Independent 12,442/Hubble

A solid and entertaining cryptic from Hubble to start the crosswording week in The Independent.

Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
cad clue as definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) removed

definitions are underlined

Across

1 Steel, for example, and half of that gold-plated?
AUTHOR
Cleverly constructed clue to get us going (or those of us who always start with 1 across, at least). An insertion of TH[AT] in AU and OR, two abbreviations for ‘gold’, so ‘gold-plated’ as the insertion indicator.  The author is Danielle Steel.  She is the bestselling living author and the fourth-best-selling fiction author of all time.

4 People who dole out corporal punishment and kisses
SMACKERS
A dd.

10 Notoriously thirsty thespian drinking gallons in lake showed up again
RE-EMERGED
A double insertion: of G in MERE, and all that in REED. The two insertion indicators are ‘drinking’ and ‘in’. The ‘thespian’ is Oliver REED. He was certainly reputed as a heavy drinker: he claimed to have drunk 106 pints of beer on a two-day binge before his wedding day. This turned out not to be entirely true: he drank 106 pints during an arm-wrestling competition in Guernsey fifteen years prior to his wedding.

11 Straighter French street runs through outskirts of Tréguier
TRUER
An insertion of RUE in TR, the outer letters of ‘Tréguier’. The insertion indicator is ‘runs through’.

12 Hardened sap to offend another time?
RESIN
A dd. The second definition is more clearly rendered by RE-SIN.

13 Bump into nasty Yankee apparently
EVIDENTLY
An insertion of DENT in EVIL, followed by Y for the NATO/phonetic alphabet ‘Yankee’. The insertion indicator is ‘into’.

14 Out of uniform, alien visitors taking breather inside woods
FORESTS
An insertion of REST in [U]FOS. More phonetic alphabet and an insertion: this time the indicator is ‘taking … inside’.

16 Be paid to study but not back in school
EARN
[L]EARN

19 Cheeky devils – one’s hugging representative
IMPS
An insertion of MP in IS. The insertion indicator is ‘hugging’.

21 We’ll shortly attend reception
WELCOME
A charade of WEL[L] and COME.

24 Royal gathering fell back where bench is
COURTROOM
A charade of COURT and MOOR reversed.

25 Old Scottish lord occupying Elizabethan estate
THANE
Hidden in ElizabeTHAN Estate.

26 Man introduced by retiring police officer displaying unique turn of phrase
IDIOM
A charade of DI for Detective Inspector reversed and IOM for Isle of Man.

27 Custer essentially had soldiers close to fort position at bank
STATEMENT
A charade of ST for the central letters of ‘Custer’, ATE, MEN and T for the final letter of ‘fort’.

28 Judge once more screening foreign fighter’s record collection
REGISTRY
An insertion of GIS in RETRY. The insertion indicator is ‘screening’.

29 Core group of mariners trapped by bottom of boat
KERNEL
An insertion of RN in KEEL. The insertion indicator is ‘trapped by’.

Down

1 Skill in pursuit of express plane
AIRCRAFT
A charade of AIR and CRAFT.

2 Half-heartedly confirm offering support for Tesla’s valued helper
TREASURE
A charade of T and REAS[S]URE (or REA[S]SURE). The tesla (symbol: T) is the derived SI unit of magnetic flux density.

3 Expert putting head down and getting stuck into dealing with Neptune’s orbit
OCEAN
Hubble is inviting you to create CEA by moving the ‘head’ of ACE for ‘expert’ downwards, and insert it in ON for ‘dealing with’. The insertion indicator is ‘getting stuck into’. Neptune is the Roman god of the sea.

5 When youth has gone, warehouse’s initially replacing learner who helps with deliveries
MIDWIFE
A replacement of the L in MIDLIFE with W for the initial letter of ‘warehouse’.  MIDWIFE has an interesting etymology: it’s formed from the two Middle English words mid, ‘with’, and wif , ‘woman’, which gives it its modern meaning of a ‘woman who is with’ (the mother at birth).

6 Crashing car halted building of church
CATHEDRAL
(CAR HALTED)* with ‘crashing’ as the anagrind.

7 In fairness, gave up drug first before completion of therapy
EQUITY
A charade of E, QUIT and Y for the final letter of ‘therapy’.

8 Carrier picked up by exhausted services for homeless creatures
STRAYS
An insertion of TRAY in SS for the outside letters of ‘services’. The insertion indicator is ‘picked up by’.

9 Fliers postmaster general’s carrying around
EGRETS
Hidden reversed in postmaSTER GEneral.

15 Occasionally call for assistance covering personal break
SOMETIMES
An insertion of ME TIME in SOS. The insertion indicator is ‘covering’.

17 Originally, offers by upwardly mobile online marketplace confined to hospital food
SOYA BEAN
An insertion of O for the initial letter of ‘offers’ and EBAY reversed in SAN for sanitorium.  The insertion indicator is ‘confined to’.

18 Base spread evenly over broken slate
PEDESTAL
A charade of PED for the even letters of sPrEaD and (SLATE)* The anagrind is ‘broken’.

20 Back amendment of Spooner’s, losing vote in the end
SPONSOR
(SPOON[E]RS)* with ‘amendment of’ as the anagrind.

21 Aussie native‘s bill cut up
WOMBAT
A reversal of TAB and MOW. Wombat poo is cube-shaped, and a single wombat can drop up to 100 two-centimetre turds each night.  Look here if you’re that interested.

22 I reach out and it’s more painful
ACHIER
(I REACH)* with ‘out’ as the anagrind.

23 Excursion got uni in trouble
OUTING
(GOT UNI)* with ‘in trouble’ as the anagrind.

25 Article has limited space for subject
THEME
An insertion of EM for the printers’ space in THE. The insertion indicator is ‘has limited’.

Many thanks to Hubble for this Monday’s puzzle.