Toughie 1061

Toughie No 1061 by Osmosis

Lost for words

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BD Rating – Difficulty *** – Enjoyment ***

This puzzle is not too difficult, but a fair bit harder than yesterday’s.

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Across

1a    Wine store attracts departing intellectual (6)
{BOFFIN} – a case with compartments in which to store bottled wine around a word meaning departing

4a    Fellow in dark follows regulars to go up Western peak? (8)
{GUNFIGHT} – F(ellow) inside when it’s dark preceded by the odd letters (regulars) of Go Up

10a    It’s almost certain weaving spider gets blown away (9)
{SURPRISED} – most of a word meaning certain followed by an anagram (weaving) of SPIDER

11a    Maturity displayed by the writer’s figure of speech (5)
{IMAGE} – a three-letter word meaning maturity preceded by “the writer is” in the first person

12a    Domestic help perhaps showing success — on time, however contrary (4-3)
{TWIN-TUB} – younger solvers may not remember this type of top-loading washing machine – a success preceded by T(ime) and followed by the reversal (contrary) of a word meaning however

13a    Man in temper, creating song and dance (7)
{RAGTIME} – a man’s name inside a temper

14a    Make an effort to see specialist, when lacking power (5)
{EXERT} – start with an specialist and drop (lacking) the P(ower)

15a    Bookish Tyrone peripherally replaces book in room full of books (8)
{LITERARY} – start with a room full of books and insert the outer letters (peripherally) of TyronE in place of the B(ook)

18a    Measuring device regularly wanders, disrupting fashion designer (8)
{QUADRANT} – the even letters (regularly) of wAnDeRs inside (disrupting) the surname of a famous fashion designer

20a    Better performing type of poultry (5)
{CAPON} – a verb meaning to better followed by a two-letter word meaning performing

23a    Kitchenware needed first for green pepper (7)
{GRIDDLE} – the initial letter (first) of Green followed by a verb meaning to pepper with shot from a shotgun

25a    Conductors returned at front, inspecting rail tickets before junction (7)
{MAESTRI} – the initial letters (at front) of Inspecting Rail Tickets followed by a junction or joint, all reversed (returned)

26a    European agreed on port as accompaniment to paella? (5)
{RIOJA} – the German for agreed/yes preceded by a port in Brazil

27a    Firm surprised by debts? (9)
{TENACIOUS} – this one is a bit devious – look in the grid for “surprised” and then replace it with a reference to the clue number (3,2) and add the usual debts

28a    Nick, avoiding British aircraft, reaches sports event (8)
{CANOEING} – a nick or prison is followed by a US aircraft manufacturer without (avoiding) the initial letter B(ritish)

29a    When retired, Mercedes review partly read (6)
{VERSED} – hidden (partly) and reversed (when retired) inside the clue

Down

1d    Potty, having gambled with odds in shop being hidden (8)
{BESOTTED} – a verb meaning having gambled around (being hidden) the odd letters of ShOp

2d    Rich cream that’s held back for dinner, fellow used up (7)
{FERTILE} – start with a word meaning the cream or the best, insert (held) the final letter (back) of dinneR, follow it with F(ellow) and then reverse the lot (used up in a down clue)

3d    Irish female rock ‘n’ roller hot under the collar (9)
{IRRITATED} – IR(ish) followed by an educated girl and a fifties rock ‘n’ roller

5d    Given anaesthetic, perhaps Georgia reportedly conveyed restraint (14)
{UNDERSTATEMENT} – an adjective perhaps meaning having been given anaesthetic followed by what Georgia is in the US and a syllable that sounds like (reportedly) a verb meaning conveyed or denoted

6d    Cast shows fault (not perfect) (5)
{FLING} – start with a fault and drop (not) the two letters representing perfect or first-class

7d    Windows installer relatively sluggish after halfway in program (7)
{GLAZIER} – an adjective meaning relatively sluggish preceded by the middle letter (halfway) of proGram

8d    ‘Ruling classes against lower classes’ providing recurrent subject matter (6)
{THEMED} – the so-called ruling classes (the opposite of “us”!) followed by two of the lower socio-economic classes

9d    Old domestic goddess is presented with a gong by Lincoln College (8,6)
{ISABELLA BEETON} – at last a telegraph setter has correctly spelt the name of this domestic goddess from years gone by! – the IS and A from the clue, followed by a gong, the three-letter version of the first name of President Lincoln and a boy’s college in Berkshire

16d    Rare record stores dear in France, hence empty (9)
{RECHERCHÉ} – REC(ord) around (stores) the French for dear followed by HencE without its inner letters (empty)

17d    Getting hot, top’s removed, unacquainted with suit (8)
{UNKISSED} – start with a word meaning hot or ripened (3-6) and drop (removed) the initial letter (top) to get an adjective meaning unacquainted with suit / not having been involved in a romance

19d    Heraldic image councillor detached in agreement (7)
{UNICORN} – CR, the abbreviation for councillor, separately (detached) inserted into an agreement

21d    Deserving sympathy, investigator prepared to sue (7)
{PITEOUS} – a Private Investigator followed by an anagram (prepared) of TO SUE

22d    Fungal growth briefly abounding beneath cooker (6)
{AGARIC} – most of (briefly) an adjective meaning abounding or plentiful preceded by a range cooker

24d    Legendary bowler running fleet? Duck! (5)
{DRAKE} – two definitions – the Admiral who famously continued playing bowls as the Spanish fleet approached and a male duck

A bit tricky in places.