No 9563, Friday, 19 Jun 09, Nita Jaggi

31A and 24D elude me for the moment
ACROSS
1 - Thom(read as Thorn) holding the comers(read as corners) of a drill on mechanical device (7) - SPIN{D}{L}E
5 - Last month for a politician to pack up and leave (6) - {DEC}{A}{MP}
10 - Landowner is around the side line of the campus critter (8) - SQUI{R}RE{L}
11 - Armed force in an icon voyage (6) - CONVOY [T] A convoy is a group of vehicles or ships etc and not an Armed Force per se.
3 - Leaders rise instantly occupying territories of civil disorder (4) - {R}{I}{O}{T}
14 - What one undergoes at a check point? (4, 6) - BODY SEARCH [CD]
16 - Essential for her to drop two hundred people brought together (6) - {MUST}{(-h)ER} Why two hundred?
18 - A woman schoolteacher (8) - MISTRESS [CD]
21 - Amounts of money for each is certain to be less at the end (8) - {M}{EA}{SURE}{S}
22 - Take regular care of thorns on the shrub (6) - {C}{R}{O}{T}{O}{N}
25 - Rustic Asian man born at the end gives up a knight named for a duty (10) - {DESI}G{N}{AT}{E(-n)D} GN from 'man born at'?
27 - Transport the vehicle for golfers (4) - CART [CD]
30 - A new mail to disclose the creature (6) - {A}{N}IMAL*
31 - An aristocrat is in the Open University almost to declare the loser (5, 3) - ???N? {OU}{T(-o)} (Addendum - COUNT {OU}{T(-o)} - Thanks to George)
32 - Small boy is back to half take the statement to be obeyed (6) - {DIK<-}{TA(-ke)}T Poor clue, where did T come from
33 - Permit to camouflage a woman in rawhide (7) - LE{A}T{HER}
DOWN
2 - Planet on Poland has to move out (5) - {PL}{UTO*} This is no longer a planet
3 - A standard Nigerian leader has an alternative member (4) - {N}{OR}{M}
4 - Stay in hiding to remain inactive (3, 3) - LIE LOW [CD]
6 - Run off people somehow lacking bit of energy (5) - ELOPE(-e)*
7 - Make reference to specialist giving attention (9) - {ADVERT}{ENT}
8 - Shy cops to handle crazy people (7) - PSYCHOS*
9 - Quiet painter in the morning is at the hermitage (6) - A{SH}{RA}M
12 - Say heartlessly of a girl in an Arab country (5) - {S(-a)Y}{RIA}
15 - Information about the bend in the knee (4) - {GEN}{U}
17 - Used by performers in a humorous drama (9) - SLAPSTICK [CD] Also used by clowns in the circus.
19 - Odd thug runs away in different direction (4) - {T}{U}{R}{N} [T]
20 - Support a gangster allowed by official rules (5) - {LEG}{AL}
21 - Mind lad in order to be in the interior part of the country (7) - MIDLAND*
23 - Set down the vocal sound holding the soldiers taken up (6) - NOT{AT<-}E
24 - Aged bird not at home with an oriental being (6) - ?E?O?E
26 - Initially get us another variety alongside the fruit (5) - {G}{U}{A}{V}{A} [T]
28 - Albert at lunchtime, is without company (5) - {AL}{ONE}
29 - Flying pest inside to cling naturally (4) - GNAT [T]