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Hello all. Knut embraces current affairs and public figures in his puzzles, and I spy here some clues and answers related to 1a. Plenty of fun to be had, as expected. Thanks Knut!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, most quoted indicators are in italics, specified [deletions] are in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER. For clarity, I omit most link words and some juxtaposition indicators.
| Across | |
| 1a | Leader in Sun, Farage: “Our NHS needs Reform”. Such a divisive character! (5,8) |
| SARAH FERGUSON — The first letter of (leader in) Sun + FARAGE OUR NHS is to be anagrammed (needs reform) | |
| 9a | Farewell toast (7) |
| CHEERIO — A double definition | |
| 10a | Starts to dream up musical title (7) |
| DUCHESS — Initial letters of (starts to) Dream Up + CHESS (musical) | |
| 11a | Crazy upper-class twit discharged in US city (5) |
| NUTTY — U (upper-class) and TwiT without inner letters (discharged) in NY (US city) | |
| 12a | 10 had, in essence, acquired a reputation for dishonesty (9) |
| SHADINESS — Taking the solution to 10a, duchesS HAD, IN ESSence contains or has acquired the answer | |
| 13a | Gloria’s arranged housing for eastern women here (8) |
| SERAGLIO — An anagram of (… arranged) GLORIA’S is housing for E (eastern) | |
| 15a | Renovate equipment used to broadcast sermon? (6) |
| REVAMP — Whimsically a REV AMP could be some equipment used to broadcast sermon | |
| 18a | Most vulgar ways in France and the UK to frame Germany? (6) |
| RUDEST — RUE and ST (ways in France and the UK) going around (to frame) D (Germany) | |
| 19a | Confront newspaper defending large international operation (4-4) |
| FACE-LIFT — FACE (confront) and FT (newspaper) surrounding (defending) L (large) and I (international) | |
| 22a | Bury the greatest article along with the rest (5,4) |
| INTER ALIA — INTER (bury) + ALI (the greatest) + A (article) | |
| 24a | Complete write off (5) |
| TOTAL — A double definition | |
| 25a | Tasteless, fashionable drink Ingrid drained (7) |
| INSIPID — IN (fashionable) + SIP (drink) + IngriD lacking inner letters (drained) | |
| 26a | Old court letter exposed Group of Eight (7) |
| OCTETTE — O (old) + CT (court) + lETTEr without outer letters (exposed) | |
| 27a | Starmer bans me getting involved; shame (13) |
| EMBARRASSMENT — STARMER BANS ME anagrammed (getting involved) | |
| Down | |
| 1d | Time for another bit to eat? (7) |
| SECONDS — Two definitions | |
| 2d | Used keys again and went back in (2-7) |
| RE-ENTERED — Another double definition | |
| 3d | A bit posh or synthetically, affectedly refined in speech (5) |
| HORSY — A bit posH OR SYnthetically | |
| 4d | Say Oscar first in command, being self-obsessed (8) |
| EGOISTIC — EG (say), O (Oscar), IST (first) and IC (in command) | |
| 5d | Accursed rabid hound turns up (6) |
| GODDAM — MAD DOG (rabid hound) is reversed (turns up) | |
| 6d | Desecration of New Age relics (9) |
| SACRILEGE — An anagram of (new) AGE RELICS | |
| 7d | Relative having base in Riviera location (5) |
| NIECE — E (base, of natural logarithms) in NICE (Riviera location) | |
| 8d | Consumes American drink round back of roadhouse (4,2) |
| USES UP — US (American) and SUP (drink) round the last letter of (back of) roadhousE | |
| 14d | Top grub (as cooked here?) (9) |
| GASTROPUB — An anagram of (cooked) TOP GRUB AS | |
| 16d | Philosopher Ayer cleaned out horrid toilets (9) |
| ARISTOTLE — AyeR on removal of inner letters (cleaned out) + an anagram of (horrid) TOILETS | |
| 17d | Lover boy turned on as sparkling wine goes round (8) |
| CASANOVA — Reversed (turned) ON AS; CAVA (sparkling wine) goes round the outside | |
| 18d | Stop bucketin’ down, by the sound of it (4,2) |
| REIN IN — RAININ’ (bucketin’ down), by the sound of it | |
| 20d | Everybody featured in trial least likely to be believable (7) |
| TALLEST — ALL (everybody) featured in TEST (trial) | |
| 21d | Ogilvie regularly disembarked the German aircraft (6) |
| GLIDER — Losing alternate letters (… regularly disembarked) oGiLvIe + DER (the, German) | |
| 23d | Experience Rubens’ final piece hung in gallery (5) |
| TASTE — RubenS’ last letter (final piece) put inside (hung in) TATE (gallery) | |
| 24d | St Paul’s correspondent periodically rejected this truism (5) |
| TITUS — With regular letters removed (periodically rejected) ThIs TrUiSm. Titus of Athens | |
A quick and enjoyable solve. Lovely find for the anagram at 1a.
Kitty, you may wish to modify 12a so that the indicated inclusion contains the final SS.
Thanks Hovis – will do.
Great fun. ARISTOTLE and REVAMP both made me smile.