No 13878, Tuesday 30 May 2023, Gussalufz

Solution to 10A 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   He, maybe sprinkled salt first, then a bit of pepper just in time (4-4) LAST GASP  {GAS}<=>{SALT*} then {Pe...r}

5   Sound of wind passing from southern tip of fellow, next to a pair of orbs, quietly (6) SWOOSH {S}{f...oW}{OO}{SH}

9   Hate Fortran course contents (7) RANCOUR [T]

10 Welcome computer cycles in the greatest lab, up front (3,4) A?L ?A?L ()

11 Projection: ex-U.S. president not running (5) CLINT CLINTon

12 Family is caught in deficits — any disbursements under review? (8) DYNASTIC [T<=]

13 Lecture confused Mr. Sen about love (6) SERMON {MR+SEN}* over {0}

14 Courier perhaps returned letters from inoperative Cafe Pythagoras (8) TYPEFACE [T<=]

18 Might work — he's starting off novel AIs! (8) STRENGTH {HES+sTaRTiNG}*

20 Grand, completely naked neighbour's sexy without shirt (6) HEROIC {n..gHb..r}{EROtIC}

23 Proposal of monarch bearing love? It's rejected in favour of second Earl (8) QUESTION {QUE{-e+its<=)STI{O}N}

25 Grab rail, no support in vessel! (5) GRAIL {GRAb+raIL}

27 Every now and then, Sheela did jump over small pools of water (7) PUDDLES {ShEeLa+DiD+jUmP}<=

28 New and old blending in coastal city's craft (7) GONDOLA {GO{N+OLD}*A} GOA is not a city but a State

29 Some grammar tyrants persecuted good man (6) MARTYR [T]

30 Vehicle is back — they finally fixed lube and paint (4,4) NAVY BLUE {VAN}{theY}{LUBE*}

DOWN

1   They write songs in registers that captivate; I cry, moved (9) LYRICISTS {L{I+CRY}*ISTS}

2   Regularly spurn engineer with brighter outlook (7) SUNNIER {SpUrN+eNgInEeR}

3   Good crowd thronged at first, now unfortunately no one is here any more (5,4) GHOST TOWN {G}{HOST}{Th...d}{NOW*}

4   Take steps — rubbish lying around in corner (6) STRIDE {S{DIRT<=}E}

6   Wife makes speech lacking a hint of truth and rambles (5) WALKS {W}{tALKS}

7   No car in America features this instrument (7) OCARINA [T]

8   Devout husband's servile, No. 1! (4) HOLY {H}{OiLY}

10 A racket, as they say, is irritating (6) ANNOYS {A}{(~noise)NNOYS}

15 Join forces with dunces, essentially, during extremely, extremely desperate situation (9) EMERGENCY {MERGE}{duNCes} in {Em...cY}

16 By cracking cryptic clue, head gets clear (9) EXCULPATE  {E{X}CUL*}{PATE}

17 Top places for jerks (6) ATTICS {AT}{TICS}

19 More like a balloon going up or down (7) ROUNDER [DD]

21 Very successful top students' list announced (2,1,4) ON A ROLL (~ honour roll)

22 Heart going out for top cop behind clearing mystery (6) ENIGMA {EN(-e+IG)IGMA}

24 Reckless apprentice shadowing Gussalufz in secret (5) SILLY {S{I}{L}LY}

26 One second ... (deleted jerk's unwelcome message) (4) SPAM SPAsM

Reference List

Southern = S, Quietly = SH, Shirt = T, Support = BRA, New = N, Good = G, Corner = SE, Wife = W, Husband = H, By = X, Apprentice = L, Second = S

No 13877, Monday 29 May 2023, Avtaar

Solution to 21D 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   Winds in the outskirts of Zaire - Polish youngster heading for safety (7) ZEPHYRS {Za.rE}{Po..sH}{Yo...eR}{Sa...y}

5   Courses of drug overdoses (7) METHODS {METH}{ODS}

10 Indian island's providing refuge to British bird (4) IBIS {I}{B}{I'S}

11 Fine wordplay by Avtaar with definition on the right, included in this cryptic (10) PUNISHMENT {PUN} with {ME}{d...oN} in {THIS}*

12 Diamond pattern in the middle of Holy Grail reflecting energy (6) ARGYLE {hoLY+GRAil}<={E}

13 Best time to slip out of public prayer in church (8) OVERCOME {OVERt}{C{OM}E}

14 Yield is poor? Have focus (9) VOUCHSAFE*

16 Order review of detectives visiting discharged extremist (5) EDICT {CID}<= in {Ex...sT}

17 In the morning son follows live broadcasts (5) BEAMS {AM}{S}<=>{BE}

19 Where soldiers battle, fighting almost innately for suppressing onset of adversaries (5,4) FRONT LINE {INNaTELy+FOR}* Semi&lit

23 With ice-pack, husband normalised pulse (8) CHICKPEA {ICE+PACK+H}*

24 River in US state, near the sea (6) MARINE {MA{R}INE}

26 Consumptive, loose culture around Britain starts to affect refugees (10) TUBERCULAR {CULTURE}* over {B} and {Af...t}{Re...s}

27 Partners charged with fine remained alert (4) WOKE {W}{OK}{E}

28 Scoundrel is held captive by Maoist in Kerala (7) STINKER [T]

29 Mother and young boy caught in official delay at the borders (3,4) OLD LADY {LAD} in {Of...aL}{De.aY}

DOWN

2   Obstruct some coming back to grab meals (7) EMBARGO [T<=]

3   Thick, hot atmosphere shrouds university (5) HUSKY {H}{SKY} over {U}

4   Curb on journalists (7) REPRESS {RE}{PRESS}

6   One taking time out from festival gets more relaxed (6) EASIER EAS(-t+1)IER

7   Bloodthirsty Joker beheaded in concealed, uninhabited atoll (9) HOMICIDAL {H{cOMIC}ID}{At.lL}

8   Go-getting inspector caught entertaining retrograde lots (7) DYNAMIC {DI}{C} over {MANY<=}

9   Chief of section quits peacekeepers' commission because Board is not agreeable (13) UNCOMFORTABLE {UNsCOM{FOR}{TABLE}

15 Tell all about old head of Middle Eastern dynasty consuming ecstasy (4,5) COME CLEAN {C}{O}{Mi...e}{E}{CL{E}AN}

18 Tax case of umpires taken over by former bowler, say (7) EXHAUST {Um...eS} in {EX}{HAT}

20 In Rome, X maybe irrational, unreal and, ultimately, random (7) NUMERAL {UNREAL+r...oM}*

21 North Dakota chains dealing with winter sports equipment designed to keep one from falling (7) N?N?K?D (Addendum - NONSKID {N{ON}{SKI}D})

22 Short bet, primarily in exchange for coins (6) SPECIE {SPEC}{In}{Ex...e}

25 Scrap on the base of the large spiked wheel (5) ROWEL {ROW}{E}{L}

Reference List

Drug = METH, Indian = I, Island's = I'S, British = B, Energy = E, Time = T, Prayer = OM, Church = CE, Son = S, Live = BE, Husband = H, River = R, Partners = W,E, Hot = H, University = U, On = RE, Old = O, Eastern = E, Ecstasy = E, Former = EX, Base = E, Large = L