A gentle Vulcan to start the week.
The long solutions slotted in very quickly, giving at least one letter for all the other answers, so I found this a fairly quick solve over all, I’ve seen variations of the clues for UNIFORM and AVERAGE before, so they were write ins. It took me a second to parse HOIST as I wasn’t;t thinking of a TV presenter, but something clicked eventually.
Thanks, Vulcan.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | SOUL-DESTROYING |
Extremely boring oldster is young after treatment (4-10)
|
| *(oldster is young) [anag:after treatment] | ||
| 9 | ABIGAIL |
Woman needs a large beer delivered (7)
|
| Homophone/pun/aural wordplay [delivered] of A BIG ALE (‘a large beer”) | ||
| 10 | LUMPIER |
Less smooth piece of sugar? That is right (7)
|
| LUMP (“piece of sugar”) + i.e. (id est, so “that is”) + R (right) | ||
| 11 | GROWL |
Warning sound from half grey bird (5)
|
| [half] GR(ey) + OWL (“bird”) | ||
| 12 | IMPENDING |
Threatening little devil with termination (9)
|
| IMP (“little devil”) with ENDING (“termination”) | ||
| 13 | DEMAGOGUE |
Democrat, very eager, occasionally pure rabble-rouser (9)
|
| Dem. (Democrat) + AGOG (“very eager”) + [occasionally] (p)U(r)E | ||
| 14 | MAYOR |
PM, or less important office (5)
|
| (Theresa) MAY (one-time “PM”) + OR | ||
| 15 | GRAFT |
Tennis champion finally quit hard work (5)
|
| (Steffi) GRAF (“tennis champion”) + [finally] (qui)T | ||
| 17 | LOUISIANA |
US state’s old university is covered in creeper (9)
|
| O (old) + U (university) + IS covered in LIANA (“creeper”) | ||
| 20 | TREE HOUSE |
Branch manager may put this up for children’s play (4,5)
|
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 22 | LYRIC |
What one can get from really rich poem (5)
|
| Hidden in [what one can get from] “realLY RICh” | ||
| 23 | READIER |
Better prepared to fail in the end (7)
|
| DIE (“to fail”) in REAR (“end”) | ||
| 24 | TITANIA |
The last to leave doomed ship, a drama queen (7)
|
| [the last one to leave] TITANI(c) (“doomed ship”) + A
Titania was the Queen of the Fairies in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, hence a “drama queen”. |
||
| 25 | VESTED INTEREST |
Financial claim as tense test drive crashed (6,8)
|
| *(tense test drive) [anag:crashed] | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | SHAGGY DOG STORY |
Anticlimactic account of oversexed pet? (6,3,5)
|
| A dog that is getting plenty of sex may be shagging a lot, so could conceivably be described as a “shaggy dog”? | ||
| 2 | UNIFORM |
What to wear in college class (7)
|
| UNI (university or “college”) + FORM (“class”) and semi &lit. | ||
| 3 | DEADLIGHT |
Cabin shutter so easy to pick up? (9)
|
| Something that is DEAD LIGHT (as in very light) should be “easy to pick up” | ||
| 4 | SOLVING |
What you are doing is very caring, nothing omitted (7)
|
| SO (“very”) + L(o)VING (“caring”, with O (nothing) omitted) | ||
| 5 | RELAPSE |
Sink back asleep, shattered after run (7)
|
| *(asleep) [anag:shattered] after R (run) | ||
| 6 | YEMEN |
The old folks land (5)
|
| YE (“the old”) + MEN (“folks”) | ||
| 7 | NOISILY |
Inquisitively touring island, while playing loud music? (7)
|
| NOSILY (“inquisitively”) touring I (island) | ||
| 8 | GREGORIAN CHANT |
Grim from the start, hearing cantor messing up old music (9,5)
|
| G(rim) [from the start] + *(hearing cantor) [anag:messing up] | ||
| 14 | MISTLETOE |
Stole time for fixing Christmas decoration (9)
|
| *(stole time) [anag:for fixing] | ||
| 16 | AVERAGE |
Declare period of history unexceptional (7)
|
| AVER (“declare”) + AGE (“period of history”) | ||
| 17 | LOUVRED |
Museum cooled at last, given openings for air (7)
|
| LOUVRE (“museum”) + (coole)D [at last] | ||
| 18 | UNEATEN |
Left you to tidy up (7)
|
| U (you) + NEATEN (“to tidy up”) | ||
| 19 | ARRANGE |
Missing some gear, rang emporium to order (7)
|
| Hidden in [missing some] “geAR RANG Emporium” | ||
| 21 | HOIST |
Raise anchor: I contributed (5)
|
| I contributed to HOST (“anchor” of a TV show) |