No 13986, Wednesday 04 Oct 2023, Arden

Solution to 17D has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered only by a non-regular / novice commenter, with proper annotation. Those who have answered earlier in the week, please give others a chance.

Open for anyone to answer, if not solved by 1 PM.

ACROSS

1   Instant a sport organization becomes an old beast (11) TRICERATOPS {TRICE}{A+SPORT}*

7   Hog right away or stole? (3) BOA BOAr

9   Upset victory is snatched, not reacting at all (5) INERT INvERT

10 His hold on old country mountain ranges (9) HIMALAYAS {HI{MALAYA}S}

11 Sombre inside, nothing less outside — not a whiff (9) ODOURLESS {O}{DOUR}{LESS}

12 Burn one, fifty gone! (5) SINGE SINGlE

13 Essentially need to keep watch over the recluse (7) EREMITE {nE{TIMER<=}Ed}

15 Criticize the bid (4) SLAM [DD]

18 Extremely stressful work on sewage water (4) SLOP {St...uL}{OP}

20 Old sea farers had six cards... (7) VIKINGS {VI}{KINGS}

23 ...others got one finally to turn off and on again (5) RESET {RES{onE}T}

24 Usual sides go into cheer a natural reproductive process (9) OVULATION {OV{UsuaL}ATION}

26 Girl — one caught in the blaze, perhaps (9) ELIZABETH {1} in {THE+BLAZE}*

27 Reading about most cruel attack (5) STORM {STO{R}M*}

28 Toiled regularly for a match (3) TIE ToIlEd

29 Mere startup making hearing aids (3,8) EAR TRUMPETS*

DOWN

1   Adapted or followed around? (8) TAILORED {TAIL{OR}ED}

2   Frozen, not even inches over the channel port (4,4) ICED OVER {InChEs}{DOVER}

3   Smallest error while handling a chemical (5) ESTER [T]

4   Two articles allowed inside "Sportstar" (7) ATHLETE {A}{TH{LET}E}

5   Average return with top money invested — is it slow assimilation? (7) OSMOSIS {SO{Mo..y}SO}<={IS}<=

6   What you need to sell? Pursue drinking few beers (5,4) SALES TALK {S{ALES}TALK}

7   Further pledge, having short sight (6) BEYOND {B{EYe}OND}

8   Writer places America between one and ten (6) AUSTEN {A}{US}{TEN}

14 All I see at random, showing nervousness (3,2,4) ILL AT EASE*

16 Medicine against love (8) ANTIDOTE {ANTI}{DOTE}

17 Must rise, morning is for those monster waves (8) ?S?N?M?S ()

19 First one in port (7) PIONEER {PI{ONE}ER}

20 Told to guarantee her ticket (7) VOUCHER {VOUCH}{HER}

21 Zealous with my time (6) ARDENT {ARDEN}{T}

22 Endeavour of a father to keep quiet (6) ASPIRE {A}{S{P}IRE}

25 A service set up in state (5) ASSAM {A}{MASS<=}

Reference List

Right = R, Victory = V, Fifty = L, Reading = R, Time = T, Quiet = P

No 13985, Tuesday 03 Oct 2023, Arden

Solution to 27A has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered only by a non-regular / novice commenter, with proper annotation. Those who have answered earlier in the week, please give others a chance.

Open for anyone to answer, if not solved by 1 PM.

ACROSS

6   Tea drinking in the country (5) CHINA {CH{IN}A}

7   Humiliated? Undoubtedly, about average (8) DEMEANED {DE{MEAN}ED}

10 Fame — even sacred in most appalling circumstances (7) STARDOM {ST{sAcReD}OM*}

11 Simplest through recall inside accommodation (7) NAIVEST {N{VIA<=}EST}

12 Saw reflection on one seat... (7) OTTOMAN {MOTTO<=}{AN}

13 ...for a figure of speech, saw again (7) PROVERB {PRO}{VERB}

14 Blue cab — I started in an advantageous position (7,4) CATBIRD SEAT*

19 Finished, left missing run (7) COMPETE COMPlETE

21 State turnover excluding money as capital (7) YEREVAN {YE{AVER<=}N}

23 Agitation challenging King (7) MONARCH {M{ON}ARCH}

25 Some heard rumblings, was it because of this? (7) EARDRUM [T] Semi&lit

26 Soldier follows passion for dance (8) FLAMENCO {NCO}<=>{FLAME}

27 Girl shows interest over the plant (5) S?S?L (Addendum - SISAL {LAS{I}S}<= - See comments)

DOWN

1   Learnt law, first course was educative (8) DIDACTIC {DID}{ACT}{1}{C}

2   Arbitrary and within limited capital (6) RANDOM {R{AND}OMe}

3   To detain a man wrongly is very hard (10) ADAMANTINE*

4   Essentially gypsy land (4) OMAN rOMANy

5   Remove flower around block (6) DELETE {DE{LET}E}

6   Wheel of automobile allows brief halt (6) CASTOR {CA{STOp}R}

8   A question about a girl, could be fat (7) ADIPOSE {A}{DI}{POSE}

9   Small vessels with a smokey past (5) STUBS {S}{TUBS}

13 Damned ploy worked! It's sweet too (10) PADDYMELON*

15 More changes under article and proposition (7) THEOREM {MORE}*<=>{THE}

16 To Japan! Not new for a Russian comrade (8) TOVARISH {TO}{VARnISH}

17 Little devil in a small settlement (5) SCAMP {S}{CAMP}

18 Polish — English name on letterhead (6) ENAMEL {E}{NAME}{Le...d}

20 China and the French blend (6) MINGLE {MING}{LE}

22 Extremely exceptional soldiers and others (6) RAREST {RA}{REST}

24 Clue for "slender from top to bottom" (4) HINT (-t)HIN(+t)T

Reference List

Left = L, Interest = I, Girl = DI, Small = S, New = N, English = E, The in French = LE, Soldiers = RA(Royal Artillery)