Majesty)
4. CARNATION - double/cryptic definition
5. MOPED - double definition
6. NIGHTLIFE - NIGH (approaching) + anagram of I FELT
7. ROAST - double definition
8. TUTELARY - A[pplicants] in anagram of UTTERLY
14. REFERENCE - [p]REFERENCE
15. WISCONSIN - W[estern] + IS (is) + CON (deception) + SIN (offence)
16. RATIONALE - anagram of ONE TRAIL A
17. COLOSSAL - LOSS (bereavement) in COAL (mining industry)
19. ENZYME - [fr]ENZY (French distanced from outburst) + ME (yours truly)
21. DRAFT - double definition
22. SEEDY - SEE (clock) + D[a]Y (time emptied)
23. THREW - homophone (”through”)

A very, satisfying, toughish, puzzle with the puzzle number used thematically. Solving time, 29 mins.

* = anagram < = reversed

ACROSS

4 KEBA BS (bake)* bs = US abbrev for ‘bullshit’

9 FOOTER (to fro e = energy)* Linked with 16 down

11 DEEP-SIXES (Despise ex)* A US expression, new to this blogger, that I worked out from the anagram fodder, when I’d some crossing letters and had twigged the sixes theme.

12/15 CLICK (get on) ETY-CLICK (cycle kit)*

16/1A HALF A DOZEN i.e. another thematic six. H = Henry (abbrev from physics) (Fonda zeal)* Also refers to the film ‘Twelve Angry Men” in which HF starred.

17 AG (RE) EING RE = outskirts of Rochdale (first and last letters)

20 TEST PILOTS The river Test and pilots who guide some boats.

24 (On) LOCATION

25/19 A (LL) T HE R AGE LL = a couple of lines in ‘at her age’ This, with 11, gives ALL THE SIXES in the bottom row.

DOWN

1 DECIMAL Of ten

2 ZO NA L (l an Oz)<

3 corNER VYing i.e. in “central position”

4 KNOB B(Lad’s head)Y Bonk<, meaning, among other things, to hit

5 BUFFET CAR “Train catering staff here?” Worried that I may have missed something, as this, without the ‘?’ would read like a clue in a ‘quick’ definition crossword.

The final five letters are (cater)*

6 B ROADSIDE B = a follower (in the alphabet). Hmm!

7 BEDECK First letters.

13 COL (pass) LEG (member) IA L (L A1)<

14 ENAC T (MEN) T cane< TT = Tourist Trophy (Isle of Man) and, yes, it is a series of races, not just one.

16 HEADER Means a headlong fall and refers back to 9 ac (FOOTER). This refers to typing - items that go on top or bottom of a (or each) page. Wondered if it was connected with the theme with ALL THE SIXES on the bottom and DOZEN KEBABS at the top; A quick Google for the latter yielded nothing, so perhaps not.

17 AB (an abdominal muscle) SOLVE (as we do)

18 (car) NATIONS

21 PAC K’S cap<