A fun solve, although (or because) it took me almost all of the available time to complete, across a number of sittings.
I’ve had a busy few weeks, with a very engaging new project beginning, lots of sea swimming, and today a full day spent getting value for money from fun fair passes with a very excited almost-8-year-old.
The above may explain why the puzzle took me so long to finish, or I could blame the heat, but as ever, in retrospect it was all very doable and enjoyable.
Thanks as always to Cyclops.
Across
| 1 | BUTTOCK | Not a complete arse – though decapitated farm animals (7) BUT (though) + [s]TOCK (decapitated farm animals). |
| 5 | REFOCUS | Friday commandeered by mad Crusoe to adjust telescope? (7) anagram (mad) of F[riday] + CRUSOE. |
| 9 | STRAPPING | Strong and into S and M? (9) Definition as in ‘a strapping lad’, with a somewhat cryptic definition, referring to saucy practices potentially involving whips, chains, or straps. |
| 10/11 | TRUMP TOWER | Old fart, one who pulls president’s erection (5,5) TRUMP (old-ish? word for fart though recently it’s become popular again…) + TOW-ER (one who pulls – tows). |
| 12 | EXTRACTOR | Fan, say, of T.Rex screwed by player (9) EXTR (T.Rex, screwed) + ACTOR (player). |
| 13 | EARFUL | Topless, weepy, getting a bollocking (6) EARFUL – tearful, i.e. weepy, minus its first letter/topless. |
| 15 | INTENSE | Powerful trendy present, maybe (7) IN (trendy) + TENSE (present, maybe). |
| 19 | EMPEROR | English politician at fault dropping Reform’s first leader (7) E[nglish] + MP (politician) + EROR – ‘error’ dropping R from R[eform]. |
| 20 | HERNIA | Protrusion of organ: the woman’s in a whirl (6) HER (the woman) + NIA – anagram ‘whirl’ of IN A. |
| 23 | RAINMAKER | One claiming to cause downfall of Iran – fantastic supreme being! (9) RAIN, an anagram (fantastic) of IRAN + MAKER (supreme being). |
| 25 | UPSET | Finished sexual initiation with alien – pissed off (5) UP (finished, e.g. “time’s up”) + S[exual] + ET (crosswords’ stalwart alien). |
| 27 | See 16d. | |
| 28 | DALLIANCE | Trifling Democrat coalition (9) D[emocrat] + ALLIANCE (coalition). |
| 29 | HURRY UP | Press on about Murphy losing head without Rugby Union backing (5,2) An envelope (without) of UR (Rugby Union, backing) inside HRYUP, an anagram (about) of [m]URPHY (losing head). |
| 30 | ELEMENT | Keele men try storing carbon? (7) Hidden in KeELE MEN Try, with a ? for a definition by example. |
Down
| 1 | BESOTTED | In the sack, drunk starts to take exercise – potty! (8) SOT (drunk) + T[ake] + E[xercise] in BE D (the sack). |
| 2 | THROW | Chuck‘s worth getting stuffed (5) Anagram (getting stuffed) of WORTH. |
| 3 | OPPORTUNE | Colleague needs right air to be suitable (9) OPPO (colleague) + R[ight] + TUNE (air, song). |
| 4 | KAISER | As Keir represented Bill? (6) Anagram (re-presented) of AS KEIR. The definition is, I believe, referring to Wilhelm II, the last German Emperor/Kaiser. |
| 5 | RIGHTING | Wifeless like Lee Anderson and making amends (8) RIGHT WING (such as this MP and Chairman of Reform UK) minus W (i.e. wifeless). |
| 6 | FATWA | Gross Washington religious order (5) FAT (gross) + WA[shington]. |
| 7 | COURTESAN | Mistress sure to rot in jail (9) OURTES (anagram i.e. ‘rot’ of SURE TO) inside CAN (jail). |
| 8 | SUPERB | Gorgeous detective casually mounts bishop (6) SUPER (abbreviation of superintendent, so detective, casually) + B[ishop] (chess notation). |
| 14 | REMAINDER | Balance requires EU supporter to accept date (9) D[ate] inside REMAINER (EU supporter). Definition as in an amount/balance yet to be paid. |
| 16/27ac | EXECUTIVE ORDER | (& 27ac.) Overexcited, rue going bananas for Trump-style legislation (9,6) Anagram (going bananas) of OVEREXCITED RUE. |
| 17 | WORKEDUP | Labour dupe agitated and upset (6,2) WORK (Labour) + EDUP, an anagram (agitated) of DUPE. |
| 18 | MALTREAT | Bully, whiskey-covered Republican, put away (8) MALT (whiskey) + R[epublican] + EAT (put away). As an enjoyer of malt whisk[e]y I was a little disappointed to have fallen for the misdirection suggesting a W. |
| 21 | BROOCH | Bling, perhaps, offered by streetwise guy round church (6) BRO (streetwise guy) + O (round) + CH[urch]. |
| 22 | OR ELSE | Rock’s at London university, failing that (2,4) ORE (rock) + LSE (London School of Economics, a university). |
| 24 | MERRY | Often seen before Christmas, pissed (5)
🎵 Merry Christmas, merry Christmas |
| 26 | SENSE | Poles, in picture, smell? (5) NS (poles – North/South) in SEE (picture), another DBE. |
18d: I suppose there must be such a thing as a malt whiskey? Or are malts all whiskies?
22d: You might want to take a quick look at this one!
MarkonSea @1:
Thanks – I did proofread a few of times but missed my mistake in 22d.
There are indeed examples of malt whiskey, such as Irish ones. It’s just a quirk of spelling, but knowing that didn’t help me with 18d!