No 10686, Saturday 02 Feb 13, Lightning

Good one from Lightning.

ACROSS

1   “14 12” and “11 8” has altered our understanding of all that exists (8) UNIVERSE [CD]

5   Fearful of a head-on, forceful attack (6) AFRAID {A}{F}{RAID}

9   Skillfully completed and thoroughly cooked (4,4) WELL DONE [DD]

10 Push for training by student (6) PROPEL {PRO}{PE}{L}

12 Key, perhaps to science’s primary rate of progress? (5) SPACE {S}{PACE}

13 Lamenting blunder in arrangement (9) ALIGNMENT*

14 Twisted villain initially interrupting treatment with some deviousness (6) CURVED {CUR{V}E}{D}

16 The Spanish firm admits oddly garbed renaissance painter (2,5) EL GRECO {EL} {GaRbEd}{CO}

19 Dexterity of the Parisian introduced in show (7) SLEIGHT {S{LE}IGHT}

21 Right away, share the magic medicine (6) POTION POrTION

23 Betters return on investment sending back wood shavings for packaging (9) EXCELSIOR {EXCELS}{IOR<=}

25 Faint after a shortwhile outside work (5) SWOON {S{W}OON}

26 Unsatisfactory conclusion to cause displeasure (6) OFFEND {OFF}{END}

27 Ultimate belief in a utopian system (8) IDEALISM [E]

28 Late to get back, quietly slipped in and ran (6) DASHED {DA{SH}ED<=}

29 Critical analysis of sex, is gee, disturbing! (8) EXEGESIS*

DOWN

1   Foolish one going after a French woman on the banks of Seine (6) UNWISE {UN}{W}{1}{SeinE}

2   Irritable disposition from unhealthy environment (3,6) ILL NATURE {ILL} {NATURE}

3   Invest excessive energy to supplant union leader (5) ENDUE (-u+e)ENDUE

4   Twenty per cent of supernovas are pulled back towards our brightest star (7) SUNWARD {SUpernovas}{NWARD<=}

6   Keep defender, say, for a couple of weeks (9) FORTNIGHT {FORT}{NIGHT}(~knight)

7   Newton’s inspiration is big in New York (5) APPLE [DD]

8   Lengthy discussion on cover-up of measure to release Carbon (8) DILATION {DIL<=}{AcTION}

11 Release overturned for now, perhaps? (4) TIME <=

15 Questionable, leaving it to a self-appointed policeman (9) VIGILANTE*

17 Regularly choose income to be distributed for financial considerations (9) ECONOMICS {ChOoSe + INCOME}*

18 Minor planet, star-shaped, circling around earth is half-barren (8) ASTEROID {AST{E}R*}{devOID}

20, 21 Double contradiction in a hypothetical situation where one sibling ages faster? (4,7) TWIN PARADOX {TWIN} {PARADOX}

22 To begin any negotiation, it’s essential to cut short hostility (6) ANIMUS {A}{N}{I}{MUSt}

24 Without a trace of sound, drags shackles (5) CUFFS sCUFFS

25 Girls from the south describing northern jargon (5) SLANG {SLA{N}G<=}

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