Toughie 867

Toughie No 867 by Warbler

At the Hop

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

When you see Warbler’s name as the setter you know two things – it’s going to be a very enjoyable puzzle and it’s not going to be too difficult.  Strictly speaking there’s a bit of a theme going on as well, which is revealed when three of the down clues have been solved.

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Across

1a    Wear for spot showers? (11)
{WATERPROOFS} – this anagram (showers) of WEAR FOR SPOT is defined by the whole clue

9a    Time wasted in continuous playing is harmless (9)
{INNOCUOUS} – an anagram (playing) of CON(T)INUOUS without (wasted) the T(ime)

10a    Old woman’s doctor with old type of 26+4 19D (5)
{MAMBO} – the old woman or mother followed by a doctor and O(ld) gives our first thematic answer

ARVE Error: need id and provider

11a    Street provides shelter for dispirited retreating forces (6)
{TROOPS} – ST(reet) around (provides shelter for) anh adjective meaning dispirited all reversed (retreating)

13a    First test hearing function (5,3)
{TRIAL RUN} – a court hearing followed by a verb meaning to function or work

14a    Banishes former leader of Pakistan to Eastern borders of Laos (6)
{EXPELS} – a former partner followed by the initial letter (leader) of Pakistan, E(astern) and the outer letters (borders) of LaoS

16a    Everton club’s last to get transfer banned (8)
{VERBOTEN} – an anagram (to get transfer) of EVERTON and the final letter (last) of cluB

19a    The writer is enthralled by old poet’s sparkling embellishment (8)
{DIAMANTE} – “the writer is” goes inside an old Italian poet

20a    Sailor on the way from foreign parts (6)
{ABROAD} – the usual two-letter sailor followed by a way

22a    Swimming volunteers will take part in race (8)
{NATATION} – a word, from the Latin, for swimming derived from volunteer soldiers inside a race or people

24a    Dad and wife, resident in Southern US city, like eggs (6)
{SPAWNY} – a two-letter word for dad and W(ife) inside (resident in) S(outhern) and a US city

27a    Manic Irishman ran out to deliver: ‘Go away!’ (5)
{IMSHI} – an anagram (manic) of I(R)ISHM(AN) without the letters (out) of RAN gives old military slang for “go away”

28a    I tell you plainly up North the Derby, for one, is lacking in interest (5,4)
{THAT’S FLAT} – the single letter abbreviation which is the way “the” is spoken “up North” followed by the item of clothing of which a Derby is an example (for one), the abbreviated form of “is” and an adjective meaning lacking in interest

30a    Unusual tribal zeal essentially betrays leader (11)
{TRAILBLAZER} – an anagram (unusual) of tribal zeal followed by the middle letter (essentially) of betRays

Down

1d    This signal on phone would cause one to expose corruption (7)
{WHISTLE} – when this signal is followed by a slang word for the phone the result is someone who exposes corruption

2d    On a regular basis trains travel as a kind of 26+4 19D (5)
{TANGO} – the odd (regular) letters of TrAiNs followed by a verb meaning to travel

ARVE Error: need id and provider

3d    Big bird spotted in Morocco (3)
{ROC} – hidden inside the final word of the clue

4d    Opportunity to voice regret over money (4)
{ROOM} – a word that sounds like (to voice) to regret followed by M(oney)

5d    Paper’s celebrant (8)
{OBSERVER} – a double definition – the first being a Sunday newspaper

6d    Variety of 26+4 19D missile heads for battle areas (5)
{SAMBA} – a missile travelling from a base on the ground to a target in the air followed by the initial letters (heads) of the last two words in the clue

ARVE Error: need id and provider

7d    Vulgar note found in container turned up unexpectedly (5,2)
{BLOWN IN} – an adjective meaning vulgar and N(ote) inside a container for rubbish

8d    Liqueur in the morning? Or tea time perhaps! (8)
{AMARETTO} – the two-letter abbreviation for the pre-noon period followed by an anagram (perhaps) of OR TEA T(ime)

12d    Parking fine lands learner with a sort of 26+4 19D (5)
{POLKA} – P(arking) followed by a two-letter word for fine around (lands) L(earner} and finally the A from the clue

ARVE Error: need id and provider

15d    Work at getting applause around court (8)
{PRACTISE} – applause or admiration around the abbreviation for C(our)T

17d    Hit follows half of underground music (5)
{BEBOP} – a verb meaning to hit follows the second half of a name for an underground railway

18d    Metal oxide recreated is not art (8)
{STRONTIA} – an anagram (recreated) of IS NOT ART

19d    Desperate character caught in middle of bungled caper (7)
{DANCING} – a desperate cartoon character followed by C(aught), IN and the middle letter of bunGled gives an important element of today’s mini-theme

21d    Sun‘s Saturday revision’s not acceptable (7)
{DAYSTAR} – a poetic word for the Sun comes from an anagram (revision) of SAT(U)RDAY without the (not acceptable)

23d    Fool hangs on to small relation of 26+4 19D (5)
{TWIST} – a fool around (hangs on to) S(mall)

ARVE Error: need id and provider

25d    Disney has unknown type of 26+4 19D (5)
{WALTZ} – The first name of Mr Disney followed by a mathematical unknown

ARVE Error: need id and provider

26d    Bullet lodged in Hannibal Lecter (4)
{BALL} – hidden (lodged) inside the clue

29d    21 personified in US Olympics (3)
{SOL} – also hidden inside the clue

When can we expect to see 23 down on SCD?