An enjoyable challenge from Pasquale …
… testing or expanding our GK in astronomy, US law and sport, botany, Latin liturgy, European language / geography and English Literature, all meticulously clued, as ever, with some splendid anagrams, with sensible indicators and excellent witty surfaces throughout, plus a couple of unequivocal soundalikes.
My particular favourites were 8ac NOLO CONTENDERE, 24ac HOEK VAN HOLLAND, 2dn POLITESSE, 14dn DERVISHES and 16dn ALTERCATE.
(I need help with the parsing at 12ac – and it came immediately: many thanks, KVa @1)
Thanks to Pasquale for an absorbing puzzle.
Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
1 Star bringing forward a savoury food (5)
ASPIC
SPICA (star), with the A moved to the front
4 This writer with a daughter certain to be imprisoned and restrained (8)
MEASURED
ME (this writer) + SURE (certain) in A D (a daughter)
8 Need one control improper claim of defendant? (4,10)
NOLO CONTENDERE
An anagram (improper) of NEED ONE CONTROL
10 Tit flying by yellow area between lakes in coastal region (8)
LITTORAL
L L (lakes) round an anagram (flying) of TIT + OR (yellow) + A (area)
11 Female coming to mountain top – it’s cold (6)
FRIDGE
F (female) + RIDGE (mountain top)
12 Like Ed in Mondeo, travelling from London to Bristol? (9)
WESTBOUND
ED is reversed (westbound) in MonDEo
15 It’s not every hospital unit that gets prize (5)
AWARD
A WARD (just one hospital unit)
17 Complete quiet, always poetic (5)
SHEER
SH (quiet) + E’ER (ever, poetic)
18 Fungus that’s rare, unusual (9)
EARTHSTAR
An anagram (unusual) 0f THAT’S RARE
19 Innocent rapture? There’s hidden catch (6)
ENTRAP
Hidden in innocENT RAPture
21 Hymn fades with one listener falling over (4,4)
DIES IRAE
DIES (fades) + I (one) + a reversal (falling over) of EAR (listener)
24 Wicked knave breaking into two houses and hiding fifty pounds in cape (4,3,7)
HOEK VAN HOLLAND
An anagram (wicked) of KNAVE in HO HO (two houses) + AND round L (fifty) + L (pounds)
25 Feature of diamonds, such being studded into gear (8)
HARDNESS
D (diamonds) in HARNESS (gear)
26 Said to be no more than a titular chieftain (5)
AMEER
Sounds like ‘a mere’ (said to be no more than a) – an alternative spelling of amir
Down
1 Dramatist rewriting a slender work (6,6)
ARNOLD WESKER
An anagram (rewriting) of A SLENDER WORK
2 Civilised behaviour from coppers arresting tragic woman caught out (9)
POLITESSE
POLI[c]E (coppers) minus c (caught out) round TESS (of the d’Urbervilles – tragic woman)
3 Old Bill repeatedly climbing tree (5)
CACAO
A reversal (climbing, in a down clue) 0f O (old) + AC AC (bill, repeatedly)
4 Tiny adult enthralling home on island (9)
MINIATURE
MATURE (adult) round IN (home) + I (island)
5 Be indecisive losing head and swear (4)
AVER
[w]AVER (be indecisive)
6 Like one who has sworn, spreading hate round (5,4)
UNDER OATH
An anagram (spreading) of HATE AROUND
7 English king looking angry sinned (5)
ERRED
E (English) + R (king) + RED (looking angry)
9 Guitarist losing his temper in a minor car accident? (6-6)
FENDER BENDER
Cryptic definition, a Fender being a make of guitar
13 Like soldiers en masse subjected to ridicule (9)
BARRACKED
Double definition
14 She drives carelessly – we may be in a whirl (9)
DERVISHES
16 Argue – that’s what Petruchio tried to do, we hear? (9)
ALTERCATE
Sounds like (we hear) ‘Alter Kate’, as Petruchio tried to do with his wife Katerina in ‘The Taming of the Shrew’
20 Writer leaving a university, a female (5)
THORA
[au]THOR (writer, minus a u, a university) + A
22 Series of notes left in seat (3-2)
SOL-FA
L (left) in SOFA (seat)
23 Foremost character in baseball, famous American? (4)
BABE
B[aseball] + ABE (famous American) – clever clue as definition
WESTBOUND
‘ed’ is westbound (de) in Mon’de’o
KVa – Oh my Goodness – many thanks!
23d – refers to Babe Ruth, presumably.
Londoner @3 – yes, as in the link.