Independent on Sunday 1512 Hypnos

Thank you Hypnos for an enjoyable crossword. Definitions are underlined in the clues.

Across

1 Vehicle with endless job when reversing gets driving aid (6)

SATNAV : Reversal of(… when reversing) [ VAN(a motor vehicle) plus(with) “task”(a job/a piece of work) minus its last letter(endless) ].

Defn: Short for “satellite navigation”, a system of computers and satellites used, in eg. cars to show where one is, and how to get to places.

4 Novelist dismisses second politician being friendly (8)

AMICABLE : “Amis”(Kingsley or his son, Martin, English novelist) minus(dismisses) “s”(abbrev. for “second” in time notation) + CABLE(Vince, Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the UK).

9 Claim litre, say, in drink (6)

ALLEGE : L(abbrev. for “litre”) + EG(abbrev. for “exempli gratia”/for example/say) contained in(in) ALE(alcoholic drink).

10 Price set by music company once before opening (8)

PREMIERE : PR(abbrev. for “price”) plus(by) EMI(music company once, now defunct after being split up and sold off to various companies, that got its name from “Electric and Musical Industries”) + ERE(before, in time).

Defn: …/first public showing of, say, a play or movie.

11 A VIP or tenor primarily at work? (9)

PAVAROTTI : Anagram of(… work) [A VIP OR + 1st letter of(… primarily) “tenor” + AT].

Answer: Luciano, a notable tenor whom you might call a VIP.

Together with the other 2 VIP Ts:

A WIWD (wordplay intertwined with definition) clue.

13 In the audience, forty do well (5)

EXCEL : Homophone of(In the audience) [ “X” and “L” ](or XL/Roman numeral for “forty”).

14 Abroad a certain director encapsulating predicament is without rival (11)

UNSURPASSED : UN(French, a language abroad, for the article “a”) + SURE(certain/doubtless) + D(abbrev. for “director”) containing(encapsulating) PASS(a predicament/a difficult situation, as in “things have come to a pretty pass now that Parliament has voted against …”.

18 Son in ground operated in hopeless state (11)

DESPERATION : S(abbrev. for “son”) contained in(in) anagram of(ground) OPERATED IN.

21 Woman with husband put back dye (5)

HENNA : Reversal of(… put back) [ANNE(a woman’s name) plus(with)H(abbrev. for “husband”) ].

“… back dye” or dye on back:

22 Cautious figure beginning to triumph with retro musical (9)

TENTATIVE : TEN(a figure/numeral) + 1st letter of(beginning to) “triumph” plus(with) reversal of(retro) EVITA(an Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice musical).

24 Make light of miserable drama (8)

DOWNPLAY : DOWN(miserable/sad) + PLAY(a drama on stage).

25 Reviewer right to probe name largely in charge (6)

CRITIC : R(abbrev. for “right”) contained in(to probe) “cite”(to name/to mention as an example) minus its last letter(largely) + IC(abbrev. for “in charge of”).

26 Kitchen features paid activity, post for cooking (8)

WORKTOPS : WORK(paid activity) + anagram of(… for cooking) POST.

27 Article cut for NI town (6)

ANTRIM : AN(an article in grammar) + TRIM(to cut irregular or unwanted parts).

Defn: Town in Northern Ireland.

Down

1 Completely dispose of host, not half a male with sulky expression (5,3)

STAMP OUT : “host” minus its first 2 letters(not half) + A + M(abbrev. for “male”) plus(with) POUT(a sulky/annoyed expression made with one’s lips).

2 Screen set wrongly around Italian writer close to stage (8)

TELEVISE : Anagram of(… wrongly) SET containing(around) LEVI(Primo, Italian writer) + last letter of(close to) “stage“.

3 Decrepit car bachelor abandons in fury (5)

ANGER : “banger”(a decrepit car/a boneshaker) minus(… abandons) “b”(abbrev. for “bachelor”).

5 Shame intern disrupted US actor (6,5)

MARTIN SHEEN : Anagram of(… disrupted) SHAME INTERN.

6 Comedy writer with help sent up summaries of work (9)

COMPENDIA : COM(abbrev. for “comedy”) + PEN(something to write with/a writer) plus(with) reversal of(… sent up, in a down clue) AID(help/assistance).

7 Opening in lower part, it’s said (6)

BREACH : Homophone of(…, it’s said) “breech”(a person’s buttocks/one’s lower part).

8 Like four, say, left close to poverty in a uniform way (6)

EVENLY : EVEN(like say/eg. the number four) + L(abbrev. for “left”) + last letter of(close to) “poverty“.

12 Vagrant goes round cast in tatters in area for refugees? (7,4)

TRANSIT CAMP : TRAMP(a vagrant) containing(goes round) anagram of(… tatters) CAST IN.

15 North Yorkshire resort dog, maybe, gets special treatment (3,6)

RED CARPET : REDCAR(seaside resort town in North Yorkshire) + PET(an example of which/maybe, is a dog).

A lady in red deserving of the red carpet treatment:

16 Malign type on ward guarding pair of inmates (8)

SINISTER : SISTER(a category/a type of staff in a hospital ward) containing(guarding) 1st 2 letters of(pair of) “inmates“.

Defn: …/malevolent, as in “a malign appearance”.

17 Some painter compromised means of exchange in block? (8)

INTERCOM : Hidden in(Some) “painter compromised“.

Defn: A device for communicating/means of verbal exchange within a large single building subdivided into separate rooms/in block.

19 Gloom opposing counterpart (6)

SHADOW : Double defn: 2nd: … as in the Shadow Cabinet, the opposition’s counterpart to the Government’s Cabinet.

20 A king includes four points in response (6)

ANSWER : [ A + R(abbrev. for “Rex”/king) ] containing(includes) N,S,W,E(abbrev. for ,respectively, North, South, West and East, four compass points).

23 Artist after retirement managed Scottish island (5)

ARRAN : Reversal of(… after retirement) RA(post-nominals for a member of the Royal Academy of Arts, an artist) + RAN(managed, such as an organisation).