Toughie 1121

Toughie No 1121 by Notabilis

The Devil Rides Out

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

Most of the answers in this puzzle had to be teased out, one at a time. And what an enjoyable process it was.

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Across

1a    Masquerade in belfry’s embroiled with scandal (5,5,4)
{FANCY DRESS BALL} – an anagram (embroiled) of BELFRY’S with SCANDAL

10a    Perhaps help to recover a fort before installing motor (9)
{AFTERCARE} – the A from the clue followed by the abbreviation for F(or)T and a poetic word meaning before around (installing) a motor vehicle

11a    Rear view of run-down walker? (5)
{PACER} – the reversal (rear view) of a run-down or overview

12a    Unethical businessman‘s stretch in jail’s hysterical (7)
{SHYSTER} – hidden (stretch) inside the clue

13a    Jacket not covering waist, trunk or back (6)
{BOLERO} – the trunk of a tree followed by the reversal (back) of OR

15a    To try to catch is hard on undersized mitt (4)
{FISH} – H(ard) preceded by most of (undersized) a mitt or clenched hand

17a    Rambling measure to restrict Old English charter? (10)
{INCOHERENT} – a small measure of length around (to restrict) O(ld) and followed by E(nglish) and a verb meaning to charter or hire

18a    Earth mover protects navy before British advance for mineral (10)
{HORNBLENDE} – a garden implement used to move small quantities of earth around (protects) the abbreviation for the Royal Navy, B(ritish) and a verb meaning to advance or loan

20a    Potassium-bearing liquid that stains ditch (4)
{DYKE} – a liquid that stains around (bearing) the chemical symbol for Potassium

22a    Briefly placed motor in reverse, on coloured lines? (6)
{RACIAL} – most of a verb meaning placed and a motor vehicle all reversed

23a    Letter opening during depression, having first dropped one a line (7)
{INITIAL} – a two-letter word meaning during followed by a depression without its initial letter P (having first dropped), I (one), the A from the clue and L(ine)

26a    Pet taking kitten’s lead, to move with stealth (5)
{SKULK} – a pet or mood around (taking) the initial letter (lead) of Kitten

27a    Wasted kid on glue is only human (9)
{UNGODLIKE} – an anagram (wasted) of KID ON GLUE

28a    Watchable play requirements: cheers, high points and drink (9,5)
{SPECTATOR SPORT} – a charade of some requirements, a two-letter word meaning cheers, some high points in, for example, Devon and a fortified drink

Down

2d    Vacant teenagers entering at all excited? (5)
{ANTSY} – drop the inner letters (vacant) from TeenagerS and insert what is left inside a word meaning at all

3d    Organise, as an exhibition, avant-garde art with prompt framing (6)
{CURATE} – an anagram (avant-garde) of ART with a prompt on the outside (framing)

4d    Image that might explain silent phone call? (4,6)
{DEAD RINGER} – a phone call from a deceased person could be silent!

ARVE Error: need id and provider

5d    Pitcher in opposition to rammer? (4)
{EWER} – the female (opposite) version of ram-mer

6d    Picture pages, extra large in petition (7)
{SUPPOSE} – two P(age)s followed by an extra large size in clothing inside a verb meaning to petition

7d    Brooder among Anglicans in service seeing Satan (4-5)
{ARCH-ENEMY} – a brooding creature inside the Church of England all inside a military service

8d    Beelzebub diabolically rides off to Hell (4,2,3,5)
{LORD OF THE FLIES} – an anagram (diabolically) of RIDES OFF TO HELL

9d    Weak champion’s splitting merchandise in dynastic struggle (4,2,3,5)
{WARS OF THE ROSES} – an adjective meaning weak or lenient, a champion or person of courage and the S from ‘S all inside (splitting) some merchandise

14d    Elderly female trapped by flame-haired movie villain (10)
{GOLDFINGER} – an adjective meaning elderly and F(emale) inside (trapped by) an adjective meaning flame-haired

16d    Trials halved with court bound by certain constraint (9)
{STRICTURE} – the first half of TRIals and C(our)T inside (bound by) an adjective meaning certain or confident

19d    Pretend not to notice Spielberg film coverage (7)
{BLANKET} – a verb meaning to pretend not to notice followed by the two-letter title of a Spielberg film

21d    Finish success with risen dessert (4-2)
{WIND-UP} – a success followed by the reversal (risen in a down clue) of a colloquial word for a dessert

24d    More treacherous in command? That is Republican (5)
{ICIER} – the abbreviation for In Command followed by the Latin abbreviation for that is and R(epublican)

25d    Resign amid announcement of thick-wittedness? (4)
{QUIT} – sounds like (announcement) part of (amid) thicK-WITtedness

Hark, I think I can hear the sound of hobnail boots approaching!